I am shooting wireless tethered for the last 14 years. Usually in the studio only. I've used WirelessUSB, later Transcend WifiSDCard and now for the last 10 years the Toshiba FlashAir SDCard. In the studio I use a small Windows-PC with a downloader software to pull the JPEG files wirelessly from the Card. On the go I use an iPad to check the images pulled down via the app ShutterSnitch. Setting this up on location takes 30 seconds.
Excellent run through. Lindsay Adler did a run through of her camera bag recently and she had a Tether Tools pigtail USB connector with a separate longer 5m cable USB receiver to plug into her computer. This is great as it means you can quickly disconnect and walk around with the camera, you can have different pigtails for different connections so you don’t end up with a useless 5m cable and if you have two cameras with different connections you only have to have one 5m cable. Really liked David’s workstation, but probable a little over the top for my photography at the moment, but never say never!
I use an iPad Pro 12.9 and an app called Cascable. It will display the currently taken shot on the screen (mine is connected to a 32” 4K monitor). It doesn’t allow for direct editing but helps a lot with correcting the camera settings, framing of the subject and so on. It’s a cheap alternative to Capture One or Lightroom Classic and using a dedicated PC or Mac.
Lightroom was hit or miss in the early days so I developed a somewhat modified method that I still use. It probably adds a half second to the overall transfer to Lightroom but I generally am not so concerned with blazing transfer speeds (3 seconds is OK for my purposes.) I shoot into Canon's EOS Remote Utility which is quite stable. It gives me full control of the camera as well as the option to store on both the camera card and the remote computer/iPad/etc. I set Lightroom to "Enable Auto Import" and save files from EOS Utility into the folder specified by the settings in the Auto Import Setting selection in Lightroom. I have found that LR is fairly stable and its built-in tethering now works well, although not as fast as CaptureOne. Since I am paying for Photoshop, I have LR as well. If I were making a lot of money with my photography, I think I would also be using CaptureOne.
Thanks Jeff. I haven't used LR in many years and remember the hack of transferring from the EOS utility to LR. Will be trying tethered to the new LR soon. Just wondering about the speed CapOne has over LR? It transfers raw files from camera to PC faster than LR? Anyone know by how much now days? Using an R5.
Never had any issues shooting tethered into LrC but I'm not editing on the laptop (M1 MBP) that I tether to. My purposes for tethering is to be able to read histograms/RGB #s when shooting in studio. That way I can be sure that I'm preserving a 5 stop textural range and not clipping shadows and highlights. Being able to make slight tweaks to the exposure slider is helpful for informing how much I need to adjust strobe power. I just wipe the catalog on the Laptop when the shoot is over and do my normal post processing workflow imported from a desktop (M1 make mini) setup with a drawing tablet which speeds up layer masking and compositing a lot.
@@photoray002 and @jefftitus9869 - another great option may be to use Smart Shooter 5 Software which is designed as a fast and efficient tethering software and has a direct plugin to Lightroom so you can use Smart Shooter's speed and features for capture and immediately populate images in LrC to catalog, view presets and start your post-processing. We just released the new version with a free trial you can see more here: ru-vid.com
I think the bad rap Lightroom got was from the earlier days. I have found the current versions to be stable. Also, it has the same features you mentioned where you can edit an image during the capture session and it can automatically apply the edit to subsequent images captured. In using different USB cables, although more expensive, I have found the tether tools USB cables to be the best for tethering. Just the right amount of flexibility, rigidity and bounce; not to mention durable.
To get started the best option is to use he cameras included cable for free, or a USB 2, 3 or c cable (depending on the camera) with a 6 ft extension (inexpensive). If you feel it's right for you, then purchase the Tether Tools cable for your cameras port, and like David's says if it's more than 15 feet the separate Tether Boost or cable with inline Tether Boost will be needed. If you like the tethering feature, Tether Tools is the most stable, highest quality and durability out there.
Capture One for iPad is another great option when a computer on a stand is not possible or not preferred. When shooting on a tripod I have easily attached a tethered iPad right to the tripod with a magic arm. I have not done it, but it is also possible to use the ipad with a shoulder strap on the move.
Thanks for a good coverage of various ways of tethering, including ftp for sports photographers. However I do think that Capture One wireless tethering work well. It is slower than USB tethering, but the freedom from not having the cable also has some value. With a good setup full RAW files from Canon R3 transfers in lens than 3 second and full RAW files from Canon 1DX mkIII with WFT-E9 transfers in lens than 1 second
I shoot tethered using LrC with my Fuji X-T2. I have to use a companion application called Fuji X-Acquire. It's definitely not as easy as using Capture One, but I've been using LR since 2013, and don't want to switch. I considered Capture One years ago, but at the time, it didn't allow cataloging or filing system like LrC. Using LrC and X-Acquire is a bit of a nuisance, but I've learned to deal with it. I love tethering when shooting people in my home studio. It really helps with showing the client what I'm getting with each shot. And I can add presets to the incoming images so they look more polished. I tried years ago using an HTMI cable to a monitor. That doesn't work for people at all. They tend to want watch the monitor, because they are displayed live.
