6d for filmmaking?

[cbenc002]

I currently own a Rebel t5i. I was new to DSLR cameras so I was advised to get the t5i but honestly I am not impressed with the video quality. No matter how I export my movies they come out grainy and the colors are washed out.

I want to upgrade to a better photo/video DSLR. I am interested in the Canon 6D. I have read it is a great camera but its main down fall is that it doesn't have continuous focus and it doesn't shoot RAW?. (of course I wish I could afford the 5d mkiii but that it not in my price range right now)

How good/bad is the 6D for film?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I currently own a Rebel t5i. I was new to DSLR cameras so I was advised to get the t5i but honestly I am not impressed with the video quality. No matter how I export my movies they come out grainy and the colors are washed out.

I want to upgrade to a better photo/video DSLR. I am interested in the Canon 6D. I have read it is a great camera but its main down fall is that it doesn't have continuous focus and it doesn't shoot RAW?. (of course I wish I could afford the 5d mkiii but that it not in my price range right now)

How good/bad is the 6D for film?

The T5i should not be doing the things you mention. Something is wrong with the camera or your processing. It may not be perfect, but for most video, it should be fine.

Canon does not make cameras that produce raw video, but there is Magic Lantern which does allow raw with the 5D MK II, I don't know about others. Raw video is pretty storage intensive, its not something to do with low end software. You might need some very large and expensive memory cards.

The 6D does shoot Raw for stills.

There is a lot of information about 6D video on the site, so search. I've seen complaints about moiré.

If you want autofocus during video, try a 70D. Canon apparently uses that same dual pixel sensor in their professional cinema camera.

If you are serious about making a movie (as in for the big screen), I'd say rent a specialized cinema camera, cinema lenses, lighting, sound, tripods, etc. Buying that stuff will cost 10X the price of a camera. However, the post processing also requires serious software and hardware to get the best quality.

 

[mkabi]

cbenc002 - ok, please explain.
What lens were you using?
What was the ISO that you were filming at?
1080-30/24? Shutter speed?

In fact, its supposed to be washed out, in fact... the saturation needs to come down...
In post, are you adding any color correction?

 

[mps]

the 6d also can shoot raw (ofc with magic lantern) - just on a much smaller res than the 5d3, thanks to the sd cards with lower data throuput. the 5d3 also has no dual pixel af (only 70d, c100 and 7d2 have) - the difference in terms of video is the actual IQ. on the 6d you get alot (MORE than on your current cam) of the ugly, gritty moire and aliasing, while the 5d3 is almost clean, thanks to its soft image.... also you wont find a headphone jack on the 6d.

you wanna shoot video? canon for a long time was the weapon if choice. was. today even nikons outpreform the canons. i would take the money you planned on spending o the 6d and get a gh4. or stick with your t5i

having said that - i shoot with a 6d. but my main focus was stills, for video i rely most of the time on other cameras.

 

[blindcat]

I own a 5D2 and do a lot of videowork. The RAW option is important to me, but in fact I use non-RAW in 99% of the time. Unfortunatly the 5D2 has some limits in the video mode (the native one as well) like not using a Full HD resolution on the sensor for video. In real life you get an advantage in bit resolution with the 5D" and ML RAW. But in native video mode I get a so 'good' image, that I nearly never miss the RAW option there.

If I must select now I would
a) Don't buy a 6D. This one has advantages over my 5D2 in still mode. But they are so less that I wouldn't juggle money on them to switch or ad a camera there. Main point is the SD card slot which cripples the ML RAW feature. This is a no-go for me.
b) Would buy a 5D3. Same and more advantages in still mode compared to my 5D2. And with video mode ML is game winner here. Because you not only get a bit resolution advantage in RAW mode. With ML RAW you have a detail image resolution advantage in Full HD mode as well. Beside that you can go to higher and detailed image resolutions on the 5D3. This is an abolute plus with the 5D3 and ML. There are very less wishes left with the 5D3 and ML. In my opinion
c) Wouldn't buy a Nikon, GH4 or a Sony right now. The reason is the easy one ... I have that canon glas and don't like the adapters.

Beside these considerations there is another point I have in mind. I really like the Dual AF technology and it's power for autofocus in videomode on the 70D and the other both ones. That's why I don't switch to the 5D3 in real world. I am so happy with my 5D2 images at the moment, that I don't have a problem to wait for a 5D4 that should have Dual AF and then see what the ML folks will make out of this combination.

I second cbenc002. Your T5i video should't bee that bad at all. I tried some 650D and up for testing STM and the image was very well (I just don't have one of them or 70D/7D2 because I don't wnat to go crop).
My opinion for this question at this time
Cheers, Frankie

 

[Marsu42]

the 6d also can shoot raw (ofc with magic lantern) - just on a much smaller res than the 5d3, thanks to the sd cards with lower data throuput

"Just"?! The max res you get out of the 6d is 768x512 (2:3 datarate sample), and only if you're not recording sound at the same time. Which makes raw video on the 6d a joke and just good for trying it. And I won't even start to talk about aliasing.

