You guys have been asking me to make a video on matte
boxes for a while now, and although I haven't actually
produced one yet, it's not from a lack of trying.
Over the last several months, I've been testing the offerings
from different brands, trying to find a product
that I actually like enough to recommend,
and I'm happy to report that I finally found one.
And they even have a parallel product for photographers.
Let's get Undone.
[offbeat music]
♪ Gerald Undone ♪
♪ He's crazy ♪
What's happening, everybody? I'm Gerald Undone,
and I'm stuck in a glass case of emotions.
So before we get into the products,
let's talk a little business. This is a sponsored video.
Now, I can't speak for every channel out there,
but I can tell you how I go about making a paid video.
First, the company needs to send me the product,
and I need to test it. And if I like it,
I'll recommend it, and if I don't,
I send it back. It's that simple.
I've left a lot of money on the table this year
by refusing to make paid videos on products that
I didn't love or care about. My opinion can't be bought,
and this method of testing before being paid allows me to
remain as objective as possible. The truth is, I would have
eventually tested this matte box anyway as part of my ongoing
matte box quest, and I would have still liked it as much
as I do now. The only difference is I got it early,
and PolarPro can use this video to help push early sales to
their product instead of waiting for me to get around to it.
That's what they're really paying for: getting
moved up to the top of my production queue
to time my video with their release.
And that's also why you'll often see five or ten videos on the
same product in your sub boxes, and if that's happening to
you with this video, I apologize.
But in the case of these kits from PolarPro,
it's all worth it because they're fantastic.
Now, like I said, I've been testing quite a few
matte boxes this year, including the offerings from Tilta,
Bright Tangerine, as well as the ones from SHAPE and JTZ that
seemed like rebranded Genustech products, but I don't know
actually who came first there, but it's not important.
What is important is that while all those
products are adequate, and in some cases pretty good,
like the Misfit Atom or Tilta's popular Swing Away.
I just didn't love them.
I found minor issues or inconsistencies with them,
and I felt like I wasn't getting enough bang for my buck.
Because the biggest problem with matte boxes is that
they're too damn expensive for what they are.
Well, I'd say that PolarPro fixed that. Now, don't get me
wrong, you're still gonna be dropping some cash if you want
one of these full kits. But unlike those previous
models, I mentioned, with PolarPro I didn't suffer any
of the minor annoyances, and I do feel like you're
actually getting your money's worth because these kits come
with filters. And not just any filters, but the same quality
circular polarizers and variable NDs I praised
so heavily back in April for the screw-on type.
You're getting the same glass here that you'd get
with those Peter McKinnon variable NDs,
so all the things I said about the clarity and colour
accuracy and controlling abnormalities still apply.
Variable neutral density isn't something you usually
see in matte boxes, but I appreciate the novelty
because this system is all about being fast and lightweight.
And in fact, it's the lightest matte box system in this class,
but to achieve that, third party compatibility was sacrificed.
These filters are custom-fitted to these proprietary
PolarPro trays, so you can't use your own standard 4 mm filters
because these filters are only half as thick
to keep the weight down. So this is a closed system if you will.
But I think we're gonna see more products from PolarPro
in the coming months to expand on the system.
I can't speak to this for certain,
but I did hear the words "diffusion filter"
thrown around a few times, so we'll probably be looking
at more than just neutral density for this system soon.
Right now, though, you can get this kit with
the matte box, the top flag, the 2 to 5 stop ND,
and the circular polarizer for only $699, but I'm told to
be giving a further $100 off for the first seven days.
Like I said, if it was just the matte box for $699,
the price wouldn't really be worth talking about
because most comparable products go for $500 to $600.
But the fact that this one comes with the circular
polarizer and the ND, as well as some basic
adapters and accessories and a carrying case,
makes this a much better value than most of the competition.
And as usual, you're getting PolarPro's
exceptional packaging and attention to detail.
The build quality of this unit is fantastic.
It's great-looking, smartly designed,
and exceptionally well-machined. And everything I've said
so far applies to the Summit system as well because, as I
mentioned in the intro, there's two product lines this launch:
the Basecamp, which is the video matte box system,
and the Summit, which is the landscape photography system.
