Cameras with USB-C ports are often able to power the camera and/or charge the battery of
USB. While this is a convenient feature, this can sometimes cause connection issues during
tethering. Therefore, we always recommend turning USB Power Delivery / Charging OFF
during tethering in order to ensure the most stable connection possible. Canon R-Series
(mirrorless) cameras do not provide the ability to turn off USB Power / Charging. This limitation
is known to cause connection issues on some setups.
While Canon may address this issue in forthcoming firmware updates and/or future camera
models, it remains a potential issue for many users. In some cases, it is not an issue that will
arise immediately, but can emerge months after the initial use.
As a temporary work-around for this issue, we recommend that Canon R-Series cameras be
connected via one of the following methods to avoid the known issue connection issue
described above:
USB-A Cable
Power Delivery is not supported over USB-A style connections. Therefore, using the
TetherPro USB 3.0 to USB-C cable would prevent the issue described above and will
result in a stable and consistent connection. If your computer has a USB-A port, you
would be able to use the cable directly with your computer. If your computer does not
have a USB-A port, please see the information below.
Third-Party Adapter
If you already have a USB-C to USB-C cable, it is possible to use an adapter to convert
the connection to USB-A and thereby avoid the known power issue described above. A
Female USB-C to Male USB-A adapter would provide this conversion. Tether Tools
does not make the adapter necessary to convert the connection, but these adapters are
readily available at electronics resellers. This is one example of the item available on
Amazon (though please note we have not tested this item, it is only meant as an
example).
Depending on the computer, it may or may not be possible to connect to a USB-A port
on the computer. If it is not, it would then be necessary to convert the connection back
to USB-C by way of another USB-A to USB-C adapter (please see below).
Both solutions above involve converting the connection to a USB-A style connection. If your
computer only has USB-C ports, you would need to use a USB-C to USB-A adapter like this.
While we generally recommend avoiding adapters in tethering setups; However, this is one
situation where using an adapter will likely produce better results than using a direct USB-C to
USB-C connection. It is important to note that USB-A 3.0 connections will sometimes have
other power-related issues; However, the TetherBoost Pro USB 3.0 Core Controller will resolve
that issue, should it arise.
We will use this page to communicate any new best practices and/or updates from Canon
regarding this issue. We also recommend checking Canon’s support pages for potential
firmware updates that may address this issue in the future.
A few notes to consider in connection to the behavior describe above:
- Shorter connections are less prone to the known issue described above, so using a
shorter cable may avoid the issue in some cases. Users may find that a shorter cable
works fine, while a longer cable experiences the behavior described above. In general,
we would recommend using the shortest connection possible for the setup.
- Some Canon R-Series camera models use ports that support USB-C 3.1 (Gen 1), so
users will not observe a noticeable difference in transfer speed when converting to USB-
A 3.0. Other cameras support USB-C 3.1 (Gen 2), so there may be a noticeable
difference in transfer speeds when using the USB-A method described above.
