under what circumstances would you shoot tethered, and why?
i ask because i signed myself up for a photog classroom course next week, and part of it involves shooting tethered... which is causing me all sorts of angst... never having done it... not having a laptop (will have to borrow my kids)... can't find the canon utility disk that came with my camera (apparently i'm not supposed to use lightroom... not that i know how to do it in lightroom in any event)... wondering if i should just bite the biscuit and get myself a laptop to replace my sad and tired desktop... and if so, should i go MAC when i've been PC for years... and mightn't it be better to use the money to buy lenses... or, you know, buy nothing and avoid going into debt... decisions decisions decisions... ;p
@jsw0109 if i understand correctly, you hook your camera up to your laptop and effectively use the laptop the same way you would the LED screen... so you can compose on a larger screen if you're using liveview, and you can review your photo on a large screen immediately...
Buy nothing and avoid going to debt !!!---it's a joyful feelin' to receive your monthly Amex card with $zero amount !:)--I think this 365 project is pushing us to burn and melt our plastic cards-hA ! :)----
Tethering is a good way to see what you captured immediately on a computer screen. It slows the process but when you're shooting portraits, for example, and you want to see if you nailed the exposure, pose, etc, it's a great tool.
I've seen it used in landscape photography as well, especially when there's a limited opportunity to get a specific shot. You want to make sure you have the shot before you leave the site.
Hopefully someone else can jump in and give you more specifics. Its something I want to do but don't have the laptop, tethering cable nor the "special" card I think you need. ( that could be for wireless???)
I've found tethered useful a number of times. Most useful with a set up macro u can see up to ...zoom up to 10 times and on a screen it is amazing.
Do you have an ipad? ...because there is something floating around now that I think with the right connection you can tether to it? Would save you the money of a laptop and you can see first if you like the idea.
I was and still am a pc chick but did a year ago get a mac laptop. Most say it is easier, but I found it harder, it is just a kind of relearning you have to soldier on through...but that is good for the brain right?
@gigiz tx GiGi... good thought about the ipad - my husband has one and i could likely borrow it... still have to do something about my poor puter... thing is, it's difficult to find a puter with windows 7 and i am not keen on windows 8 from the limited experience with it that i have... figure if i have to learn a new operating system should consider MAC as well... my quick research (including backthreads on 365) shows a marked preference for the MAC amongst photogs...
@tctime tx TC! srsly hope a special card isn't required... i'm starting to feel like i need a course in order to understand what i need to BRING to the course! (you're also supposed to have some sort of remote timer thingy... it's more than your basic remote... gaaaaaah!)
@cheribug funny... i really know nothing about it - but the teeny tiny bit that i do know comes from bits of chatter on 365 :)
@jodimuli i know i know i know! and the more bits and pieces you have to carry about the more complicated it becomes... which lens? do i need a filter? which one? heeeeeeeeeeeelp!
@gigiz tx GiGi... i'm pretty sure i can download it from the site... just haven't bothered to try since it won't do me much good to have it on my pc ;p defiitely gonna look into the ipad option...
Always wanted to do that for water shots but I couldn't figure out how to get it to work. Wondering if you need a special program or if CS6 will work as good or maybe Adobe Bridge?
As for the laptop...definitely a PC. I just upgraded mine 3 months ago =)
no! no MAC! i was all set to buy a new laptop last week, and was debating between a mac and a kick-ass laptop. so i showed the specs to a young techie at the office who vehemently told me never to use a mac for processing your photos because then the resulting product would be smaller - i forgot his exact word, but essentially the picture would be smaller. something to do with graphics. also laptop is not the best to process raw photos and he went on to explain about the 'cores' - that you need six cores when processing photos. best is to get a desktop pc. so i thought no wonder darn laptop keeps on freezing when i'm working on a photo. ergo laptop and mac are on hold. don't mind me, i don't know what i'm talking about.
I have shot tethered a few times just to try it out. For me, it is really only useful for macro studio shots and not worth the effort of setting it up after the novelty has worn off. If you are not doing a bunch of studio work with clients that want to see instant results then I don't think that it is a useful tool.
As for your question on computer upgrades....