And in terms of build, packaging, quality of the glass,
and the focus on lightweight design, including those
proprietary filter trays, both are identical.
It's just the usage intention of the products that are different.
But why don't we build out both kits and go through all that?
All right, so I figured we'd just unbox all the stuff
and then build it up as we go, so we can see what comes
in the kits and how they work together. And this is just sort
of a demo rig that I made so that-- I think we should be able
to use it for every purpose. This is a 15 mm rod system,
and that way, we can check the rod supports and how all
that works for clearance. We've got the GH5 on here,
and this is the Sigma 60mm f/1.4, so that's
a 67 mm front filter thread.
And for that, I've got the PolarPro Step-Up Rings,
the ones that I'm always talking about. You know,
get all your lenses up to, say, 82 mm, and then you can just
buy one filter. So we're gonna do the same thing here,
and so the first thing I'm gonna do is just attach this
Step-Up Ring so that the front filter diameter is 82 mm.
OK, so let's get the first box cookin' here.
So we've got-- what do we got here?
This is the-- this is the Basecamp.
So this is the matte box. So let's open it up.
Like I was saying, I like the packaging on the PolarPro stuff.
All right, so let's open this up.
This is what it looks like inside here.
Everything comes in its own little pouch.
So we've got the CPL and a little bag there, and then
the 2 to 5 stop ND, and then I also have a 6 to 9 stop ND.
The 6 to 9 stop comes in its own box here.
Now, you only get one of the variable NDs in this kit.
In this case, it's the 2 to 5, I think.
I don't think they have a 6 to 9 kit.
But the 6 to 9 is available for purchase extra,
which I think is $200.
And then you've got this pack here, which has the actual matte
box in it, so we'll go ahead, and we'll open that up.
And I like-- I like the packaging.
I like how everything-- like, this is really compact.
As I was saying, it's, like, the lightest matte box in its class,
so it's super compact, fits nicely in this carrying case.
And then you could put other stuff in here too if you wanted.
So right now, I've just got the-- you know,
instructions and warranty cards that come with it,
but you can put little things in there if you need it,
and you can have it in this tight little pack.
So we'll take out the CPL, and we'll take out
the 2 to 5 stop as well. And we'll just close this up.
And all of PolarPro's boxes are really-- look at that.
Just little nice touches on them. I don't know!
I like good boxes. These are the-- the rail mounts.
Now, this is the regular LWS ones for the lightweight
support. This is regular size, that's what this is.
Then they also have the studio one, which is much wider,
so you're looking at about that wide versus this one here.
You can get both of these options,
they're both purchased extra.
Um, obviously I'm gonna be using this one,
but both are available.
And then this is also a series of clamps,
which are for sort of the odd-sized cine lenses.
So we have 95 mm, 87 mm, 110 mm,
80 mm, 104 mm, and 100 mm.
So this is another extra purchase, by the way, but I just
wanted to let you know that they have sort of a box that
has all that-- so if you have a whole bunch of different
cine lenses with different sizes, then you can just get
one of these. Should cover all of it.
And then the one that comes in the matte box is the 82 mm one,
which is what we're gonna put on right now, so.
We just thread this on to our Step-Up Ring...like so.
Now, you have to make sure that you put the CPL with
the text facing up, facing you.
If you put it the other way, it's gonna go weird,
from like yellow to blue when you turn around, ‘cause the
polarization doesn't make any sense. So for the CPL, there's
a lever here that you have to pull back, and then
there's a notch down there, and you just want it to kind of
rest behind both things at the same time.
And then you can let the-- the switch go,
and that should hold it in place.
And then we can put that on top of this,
and then tighten it down with this screw right here.
And then the flag on the top here, you can loosen
this little wing nut, and then you can lift this up.
And what I like about this is that it kinda works like
a lens cap because it closes all the way down nice and flat,
and there's a little bit of-- almost like
a magnetic-type sort of latch at the bottom.
I don't think it's magnetic, I think it's just that's when
it lines up perfectly. But it feels almost like a magnet!