For video with Canon, there are really only two recent options: 5d3 and the new 7d2, both use pixel binning for downsampling. Magic Lantern is only available for the 5d3, so there you are.

 

[Ebrahim Saadawi]

About the 6D for video, its video image quality is not very different from the T5i, it's almost the same image resolution, colour and DR, just better lowlight performance and the shallower depth of field,

the 6D has not been popular in the video world due to the significant aliasing and moire issues found in the image, but you didn't mention it bothered you on the t5i so I would assume it's not an issue.

Anyhow, of cleaner images at high ISOs and shallower dof are want you want, then go for it.

If better overal video quality (including lowlight performance) I would get the 7D mk II, it's the second generation that doesn't have any aliasing and moire and has a sharper image and fullframe-like ISO performance in video mode, also it has these vs. The 6D:
-Clean uncompressed HDMI output with embeded audio and timecode
-Better audio, with a headphone jack and control over levels with a touchpad
-No aliasing and moire
-sensor size identical to standard film frame, super 35mm
-Dual pixel AF that works like magic
-and of course all the stills advantages, 10fps, 1/8000, 65point AF, etc

The 7D mk II has identical video quality to the 5D mk III,


The only disadvatnage is having a smaller sensor so you lose on that shallow dof aesthetic.

 

[Dave Del Real]

...If better overal video quality (including lowlight performance) I would get the 7D mk II, it's the second generation that doesn't have any aliasing and moire and has a sharper image and fullframe-like ISO performance in video mode, also it has these vs. The 6D:
-Clean uncompressed HDMI output with embeded audio and timecode

Okay so wait, I can't even get clean HDMI out with Magic Lantern??? Dang. Just bought a 6D.

 

[Dave Del Real]

Any chance we'll eventually get Canon Log for the 6D?

 

[GuyNamedLindsey]

Am I the only person super happy with the 6D for video? 3 months ago I sold my 7D and went to the 6D. Decided not to get a 5D3 and use that money on glass. The aliasing and moire haven't been giving me any problems. It's usually easy for me to compensate. The 5D3 wont keep you from shooting terrible videos.

 

[Dave Del Real]

Am I the only person super happy with the 6D for video? 3 months ago I sold my 7D and went to the 6D. Decided not to get a 5D3 and use that money on glass. The aliasing and moire haven't been giving me any problems. It's usually easy for me to compensate. The 5D3 wont keep you from shooting terrible videos.

No, you're not the only one. I really like my 6D for video (especially with Magic Lantern Raw), I even bought a second body. I just wish there were better anti aliasing methods than the one from Mosaic Engineering. Don't get me wrong, those filters work but I shoot stills too and that method is too cumbersome for me. Might try some Tiffen diffuser lens filters to see if that helps.

 

[Marsu42]

I really like my 6D for video (especially with Magic Lantern Raw), I even bought a second body.

I have to say I'm amazed, I'm happy you're happy with the 6d and ML raw but due to the slow sd card interface and small camera buffer you can only do small resolution clips and/or a few seconds of footage. Unless the specific shooting style is just that, everybody thinking about this should think twice how much hassle this is.

 

[Dave Del Real]

I really like my 6D for video (especially with Magic Lantern Raw), I even bought a second body.

I have to say I'm amazed, I'm happy you're happy with the 6d and ML raw but due to the slow sd card interface and small camera buffer you can only do small resolution clips and/or a few seconds of footage. Unless the specific shooting style is just that, everybody thinking about this should think twice how much hassle this is.

Sold my GH4 too. I know, sounds crazy but ML Raw still blows me away. I can shoot continuous 1472x626 (2.35:1) and with MLV I get audio too. The detail on a 1080p timeline is just as good (if not better than) my GH4. Also with MLVFS, I can play/edit dng files right in Premiere or After Effects.

 

[sjschall]

Am I the only person super happy with the 6D for video? 3 months ago I sold my 7D and went to the 6D. Decided not to get a 5D3 and use that money on glass. The aliasing and moire haven't been giving me any problems. It's usually easy for me to compensate. The 5D3 wont keep you from shooting terrible videos.

No, you're not the only one. I really like my 6D for video (especially with Magic Lantern Raw), I even bought a second body. I just wish there were better anti aliasing methods than the one from Mosaic Engineering. Don't get me wrong, those filters work but I shoot stills too and that method is too cumbersome for me. Might try some Tiffen diffuser lens filters to see if that helps.

