When is tethered shooting useful, and when is a simple remote release enough?
Asked 8/24/2010
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I connected my Canon 50D to a MacBook Pro and liked being able to preview shots on a large screen before taking them. I know this can help for things like long exposures or astronomy, but in what other situations is shooting tethered to a computer actually useful? For example, is it commonly used for studio, product, model, or macro work? In practice, when would you choose tethered shooting over just using a remote release?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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It's called tethered shooting, and is mostly used in studios; as you say, it's not exactly a portable setup. It has the advantage of letting you write photos direct to disk, bypassing the memory card, and as you said, you can see a photo preview large and on-screen before shooting, like a high-res version of live view.
Press photographers at football matches and other events can use wireless tethering, with a laptop connected to the internet, so that picture editors back in the office can access the photos directly almost as soon as they are taken.
If there's no overriding need to get your photos on disk immediately, however, then using a remote will do in most situations.
Originally by user456. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user456
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This setup is usually called tethered shooting. It’s most useful when the camera is staying in one place and you benefit from seeing images immediately on a larger screen.
Common uses include:
- studio and model shoots
- product photography, where a client can review images live
- macro work, where critical focus is easier to judge on a laptop screen
- timelapse capture, if your camera/software supports it
- some event or press workflows, often with wireless transfer, so images reach editors quickly
Other advantages are saving files directly to the computer and checking composition, exposure, and focus more easily than on the camera’s rear LCD.
A simple remote release is usually better when you just need to trigger the camera without touching it—such as for long exposures, tripod work, or any situation where portability matters. If you don’t specifically need live review on a big screen or immediate transfer to a computer, a remote is the simpler choice.
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