Hi @michaelschmitt5413, Smart Shooter Software just released Fujifilm Support and has a direct plugin to Lightroom that is seamless and may be a more enjoyable process for you. You can check it out here: ru-vid.com
In Lightroom just select "Same As Previous" in the Tether options bar (where it displays camera model and current ISO, shutter, aperture, remote shutter button settings) All adjustments made to an image will pass along to all images taken during the session 🙂With my Canon I always have it save the photos to te camara and the PC at the same time, if something goes wrong I can import the photo from the camera to the PC and then syncronize the folder so Lightroom sees the new images
I have ultimately wound up using Windows tablets on location, connected by USB cable. Android or IPad tablets (much less phones) just don't have the juice or the powerful applications to do as much of the job, file handling, reliable connection, and secure storage at the speeds I need. My setup saves to card and computer simultaneously, and then sync software on the computer saves as well to another card in the computer. I walk away from the job with three copies made automatically.
As usual...an excellent tutorial and explanations, David! I hope you can clarify something you said about using the HDMI cable: I believe you said it works best as a way of viewing your session as each shot is taken but it does NOT transfer the images to an editing program, correct? I just want to be able to see my shots (as I take them) on a larger screen but still let the camera card store the images. Does the HDMI cable allow this to happen?
That is correct. It does NOT transfer any files. Think of it like an external, larger monitor for your viewfinder. Just be aware that many cameras turn off your camera viewfinder when hooked up to HDMI. So it's one or the other. If you rely on touch screen control, it won't work when you're using HDMI to the external display.
Great coverage on subject giving a simple setup to jumping with both feet into tethering with tether tools thanks David is it easier to use the Canon R5 or Canon 1 DX mark III for this setup in studio and out in the field ???
Annoying that Sony cameras with Sony tethering software don't allow manual focus control from the computer. Do other camera brands allow that? I suppose since the focus control is always on the lens I don't actually know if the protocol between the lens and the camera allows manual focus control, but I would guess it must do.
Bought capture one just to tether. What a pain to transfer them all to Lightroom catalogue. Lightroom still won’t tether my Nikon Z9 to my M1 MacBook. Also, can save to computer and card with Capture One… until you disconnect camera… then you have to remember to change it back when reconnect. Why can’t you change that as a default setting in Capture One ?
I agree it should be a default action. I often forget to set it to save to both computer and card. I use my laptop for tethering, but process on my desktop off location
I jumped on the Tether Tools Air Direct system as soon as I learned about it It worked great!! Apparently they had to quit supporting it because every time Apple updated its software the ADU quit working :(
I used to shoot a lot of different concerts back in the day. Loved every minute of it. Loved chatting with the bands and the pictures I have are priceless. I am with you on what you are doing. Just not up on Luke Combs...absolutely not country that's for sure. Anyone else would be good. Tethering is really not for me either. It seems like photography is getting further away from true photography every day anymore. Thanks for sharing...Peace
The beauty of photography is that everyone can do it their own way. You can use a small instant camera to snap pics on the street and give them right to your subject. Or you can have a more complex workflow in a big studio with makeups artists, art directors, and retouchers on site for a million dollar ad campaign. Both are creative endeavors and can be equally fulfilling.
nice tuto. I have a a7rv and would like to start tethering. you recommend right angle cable but with shoe and tether cord, you are showing straight ones. so what would you recommend ? how do we manage the cable on a tripod switching between porrait and landscape orientations ? is there a L-bracket accomodating the tether cable ?
Question I asked a couple of years ago on stackexchange but I might ask again here. Sort of related to tethering: Does anyone make a practice of editing to make a final deliverable image while viewing the subject, for e.g. reference and/or inspiration? I'm thinking it could be a thing in portraiture, or landscape, or other genres. A bit like a photography equivalent of painting 'en plein air'.
Anyone using Lightroom to tether to a Canon R5? I very rarely have the opportunity/need to shoot tethered so when I do I just use CaptureOne because i know it works but would rather use Lightroom if it was finally up to speed. I know years ago it was... not.
Hi Brian, Capture One is awesome. If you do still want to shoot into your LR catalog, you may want to give the LR Plug in Smart Shooter 5 Software a try. It makes tethering into Lightroom really easy.
