Genus Matte Box & Advanced Adapter Bars

I got this setup from Genus for use with both my Canon 5D & Sony EX1. The complete kit including the matte box, the adapter bars and the french flag cost $1,394 from B&H Photo Video. The matte box is a very low profile design, unlike similar products by other manufacturers it only has the option of a single top shade (sold separately) and does not feature any internal adjustable shades. This simplistic design makes it great if your looking for a lightweight or low hassle matte box although does limit your options somewhat.

The matte box features two 4×4 filter trays, the closest one is anodised blue and can be rotated through 360 degrees allowing the use of polarising filters and any other filters that rotate for effect. The filter trays seem to do a good job, they are a solid design and so far I haven’t run into any problems with using them.

One area where I think the design of the matte box could be better though is that there are quite large gaps either side of the filter trays. A matte box’s main job in life is to stop sunlight or other light sources shining on the lens, I’ve found that the gaps around the filter holders often allow sunlight to penetrate and cause flares or bright spots in the shot. This happens both with and without filters fitted in the holders.

The Genus wide angle matte box is designed to be mounted on rails, although it’s light enough to be supported by the lens alone if required. Be careful if you mount without rails though as I’ve read stories about lenses being ruined when a matte box has been knocked off a camera taking the front half of a lens with it! The matte box is connected to lenses using adapter rings that push into the matte box ann are locked in place using a tightening screw on the side of the matte box. You can also use the ‘nuns knickers’ option which can be used to form a light proof joint between the lens and the matte box, although this option doesn’t provide a secure connection between the lens and the matte box itself.

The Advanced adapter bars feature a design that allows the rods to be moved both vertically and horizontally by loosening a single locking nut, which although a clever design did cause me a couple of problems. As well as the vertical and horizontal adjustment possible they also rotate slightly which if not adjusted correctly can put the matte-box out of alignment with the camera. After using all my might to tighten the locking nut, the rods still had a tendency to rotate if knocked so I found myself often twisting the rig back into alignment.

My biggest problem with the adapter bars though is that they cannot be used with the EX1 and a Miller DS-20 tripod. When mounting the setup to my EX1 the bars have to be dropped down so that they sit below the level at which the tripod plate is fixed, so much so that it’s then impossible to mount the camera on the tripod because the rods get in the way when trying to slide the camera into the tripod head.

I spoke to Genus about this and they said they would check it out and are waiting for an EX1 to test with. With another camera the advanced adapter bars would probably work well, but if like me your using an EX1 with the Miller DS-20 head you’ll need to find an alternative solution.

To purchase please visit B&H Photo Video.