And then you have a pretty good seal on it, so you could always
just leave this on, like I said, like a lens cap.
But we can lift it up and leave it as sort of
a top flag, or we can actually loosen it off,
and I think if you lift this, you can pull it out,
and then...you know, we can rock it without it if we want.
And I think I'll do that, for now,
to make the rest of the demo a little bit easier to see.
So, now we have one tray here, which we could put in
either our 6 to 9 or our 2 to 5 stop ND,
and so we'll throw the 2 to 5 stop that comes with it.
So that should slide in like that,
and then that's pretty much it. Now when we adjust the CPL here,
we're actually changing the density from two stops
to five stops. Now, there's a static amount of ND-- obviously,
which you can see just by holding it up-- but the
variability comes from adjusting the polarizer at the same time.
That reminds me of an important point that that
bozo didn't mention, which is that when making
a variable ND this way, you won't have hard stops.
Remember how I said that these filters deliver
the same results as the Peter McKinnon screw-on filters?
Well, they do optically, but it's not quite the same
functionally because you can actually over-adjust
the CPL and get that crazy blue cross pattern mess
that you get from a variable ND without stops.
But putting those hard stops into this system would severely
limit the usefulness of the circular polarizer on its own.
That being said, though, there is a hidden advantage here
because I found that you can actually go past the advertised
ranges on the VNDs and still get a pretty usable image.
If we look at the 6 to 9 stop filter, for example,
here's what it looks like at six stops...and then at nine stops.
Pretty similar. Only slight temperature shifting,
which is normal any time you use a polarizer.
Remember to always white balance after setting your filters.
But even when we move up to ten stops,
the blue invasion isn't as bad as I expected,
and I would say this is still pretty usable.
It's not until 11 stops that the blue becomes too
strong, in my opinion. So while I wouldn't necessarily
recommend running them that high, it's good to know that you
can go over a little if you need to in a pinch.
And the same is true for the 2 to 5 stop filter.
Here's an image of my Light Dome with no filters on...
and here it is with four stops of reduction using
the CPL and the 2 to 5 stop. Looks pretty much identical.
And even if we exceed the range a little by moving up
to 5.66 stops, it's still quite good.
And then at 6.5 stops is when it starts to get a little rough.
Also, I should mention that the rectangular
filter portion of this combo does work on its own
for light reduction, even without the CPL installed.
With the 2 to 5 stop, you'll get similar reduction
to a 1-stop fixed ND, and the 6 to 9 stop filter will give you
a flat-six stops when not using the circular polarizer,
so that's pretty cool from a versatility standpoint.
I was also impressed with the clarity of these filters.
Here's a comparison of an image with no filters against
one with both the 2 to 5 stop and the CPL installed.
And as you can see, the filtered image only has
the most minor reduction in sharpness that isn't even
noticeable unless really zooming in, so no worries there.
All right, let's let unboxing McGee over here finish his
demonstration by telling us how light the matte box feels.
And it is insanely light.
So with just the camera on like this,
it doesn't feel like there's really much on the end at all,
and it doesn't really change the balance too much, either.
So...that's pretty awesome.
And that's-- that's its main selling feature,
is the fact that it's variable, it's run-and-gun,
and it's extremely light. Now, something about this matte
box that I like that's annoyed me about other matte boxes that
I've tried is the rail mount. Now, like I said, this is an
extra part, but the other ones that I've tried, their rail
mounts either weren't adjustable enough or didn't really provide
the support that I needed. And I know that I just said
this is, like, a run-and-gun setup, but I like having
the option to attach a rail mount because sometimes I use
really long lenses when I'm not going run-and-gun,
and they have adapters and everything on them.
They add quite a bit of weight, so normally I just
have a lens support. But if I'm gonna put a matte box on,
I don't really want to run a lens support and a matte box
and fill up the rail with just...supports.
So usually I want something that can do both jobs.
And that's what I like about this is that it can.
