Formatt Matte Box Flags
 

I own a Formatt FM500 matte box and a handfull of the beautiful Formatt 4x4's (Schott glass). The box is big and light and comes with a big top flag, but no side flags. Recently, I have perceived the need for side flags, especially in artificial lighting conditions, but can find no reference that Formatt even make them.

Are there any other Formatt owners out there? Any ideas?

Yes, I own a Formatt FM-500 as well, and also reached the same need for sideflags as you. I recently contacted Formatt regarding the issue, and they informed me that they do not produce side flags, and do not know if any other sideflag kit would work with thier mattebox. I've been looking for a useable alternative for a while now...........

~Clint Grant~

I had heard that the side flags for the Cavision matte box would fit the Formatt box, so I have emailed Cavision for confirmation, and will post here when I get a reply.

Did you guys ever get an answer? I'm just about to pick up an FM-500 and it would be good to know that side-flags would be possible at a later date.

I had forgotten all about this, since Cavision did not answer the email I sent them back in July, and no one else posted here to remind me.

These are the accessory flags:
http://www.cavision.com/matteboxes/more/4x4flaps.htm

But, this is very interesting since it is NOT connected to the box and is completely variable in it's positioning and would work with any matte box, or even no box at all.
http://www.cavision.com/matteboxes/more/clamponflap.htm

If you want to email them yourself, it's:
info@cavision.com

In the meantime, I'm going to reach out to the U.S. distributor of Formatt filters and boxes (Bogen Imaging) and see if they have a suggested solution.

Hey Jack,

I would bypass Bogen and contact Formatt directly in the U.K. They've been extremely helpful on each occasion I've contacted them and are easy enough to get in touch with as long as you're aware of the time difference.

You can find contact info here:

http://www.formatt.co.uk/home/contact.asp

Oh Tim, I did that ages ago. They said simply, we don't make them.

That's unfortunate news Jack. I too am a happy user of the FM500 and wish there was an option for side-flags as well. Sadly it seems that their main cash cow are they're wonderful filters and that the FM500 is an off-shoot. It would be nice for them to have optional offerings, but it seems that we may need to look at the Cavision options.

You are right, Tim, but I swear to God that a few years ago, before I bought the box, it was advertised with side flags available. On the other hand, I think you put you finger on the main thing about Formatt - their glass is drop-dead gorgeous. It is my understanding that the actual glass comes from Schott, the lens-maker.

I fired off an email to Bogen Imaging and will post the reply when it comes. If all else fails, a trip to a metal shop to have some flags made probably wouldn't break the bank.

Have you noticed that you have to really tighten the heck out of the thumb screw on yours? That was my only complaint, mine started drooping in our tests. I guess you can get creative and put a washer in there.

I heard from a Bogen rep that they were supposed to come out with a new and improved version of the FM-500 by the end of the year. Both a less expensive budget model and a more expensive model with additional features.

I'll give a shout and see what they say. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the heads-up Guy. I'll certainly keep an eye out for any new products.

Ah, yes. The box more or less freely rotates around the lens, no matter how tight you make the set screw, though I never had a drooping problem - not in this context, anyway. The principle of bringing a chamfered edge (bottom of set screw) to another chamfered edge (back of screw-in adapter) on two pieces of smooth metal was never going to work well, and was a poor design choice. I had a long email conversation with a Formatt engineer about it and concluded that they should have put a dimple in each of the adapters they sell, for the screw to seat properly. In the meantime, I found that a piece of electrical tape on the back of the adapter works pretty well. Not the shiney type of electrical tape, but the old-fashioned kind of cloth electrical tape - sort of like gaffer tape, only stickier. It's a pain in the a**, but it works pretty well against the rotation problem.

Dang. Inside scoop is...

"Prototype arriving in a few weeks"

Which sounds like we mostly likely won't see the new model shipping until next year.

Hi Jack, hi Tim, hi Guy,
maybe we are able to produce sidewings for you. Have a look on www.geardear.com , our sidewings are maybe attachable and we can maybe adapt, if we have the measurements of your hood and top french flag( with maybe closer and bigger pictures ).

mail@geardear.com

Gerhard

This is interesting news... another "aye" to the desire for side flags.

The only other issue I've seen with the FM-500 is that you really can't use the on-board mike (on the XL2 at least) with it when handheld (I can hear a metallic "wafting" sound when doing this). Doesn't really make a difference since I (and I suppose most people) would only use a matte box on a production that's big enough to be using a boom mike or sync sound (ie not run-n-gun), anyway.

As for sideflags, there's always the option of making good clamp on hinges with flags attached. It would be a very easy project.

And yes, the thumb screw is annoying... and the attachment method to the lens ring... BUT the FM-500 has got to be the best value out there, especially considering it has a rotating stage.

Geardear looks pretty cool, actually.

Take a look at Gerhard's post and the link to his website. This is some pretty nice looking gear. Thinking I might pick up one and sell the Formatt.

This thread is pretty old...but I was wondering if the Formatt matte box is wide enough so you don't get vignetting when zoomed back all the way to 4.5mm of a Z1 or XH A1 lens.

It is really wide. All I can tell you for sure is that there is no vignetting on the XL2 zoom.

Unfortunately the XL2 standard lens doesn't get as wide as the XH A1/G1's lens.

We use the Formatt boxes on two of our Z1s: no vignetting even on max wide. We did however make two small side-screen additions. These were mainly to support the top flag (and stop droop) without having to screw the rather small support thumbscrews impossibly tight. They were not primarily to provide side shading - but they do do that too, to a limited extent. I could provide some pictures if anyone's interested.

Thanks! The Z1 lens is the same at the wide end as the XH A1.

You betcha! Show and tell, please.

First picture shows general arrangement: small side flags are cut from black sheet plastic 1mm thick, and bolted to top flag with small furniture hinges - and tongues on side flags engage in slots cut into sides of the existing central Formatt lens hood part.

Second picture shows front view - hinges and bolts all painted matt black.

Third picture shows CU of side flag, with tongue in slot.

Fourth picture shows flags about to be collapsed for storage/transport: lift the top flag a few millimetres, disengage side flags from slots, spread out side flags slightly, and fold down top flag - as shown in fifth picture. Much faster to do, than to read about!

Sixth picture shows collapsed flags for stowage.

Seventh picture shows reason for doing it this way - camera has matte box PERMANENTLY fitted, and yet stows, upright, in a rigid flight case, ready for the run'n'gun of weddings! No need to fit or adjust matte box each time you start shooting - just take out of case and erect it - takes literally a few seconds - the thumbscrew is NOT EVEN NECESSARY - the side flags support the top flag in the correct position instantly. Also gives the confidence that the top flag cannot droop into shot.

BTW: the reason for bending down the extreme left and right ends of the top flag is so that it still fits the rigid flight case - see seventh picture - internal case width is only 320mm. However, as you can imagine, I have ensured that there is NO vignetting with either the position of the top flag, nor the "drooping ears" at max wide angle.

The side flags aren't any bigger, or they would foul the camera and/or case when collapsed. The primary goal of this mod was to allow me to leave the matte box on permanently in the case, and yet erect the flags quickly without fear of vignetting. Mission accomplished! HTH.