Tethering Best Practices

If you’re just starting out tethering or maybe running into some issues along the way then this guide is for you! Below you will find our top best practices for tethering as well as some troubleshooting tips and helpful resources.

1 - Remove Your Memory Cards

Is your tethering connection dropping, slow, or sometimes does not recover after a drop? To fix this, simply remove the memory cards from your camera!

Having memory cards in the camera causes it to continually enumerate through all the images within them as you shoot. As more images are added to the cards, this process can become slow and cause interruption to the tethering connection. Simply removing the cards prevents this and provides you with a much more solid tethering connection.

If you must have a card in your camera while tethering, it is best to start with a freshly formatted blank card. As the card begins to fill you may find that your connection becomes unstable again. It’s a good idea to swap out cards throughout your job to prevent this and keep your connection stable.

2 - Close Any Competing Tethering Software

Having more than one tethering application open at the same time can cause your computer to “fight” for your camera’s connection. Make sure you disable any auto-connect features or close any other tether-capable software you’re not using when shooting a job.

A few examples of applications known to fight for tethering connections:

EOS Utility – This application can often try to steal away your tethering connection. It’s a good idea to make sure you close it entirely. Even though it’s closed in your programs bar, it can sometimes be hiding in your top program bar or system tray. Look for any icons on your screen that show the EOS Utility logo. If you don’t utilize this application, uninstalling it might be your best bet.

Evoto AI – While Evoto is generally used for retouching, they also offer a tethering mode. This tethering mode is set to auto-connect to your camera by default and can interrupt your connection. Within the settings of Evoto, you can disable this auto-connect feature or simply close the application when you’re not using it to keep your connection intact.

Cloud Backup Software – While not technically tethering software, cloud backup software like Adobe, Dropbox or Google backup can also cause issues with tethering connections. It's best to turn off these applications while tethering.

3 - Turn Off Power Delivery

Cameras that receive power via the tether cable can sometimes experience instability. To prevent this, turn off “USB Power Delivery” in your camera’s settings if it’s an option. Otherwise, you can purchase specific cables or dongles that disable power delivery.

Sending power and data over the same cable simultaneously can cause noise and disrupt the connection. Removing the power clears up this noise and makes the cable perform more reliably.

The Canon R Series cameras are known to be particularly susceptible to this issue. Tether Tools has an excellent write-up of the issue as well as some solutions here: https://tethertools.com/blog/connection-issues-with-canon-r-series-cameras/

4 - Plug Your Cable In The Correct Orientation

While it may appear that a cable can be plugged in any way you like, it’s becoming more and more common for tether cables to be directional. Before you start your job, make sure you have the camera side of the cable plugged into the camera and computer side in the computer. Look for an icon on each end of the cable that designates where each side goes.

Plugging the wrong side into the wrong device can in some cases damage the cable or your devices so make sure you have it right before starting.

5- Have A Backup Cable

Tether cables can go bad over time and are generally considered a consumable. This is caused by the constant bending and re-plugging of the cable. We recommend you always have a backup on hand just in case!

It’s also a good idea to use strain relief on your cable to prevent damage to both the cable and the ports. There are a number of different options for strain relief, so feel free to take a look around for which ones suit your shooting style the best.

6 – Community Help

Our Facebook group is a great place to ask others for their tethering best practices and camera specific setups. It’s very common for group members to bounce tethering setups off our members and see if they have any suggestions for specific camera models and brands. You can check it out here:
Headshot Tools Facebook Group

Still Having Issues?

You can always contact the manufacture of your tethering software:

Capture One Support
Capture One Help & Support

Tether Tools Smart Shooter Support
Smart Shooter 4 Help & Support
Smart Shooter 5 Help & Support
Smart Shooter 6 Help & Support

Adobe Support
Adobe Help & Support