I do video - sold my 5D3 body for a 6D and 70-200 f/4 IS. I would never look back. The difference in price for the 5D3 body just wasn't justifiable anymore. Aliasing was not nearly as much of a big deal as it was made out to be on forums. (I came from a 60D and it is not worse). Very occasionally (once on every 3 or 4 shoots) I'll find my self in a sticky situation with moire but I can change my angle, throw it out of focus, or just don't use that footage.

 

[andrewflo]

I've been using the 6D for video for about 2 years now. It is an amazing camera. It's low light capability is exceptional.

But if you're shooting ISO 100-400, it won't be drastically different from the T5i. I'd recommend really really learning and understanding how to use DSLRs for video to be sure you're getting the best image possible from your camera.

I do have to say, the moire/aliasing from the 6D is VERY bad. That's where the 5DIII stomps it. But for most amateurs, it's not a big deal.

The only Canon DSLR that has reliable continuous auto focus is the 70D (Dual Pixel). But the 70D's moire/aliasing is as bad or worse than the 6D. So pick your poison.

To be honest, unless you have myriad of Canon glass already, I'd probably grab a GH4 for video in the same price range. The GH4 is substantially more modern and rich in its video features. The 6D will outperform the GH4 in low light but if you're used to the low light capabilities of the T5i, the GH4 wouldn't be too far different.

You won't be disappointed with the 6D, so don't let me make it seem like a bad camera. Just recommending you consider all options when spending that kind of cash

Also, unless there's a very specific reason you need RAW video, I wouldn't recommend pursuing it. First, only a few camera in the sub-$2k price range can shoot RAW (Black Magic for the most part), and second, it's really not a streamlined workflow for beginners.

 

[bluemoon]

I've been using the 6D for video for about 2 years now. It is an amazing camera. It's low light capability is exceptional.

But if you're shooting ISO 100-400, it won't be drastically different from the T5i. I'd recommend really really learning and understanding how to use DSLRs for video to be sure you're getting the best image possible from your camera.

I do have to say, the moire/aliasing from the 6D is VERY bad. That's where the 5DIII stomps it. But for most amateurs, it's not a big deal.

The only Canon DSLR that has reliable continuous auto focus is the 70D (Dual Pixel). But the 70D's moire/aliasing is as bad or worse than the 6D. So pick your poison.

To be honest, unless you have myriad of Canon glass already, I'd probably grab a GH4 for video in the same price range. The GH4 is substantially more modern and rich in its video features. The 6D will outperform the GH4 in low light but if you're used to the low light capabilities of the T5i, the GH4 wouldn't be too far different.

You won't be disappointed with the 6D, so don't let me make it seem like a bad camera. Just recommending you consider all options when spending that kind of cash

Also, unless there's a very specific reason you need RAW video, I wouldn't recommend pursuing it. First, only a few camera in the sub-$2k price range can shoot RAW (Black Magic for the most part), and second, it's really not a streamlined workflow for beginners.

wait, 7D2 has the newer generation DPAF, is there a problem with it? I've used it on several occasions and thought it did OK. Having never shot the 70D I don't know the difference so I am curious. . .

pierre

 

[andrewflo]

I've been using the 6D for video for about 2 years now. It is an amazing camera. It's low light capability is exceptional.

But if you're shooting ISO 100-400, it won't be drastically different from the T5i. I'd recommend really really learning and understanding how to use DSLRs for video to be sure you're getting the best image possible from your camera.

I do have to say, the moire/aliasing from the 6D is VERY bad. That's where the 5DIII stomps it. But for most amateurs, it's not a big deal.

The only Canon DSLR that has reliable continuous auto focus is the 70D (Dual Pixel). But the 70D's moire/aliasing is as bad or worse than the 6D. So pick your poison.

To be honest, unless you have myriad of Canon glass already, I'd probably grab a GH4 for video in the same price range. The GH4 is substantially more modern and rich in its video features. The 6D will outperform the GH4 in low light but if you're used to the low light capabilities of the T5i, the GH4 wouldn't be too far different.

You won't be disappointed with the 6D, so don't let me make it seem like a bad camera. Just recommending you consider all options when spending that kind of cash

Also, unless there's a very specific reason you need RAW video, I wouldn't recommend pursuing it. First, only a few camera in the sub-$2k price range can shoot RAW (Black Magic for the most part), and second, it's really not a streamlined workflow for beginners.

wait, 7D2 has the newer generation DPAF, is there a problem with it? I've used it on several occasions and thought it did OK. Having never shot the 70D I don't know the difference so I am curious. . .

pierre

My mistake! I totally forgot about the 7DII

The 7DII also has quite decent video, and a headphone jack, so it seems like a pretty solid contender for DSLR video.

Is the 7DII's DPAF limited to the center of the sensor? Or can it be moved freely like the 70D?