I thought this matte box could help my photography, but I was very disappointed when on opening the box, there are no instructions.
Googles the item and found a few videos which really didn't help much but I got the gist of it.
Most matte boxes have top and side flaps, This only has a top one so you are a bit limited on keeping reflections away from the camera lens.
Once you realise how to gt the side filter trays out - there a catch to the side you are presented with two trays, but no filters. Shame but these can be bought online.
The matte box comes with a number of filters to screw mount onto your lens.
Googles the item and found a few videos which really didn't help much but I got the gist of it.
Most matte boxes have top and side flaps, This only has a top one so you are a bit limited on keeping reflections away from the camera lens.
Once you realise how to gt the side filter trays out - there a catch to the side you are presented with two trays, but no filters. Shame but these can be bought online.
The matte box comes with a number of filters to screw mount onto your lens.
31/08/2024
K&F’s Matte Box for cameras ships inside a protective carry case and with a comprehensive set of lens adaptors that should work for most setups. There is a set of adaptors to thread onto camera filter threads. These cover most lenses I own with 67,72,77,82 and a 95mm. The matte box has a few threaded and Arri pin locator style connectors on it that you could use to mount to your rig rather than lens. I don’t know I would attach accessories to it whilst it hangs off a lens. The design of the lens adaptors mean I can’ t uses them with my variable size lens thread adjustor as they need some space to go back behind the threads. They did spin easily onto my lens; and the large greppable surface around the adaptors makes it easy to remove them.
This box only has a vertical carbon fibre (to keep the weight down) barn door, it doesn’t have any French flags. Thanks to mounting to the lens, you can use the door from above or below to protect from stray light. I setup an example showing light hitting the lens and the door blocking it in the photos. The door acts as the cover to protect your lens/ filter when in use. The door has a tightening knob that will keep it in place.
The filter holder happily holds my 100 x 150mm filters; and has a good mechanism to hold them in place. I’m not sure if my filters are thicker than normal but I found the filter holder can only hold one filter. I can’t say the same about the mechanism that attaches to the lens adaptor; I found it impossible to lock things in place on an 82mm threaded lens.
The matte box is quick heavy; my scales weighing it in at around 213g (photo attached - without a filter.) For outdoor shooting on a summer day, it’s a step up from a lens hood as it gives you more control over the light hitting the lens; it also makes it easy to use 100x150mm filters without needing other adaptors. It’s a great starter matte box; from the price, the lightweight not making your arms droop on a long day. If your project has you shooting in bright sunlight for hours you may want one with more options to block light (or use some black paper and tape to get what you need.)
K&F have really started to produce some excellent products this year; this matte box isn’t perfect, but it does a good job; and for a reasonable amount of weight.
This box only has a vertical carbon fibre (to keep the weight down) barn door, it doesn’t have any French flags. Thanks to mounting to the lens, you can use the door from above or below to protect from stray light. I setup an example showing light hitting the lens and the door blocking it in the photos. The door acts as the cover to protect your lens/ filter when in use. The door has a tightening knob that will keep it in place.
The filter holder happily holds my 100 x 150mm filters; and has a good mechanism to hold them in place. I’m not sure if my filters are thicker than normal but I found the filter holder can only hold one filter. I can’t say the same about the mechanism that attaches to the lens adaptor; I found it impossible to lock things in place on an 82mm threaded lens.
The matte box is quick heavy; my scales weighing it in at around 213g (photo attached - without a filter.) For outdoor shooting on a summer day, it’s a step up from a lens hood as it gives you more control over the light hitting the lens; it also makes it easy to use 100x150mm filters without needing other adaptors. It’s a great starter matte box; from the price, the lightweight not making your arms droop on a long day. If your project has you shooting in bright sunlight for hours you may want one with more options to block light (or use some black paper and tape to get what you need.)
K&F have really started to produce some excellent products this year; this matte box isn’t perfect, but it does a good job; and for a reasonable amount of weight.
24/08/2024
£60 at time of review
I rarely hand out five stars... Great little matte box, nice and light weight, but feels good and strong, plus comes with an excellent storage case. Comes with 67, 72, 77, 82 & 95mm adapter rings, that simply screw onto the front of your lens, then to add the matte box, simply place it onto the ring, level and tighten the lever on the side.
Filters are held in place by a filter frame, you simply slide them into place, as they drop into place and aren’t sitting in a groove the frame will accommodate 1.8mm & 2mm filters without rattling issues, the frame itself slides in from the left and clicks into pace, you can also stack filter frames. The top flag can also be locked into position and locked closed.
A really neat feature, the adapter rings have the same size filter threads on their front face, allowing additional circular filters to be added directly to the front of the lens, also means when you move from place to place you can attach your lens cap too.
As the filter itself sits about 5cm in front of the lens you’ll need to consider the physical size of your lens and focal length. A lens as wide as a 20mm will likely suffer vignetting… not a fault of the box, just something to consider.
For £60 I’d say this is excellent value for money, it’s very nicely made
Hope my review was helpful
I rarely hand out five stars... Great little matte box, nice and light weight, but feels good and strong, plus comes with an excellent storage case. Comes with 67, 72, 77, 82 & 95mm adapter rings, that simply screw onto the front of your lens, then to add the matte box, simply place it onto the ring, level and tighten the lever on the side.
Filters are held in place by a filter frame, you simply slide them into place, as they drop into place and aren’t sitting in a groove the frame will accommodate 1.8mm & 2mm filters without rattling issues, the frame itself slides in from the left and clicks into pace, you can also stack filter frames. The top flag can also be locked into position and locked closed.