Even though it's super light, this has quite a bit
of flexibility to it, the amount that you can
adjust it up and down. So on the bottom of the
matte box is this sort of custom adapter piece that the rail
support goes into, and then there's just sort of
a thumbscrew that holds it in. [chuckling] I'm holding this
in a really stupid-- stupid way to show you.
Uh, so once we get that nice and tight,
then this can go on the rails.
And as you can see, you're getting-- I would
say almost an inch, or like 2.5 cm of height
adjustment that you can make here.
So it goes on nicely, where I've experimented with
other ones before where the play is very short, and because
I've shown you in some of my previous builds that I like to
do double quick releases so I can take the camera out,
but I can also take the rails off really quickly.
That makes my build higher than the allowances of other matte
boxes I've tried would allow, so right away,
I got the rail system for this to see if by chance
it fixed that, and...magically, it did,
so I was really, really happy about that.
So once we get this on, we'll do the same thing.
We'll just tighten this down, and then there's another little
wing nut down here, and that's what sets the height adjustment.
And then you can turn these thumbscrews to secure it
to the rods, and then now it's doubling as a lens support,
and now this is, like, really, really strong.
So, say you were using a really heavy-duty, you know,
focus motor, or you had a bunch of things attached.
This is not going to put any play on your mount at all,
and everything is, like, really, really locked down,
and I like having that versatility.
And then if you wanted to trim it down even further, there's
these clips on the side that you can just pop out like that,
and then you can take the majority of the box part of the
matte box off and then you're basically just running a filter,
so that's definitely the lightest,
most compact variable ND setup you could have that can
cover all the way up to 115 mm cine lenses.
All right, so I think that pretty much wraps it up
for this kit. I'll give you a little rapid-fire take-down
so you can see it all again, and then we'll switch over
to the Summit system-- the landscape filter system--
and see if anything's different over there.
So, basically, all we have to do is loosen the thumbscrews,
and loosen this one, this thumb screw up top,
and then this whole thing should slide off nice and easy.
Again, you'll just have to take my word for it, but with
all the different matte boxes I've tried, it's never been that
easy to get it off and on, so that is really, really great.
All right, so now we've got the Summit filter set,
which is the exact same idea as the other one.
Same exact packaging. Love it!
And then in here, we get a similar idea. So we've got
a carrying case-- this one's a little bit bigger, I think..
maybe not, And then we've got our ND
and our CPL, and then this is a graduated one.
And we'll start with the main bag here,
which has the kit in it, a little bit of foam to
keep it, because this one is not rigid.
It's sort of a flexible outer side on this one,
so the foam helps with that.
And then inside here, I have the 77 mm version,
and...the 82 mm version is on.
And I wanna say that they're the same, but I'll just
take a quick peek-- no, they're not.
So you can't use these interchangeably because
this one has a groove in it that's designed
for the landscape kit so that it can rotate.
So you can't use your one for the matte box.
You have to attach the special one.
Now, this one's pretty much the same idea.
We have to put the CPL in, which I have over here.
I don't know if the CPLs are exactly the same.
They look really, really, really, similar, so...
Well, this one does say Summit on it, though,
so it's possible that they are unique.
But the same idea. There's a little tab here
that you push back, and make sure you put the text in the
right way and release the tab. And then we can put that on here
with the thumbscrew to the top. Make sure it's in all the way.
But if you loosen it a little bit, then you have the ability
to rotate it as you need, if you wanted to use your graduated
from the side or, you know, rotate your filters around.
But we'll just keep it at 12 o'clock and lock it in,
and then let's go ahead and use this one.
So the one that comes with it is an ND64,
which is a 6-stop fixed ND, and it looks like this.
Now, this one's using square filters where
the matte box is using rectangular filters.
And like I mentioned, they're custom-fit,
so they're not exactly-- like, they're kind of 4 x 5.6,
and these are kind of 4 x 4, but they're not exactly that,
and they use custom PolarPro trays, which you need to use.
And so now we've got a 6-stop fixed ND in front of our CPL.
The only other real difference is that on the Summit system,
the CPL is adjusted on the left and the right side,
where on the matte box, you adjust the CPL on the top.
