Matte box negates separate ND filter?

F

Foggy

After taking my GH2 out for its first proper shoot yesterday I realised to keep the shutter speed at 1/50 and retain depth of field I needed an ND filter,however I read that a matte box would also be a good addition to my gear.

Now does the matte box have a thread for filters built in?Or do I still need filters for the specific lens?

Matte boxes look a lot more expensive than the filters but I don't want to buy a filter and find the purchase negated by a matte box when I get one.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Matte boxes negate the need for lens specific filters. That said, a matte box is not inherently a filter - you would purchase a set of square or rectangle filters to fit your matte box. These are much more expensive usually ($350+ each) but you can use them with any lens you will ever use rather than needing to buy filters for every lens
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks Jay Rox, so a matte box would be a decent investment? I am trying to put a rig together and by shooting I am learning what it is I need, this is a perfect example as I had never considered that I would in effect have to MUCH light, just that I might not have enough.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Foggy said:
Thanks Jay Rox, so a matte box would be a decent investment? I am trying to put a rig together and by shooting I am learning what it is I need, this is a perfect example as I had never considered that I would in effect have to MUCH light, just that I might not have enough.
Click to expand...

Most commonly, you'd use NDs in bright sunlight to get shooting at a nice stop. There's also a plethora of other square filters you can get that aren't necessarily available as screw-ins- ND grads, warming filters, cooling filters, softening filters.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Matte box = cool
A threaded ND filter is handy.
A threaded VARIABLE ND filter is super handy.

You can get ONE 72 MM threaded ND filter and use step down rings to fit it to all your lenses. I have a 62mm (significantly cheaper than 72mm) and that's what I do. I only need about three different step rings to get it on all but my biggest lenses...

Getting the right exposure is just the twist of a filter..

That said, a matte box with one square and one rotating filter holder is high on my list of "gonnagetsoons"
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top