How to Tether a Camera to a Computer (2021)

Tony Northrup teaches you how to tether a camera to a computer to see pictures on a big screen in real-time using Adobe Lightroom Classic, Capture One Pro, or Smart Shoooter 4! With a simple USB cable (such as the USB-C model I use from Tether Tools) you can greatly improve your professional photography studio workflow.
LINKS TO THE STUFF:

[sufferingduckman]

Refreshing to watch a thoroughly professional presentation. I recommend watching this to anyone making a video on any subject.

[IFrancyISantosI]

Thanks Tony! The classic tutorial tony is a thousand times better than a clickbaiting rumors guy!

[yasinarif]

I really enjoyed seeing how it's not just the camera but so much more that can go on in the background in photography, that stand with wheels, monitor and keyboard support is a great idea that most new people to photography would never have thought about but makes a quality life really approach that much better. Cool job of awareness and helpful information

[andycoleman]

Not gonna lie - I didn't know the "model" was a doll for the first minute and her dead eyes were freaking me out! :)

[schmidt]

I have been using "Control my Nikon" to tether. There is also a Canon version. It works fine with my old D7100 and D700. I can see the picture on my laptop. Can change exposure, shutter speed, and focus. The pictures stay on the camera and transfer across to my laptop. This has worked great for digitizing slides and photos. There is a trial version.

[grabtharandhishammer]

Wow. Your model is really good at remaining stationary :) I've actually been wondering how to do this.

Also just bought your books and the Portrait Pro business training video. Really great content Tony and Chelsea.

[ronjenkins]

Tethering is also very effective for tabletop macro photography. It's possible to shoot, get very fine grained focusing, adjust aperture, preview depth of field,
arrange lighting, and much more, without touching the camera or a focusing rail. You can easily dump hundreds of images for focus stacking into a folder without first putting them onto the camera's memory card

[oxxxeee]

i have been tethering (WIFI - no cable) on commercial shoots with Camranger 2 and a new iPad Pro. Works great and clients love it. 50 mg files from CANON 5DSR show up fast and i can control camera functions from it.

[merk]

I've had a handful of clients ask if I can shoot tethered during a shoot, my answer is always no. The shoot always takes 5x longer if the client is going to be there because they'll want to see every single shot you take, they'll have comments about every shot, And the comments are almost always related to it being a raw unedited photo.

If it's a higher end shoot and/or they are paying by the hour I suppose I'd be ok with it. But I don't like charging by the hour. Still an informative video, but I'd think twice about letting a client get in the middle of your work flow, it's going to slow things way down.

[ytr]

Thanks. First time someone explained tethering to the computer in such detail. 👋

[adrianvanleeuwen]

Thank you for the tips on Smart Shooter 4. I will try the Trial version.

[easywedge]

Tethered shooting while using a SkyGuider Pro and focusing camera/scope for astrophotography is a no brainer. I shoot using that setup with my Nikon D 610 and hefty 600mm lens. The D 610 does not have the best Live View and the screen does not swivel. But using my 16” MacBook Pro as the monitor makes focusing on deep sky objects and composing so much easier. I heartily recommend tethering when in the field. Just have to be aware of monitor glow and make sure you have batteries as well as everything well charged. Clear skies!

[kavinkelly]

Hi Tony. Great video as per usual! I'm really struggling with a few things - Lightroom cataloguing (and adobe cloud back up) and how to back up on a budget. I currently only have my laptop and really struggle with a) using up my 20gb adobe cloud storage and b) finding an affordable and easy way to ensure I have back ups of my photos. I would LOVE you guys to do a video on that, I think it would be so helpful to people who aren't full pro but still have important photos/do semi pro work every now and then. Hoping you see this!!!

[zz]

Thank you for the super informative video Tony. As usual, you are my go to source for technology that I am unfamiliar with. Cheers!

[BidPixel]

This tip is really helpful to see the images on a bigger screen right away!

[radimvybiral]

Late 2021, we need reliable wifi tether. Now. Come on manufacturers. 5 meter usb cable or ethernet just to be able to see images few meters away on a big screen? No no. I want simple solution. No Ftp server, no script for auto download raws. No qdslrdashboard. D500 user here with nfc, bluetooth, wifi and after some firmware update also direct wifi capability... jumping over usb cable in a studio. Bravo. Tony said it clearly. No wifi app good enough for professional use. PS: Nikon, have you ever use, I mean heavily use your tool SnapBridge? Did you also find it ridiculous? :D

[wademckinnon]

Excellent video, Tony. I am just starting with this and would like to tether to an iPad Pro.

[olehkobyleckyj]

Thanks….enthusiast here…already shoot tethered in my little home studio but found this very interesting especially that screen/desktop stand.

[oneeyedphotographer]

LrC and C1 both support hot folders.

USB-C is a standard for a connector. I have cables that have USB-C connectors, but are only rated for USB 2.0. USB-C connectors can carry dp and HDMI and others.


You need USB 3.0 or higher.

[cfdfirefighter]

Went looking at your older video to refresh my system. Thanks for updating it.