Tethered Photography with the Apple iPad

Connecting your DSLR camera directly to your Apple iPad is not currently an option, therefore traditional tethered photography is not possible.  There have, however, been some wireless work arounds to achieve a pseudo tethering effect.

Before we get into the details of how to wireless tether into the iPad you should be aware of a few the limitations. 1) Wireless is slow, especially working with large RAW files.  Be sure to transmit only JPEG files as they are smaller and will transmit faster.  That may mean shooting in RAW + JPEG to have the best of both worlds. 2) You will be able to view the images on the iPad but will have limited editing capabilities.  You will have to go back and re-import the RAW files into your editing software at a later time, unlike traditional tethering where it will import immediately. 3) A WiFi connection must be available (update 8/12/11 – Pro X2 has built in Wi-Fi so an ad-hoc network can be established anywhere) These are a few of the limitations I see with wireless tethering into your iPad. So what’s the benefit?  There is one HUGE benefit to this type of tethering. As the photo shoot begins hand the iPad to your client and/or Art Director and let them carry it around during the shoot.  First, it will put them in the center of the action and part of the shoot.  Second, they will give you more space to work and not crowd around your area asking to view your computer or camera LCD.  They can be anywhere in the studio or in the shade on location and see exactly what is coming out of your camera.  As you are shooting, the iPad will continually populate with the new images. This is a  HUGE, HUGE, HUGE benefit.  Your client will be thrilled with the flexibility it gives them to move around and address other issues, all while seeing the new images being shot and being at the center of the action. So if all looks good and you are ready to tether to your iPad follow these 3 simple steps.