I'm considering getting a Matte Box. I doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to accommodate some 4x6 ND Grads. For example, most recently, I used dark, thick hotel brochures, rubber-banded to my lens, protruding past the lens and filters, flared-out, as a makeshift matte box. Although that worked in a pinch, I'm considering buying (or building) an actual Matte Box.
I've notice a great variation of prices for even the most basic Matte Boxes. For example, on Amazon, there are a few basic ones that cost ~ 20USD and some others, seemingly similar, basic Matte Boxes that cost ~170USD. (It reminds me of the great variation of prices for Grad ND filters on Amazon; in which I learned, first hand, that the cheap ones are poorly made.)
Does anyone have hands-on experience with some of the cheaper Matte Boxes? Should I stay away? Or, are the other more costly ones priced too high in a global market? What features/aspects should I seek in a Matte Box? What things should I avoid?
Any thoughts welcome.
r/
B.
PS. To somehow pay for the time you take responding, I've attached a link to a bit of unrelated, family safe, humor: Excerpts from BBC One's 'Walk on the Wild Side' (quite funny - my favorite is the Marmot trying to get Alan's attention). Enjoy.
http://youtu.be/-ssXJtzFOjA