I have both a Mac and a PC and like them both. The Mac never has any problems, and is always up to any task. The PC rarely has a problem but seems to struggle with some heavy editing sometimes even though it has twice the RAM and similar processor speeds. Personally I think that Mac is a better overall machine for photography, but twice the price.
@summerfield I own a MacBook Pro and process photos on it... I also own a Windows PC and process photos there too... I can safely say that the photos on the mac are not "smaller" - in fact they are exactly the same size (unless I specify otherwise in my processing software)! I think that your techie was a bit confused... :P
My mac is actually superb at processing my images... it's not any slower or clunkier than my desktop, and it's actually a beautiful, efficient machine all around :)
@northy In my experience, having owned/used MANY laptops over the years...
To be blunt, Mac laptops sh*t all over Windows laptops! :P They are built far better, are quicker and more efficient and just... better. Not just for photography, for EVERYTHING. The mouse trackpad is even better - smoother, more sensitive, than any Windows laptop I've used.
On the other hand, I will never own a Mac desktop or an iPhone, because I dislike them rather strongly! But I definitely think Apple did a fine job with the MacBook Pro :)
@summerfield Also the idea that you need 6 cores to process photos is ridiculous. My desktop is a quadcore and it manages perfectly. And I don't know how many cores my mac has but I'm sure it's not more than 4! Processing power depends on so much more than just the number of cores your computer possesses!
Didn't know that was called tethered, but I've done that when shooting stars because I'd often cry after spending hours out at night only to realise they're all out of focus when I dumped them onto the laptop.
I'd use your son's for starters, see if it's something you'd do again and decide then.
I shoot tethered for several reasons. First, I use it for night shots, as the tablet screen (which is so much more convenient than a laptop!) will give a better idea of where you are aiming at than the camera screen. I also use it for shooting anything low down, as I have a metal back and I can't get down that far, nor does my camera have a flippy out screen. Admittedly this last is rather specialised!
I also can see the use for landscapes and getting a better idea of what you are shooting and the composition.
As for laptops, every time I would go windows. It is much cheaper and easier to use, and if you look hard enough you will still find discounted but not completely out of date laptops that have windows 7 on them.
tethered generally refers to the mechanism whereby you literally plug in a cable from your desktop / Laptop to your camera and as you shoot, the images get transferred to your computer.
This is great because you get to see the product immediately and can edit. Some of the better tools i've heard for this include the software that comes with hasselblad (ala Peter Hurley's setup) or Capture one pro which is reputed to have the best RAW converion of any software.
For me though, I rarely need / want the ability to be able to edit images ON the shoot itself. What i've started doing on shoots is use an eyefi card and connect this wirelessly to my ipad.
1. Get an eyeFi Card http://www.eye.fi/uk
2. Grab that iPad off the other half or if he wont part with it, maybe something cheap like a Nexus 10 will be fine
3. Set up the eyeFi card
4. Connect your iPad / Nexus / Whatever
5. Stick the card into your camera
6. Shoot
I'm lucky in that I have a 5DMK3 so I put in a CF card which I save RAW to, and put the eyefi card and save large jpg to. Then when I shoot I have the original RAWs on my CF, but the smaller JPGs get sent to my iPad so I can view them straight away. The first few shots in any set (or anytime we drastically change pose) I look at the eye pad, zoom in on the eyes, hair, etc to make sure its all looking fine. I also use this to get out the light - distribution, drops offs etc. Its really very handy.
I got a MacBook three years ago, before I bought my DSLR, just because I thought it was a really sexy machine and didn't want the hassle of virus's etc. At the time I had a desktop PC and thought I'd use them both. I didn't and have now ditched the PC.
I got Aperture (Apple's own photo software) when I got the camera and use it for processing and managing my photo library and you can do most of the processing procedures that PS can do. My understand is that the only thing you can't do is take things from one image and put them into another. I've since been given a copy of PSE and am still learning how to use it, still using Aperture as my first point of processing. Aperture has the tethering function built in and I've used it several times for table-top work as you can see on a bigger screen exactly what the shot is like immediately it's been taken.
Someone at our photographic society uses an eyefi card which connects his camera wirelessly to his iPad, which is tethering wirelessly really, except the iPad screen isn't as big as a MacBook's.
