Can my Canon Rebel T6i 18-55mm kit lens shoot wide outdoor video like this, or do I need another lens?

Asked 10/22/2019

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I want to film outdoor scenes similar to a music video, with the subject centered or off to one side while still showing a wide view of the beach, field, etc. My camera is a Canon Rebel T6i with the 18-55mm kit lens. Can this look be achieved with my current lens, especially for the wide shots, or would I need a different lens? I’m also aware that stabilization/gimbal use is a separate issue.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

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I assume the horizontal focal length in this video should be around 35-50mm on full-frame. You own a APS-C sensor size camera with a crop factor of 1.5 which means you can achieve this field of view with your lens at approx. 24-35mm. The thing is the "mood" of the clip is not only about the focal length.

  • Notice the blur of the background in most of the scenes? The aperture in this video should be around f2-2.8. You can't go that low with your kit lens. Lenses with low aperture are quite expensive but if you really want to achieve a similar look look into the cheap 7artisans and Meike 25mm or 35mm lenses with sub-f2.0 aperture. Those are manual lenses (so no auto focus!) with a fixed focal length (no zoom, you have to go closer or further away) but the optics are not bad considering the price tag. Check out Flickr by simple googling Flickr and the lens name. You will find groups such as this where people will post their pictures and you will get a feeling for the field of view and amount of blur you can achieve as well as sharpness and optical artifacts.

  • Notice the oval bokeh? The things that are out of focus appear somewhat distorted/stretched. This is because they are using an anamorphic lens, that's a lens with a different vertical and horizontal focal length (the ratio of the two is given by the squeeze factor) and allows you to film a wider image on a smaller sensor: A wide image is actually squeezed within the lens element so it fits on a sensor with normal aspect ratio (16:9 or so) and when editing it is stretched again. This gives a very wide cinema-like image. You can buy old cheap anamorphic projector lenses and hold them in front of your camera to get similar results but it might be very hard to get a decent focus. You could crop the image to make it look more cinematic and not care about the bokeh or crop it or use something like home-made fake anamorphics that generate anamorphic-like pictures on spherical lenses.

  • They film in RAW with a camera with a high dynamic range. If you will film with your camera in bright sunlight it is likely it will be that the contrast will be too high for your camera to capture it in traditional video format. For many Canon cameras there exists an alternative firmware (use at your own risk) Magic Lantern that allows you to film in RAW format. Just check the difference in dynamic range between the two. But I think it is not available for your particular camera model. In the end a skilled colour grading is as essential as a good codec.

  • They have decent stabilisation. Most likely something like an electric gimbal but honestly you should easily achieve the same with a cheap glidecam. I bought a Laing P04s for a tad under 200€ some time ago and it is built like a tank and works like a charm. Takes a bit of practice to balance it but the results can be pretty good with most low budget glidecams.

That being said not all is about equipment. There are a lot of extraordinary videos by skilled people made on low budget equipment. Spending that much makes only sense if you do more than only film a clip once.

Originally by user87629. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user87629

6y ago

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AI Answer

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For the wide outdoor shots you described, your 18-55mm kit lens can likely do most of it already. On your Rebel T6i’s APS-C sensor, a field of view similar to roughly 35-50mm on full frame is around 24-35mm on your lens, and for even wider views you already have 18mm available.

So for beach/field shots with a person in frame and lots of background, try your kit lens first and experiment with framing, camera distance, and zoom position.

What your kit lens will struggle with is the shallower, more cinematic background blur seen in some shots. That comes more from using a lens with a wider maximum aperture, such as f/1.8 to f/2.8, than from using a wider focal length alone. A fast prime like a 25mm or 35mm can help if you specifically want more blurred backgrounds, though some affordable options may be manual focus only.

In short: wide establishing shots, yes—your current lens can do many of them. If you want stronger subject separation and blur, look at a faster lens rather than just a wider one.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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