So this one has two access points, left to right,
and that one's just on the top. Kind of like you would if
you were, I guess, adjusting it for variable ND, and then
this one allows you to position it based more on where you want
the density in the frame. Obviously, you're using the CPL
differently on a landscape kit. It's whether you want to put
the polarizer in the water or a certain corner of your sky.
So that's why those are set up differently.
And then if we go over to this filter,
so we can show you the full setup.
So this is the grad that comes with it.
This is an ND4 Grad, 2-Stop Soft Grad.
So it's very soft in the transition all the way through,
and smartly, the tabs are on the opposite side.
So the grad tab is gonna be on the left,
and the fixed ND is gonna be on the right.
That way, they don't really interfere with each other.
So there's thumb screws on this side here that you can
use for locking down the filters so they don't move.
I think the top one...yeah, the top one is for the grad,
the front-most one, and then the bottom
of the thumbscrews is for the rearmost one.
In this case, it's the fixed ND.
And then we have enough flexibility in the position
that when we have it all the way down, we're putting the grad
starting at about the lower third horizon line if you wanted
to do that, and if you put it so that it's flush with the bottom
and sticking out the top, then we're gonna have the grad at the
upper third horizon, so that's pretty much usually
what you would need. And if you, you know, marry them in between,
then you do have some flexibility if you want to go
closer to, like, a midline horizon. And it works
really well, and if you're happy with the position, then,
like I said, you can use the thumbscrews to tighten
them down, and then they should lock in place pretty well.
And then we have the thumbscrew on the top
that we can use for rotating this.
So if you wanted to do a bit of a side grad for whatever reason.
Maybe you had some of that funky light coming in over here,
and you got trees on the other side, you can, you know,
bounce it out like that, and you get full rotation there.
And it doesn't seem to feel janky at any point
with the rotating. It-- like, it remains pretty fluid
without feeling like it's gonna fall off.
I feel pretty confident, shaking the hell out of it.
So that's pretty much it. You get the main holder
in its own pouch, and then you get the ND64, the ND4 Grad,
and the CPL all in the kit, and then there's
gonna be a whole series of, you know, add-ons if you wanted.
If you wanted to buy it individually à la carte,
they have that option as well, but this is
what you get in this one big box.
They're very intuitive and easy to use.
I think the design looks great. The build quality is stellar.
I'm in love with this matte box, and like I said,
the combination with the rail support is the best I've used.
No complaints in terms of usability, as you can see here.
Really like the packaging, really like everything
that you get. Very happy. All right, so let's wrap up.
These are great systems, but I think it's important
to know who you are as a customer. When I test
products like these, I can't help but compare them to what
I've seen before, and when you do that, it would seem easy to
fault PolarPro for using proprietary, thinner
filter trays or opting for variable NDs
instead of fixed plates.
But I managed to catch myself when doing that and realized
that if I haven't liked any of the previous matte boxes that
much, why would I want PolarPro to make theirs the same way?
I wouldn't. And their desire to do
something different has actually fixed a bunch of issues that
I had with the competition. Now, if you'd prefer bigger,
heavier systems, and are OK with sacrificing speed to be able to
use fixed NDs and other specific 4 mm filters that you love,
then maybe this isn't the product for you.
Although there's nothing stopping PolarPro from using
fixed NDs in the system, I just don't think that
it's the concept they're going for. That being said,
I'd definitely pay for a diffusion filter that plugs
into the circular filter holder with a 4-stop
fixed ND rectangular in front. Just saying, PolarPro.
If you make it, I'd buy it. But regardless, when I combine
the build quality with the fact that this system is lighter,
faster, and less expensive than the competition once you factor
in the price of filters, and considering that PolarPro
filters are excellent, take all those benefits and add in that
they've managed to remove all the things that annoyed me about
the other systems I've tried, and we've got a product
that brilliantly fills a gap in the market.
But that's gonna be it for me. I hope you found this video
entertaining, or at least helpful. And if you did,
make sure you leave it the old thumbs-up, and consider
subscribing if you haven't already. But if you did not find
this video helpful or entertaining, then you were
probably too busy over-cranking your shutter.
Alright... I'm done.