- So today we're talking all about matte boxes,
and to be more specific, a brand new one by PolarPro.
This is the brand new PolarPro Basecamp matte box.
When they first asked if I wanted to make a video about it,
I wasn't too sure, I mean,
matte boxes, they're not that exciting to be honest.
But after I had a chance to use it for a few days
I was like, "This thing is awesome, can I keep it?"
and they were like, "Yeah, and you can give one away too."
So giveaway coming up.
I think they did a killer job with this matte box,
it's very sturdy on there,
it functions really well, it's relatively inexpensive.
So before we dive in,
let's talk about what a matte box does.
Three things, first, it is a sunshade
so it cuts out that glare or flare
if you're trying to get rid of that.
Second, it holds super high quality filters
in front of your lens.
And finally, it makes your camera look dope.
And I'm not kidding when I say that,
you show up to a shoot like that, they're like,
"Wow that's a nice camera."
You show up with this little matte box up front,
they're like, "Wow, can we pay you more money?
"Would that be all right with you?"
But pretty much any matte box can do that, right?
So what makes Basecamp so special?
Traditionally you would have a raw piece of glass like this,
and a tray like this, right, so you have to do this
delicate little dance to get it in there safely.
Now one downside is you cannot use a traditional filter
in this new PolarPro matte box.
But the benefit of using a whole new platform
is that this is only two millimeters thick,
so it's thinner and lighter.
And the quality of this filter is fantastic,
it uses quartz glass which has a very low refractive index
or something, I don't even know what that means,
but it sounds like it's very clear.
So now we'll take the filter, prop it right in here,
lock it down right there,
and even if you flip it upside down,
or shake it out, or whatever, it's not coming out.
The best part here is check this out,
uh oh, goodbye, you can't see me anymore.
That's right, a variable ND filter
inside of a matte box, hell yeah.
Which is awesome,
because this is only a single stage matte box
which means you can only drop one of those in,
but they have a space back here
where you can drop in a circular polarizer.
So that just drops in there from the rear like that,
and now you can control it and spin it
with a knob up here.
How awesome is that? They told me you have to make sure
you put the circular polarizer in the right way,
or else it won't work, instead it'll work as a color shift?
I, what?
I need to see it to believe it, let's try it out.
I'm gonna put it in backwards.
Whoa, it's actually doing it!
Look, see I'm warm right now,
and now I'm cool.
Well this, I don't understand this technology,
let's switch it back before the universe explodes.
And yeah, it is an option to just pull out the filter
and use this as a standalone circular polarizer.
If you're not sure
about what the ND filters and polarizers do,
I have a whole video about that right there.
But in short,
ND filters will allow you to open up that aperture,
getting that nice shallow depth of field.
And circular polarizers can do a few interesting things,
like being able to see through windows better,
making the skies look bluer,
or maybe even seeing into the water
because it cuts out a lot of reflective surfaces.
But it is so awesome just having this variable ND
so you don't have to constantly
pull out the tray and replace it with a different one,
it's such a hassle.
Now this is all part of the variable ND kit,
and this is a two to five stop filter.
But on the days where it's really sunny,
you need something a lot stronger.
So this is a six to nine stop range.
Now the advantage of a variable ND filter
is obvious, it's very convenient
'cause literally instead of swapping out
a bunch of different filters, you can just turn this knob
and you got your exposure.
But there are some minor downsides to having a variable.
One, there is a circular polarizer in there
so if you don't want a circular polarizer in there,
it might affect your image negatively,
and that becomes more clear
when you start filming screens, or your phone.
And also a very slight color shift,
by about a 100 to 200 degrees,
but that's not a big deal,
just set your white balance after you put on the filter.
And another concern I had with variable ND filters
is that sometimes you can see cross polarization
where you kinda see an X or some weird vignetting.
But with this variable ND, not an issue at all.
And that is why there are two sets of variable ND filters,
the six to nine stops, and also the two to five stops.
So me personally, I'm on variable ND filters
like 95% of the time.
But for those times
where you need that absolute perfect image,
zero color shift, and no circular polarizer,
PolarPro is also releasing a full lineup of these filters,
just your standard ND filters at each stop.
And they're also coming out with those stylistic filters
that helps smooth in and soften up the image a little bit,
that helps skin tones and all that.
So this is a very very functional matte box,
and the best part, you can actually take this
and pull that whole front end off, aw yeah!
