Using a Canon 6D to film dance videos. Need some advice?

Amanda Day · December 2, 2015

Hi everyone,

The name is Amanda. I'm new here!

The lowdown: I went to film school, but switched majors and schools in my junior year of college because of financial hardship (film school is expensive yo) and family issues. I now have a communications degree instead, since it was a lot easier on my pockets for undergrad.

Thanks to my foray in film school - I know much of the ins-and-outs of film (at least the beginning ins-and-outs) and I'm thinking of studying film again. This time for grad school, since eventually I'd like to teach at a college level whenever I'm old and gray. That's beside the point though.

I'm into photography too, which is how I wound up with Canon 6D as my main camera. I'm still figuring out how to use it for making films, since we used video cameras at my film school. Same goes for my alma mater. I didn't work much with DSLRs as far as filming ever went.

Now lately I've gotten into dance videos and would like to help out a local dance school film videos similar to this one:

What kind of lens should I use for this type of project? Multiple lenses even? I was thinking wide angle obviously, but which would be suggested? Also what should I include in my "kit" including the type of stabilizer that should be used? I tried Googling some info, but I figure someone here might be more familiar with all the gadgets available than Google.

If anyone could help, I'd really appreciate it!

Edited December 2, 2015 by Amanda Day

Amanda Day · December 2, 2015

I'm gonna include a better video, in case anyone's interested in the dancing hahaha. I meant to include this one in the first place, but I had the wrong link copied. Sorry!

Jay Young · December 2, 2015

This feels to me like a lot of steadycam work.

As for the lens, without knowing specifically, most of this looks to be wider than 50mm, so perhaps a 28mm? A little of the lateral shifting produces what looks like a non-rectilinear warping which leads me to lean towards a wider angle lens.

You could pull most of this off with a somewhat normal-wide lens and one of those hand holder things, one can usually find those on the web. In fact, literally searching for "canon 6d stabilizer" turned up several usable results.

Phil Rhodes · December 2, 2015

Gimbal, I suspect.

Phil Connolly · December 2, 2015

Looks like a wideish lens - stopped down to live lots of depth of field so focus pulling.

If you have enough light even something like the 18-50mm kit zoom would be workable. Faster lenses with wider apertures would probably be a liability for this sort of work.

Only start investing in more expensive lenses when you've done some shoots and know what focal lengths/f-stop suits your style as it develops.

Amanda Day · December 4, 2015

Thanks for the advice everyone!

joshua gallegos · December 24, 2015

I did a short film with the Canon 6D about a year ago, and it's a full frame camera, my biggest complaint would be pulling focus and the battery life. If you're filming for about 35 minutes continuously the camera tends to overheat, and you have to have an extra battery handy. You'll also need an external monitor as the camera doesn't have a flip monitor like the newer rebel models. I thought the camera was inadequate for any type of filmmaking, as it's too bulky and difficult to hold. Stability is also an issue when working with EF lenses, and using an EFS lens will decrease the image quality as the glass is subpar to EF quality. I would recommend the Canon EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 USM, if you're using nothing but your bare hands, which i'd never recommend. It's always better to work with a fixed lens, but only if you have some kind of support, in this case a "flycam" would be ideal. I would personally never use a Canon 6D to film videos, Sony a7s do have a better picture quality, and they're a lot easier to hold due to their size, and you'll be able to use Zeiss lenses, which is much better glass.

Max Field · January 14, 2016

I've been using a 6D consistently for about 2 years and the Rokinon cine primes have made life VERY easy.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/884099-REG/Rokinon_cv35_c_35mm_T1_5_Cine_Lens.html

Jon Kline · January 18, 2016

Yes, the Rokinon Cine 14mm and 24mm are great options for this style of shooting on a Canon 6D.

You may be able to find someone in your area who owns a gimbal stabilizer like a Ronin, M5, or similar, and get them to shoot a day with you for cheap or free. It seems like there are a lot more of those stabilizers than there are projects for them.

Having good lighting will make a big difference. Plus, if you're moving around, you don't want to be worried about focus all the time. If you can light to f/5.6, you'll be glad. You might want to consider using a camera with a smaller sensor, since the 6D's chief advantage isn't really well-suited to this kind of video.

Videos like this are really just a LOT of shots, mostly wide, moving around, and then cutting them in a dynamic way. Plan on hours of dancing to get each minute of great shots.