20Nov TrusMT Matte Box – Review
Vimeo member HDSLR GEAR has a great review on the new gen TrustMT MatteBox. [Thanks Joel]. For those who are new to shopping for a MatteBox, this is a great video explaining options and features some lower end MatteBoxes will lack. Features such as a basic filter tray (Some don’t have any. This has more than one), Rotating filter trays (important for CPLs or ND Grads filters), swing away arm (for faster lens changes), and quick rod mounts (not threaded to lens, so you don’t have to worry about fit). When considering Features + Build Quality + Price in a MatteBox, the TrusMT brand always comes up in conversation. You can find the various TrusMT products at their store (click here).
TrusMT MatteBox, Follow Focus, DSLR Gear
Like 
Subscribe 
Follow
>> Continue Reading More Articles <<
November 20th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
This looks great. For the price, it looks even better. I am used to using the Red Rock Micro matte box with swing-away design… It is definitely much more beneficial than completely taking it off you rig.
November 21st, 2011 at 1:22 am
@Emm, you have some good 4×4 ND/CPL’s in mind what should be used with mattebox? I think those 4×4 filters are big part of the mattebox thing and should be considered also when buying a mattebox. Just wondering if there is some good cheap versions or not?
November 21st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Teemu, filters and cheap doesn’t usually mix all that well. I’d recommend going with Tiffen. But the Tiffens will run you about 150usd a piece. You could get sets of 3 from China for about 30-50 dollars, but those will cast off color on your recorded image, and in most cases arent real glass..
November 21st, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Em, in your opinion, what are the main advantages of using a matte box + Square filters on a DSLR vs. using circular screw on filters and Faders. Obviously, the most Faders have a softening issue, but the speed is certainly a benefit. Standard circular screw on NDs and Polarizers are easily as sharp as square filters, and way, way cheaper.
It seems like the Matte Box just goes against the DSLR way of shooting, fast and spontaneous. It just seems like a tool that’s more geared towards studio productions where you can really take your time. But for doc style / spontaneous shooting it seems a Matte box would really just get in the way.
Or am I not seeing something here.
November 21st, 2011 at 11:52 pm
@Gene – Some larger lenses (cinema lenses) don’t use threaded filters. They are also much larger 80mm +. Yes they are sharper, and it speeds up lens changes. It’s a great tool for DSLR filmmakers, but there are also more people shooting with other cameras now which are benefiting from these new cheaper options.
November 21st, 2011 at 11:59 pm
Hey Emm, I can definitely see if you are shooting with large, threadless PL mount lenses. But say you are using a Canon 24mm f1.4L or a Zeiss 50mm F1.4 ZF, would square filters on a matte box really be any sharper than their circular counterparts?
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:23 am
@Gene – There are static threaded filters that are very sharp. You won’t get any more sharper with the square.
February 5th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Trusmt told me that the maximum filter thickness is 3mm, so all the Schneider and Tiffen I have would not fit. That is a shame. No one else seems to have mentioned this, quite an important issue.
For those wanting a really cheap, quite well made 4×5.65 swing away MB that is almost a copy of a Redrock Micro there are some popping up on eBay. I think JR is the one who originally commissioned the factory to do it.
Cheers,
Gregg
February 5th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
@Gregg – I know which you’re talking about. The cheapest I could find from this model was being sold through Konova http://cheesycam.com/konova-dual-stage-swing-away-matte-box/
February 28th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Does the reviewer work for Trusmt? It seemed like a commercial, not a review.
March 17th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Don’t knock the guy for a well-produced presentation. I think he did an incredible job and answered any question you might have, other than the filter thickness.
Also, if anyone is interested in more insight into screw-on VS square ND filters, there’s a great discussion on hurlblog here:
http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/02/10/filtration-beware-of-the-reaper-of-cheap-glass/
September 8th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Shure, it seems nicely manufactured, but to me I see it as a copy of the Redrock mattebox swinging system, it is chineese, why not, but I do not like the idea of copying “without asking”.