The term "TETHERING"

[gpaai]

I briefly overheard a couple of guys in a coffee house talking about tethering their cameras to laptops in the studio. I would take this to mean that they are running their cameras to their laptops to see the images they are shooting right?

Now does tethering produce live images such as being able to see what you are seeing through a view finder? Or does it just send the images directly to the laptop instead of the CF card after being shot?

If tethering is a way of seeing what you are seeing live through the view finder, what do I need for my 5D in order to do this. Also, at the moment I shoot wireless in the studio using Pocket Wizard II units. Can these be incorporated in tethering somehow or is it just what it suggests, a cable tether from camera to laptop?

Thanks for any help.

Gary

[madlights]

I think in "most" cases it just sends images to the laptop. You can adjust parameters etc. I'm not sure on some of the "live view" cameras. I've tried this with a desktop and both my Canon DSLR and my Olympus digicams and even though my 8080 has a live view, and a live histogram...it works just like the Canon, in that only the parameters can be adjusted. It'd be OK and probably a great benenit for a stationary installation, such as portrait work I'd think. Maybe some are different...not positive....But to me it's bad enough carrying lenses around never mind a laptop with an umbilical cord.

[ghsmith178613]

I briefly overheard a couple of guys in a coffee house talking about tethering their cameras to laptops in the studio. I would take this to mean that they are running their cameras to their laptops to see the images they are shooting right?

Now does tethering produce live images such as being able to see what you are seeing through a view finder? Or does it just send the images directly to the laptop instead of the CF card after being shot?

until recently, tethering meant that usb cables have been run from the mini-b port on the camera to a lap/desktop. active usb cables can run to 36' before signal loss and noise problems manifest. to set this up on your canon, you need the software that came with the camera, a usb port on a lap/desktop, and ACTIVE USB cables. images are displayed as taken. the larger screens are a tremendous aid.

after i tripped over the cables and nearly pulled the laptop off the stand, i did some hard core research. things have changed!

there are wifi adapters for the canon an nikon camera. the canon device is $1k USD and is limited to certain cameras. The Nikon is far less expensive but limited to certain cameras. both devices work on wifi b. Neither device includes a software package.

my research produced a 3.5" display with a press ready software package, wifi g, ftp, email, and file copy options. this package works on the canon dslr from the xt through the mark iii, as well as the nikons. it comes with a 30 day trial period.

if you want to try this "tethered" package, drop me a note, i will put you in touch with the manufacturer.

If tethering is a way of seeing what you are seeing live through the view finder, what do I need for my 5D in order to do this. Also, at the moment I shoot wireless in the studio using Pocket Wizard II units. Can these be incorporated in tethering somehow or is it just what it suggests, a cable tether from camera to laptop?

i don't remember the 5d having a live preview. check the review menu in your 5d. my xt does not offer a preview. i'm checking my fuji. the active preview would let you point the camera remotely. the canon software would have you believe that this is possible.

[marxz]

Actually got a e-mail from one of my clients I do IT support for - he was asking me how to do tethered shooting with his new mac... Hes been a Windows person for years bought a Mac Pro for editing but was still using a WindowsXP machine in his actual studio but he's just moved that to mac too...

he was wondering what software he needed as the mac software that came with his D1 (sorry can't remember specific model) just didn't work (didn't recognise any camera connected but that it was showing up as a device in the OS's system profiler) and was wondering if he needed extra software or if there were third party programs ... or if Lightroom supported it..

had to tell him I didn't know anything about tethered shooting either mac or PC wise and if it had been working on the PC then to use the Parallels+WinXP or Bootcamp+Windows XP system I set up for him on his new Intel Mac.


Any PBaser's using a Mac system with Canon camera's want to give me the skinny on what software options are out there for tethered shooting?

[madlights]

I would think that the remote capture program of Canon's for the Mac should work...he could try downloading the newest at http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contr ... adIndexAct
Since you'd think if his system "sees" the camera the software should work...although...well we all know about 'although' I also notice they have a USB mounter program offered for OS9...which I have no idea of what it does(sounds important though). I've monkeyed around with tethering my 10d on a pc and it works pretty well. Same with my Oly 8080 and some free software which at the time Oly didn't offer. Tell him maybe to update to the latest software from Canon's site, since maybe there have been changes to the Mac's OS since his version etc. I don't use a Mac but have noticed the updates on Canons site.

[ghsmith178613]

turns out that i have a little mac here with cs2 on it. i don't remember how the canon behaved on it two years ago. i will try to plug it in today and let you know the outcome.

i have bounced images all over my lab in the canon on a winxp environment tethered via usb cables to my lap/desktops the images come up in either the canon or adobe apps as soon as they come out of warp.

i will also try that wifi system for a file copy to the mac. that might take until monday, as i have to go out of town.

[ghsmith178613]

turns out that i have a little mac here with cs2 on it. i don't remember how the canon behaved on it two years ago. i will try to plug it in today and let you know the outcome.

i have bounced images all over my lab in the canon on a winxp environment tethered via usb cables to my lap/desktops the images come up in either the canon or adobe apps as soon as they come out of warp.

i will also try that wifi system for a file copy to the mac. that might take until monday, as i have to go out of town.

yeppers... works as promised. install the canon software. plug in the camera. configure camera and sofware. viola! you may "shoot" from the desktop or from the camera. there is no live preview window in most of the canons.

tested:
canon xt (350)
canon software
36 feet US, USB Active cable.
Mac mini w/
2gb ram
40gb hdd
photoshop cs2

[marxz]

OK downloaded and tested the software on my mac and it worked so got him to try the same (basically it looks like his software bundle from "wayback when" he got his D1 only included Mac Classic software which, of course, will not run on the new Intel Macs as they no longer support Classic even in emulation)

Thanks for the (off forum) advice from some folk but he has no need for WiFi/wireless setup as his studio is a basically a light tent on a bench next to his computer and is purely used for catalogue and insurance photography of gemstone & jewellery for his wife's business.

[ghsmith178613]

bummer... well.. *grey matter grunting*... wonder if google might have anything? maybe the apple and canon support forums? i've actualy gotten really good responses from canon lately.

there are a lot of folks doing studio tethered thing. so there has to be a simple solution.