Here’re the charts and segmentations of the cameras that shot the Sundance 2023’s documentary films. It proves once again that documentary filmmakers use different tools as compared to their narrative colleagues. Not surprisingly, Canon leads the way as the most trusted camera company among documentary filmmakers. Gladly, we see here Blackmagic, Sony mirrorless, and even iPhone. Furthermore, high-end cinema cameras are located at the bottom of the chart.

Sundance Film Festival 2023: The cameras that shot the docus

Thankfully, IndieWire reached out to the documentary filmmakers that were super lucky for their docus to be screened at the prestige film festival and asked about the cameras they used. Based on that data, Y.M. Cinema Magazine has built the camera charts in order to explore tendency — an inclination toward particular cameras. That may help us understand, what is the best camera for documentary work. First, let’s explore the list below (name of the film, DP, cameras, and lenses):

1. “Bad Press”: DP – Tyler Graim. Cameras – Canon C300 Mark II, Lenses – Angénieux Optimo, Zeiss CZ.2, Canon MP-E Macro
2. “The Deepest Breath”: DP – Tim Cragg, Cameras – RED Gemini 5K, Lenses – Cooke 2x Anamorphic.
3. “Deep Rising”: DP – Matthieu Rytz. Cameras: Sony Alpha, Panasonic S1, Blackmagic 6K, Fujifilm GFX. Lenses – “Wide range of system”
4. “Fantastic Machine”. DP – Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck. Cameras – Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K. Lenses – Sigma Art
5. “5 Seasons of Revolution”. DP – Lina. Cameras – Canon 7D, Sony HDR-CX760. Lenses – Canon EF, Canon EF-S
6. “Food And Country”: DP – Jerry Henry. Cameras – Sony FX9, Canon C300 MKII. Lenses -Fujinon MK Cine Zooms, Cooke S4/i Mini Primes
7. “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”: DP – Greg Harriott. Cameras – Canon C300 MKII. Lenses – Zeiss Contax Primes
8. “Going Varsity in Mariachi”: DP – Michael Crommett. Cameras – Sony FX9, Sony FX6. Lenses – Angénieux EZ-1, Angénieux EZ-2, Sigma zooms
9. “Invisible Beauty”: DP – Mia Cioffi Henry. Cameras – Canon C70, Canon C300. Lenses- Canon EF, Sigma
10. “Iron Butterflies”: DP – Andrii Kotliar. Cameras – ARRI ALEXA, Sony FX9, Sony Alpha. Lenses – ARRI Lightweight Zoom, Cooke Classic zoom
11. “Is There Anybody Out There”: DP – Annemarie Lean- Vercoe. Cameras – Canon C500, Canon C300, Panasonic GH5, iPhone 12. Lenses – Sigma Art zooms
12. “Joonam”: DP – Sierra Urich. Cameras – Sony FS7. Lenses – DG HSM Art
13. “King Coal”: DP – Curren Sheldon. Cameras – Canon C300 Mark III, Canon C70, Lenses – Voigtlander Heliar Classic, Zeiss CP.3, Sigma Art
14. “The Longest Goodbye”: DP – Boaz Freund. Cameras – ARRI Amira, Canon C300. Lenses – Canon K35 zoom, Zeiss Super Speeds
15. “Murder in Big Horn”: DP – Jeff Hutchens. Cameras – Canon C500 Mark II. Lenses – Leica R Summilux primes
16. “Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV”. DP – Nelson Walker. Cameras – iPhone 11 Pro, Blackmagic Pocket 6K, Sony FS7, Sony FX9, Panasonic S1H, Panasonic GH5, ARRI Amira, Canon C500. Lenses – ARRI/Zeiss High-Speed Mark III Prime
17. “Pianoforte”: DP – Filip Drożdż. Cameras – Canon C300 II, Canon C500 II. Lenses – Oberkochen Option
18. “Plan C”: DP – Derek Howard. Cameras – Canon C500 Mark II. Lenses – Cooke Panchro/i Classic
19. “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”: DP – Ants Tammik. Cameras – ARRI Amira. Lenses – Sigma Art
20. “A Still Small Voice”: DP – Luke Lorentzen. Cameras – ARRI Amira. Lenses – Angénieux Optimo
21. “The Stroll”: DP – Sara Kinney. Cameras – ARRI ALEXA Mini. Lenses – Cooke S5/i Primes, Angénieux zooms
22. “Victim/Suspect”: DP – Jenni L. Morello. Cameras – Sony FX9. lenses – Canon FDs, Canon CN-E Zoom

The Camera Chart

Explore the camera chart of the Sundance 2023’s documentary films, which is based on the data above. Press on the image for a full-resolution view. Credit: Y.M.Cinema Magazine:

Discussion

When comparing the Docus chart to the Narratives chart, it’s clearly be seen that the high-end cinema cameras are pushed to the bottom. Logically, documentary filmmakers prefer to use a camera that can be operated well and smoothly in an uncontrolled environment. High-end cinema cameras demand a crew to operate accurately when every second of the production counts. However, when shooting a doc, you need a swiss army Knife in your hand. Hence, Canon Cinema EOS (C500 and C300) are the perfect candidates for these kinds of missions. It’s no secret that these Canons are workhorses in the field. Canon Cinema EOS can be defined as the G-Shock of cinema cameras. Extremely reliable and robust, so you can trust them when shooting fast and aggressively in harsh conditions. Also, you can say similar things on the Sony FX9/FX6 that produce outstanding imagery and are also designed for sole-operation and documentary work. Furthermore, it’s nice seeing the Blackmagic Pocket in that list, although it’s interesting that the list lacks the URSA, which indicates that filmmakers prefer the Pocket over the ENG-style Blackmagic cameras. Talking about ENG-style, notice the ARRI Amira earned an excellent place in the middle. The Amira owns the same sensor as the other high-end ALEXAs, however, it was built for doc-works. Indeed, the Amira is very popular among documentary filmmakers that want the ALEXA look and are willing to pay for it. Last but not least, we can notice that the dominant format in the Docus chart is Super 35, as opposed to the Narrative chart where large-sensor cameras rule. That’s also logical, since Super 35 has significant advantages when shooting documentaries, especially wildlife. Also, it must be noted that in the documentary category in Sundance, there’s a focus on the story and less on the visuals, as opposed to the Narrative category where the visuals play an important role during the selection phase. Anyway, those two charts demonstrate very well the differences between shooting a narrative and shooting a doc, and why it’s important to choose the right camera for the job. BTW – for reference, explore the Narrative Sundance 2023 Chart below: 

Post Game Questions

1. Are you surprised to see Canon at the top?
2. What are the chances we will see the RED RHINO and ALEXA 35 in next year’s Docus list?
3. Why have filmmakers chosen the Blackmagic Pocket and not the URSA to film their docus?

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