photography
The Best Video Settings for The Canon R6
Are you frustrated with your Canon R6’s video quality? Look no further! In this blog, we will explore the best video settings for the Canon R6 that will elevate your videography to a whole new level. The Canon R6 comes packed with impressive features, and with the right settings, you can unleash its true potential. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned videographer, finding the perfect settings can be a daunting task. But fear not! We have done all the research for you to ensure you capture stunning videos with clarity, vibrant colors, and smooth motion. So, get ready to optimize your Canon R6’s video settings and take your filmmaking skills to greater heights!
The Best Video Settings for The Canon R6
Introduction
Hey, how you going? My name’s Mitch, and today I’m going to be taking you guys through the menu system of the Canon R6, showing you guys how I set up the camera when it comes to shooting video. If you want to see my photography settings for the Canon R6, I’ve already made that video, and I’ve left the link down in the description below. If you’re interested, go check it out.
Now, before we get into the video, I do want to mention that these are my settings for shooting video. It’s not going to suit everyone. It’s what I use. There are no correct camera settings. Believe it or not, but I do encourage you to tweak settings, change things, and experiment to find what works for you.
We’re almost ready to jump into the video, but two things really quickly:
- The first one, super important, make sure the dial on top of your camera is set to the movie mode because the menu is a little bit different from the photography mode and the video mode.
- The second thing is, if I do skip over any of the menu options, it just means that I’m leaving those at the default setting. So, we’re just going to work our way through from start to finish.
Shooting Mode and Movie Quality
The first item in the red menu on tab 1 is the shooting mode. So, we’re just going to make sure we’re in movie manual exposure, and that means that we have control over all of our parameters – ISO, aperture, and shutter speed – while we’re shooting.
Next up, choose your movie quality. I’m in PAL mode, which gives me the options of either HD or 4K and frame rates of either 25 and 50p. If you want to switch to NTSC, that’s going to give you options for 24p, 30p, and 60p. To do that, you need to go to the yellow menu, scroll to tab 2, and it’s the second item down.
I prefer 25 and 50 as it’s super straightforward. 25p for normal speed footage and 50p for slow motion. 50 speed is slow enough for me. Going to 60p means your footage is 40% slower, so 40% versus 50%, I don’t really see a big difference, so I stick with 50p.
Some people will tell you that 24p is more cinematic than 25p, and they’ve lost their goddamn minds. It does not make a difference. Here, you have the option to enter the high frame rate mode, which will give you the option to go to 120 frames per second at 1080p in NTSC mode and 100 frames per second in PAL mode. I don’t really use 120 frames per second. For me, 50p is slow enough. If I want slow motion footage, and to be honest, the quality of the 120p footage is not that great on the R6.
The next option down is the movie crop mode, and this is really useful. I’ll often switch between crop mode and normal full-frame mode throughout a shoot depending on what I need, but it allows you to get a little bit of extra reach out of your lenses.
Sound Recording
The sound recording is another really important one. I’ve always got this set to manual. Now, this is really going to depend heavily on the input source that you have. So, if you’re just using the built-in microphone and recording scratch audio, you can just go with the automatic setting. However, I’m using the Rode VideoMic Pro Plus, I think it’s called, which has a plus 20 decibel preamp setting, and that allows me to get a much cleaner audio signal.
So, I’ve always got it set to manual, and I know that from zero, I just go two notches up with the 20 dB setting, and that gives me a really good level for most situations. So, with the sound recording, just play around with your microphone, figure out what’s best for you. I definitely recommend using manual. You want to aim for this little meter here to peak somewhere at around this negative 12 number. Any higher than that, and you risk your audio clipping, and once your audio clips, you can’t get that back. It’s pretty much destroyed forever. So, be super careful, test a lot, and manual is the way to go.
I have the wind filter and attenuator both switched off. So, the attenuator is actually kind of cool. You can use this if you have a really strong audio signal coming into the camera, and this will actually limit that audio signal down so that you can actually turn what was a signal that was too hot and unusable into one that is usable again. So, that’s a really nice feature to have.
