Bright Tangerine recently revealed their new ONE Tray for the Misfit Kick. As its name suggests, it is a multi-purpose filter tray that can be used for a variety of different filters.
The ONE Tray for the Misfit Kick & ARRI LMB matte boxes can be used for Rota Pola, Variable ND, diopters, and other filters. The versatility of the ONE Tray allows it to hold an industry-standard 138mm round filter as well as a 4×5.65″.
Key features
- Multipurpose Filter Tray – use as for Rota Pola, Variable ND, Diopter Tray & more
- Accommodates 138mm round & 4×5.65″ industry-standard filters in a single, double-width tray
- Clockwork Orange system provides consistent, smooth rotation on any 138mm round filter
- Accommodates diopters up to +2 in strength
- Compatible with Misfit Kick or any other ARRI LMB standard matte box
Note: I received a final prototype unit to test out. The final production unit will have a few small differences including a flattened out top & bottom on the opening as well as Frame Safe cut-outs for less chance of vignetting the frame. I’m also told that the silver rollers will also be black in the production units.
Why is it unique?
0.6 ND filter & 138mm Diopter 
There are many dedicated diopter and rota pola trays already available. However, with the ONE Tray, it offers the flexibility of being able to be used for multiple setups in a double-width tray without compromising your field of view.
The ONE Tray accepts industry-standard filters, giving you the ability to use filters from any filter manufacturer without needing to buy proprietary or specialized geared filters. There is also no need to buy additional parts like expanding backs for your matte box, you now can use either your diopters, PV or 138mm round filters within a single tray unit
Build Quality
The ONE tray is well made and solidly constructed. I don’t think anyone has ever complained about the build quality of Bright Tangerine products. If anything they tend to be over-engineered.
Bright Tangerine goes all Kubrick
Bright Tangerine has paid homage to Stanley Kubrick by introducing a system they refer to as Clockwork Orange.
The Clockwork Orange system features a small 0.8 pitch gear that you can attach follow focus motors to so that you can get consistent and fluid rotation of any 138mm round filter. There is no need to buy proprietary or specialized geared filters.
Clockwork Orange uses a spring-loaded gear system so it can be operated by both focus motors or by hand.
It is easy to create your own variable ND filter
To create a variable ND setup, all you need to do is add a 138mm circular polarizer into the front of the filter. In the back, you put in a 4×5.65″ linear polarizer that you can then rotate to create a variable ND filter. This is particularly useful if you happen to be shooting with a digital cinema camera that doesn’t feature built-in ND filters.
As the Misfit Kick matte box can take another tray as well as the ONE tray, you can really fine-tune the amount of ND you want to dial in if you are using it on a camera that has built-in ND filters. If for example, 0.6ND is too little, but 1.2 is too much, you can use a variable ND system created within the ONE tray to get the exact right amount you need.
According to Bright tangerine, the spacing of the two filters has been optimized for better performance, as the filters are only 0.9mm apart.
Diopter Tray
The ONE Tray can also be used as a diopter tray, accommodating up to +2 in strength which can be used for closer focus or macro work.
When using strengths of +¾ or less, the front PV stage can still be utilized for ND or diffusion. Unlike other diopter trays, no matter what strength you are using, you are always taking up two filter tray slots so this is a nice touch since sometimes you only want to bring the minimum focus distance in with a +½ strength diopter and still use diffusion or ND.
Usability
I tried out the ONE Tray with diopters, regular 4 x 5.65″ filters, 138mm circular polarizers and it performed as advertised. The rotation of the Clockwork Orange system is smooth and precise.
I did find getting a regular 4 x 5.65″ filter out of the back was a little tricky, but I am going to put that down to the tray being very new. Normally the springs need a bit of use before they start to become a little more fluid and easier to move.
The ONE tray solves real-world problems when using filters in matte boxes. It helps to simplify and make the whole usability experience of running filters just a little less complicated.
I like how you can just use the tray with a single 4 x 5.65″ filter when you don’t need to run a 138mm circular filter. Adding a 138mm circular filter usually requires a specialized tray or the filter comes already fixed inside of a ray. With the Bright tangerine ONE Tray, you can have your cake and eat it too.
One thing to remember is that to remove the 138mm filter, you will need to remove the 4×5.65″ filter first since the lock is on the same piece that secures the round filter in place.
Price & Availability
The ONE Tray for the Misfit Kick is now available to pre-order for $379 USD. It is scheduled to start shipping from the end of September 2020.
For comparison, here are a few dedicated RotaPola & diopter tray solutions.
Rota Pola:
Revar Cine Rota-Pola Tray – $270 USD
Revar Cine Rota-Tray with C.Pol – $540 USD
ARRI Rota Pola Frame with C.Pol – $670 USD
Tiffen Multi Rota Tray with C.Pol – $799 USD
Tiffen Multi Rota Tray Variable ND Kit (Takes up one filter slot) – $1,199 USD
Diopter Trays:
Cinema Hardware Diopter Tray – $340 USD
ARRI Diopter Frame – $400 USD
ARRI Diopter Stage for LMB – $580 USD
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