I've now got an iPhone and the beauty of Apple kit is that everything just works really well, on its own and together.
@pennyp correct.. i just didnt know whether wireless tether still counted in the official "tethering" term :)
@northy I just realised that I didnt really answer your question - you'd want to shoot tethered if :
1. I've heard instances of a client or creative director being part of a shoot. They know for example that they need 1 x 2 page image, 2 images of a certain size etc. They'd watch as the images are shot and in their mind fill these spaces - and once they're happy they'd say move on, next set
2. Like how I use it, do zoom in as you shoot and make minor modifications because the small screen on the camera just isnt big enough
3. Use it like Peter Hurley uses it. Shoot until he's happy with a set, get the client around and explain what he's looking for and quickly go through images on the spot and delete ones that arent required
4. I've heard that some photographers use this if theyre shooting models and have it facing the model so that they can modify their poses on the fly. I'm not a big fan of this as I find it kills the rapport that youre trying to build and in some cases, distract. I generally have the iPad facing me and as I find something I like, i'll show the model and drill down into what i like and what i want to tweak
I would love it if some of you could tell me how to shoot tethered with my Sony A300, I tried looking it up a while back but from what I can tell it's almost impossible. I'd have to tether it to the TV because it's not possible to tether to my laptop? What a PITA!
@abirkill OMG! Ron Burgundy! I hope Brick isn't hanging around with his hand grenade. It is always going to escalate quickly whenever Apple v. IBM comes up!
@intymalcolm@pocketmouse - "smaller" wasn't exactly the term he used but how i understood it after it was explained to me and it was a long explanation. i don't understand a whole lot of this computer talk and not really inclined to. i suppose he knew what he's talking about as he does video and photo editing. but, hey, you guys are the ones who possess better knowledge, and it's good to hear or learn about other options.
Apple - it's so expensive - but if the money's in the bank then it's so worth it. I tether to MacBook Pro Retina via Lightroom - wouldn't be without it
you can buy three hp laptops with good speed, size, and memory with three year warranties before you reach the same price of a mac. For me it was not worth the cost for a computer that will not last nine years. Also you will have a bit of a learning curve.
@abirkill bahaaaaaa! yeah - 's ok... i kind of needed to hear the arguments here to see if they were the same as elsewhere on the web... as i was telling my hubby this morning, it's kinda like canon v. nikon all over again ;p
tx everyone for all the helpful feedback... i checked with the school again and whatever i am using i need to be able to control the camera with it... i will likely end up borrowing one of my kids' laptops and mulling things over a little longer... really want to make the decision before end of the month because it would be nice to have a laptop to work on photos while at the cottage when we go in july...
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I've seen it used in landscape photography as well, especially when there's a limited opportunity to get a specific shot. You want to make sure you have the shot before you leave the site.
Hopefully someone else can jump in and give you more specifics. Its something I want to do but don't have the laptop, tethering cable nor the "special" card I think you need. ( that could be for wireless???)
Do you have an ipad? ...because there is something floating around now that I think with the right connection you can tether to it? Would save you the money of a laptop and you can see first if you like the idea.
I was and still am a pc chick but did a year ago get a mac laptop. Most say it is easier, but I found it harder, it is just a kind of relearning you have to soldier on through...but that is good for the brain right?
@tctime tx TC! srsly hope a special card isn't required... i'm starting to feel like i need a course in order to understand what i need to BRING to the course! (you're also supposed to have some sort of remote timer thingy... it's more than your basic remote... gaaaaaah!)
@cheribug funny... i really know nothing about it - but the teeny tiny bit that i do know comes from bits of chatter on 365 :)
@jodimuli i know i know i know! and the more bits and pieces you have to carry about the more complicated it becomes... which lens? do i need a filter? which one? heeeeeeeeeeeelp!
As for the laptop...definitely a PC. I just upgraded mine 3 months ago =)
As for your question on computer upgrades....
I have both a Mac and a PC and like them both. The Mac never has any problems, and is always up to any task. The PC rarely has a problem but seems to struggle with some heavy editing sometimes even though it has twice the RAM and similar processor speeds. Personally I think that Mac is a better overall machine for photography, but twice the price.