This is a gimbal operator's dream,
a variable ND filter that's super compact.
Whenever I try to balance this setup on this MoVI pro,
it's fine until I try to slap on a matte box,
and that throws off everything.
So having this option
to just throw off half of the matte box
is freakin' awesome.
Look at that, look, it's tiny.
The gimbals not even gonna know that's on there,
so this is a must have for you gimbal operators out there.
And once it's on there and you tighten it down,
it is on there good.
It is not coming off.
There's also gonna be options
on mounting this with your rails
if you prefer to do that method,
but this clamp on method actually sticks really good,
like that's not coming off.
Now for those of you who aren't familiar
with clamp on matte boxes, it's not like a photo lens
where you can take a filter and thread it on,
you know, how you could just twist it on.
Cinema lenses don't have that thread,
so you're usually measuring the outer diameter.
So this is 114 millimeters I believe,
so that clamps on just fine.
114 millimeters is pretty big,
so it fits this one perfectly,
but if you have a different smaller size,
then you got these adapters here that just seat into there
so it can clamp onto those size,
and you got your major sizes right here.
And just look at this,
this whole thing just fits into this little bag right here.
I mean this is the case I use for my other matte box,
I mean just look at the size difference.
But let's say you're using photo glass,
like this Canon EF glass,
then you can still thread on a ring,
and then you just clamp this on,
so you're getting some of the high end features
of a matte box on your photo glass.
Look at this, look how legit this looks right now.
You don't have to have a camera like a RED
to utilize a matte box.
So check this out, I have this little 50 mil here,
and I'm gonna adapt it to an 82 mil.
And then adapt this 82 to the matte box ring.
And then boom, oh yeah.
See, look how much cooler this lens looks now.
The pricing on this matte box is really good,
especially when you consider
that I spent $2500 bucks on my last matte box.
The variable ND kit is basically what I have on here,
it's the matte box, it's the two to five stop ND
as well as the circular polarizer,
and this is going to be priced at $699,
but during launch week,
this week if you're watching it when this video comes out,
then you can get it for $599,
and that's actually great, 'cause you get the matte box
but also the filters,
I mean the filters alone usually cost around that much.
Me personally, I'd say this is the way to go
to get you started, and over the course of time
you can collect some of the other filters
that PolarPro is making,
and also this six to nine stop variable ND.
But yeah, giveaway,
the variable ND kit is gonna be sent out
to someone in the notification squad.
For a chance to win,
all you gotta do is drop a comment down below
in the first 12 hours of this video going live.
So get on it fast!
But anyways, check out this view real quick.
Oh I got a variable ND filter on this camera too,
but pretty awesome right?
We're staying on this Airbnb right on this lake,
and it's massive,
so a bunch of us decided to come and share it.
Apparently this home used to be owned
by Tim Allen long time ago,
you know from Home Improvement and Galaxy Quest.
Anyways, let's pull up some recent comments,
see what kind of wacky things you guys had to say.
"At 6:25, somebody please make this
"into an awesome light saber scene."
(funky beat)
I don't need to be the next star wars kid, okay?
Close After Effects right now, no.
"Did they give you a hard time about
"bringing the camera on the roller coasters,
"or did you sneak it?" No, I had to sneak that thing in,
I had to take the camera and I stuck it down my pants,
and when the ride started I was all suspicious like,
"Okay, coast is clear." (action sound effect)
pulled out the camera.
And really, like, I felt like I was doing some
real hardcore criminal shit,
but it was just like, I just wanted to record myself.
"Nice mustache potato jet at 5:18."
(laughs) Okay, I forgot to shave that morning, okay?
"Does anybody find Jets half stache extremely disturbing,
"or is it just me?"
(laughs)
Like I wish I could just grow a full on beard,
that'd be dope. All I can get is actually just like
a couple of splotches coming out of here, it's very uneven,
and like six hairs that come out the chin.
I'm like, it just the, what?
Does not look cool at all!
K Soul says, "I got so much out of this discussion!
"You should do more content like this
"every once in a while!"
Awesome, thank you, glad you liked it,
'cause I was a little concerned about uploading
a 31 minute video of us just talking about filmmaking.
But glad you guys liked it.
"Gene's mustache looks like he just ate chocolate
"and got dirty."
Can we please cut it with the mustache jokes?
(chill electronic music)