Securing Your Tethered Cable with the TetherBlock

Any photographer who shoots tethered will tell you that one of the most frustrating things that could happen on set is an accidental disconnection of the cable from the camera. You’re left having to restart your program, and what’s worse is the possibility of a damaged camera port from the cable being harshly ripped out and disconnected, usually due to someone tripping on the cable. Tether Tools has two solutions to put this problem to a rest, the JerkStopper Camera Support and one of our newest products, the TetherBlock. The JerkStopper Camera Support creates an anchor point, removing the stress and strain from a cable, ensuring the camera’s data port is protected from damage or dislodging in case of a jerk. Once installed, the included quick disconnect enables future tethering set-up in seconds. Priced at $16.95 USD the JerkStopper Camera Support is a great introductory cable management solution. For a more robust option, Tether Tools recently added the TetherBlock to our product line. The TetherBlock ($89.95 USD) is a solid aluminum base plate for a camera with a number of grooves that allow a photographer to feed their TetherPro USB cable through and lock into place. A 1/4″-20 slotted screw attaches the plate to the camera and can be tightened with a screwdriver or coin. The bottom of the TetherBlock features both a 1/4″-20 and a 3/8″ female tripod thread, allowing it to be mounted directly onto a tripod plate or head. If a photographer is mating it with their tripod plate, they will be able to center the plate on the TetherBlock giving a secure connection. Additionally, if you’re an Arca-Swiss plate tripod user than you will love the TetherBlock Arca ($99.95 USD), which has the Arca grooves built in the plate, so a photographer can use it handheld or on their Arca-style tripod without the need for extra plates.  Constructed in the USA from a single piece of precision milled T5 aerospace aluminum alloy, the TetherBlock is extremely durable while remaining lightweight and is covered by Tether Tools Lifetime Warranty. For photographers shooting tethered using a USB 3.0 cable connection, we recommend the use of a right-angle cable alongside a TetherBlock to keep the cable connected as USB 3.0 data ports are shallow and the cable connection is thin.