My mac is actually superb at processing my images... it's not any slower or clunkier than my desktop, and it's actually a beautiful, efficient machine all around :)
@intymalcolm lol I agree :D
To be blunt, Mac laptops sh*t all over Windows laptops! :P They are built far better, are quicker and more efficient and just... better. Not just for photography, for EVERYTHING. The mouse trackpad is even better - smoother, more sensitive, than any Windows laptop I've used.
On the other hand, I will never own a Mac desktop or an iPhone, because I dislike them rather strongly! But I definitely think Apple did a fine job with the MacBook Pro :)
I'd use your son's for starters, see if it's something you'd do again and decide then.
I also can see the use for landscapes and getting a better idea of what you are shooting and the composition.
As for laptops, every time I would go windows. It is much cheaper and easier to use, and if you look hard enough you will still find discounted but not completely out of date laptops that have windows 7 on them.
This is great because you get to see the product immediately and can edit. Some of the better tools i've heard for this include the software that comes with hasselblad (ala Peter Hurley's setup) or Capture one pro which is reputed to have the best RAW converion of any software.
For me though, I rarely need / want the ability to be able to edit images ON the shoot itself. What i've started doing on shoots is use an eyefi card and connect this wirelessly to my ipad.
1. Get an eyeFi Card http://www.eye.fi/uk
2. Grab that iPad off the other half or if he wont part with it, maybe something cheap like a Nexus 10 will be fine
3. Set up the eyeFi card
4. Connect your iPad / Nexus / Whatever
5. Stick the card into your camera
6. Shoot
I'm lucky in that I have a 5DMK3 so I put in a CF card which I save RAW to, and put the eyefi card and save large jpg to. Then when I shoot I have the original RAWs on my CF, but the smaller JPGs get sent to my iPad so I can view them straight away. The first few shots in any set (or anytime we drastically change pose) I look at the eye pad, zoom in on the eyes, hair, etc to make sure its all looking fine. I also use this to get out the light - distribution, drops offs etc. Its really very handy.
I got Aperture (Apple's own photo software) when I got the camera and use it for processing and managing my photo library and you can do most of the processing procedures that PS can do. My understand is that the only thing you can't do is take things from one image and put them into another. I've since been given a copy of PSE and am still learning how to use it, still using Aperture as my first point of processing. Aperture has the tethering function built in and I've used it several times for table-top work as you can see on a bigger screen exactly what the shot is like immediately it's been taken.
Someone at our photographic society uses an eyefi card which connects his camera wirelessly to his iPad, which is tethering wirelessly really, except the iPad screen isn't as big as a MacBook's.
I've now got an iPhone and the beauty of Apple kit is that everything just works really well, on its own and together.
I love my Mac, iPhone and camera.
@northy I just realised that I didnt really answer your question - you'd want to shoot tethered if :
1. I've heard instances of a client or creative director being part of a shoot. They know for example that they need 1 x 2 page image, 2 images of a certain size etc. They'd watch as the images are shot and in their mind fill these spaces - and once they're happy they'd say move on, next set
2. Like how I use it, do zoom in as you shoot and make minor modifications because the small screen on the camera just isnt big enough
3. Use it like Peter Hurley uses it. Shoot until he's happy with a set, get the client around and explain what he's looking for and quickly go through images on the spot and delete ones that arent required
4. I've heard that some photographers use this if theyre shooting models and have it facing the model so that they can modify their poses on the fly. I'm not a big fan of this as I find it kills the rapport that youre trying to build and in some cases, distract. I generally have the iPad facing me and as I find something I like, i'll show the model and drill down into what i like and what i want to tweak
tx everyone for all the helpful feedback... i checked with the school again and whatever i am using i need to be able to control the camera with it... i will likely end up borrowing one of my kids' laptops and mulling things over a little longer... really want to make the decision before end of the month because it would be nice to have a laptop to work on photos while at the cottage when we go in july...
the course, btw, is astrophotography...
@tanja_1211 @summerfield @phillyphotos @jocasta @grizzlysghost @espyetta @toast @breigh @pennyp @Cheesebiscuit @cally
@swilde cake sounds delightful :)
Here's a tethered shot I took...
Oh, wait, that's not how it works??
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