Digital Video - November 2007 - (Page 21) CINETECH MATTE BOX PETROFF P44-2 A lightweight and compact unit, Petroff’s P44-2 features two 4x4 filter trays in independent, rotating stages. Filters can be locked in with an Allen-head screw, with the option to stack on additional stages. Mainly constructed of plastic, the P44-2 is shallow and comes with a metal French flag that attaches without tools. A hard plastic or optional rubber flange slides over the camera lens. The Petroff locks to 15mm rods via a plastic mount which also has a vertical A fully-loaded matte box, the Cinetech features two 4x5.65 filter stages, one fixed and one rotating. Curiously, the trays are mounted vertically in the stages. Mainly comprised of plastic, the Cinetech has a full swing-away design. It mounts to 15mm rods and spans both, though it only clamps to one of the rods. A hard stop holds the swing-away shade in place, but does not have a SCORE CINETECH MATTE BOX PROS: Swing-away design, horizontal adjustment, LED lighting. CONS: No swing-away receiver, gap at base of flags, no 4x4 filter option, filter trays require tool to lock in place. BOTTOM LINE: A highly configurable design. MSRP: $1,250. CONTACT: www.cinetech.com solid lock and no receiver. As such, the matte box tends to bounce slightly as the camera moves. There are tool-less removable flags on all four edges of the shade, and all flags are expandable. We noted that a rather large gap exists between the shade and the flags. A rubber boot slides over the camera lens, and rotates with the rear rotating filter stage. This boot features a quick release pop-off design as well. Filter trays are a metal design and a spring-loaded clip holds glass filters in place. Trays can be locked in place using Allen-head screws. There’s also a topmounted LED light on an articulated arm for lens illumination. Overall, the Cinetech is a capable performer. While fit and finish is somewhat lacking, it includes several very handy features that other units don’t offer. One rotating 4x4 stage Mounts to 15mm rods Optional top and side flags Designed for lightweight cameras adjustment. The rod clamp has limited movement and bumps up against the unit base, limiting the tension you can apply to the rods. This might be a problem for users with non-standard rods (like 5/8 in.). Likewise, the vertical adjustment clamp bumps up against the lower frame when fully lowered. Filter trays are plastic and have a spring-loaded catch to hold filters in place. The catch can be locked open when loading filters—a very handy feature. (Thanks to authorized Petroff distributor Ste-Man, Inc. for providing our demo unit.) > UNTESTED, BUT UPCOMING Stay tuned to DV for reviews of three more matte boxes: SCORE PETROFF P44-2 MATTE BOX PROS: Vertical adjustment, compact design. Optional filter stages can be added. CINEVATE 2-STAGE MATTE BOX (WWW.CINEVATE.COM) Two rotating filter stages Chrosziel’s 4x4 DV Sunshade REDROCK MICROMATTEBOX Mounts to 15mm and 5/8 in. rods (WWW.REDROCKMICRO.COM) Includes top, bottom and side flags Three rotating filter stages Additional stages can be added CHROSZIEL 4X4 DV SUNSHADE Supports 4x4 through 6x6 filters (WWW.16X9INC.COM) Mounts to 15mm rods One fixed 4x4 filter stage Includes top, bottom and side flags www.dv.com CONS: Plastic rod mounts, clamp design limits range of movement. Would prefer a tool-less option to lock filter trays in place. BOTTOM LINE: The Petroff P44-2 is a good entry-level matte box that’s well-suited to small DV cameras. MSRP: $1,320 CONTACT: www.petroff.ws dv november 2007 21 http://www.cinetech.com http://WWW.CINEVATE.COM http://WWW.REDROCKMICRO.COM http://WWW.16X9INC.COM http://www.petroff.ws http://www.dv.com
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