Working in a studio for a few years now, I have sometimes found a regular tethering cable to be a nuisance because it would either fall out of my camera when I accidentally stepped on it or the transfer speed was extremely slow or non-existent. Tether Tools, a company that has been top-of-the-market on convenient, high quality tethering equipment, has recently released the Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System — a wireless way of tethering to a viewing device such as a computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
How reliable and easy to use was the Case Air and compared to regular cable tethering? For the answer to this question, I test drove the Tether Tools Case Air on my Nikon D750 camera during a recent studio photo shoot.
Features:
- Computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone connection
- No internet connection required (it creates its own hotspot)
- Wireless range of 150 feet
- Mounting via hot shoe or lanyard
- Control on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
- Bracketing, bulb timer, focus stacking and HDR
- Live View focusing with some camera models
- Advanced time-lapse shooting
- Capture video, control settings and monitor
- Adobe Lightroom Classic CC compatible
- Ability to quickly share JPEG images captured (RAW+JPEG settings recommended)
- Fits in the palm of your hand: 2.64″ (67.25mm) x 1.6″ (40.11mm) x 0.55″ (13.99mm)
How to use:
Before use, make sure the Case Air, your camera, and your viewing device are all fully charged. Also, be sure to download the Case Remote software onto your viewing device. Then follow these quick and easy steps to set up the Case Air:
- Attach the Case Air to your camera via its hot shoe or thread the Case Air for use with a lanyard.
- With your camera turned off, connect the Case Air to your camera via the USB port with the cable provided that is compatible with your camera model.
My take on the Case Air:
First off, I was pleased to discover that the Case Air can actually transfer images into Adobe Lightroom Classic CC via a “watched folders” feature in Lightroom.
During my headshot shoot, images transferred to my laptop so quickly that they were already on the screen before I even looked over at my laptop. I also wasn’t constantly plagued with a tethering cord disconnecting from my camera every 10 minutes from my stepping on it like I usually do.
I like the fact that I can control my camera by setting my aperture, shutter speed, and ISO as well as set up a shot and shoot using Live View through the Case Remote app on my laptop.
If you use a Pocket Wizard or some other transmitter/receiver system while shooting in the studio wherein your transmitter sits in the hot shoe of your camera, Tether Tools allows for threading a lanyard through the Case Air to one of its JerkStopper attachments, leaving your hot shoe free for a speedlight or a transmitter to be connected.
All in all, I found the Tether Tools Case Air to be an ingenious device that would save me time on my photoshoots because I wouldn’t be contending with disconnections or slow speed transfers. I can also take my eye off of the tiny viewfinder where I might miss the little details, and capture images looking directly at my subject by pressing the capture button on my laptop.
What comes in the box:
- Tether Tools Case Air Device
- Case Air Camera Connector Cable (USB 2.0 Mini-B 5-Pin)
- Case Air Camera Connector Cable (USB 2.0 Mini-B 8-pin)
- Case Air Camera Connector Cable (USB 3.0 Micro-B)
- Case Air USB Connector Cable (OTG)
- Case Air Charging Cable
- Lanyard with Threading Tool
- Quick Start Guide
- Tether Tools 90 Day Limited Warranty
Compatibility:
The Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System is compatible with the following devices at this time:
- Canon: 100D / SLi, 500D / T1i / X3, 600D / T3i, 700D / T5i, 760D / T6s, 1200D / T5, 50D, 60D, 70D, 80D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark IV, 6D, 7D, 1D X, 1D Mark IV, 1D Mark II, 200D, 550D / T2i, 650D / T4i, 750D / T6i, 1100D / T3, 1300D / T6, 5D Mark III, 5Ds / 5Ds R, 6D Mark II, 7D Mark II, 1D X Mark II, 1D Mark III, Rebel SL2
- Nikon: D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D300 / D300s, D610, D800 / D800e, D810 / D810a, D850, D750, D700, D500, D90, D3 / D3s, D3x, D4 / D4s, D5
- Compatible but live view may not be supported: Nikon D3100, D5000, D5100, D600, D700
What else you need to know:
If you’re a photographer who tethers while shooting, the new Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System is definitely a worthwhile investment. Not only do you have the benefit of one less cable on the floor for a client (or you) to potentially trip over, but you get fast access to your photos via your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device in real-time, as they are captured.
