Matte box
In still photography, film and video, a matte box is a device used on the end of a lens to block the sun or other light source in order to prevent glare and lens flare. It performs essentially the same function as a lens hood and also mounts in front of the lens, but usually includes adjustable fins called French flags.
Another purpose of a matte box is to hold glass or plastic filters in place in front of the lens. Today, matte boxes are made for DV and HD cameras for the same reasons as for film cameras. Some are supported by two rods that run the length of the camera, while others are supported by the lens itself.
A matte box may have a bellows, a rigid sunshade or both, where the bellows is positioned within the rigid sunshade, having a mask which may be adjusted forward or back to suit the angle of view of the camera system.
See also[]
- Barn doors – stage lights
- Lens hood – still camera
Further reading[]
- U.S. Patent 4,441,794 to Roger C. Field for a matte box having an adjustable mask with a bellows within a rigid sunshade. This has been manufactured by Chrosziel Filmtechnik near Munich for many years.
- U.S. Patent 7,031,081 and a Canadian patent 2,468,702 to for matte-box quick-assembly system that is fully modular, no-tool assembly system matte box, allowing to add or remove stages or adjust system components in seconds without the need of tools, manufactured by R. D. Petroff Inc.
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