White Balance
Skipping tab 2, and we’re on tab 3 now. This is where we control white balance. For the most part, I use Kelvin, which is kind of like manually setting your own white balance. If you don’t know how to do that, there’s plenty of YouTube tutorials online about white balance. Essentially, I’ll just dial in a number based on what looks good to my eye in that situation.
You can also use auto if you’re moving between lighting scenarios, but just keep in mind that you might get a shift in white balance as the camera decides what the correct value is, and it also opens you up to having inconsistencies between your shots. I also really love the shade setting in natural light situations as well. It just adds a little bit more warmth to the image, which I really like.
And then, if we move back from here, you can use this white balance correction matrix. Often, if I’m in a room that has tinted windows, sometimes the lighting can come through a little bit green, so I will shift more towards magenta to counteract that. It really depends on your situation. I just have this set to zero for now, and I’ll change it when I need to.
Picture Style
Moving down to the picture style, this is where you customize how your image looks coming straight out of the camera when you have the log setting turned off. So, I usually switch between log and standard depending on what I need.
I’ve got a custom one here. I just went to the user-defined one, and then you hit info to adjust the parameters. The picture style I’ve got set to neutral. The sharpness I’ve got one notch above zero. I like to have just a little bit of sharpening going on in the camera before the file gets encoded so it’s not completely soft.
Then, I have the contrast turned all the way down, saturation turned all the way down, and that’s pretty much it.
Canon Log settings
Moving along to the Canon Log settings. This is where you turn on and off the log profile. If you don’t know what a log profile is, maybe stay away from this one for now or do a little bit of research into what log profiles are. But I’ll show you guys my settings when shooting log.
So, I’ll go ahead and switch this on. I’ve got my view assist off. The view assist is going to apply color and luma shift to the log footage so that it looks like a normal picture profile. Some people think that this is easier to look at, however, I am used to looking at log profiles. I know how to expose for them. And particularly using this camera over the last month or so, I’ve learned how the camera works, I prefer just to see the log file. That way, I can see everything. I can see where the shadows lie, where the highlights lie, and make judgments based off of that.
For the color matrix, you can choose between Cinema EOS Original and Neutral. I prefer the look of Neutral. Try it out for yourself, see what you prefer. I just think Neutral…
Frequently Asked Questions – The Best Video Settings for The Canon R6
Q: What video settings should I use on the Canon R6 for the best results?
A: For optimal video quality, it is recommended to shoot in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, using the ALL-I (All-Intra) codec. This provides higher bit rate and more detailed footage.
Q: Can I shoot videos in different frame rates on the Canon R6?
A: Yes, the Canon R6 offers various frame rate options. You can shoot in 24p, 30p, 60p, or even higher frame rates depending on your desired effect or specific requirements.
Q: What about the video compression format on the Canon R6?
A: The Canon R6 supports both the H.264 and H.265 video compression formats. H.265 provides more efficient compression and better image quality, but keep in mind that it may require more processing power for editing and playback.
Q: Are there any recommended picture styles or profiles for video shooting?
A: The Canon R6 offers several picture styles and profiles. For video shooting, it is recommended to use the Neutral or C-Log profile for better flexibility during post-processing. However, this may depend on your specific requirements and desired look for the footage.
Q: Should I use manual or autofocus when shooting videos with the Canon R6?
A: It depends on the situation and your preferences. Manual focus gives you complete control over the focus point and ensures consistent results, especially in challenging lighting conditions or when using specific lenses. On the other hand, the Canon R6’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF enables smooth and accurate autofocus, which can be convenient for situations where continuous tracking is required.
Q: How do I adjust exposure settings for video on the Canon R6?
A: The Canon R6 offers various exposure control options. You can use the dedicated exposure compensation dial for quick adjustments. Additionally, manual exposure mode allows you to set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO manually, giving you complete control over the exposure settings. Experimenting with different combinations will help you achieve the desired look for your videos.
Q: Can I record audio separately on the Canon R6?
A: Yes, the Canon R6 comes with a built-in microphone, but for professional-quality sound, it is recommended to use an external microphone. The camera provides an audio input that allows you to connect external microphones for better audio capture.
I hope you find useful my article The Best Video Settings for The Canon R6, I also recommend you to read my other posts in my blog at this link.
If you need help with anything join the community or do not hesitate to contact me.
Best of luck! and follow your passion.
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