A matte box is a camera accessory that essentially does the same thing as a lens hood and also mounts in front of the lens, but usually includes adjustable fins called French flags. These can be moved and adjusted to reduce unwanted lens flare caused by lights or the sun.
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 cameras 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 focal length of the lens.
See also
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.
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