Nikon D810 camera tethered to my iPhone 7 Plus with a USB 3.0 Cable? Is it possible for tether shooting?

[PlamenPanchev]

Hi Guys,

Wanted to ask, if I can shoot with my Nikon D810 camera tethered to my iPhone 7 Plus with a USB 3.0 Cable? Tether Shooting and transferring big NEF files ~40-45MB per photo.

Thank you!

Plamen

[Rob_Cullen]

No- not to an iphone.

You can only tether to a computer with a full install of Lightroom program running.

[PlamenPanchev]

Thank you!
I have another questions. I've heard that the tether shooting process using Lightroom is slow and not stable? Where are the Adobe going to do something about it? Also, if you shoot with high megapixels cameras, going through the images is slow. Do you think Adobe are going to fix that in future?

[Rob_Cullen]

In my experience I have not had any problems that caused me concern.

With cameras that are supported by tethering, good USB cable and connections, compatible OS, there should be no problems.

My Nikon D750 tethers well with CC2015.8 on a Dell XPS17 Windows-10 laptop.

Recently I set up a wedding photo booth- the camera stayed tethered for the whole event.

The photos took about 5 seconds to appear on the laptop. I had Lr in 'F' full-screen mode so that guests saw their photo on screen after the shot 5 second pause. (Live view is not possible- but would be a great feature for Adobe to add)

On a portrait shoot I had a cable problem and the camera disconnected twice- it did take about a minute to re-connect the tether.

What do you mean by "going through the images"?  After the initial transfer of the photo to Lr it is already in the catalog and visible in library grid or loupe view.

If Adobe has anything to fix, it is the millions of computer variations about the globe and the problems that arise with computer systems.

[PlamenPanchev]

I meant that I wish going through my images was a faster process. Lightroom is slow and that tend to slow down my selecting process and the productivity. It is not blazing fast as Photo Mechanics lets say...
Are you happy tethering to Dell XPS laptop? I have a friend of mine that is using similar laptop and told me that the process of tethering is slow comparing to Capture One Pro. Why is that and is it possible for Adobe to fix it? Also, is it true that there a chance of loosing connection easily?

Another very important question would be: Do I have to buy a cable from Tether Tools or I can buy a cheaper cable? Does it make a difference in your opinion?

[Rob_Cullen]

Five seconds to have a photo transferred from the camera and auto imported into the Lr catalog library. "Slow"- well that is a matter of opinion. Tethering to my Dell XPS17 works perfectly for me. Five seconds is within my expectations for the results.

If Lr is 'slow' in other respects, in the develop module, etc, then there are other computer factors causing problems not related to the tether. There is some great information in this eBook from Victoria Bampton-

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/performance/

USB cables?  Well you need the cable to suit your camera usb socket (usually supplied with the camera purchase). Then you might need a longer extension USB cable- any quality extension will work, available at any electronics store. Don't go to extreme lengths unless the cable has a booster. (I use maximum 2 metres extension)

[PlamenPanchev]

What cable and what kind of extension would you recommend to you? I use Nikon D810.

[PlamenPanchev]

Man, do you think it is worth-buying this cable http://www.theflashcentre.com/tetherpro_usb_3_0_superspeed_micro-b_right_angle_cable_hi-visibilty_or... or I should use my regular cable with cheaper cable extension?

[Rob_Cullen]

As an amateur photog the regular cable with cheaper extension works satisfactorily for me.

The tetherpro cable looks great, but at $150 Australian it is more than I need. (my usb extensions $5-$15au)

If you are a 'pro', then yes it would be 'must have' gear.

Just try the 'cheaper' option first- have a play- then decide your level of need (or desire to spend $s) and get photographing.