A really neat feature, the adapter rings have the same size filter threads on their front face, allowing additional circular filters to be added directly to the front of the lens, also means when you move from place to place you can attach your lens cap too.
As the filter itself sits about 5cm in front of the lens you’ll need to consider the physical size of your lens and focal length. A lens as wide as a 20mm will likely suffer vignetting… not a fault of the box, just something to consider.
For £60 I’d say this is excellent value for money, it’s very nicely made
Hope my review was helpful
22/08/2024
I shouldn't be surprised by the great value and quality of this Matte Box by K & F. There is nothing about it that I find concerning and for the money I think it's excellent. If there was one option I would ask to be made available, it would be an adapter that would also allow 100 x 100 square filters to be used, but alas, that doesn't seem to be an available option at this time of writing. Maybe I'll try and make something for myself as I really do like this matte box and want to use my existing square filters with it.
While this will accommodate two 4 x 5.65 filters in addition to a circular filter, there isn't much room if a lens ring is needed for the circular filter. Basically I've found the adapter ring removes the usage of the first inner square rail. That I think is a minor point, but evidently slim circular filters are best if this matte box is to be used at full capacity.
While this will accommodate two 4 x 5.65 filters in addition to a circular filter, there isn't much room if a lens ring is needed for the circular filter. Basically I've found the adapter ring removes the usage of the first inner square rail. That I think is a minor point, but evidently slim circular filters are best if this matte box is to be used at full capacity.
21/08/2024
As expected, this is a quality item. K&F items always seem to have a quality that is higher than you'd expect for the price.
It comes in a nice case to protect the matte box and you get a decent range of adapter filters. It doesn't go as low as I'd like with the adapters, but for most people and most uses it should cover you for most needs. For my lens with the smallest filter mount I can just use a separate filter thread adapter that I already have and fit that to the 67mm adapter included with this kit.
The kit I got had not filters, but I already have several ND filters of this type and the holder tray works smoothly and easily.
It is a cumbersome item compared to "normal" filters, but if you need something like this - and if you do need it you will definitely know you need it - it works well with no issues and is well made.
Another K&F 5 star item, I'd say.
It comes in a nice case to protect the matte box and you get a decent range of adapter filters. It doesn't go as low as I'd like with the adapters, but for most people and most uses it should cover you for most needs. For my lens with the smallest filter mount I can just use a separate filter thread adapter that I already have and fit that to the 67mm adapter included with this kit.
The kit I got had not filters, but I already have several ND filters of this type and the holder tray works smoothly and easily.
It is a cumbersome item compared to "normal" filters, but if you need something like this - and if you do need it you will definitely know you need it - it works well with no issues and is well made.
Another K&F 5 star item, I'd say.
21/08/2024
This is a really great quality matte box from K&F.
Ideal for videographers and filmmakers it's made with a combination of aluminium alloy and carbon fibre, which means it's lightweight but durable. The carbon top flag is a particularly nice touch, looks great while reducing lens flare and controlling light :)
The matte box comes with two 4 x 5.65" filter trays, which slide in and out smoothly.
It supports a decent range of lenses with the included adapter rings (67mm, 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 95mm) so it can be used with different camera setups.
The matte box also supports the use of two filters simultaneously, giving you more creative options.
Easy to use, looks great, feels solid. Great bit of kit and it even has a great looking carry case.
Ideal for videographers and filmmakers it's made with a combination of aluminium alloy and carbon fibre, which means it's lightweight but durable. The carbon top flag is a particularly nice touch, looks great while reducing lens flare and controlling light :)
The matte box comes with two 4 x 5.65" filter trays, which slide in and out smoothly.
It supports a decent range of lenses with the included adapter rings (67mm, 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 95mm) so it can be used with different camera setups.
The matte box also supports the use of two filters simultaneously, giving you more creative options.
Easy to use, looks great, feels solid. Great bit of kit and it even has a great looking carry case.
20/08/2024
This is a slick looking light weight small mat box. It fits two of the rectangle filters. The build quality is great. It comes in a fancy case to keep it protected. It's a good value for the money. it works fantastic.
08/08/2024
This matte box is an improvement over my older and smaller matte box.
I find the filter system to be more complex, which is good and bad for different reasons.
+ However, you get to mount two different 100x150mm filters, which on my older matte box cannot be done.
- Assembly time is greater, on my old matte box, there's only one slot which is fixed on the matte box.
The tightening knob squeaks and feels weird, so I'm not sure what's going on there.
On another positive note, I find the french flag to be very sturdy and more than adequate for keeping sun flares out.
Build quality is top notch with the exception of the filter trays. I find those a little flimsy.
Lastly, I appreciate the included carry case. It's sturdy and keeps the matte box protected.
I find the filter system to be more complex, which is good and bad for different reasons.
+ However, you get to mount two different 100x150mm filters, which on my older matte box cannot be done.
- Assembly time is greater, on my old matte box, there's only one slot which is fixed on the matte box.
The tightening knob squeaks and feels weird, so I'm not sure what's going on there.
On another positive note, I find the french flag to be very sturdy and more than adequate for keeping sun flares out.
Build quality is top notch with the exception of the filter trays. I find those a little flimsy.
Lastly, I appreciate the included carry case. It's sturdy and keeps the matte box protected.
25/07/2024
The K&F Concept Mini Matte Box is a must-have for any serious photographer. It effectively prevents stray light from entering the lens, improving image quality. The carbon fiber build is lightweight yet durable, and the multiple filter trays are a bonus. While it's a bit pricey, the professional results make it worth the investment. Great box overall, I put some neewer ND filters in here and they work well.
22/07/2024