Matte Box ideas

Sean McHenry · February 8, 2006

I had a talk with one of the Engineering guys at Cinetactics the other day. I have one of their complete MatteBlox systems which I used on my Sony PDX-10 DVCam camcorder. I like it for it's portability and light weight etc. The big issue with it is that it firmly mounts directly to the lens barrel and on my Canoon 814 AZ, it rotates with the focus and zoom. Not really ideal. So I had this idea to make a mount for the MatteBlox that would be a plate that fits under the camera and has a simple 90 degree bend up in front of the lens. There would be a decent sized hole in the front plate, say 67mm with a ring on the front side the MatteBlox could grab and be mounted to. There would be a sliding mechanism for adjusting the centering and distance from the mount, for different sized camera bodies.

After tlaking with them, we thought it was a good idea and could be manufactured easily and inexpensivly but we weren't sure how many folks would be interested in this approach. I would be. Compared to thousands for the alternatives, I could see spending a few hundred on a full system like theirs with a solid mounting option.

Anyone have any interest in seeing something like that available? If there is enough interest, I might start manufacturing the mounts for Cinetactics.

you can see their MatteBlox system at http://www.cinetactics.com

Let me know what you think.

Sean

sonyrelic · February 8, 2006

I thought that there would be a market for a rod support specifically designed for the Beaulieu 4008, one that would fit to the handle of the camera therefore not requiring any special mods to the camera itself. So I drew up some plans, got the proper measurements and made a couple. I don't know if it's due to lack of marketing but I had one nibble and no sales. The point is, that maybe there's not a large enough market of individuals that want/need the ability to add more professional control to their filmmaking, which a rod support would offer. That fact maybe limited to the Beaulieu though. You may have better luck and a larger market with the Canon.

Good luck with it, and maybe you could help me get mine out there better.

Sean McHenry · February 8, 2006

I always try to help those with similar interests. I'll keep your info in my head.

The plus side of trying this with the Cinetactics piece is, it's really inexpensive and works just fine as an extended sun shade. The filter holders are a great addition and the fact that it folds up into a tiny pouch makes it even better still. Bought my whole kit for under $200 and that's peanuts compared to all the other matte box makers. I know they are more professional but hey, this one works. So anyway, for less than the price of rod mounts for the other guys, you can get a whole working piece. Hopefully more folks are drawn to less cash outlay.

Sean