Patent ID: 8903236

Claim:
A matte box system for a camera, including one or more filter rings each capable of accommodating a filter or filter holder, the filter rings each having a substantially planar forward face and a substantially planar rear face, one face having one or more bearing elements and the other face having a corresponding bearing surface adapted to engage with the bearing element, the bearing surface including one or more circular or arcuate channels, and the bearing element including a spring-loaded or otherwise biased surface that protrudes from the face and is urged in a generally axial direction to engage with the bearing surface such that the bearing surface and bearing element of consecutive filter rings allow the filter rings to independently rotate about the optical axis, while resisting radial movement of the filter rings: wherein the generally axial direction is substantially normal to the plane of the forward face; wherein the optical axis is substantially normal to the plane of the forward face; and wherein the spring-loaded or otherwise biased surface of the bearing element protrudes from the one face and is urged in the generally axial direction to engage with the bearing surface such that the bearing surface and bearing element of consecutive filter rings allow the filter rings to independently rotate about the optical axis while resisting radial movement of the filter rings.