Mailbox: Gini Cage

GINI CAGE WITH EXTRA RODS TO ACCOMDATE 550D WITH BATTERYGRIP

Got my Gini Cage in today after the postman attempted to deliver it yesterday but realized he needed to charge import duties and didn't have the paperwork with him. So today he came back and after I forked over 28 euro's he handed over the little box with Korean stamps. (Gini is a Korean supplier)
The Gini stuff doesn't disappoint: it looks and feels awesome, as always. Now I need to figure out how to configure this thing into a workable unit.
This cage is a bargain compared to the competition: $175 shipped vs $435 for the TrusMT cage, for instance... albeit that the TrusMT is much better thought-through product and includes a HDMI-clamp, for instance. I would really like the HDMI clamp but for the price difference I can live withouut it and the simpler design of the Gini cage.
I will write more about this cage once I have used it in a few different setups.

THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Mailbox: Mattebox TrusMT M2

MATTEBOX FRESH IN FROM CHINA

Barely a few hours back in Amsterdam and DHL stopped by to drop me a package containing an impressive Chinese mattebox. This is my first mattebox and since I haven't had any sleep for 36 hours, I am glad I managed to set it up without any major problems... Although I couldn't get a camera mounted properly with this configuration. I had a problem fitting different lenses so that they line up nicely with the opening in the mattebox.
First impression: feels like a pro piece of gear but the french flag is really hard to screw into position tight. I like the swing-away feature and the two slots for the 4x4 filters that rotate independently.
There's no manual included how to set this thing up properly. Not that it seems terribly complicated but a few tips/instructions would be nice. I'll write more about this mattebox soon. And if anyone knows of some good, affordable 4x4 filters, drop me a line!

NICE, SOLID ALUMINUM CONSTRUCTION

SWING AWAY FOR EASY LENS SWAPPING

2 SEPARATE, ROTATING FILTERHOLDERS

Mattebox-deal

Vitaliy Kiselev, the guy who hacked the Panasonic GH1 and GH2, has a lively website and a lot of discussion on filmmaking, camera's and good, cheap gear in general. If you register on his website and 'post something really useful", you can sign in for a group buy deal.
I registered and immediately made an important contribution in the form of sound advice on cheap lav mics and, by God, Vitaliy deemed me worthy of becoming a member of his 'community'...
So it looks like I'm getting a nice deal on a TrusMT mattebox, more than $100 off the regular price.