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Finally some details about the long awaited budget MMB-1 Matte Box and MFF-1 Follow Focus are emerging from Arri. While the former is geared mainly towards the HDV crowd, the MFF-1 could be very interesting for anyone looking for a quality follow focus. It features hard, adjustable stops – which are also great when you are doing both focus and operating at the same time – that way you can set your marks beforehand and off you go.

The MFF-1 has a gear that can be reversed in about 30 seconds. This is great when using still lenses, many of which focus in the other direction as traditional cine lenses.

The MMB-1 can be clipped on or attached to 15mm bars. Though nicely built, it has some limitations that will make it a no-no for anyone wanting to shoot more than just HDV – because of the design of many HDV cameras, Arri had to make the mattebox side-loadable. This is a nice safety feature, but many graduated filters will simply not work in the mattebox.

Bottom line

I am quite excited about the Follow focus, and am looking forward to trying one out myself. As to the mattebox; if you are on a budget, have a look at the offering from RedRock.