TetherBlock Can Save You From an Expensive DSLR Repair

As a portrait photographer I shoot in studio most of the time. One of the side benefits of shooting in a controlled environment like a studio is that you can also shoot tethered to your computer. I’ve been shooting tethered into Lightroom Classic CC for years. While every DSLR out there has a USB port (usually on the side) for image transfer, they are rarely designed for having the cable attached 100% of the time. This is to say that when you’re moving around the cable itself can get pulled and stress the port that it’s plugged into. Unfortunately that stress over time can actually break the connection inside the camera resulting in an expensive repair. Back when I was shooting a D700 I had to have it repaired twice. Just recently I had to have my Nikon D810 repaired. That repair was the most expensive to the tune of a few hundred dollars because it involves having to replace the logic board in the camera.

Reduce the stress and save the port with a TetherBlock

I’ve used Tether Tools cables and products for years also. Even though Tether Tools offered a product called JerkStopper, that product was mostly designed to prevent the cable from being pulled out. It really didn’t do a lot to prevent connector from being stressed in the port from movement. Tether Tools recently acquired the product TetherBlock. What makes TetherBlock so much better than any accessory of its kind that I’ve used before is that it also allows mounting to a tripod without having to use an additional plate on the bottom of your camera.

The clever design allows you to feed your tether cable through it and not interfere with the tripod mount.

I also highly recommend using a right angle USB cable too. My D810 uses a USB 3 cable and this is the one I use. If your DSLR uses a Micro USB you can use this right angle adapter. This prevents the cable from sticking out further. The design also can accommodate cables of different weights/thickness.

The Bottom Line

If you shoot tethered on the regular basis it’s just a matter of time before that heavy cable creates wear and tear on your camera’s USB ports. Once the pins break away from the logic board in your camera the port will simply stop working. TetherBlock keeps the cable in place and minimizes the wear on your port from the constant little tugs during a tethered shoot.

You can get TetherBlock here or here. (sadly it’s no longer available in blue). I’m using this Kirk ball head.

 

You can see my latest studio shoot below in 360°