This article was written by Richard Harrington for the Better When You Tether series of articles by professional photographers who experience the benefits of shooting tethered in various shooting environments.
Tethering is not just about transferring data from a camera to a computer. Tethering also includes the attachment of items or to ‘tether’ them to a bar, pole or other various areas. In this article Richard Harrington discusses how he utilized a simple accessory bar to tether two individual GoPro cameras for a comparison video.
Background of the Shoot
I am working on integrating GoPro cameras more into my productions. With the release of the new GoPro3+ cameras, I wanted to fully test what the improvements mean to shooting in a variety of scenarios.
How did tethering your gear help with this?
I mounted both the GoPro Hero3 and the Hero3+ closely together so I could produce a fair side-by-side comparison. The Accessory Bar allowed me to attach multiple cameras to the hot shoe on another camera. I was able to combine two shoots into one. I frequently use the accessory bar to mount GoPro cameras to other cameras. This works great for getting behind the scenes coverage of real-world projects we’re shooting.
What the word ‘tether’ in the video field means to you?
We tether differently depending on the shoot. Sometimes we tether for control (particularly with time-lapse shooting). Other times it’s to facilitate the browsing and review of content (such as using the WiFi connections on cameras to review clips). One of our most common scenarios is tethered power (suing the USB ports to charge GoPro cameras for extended shooting).
Tethering is an area that’s growing in the video industry and we’re seeing better support for remote monitoring and adjustment. Transferring files is still often too cumbersome, but I know we’ll get there.
Your Outcome
I wanted to accurately test the differences between the two cameras. What I found was that the 3+ was improved in many situations, but that it wasn’t earth-shattering. I am comfortable with using both cameras for projects, but do recommend the upgrade still.
About Richard Harrington
A certified instructor for Adobe and Apple, Rich is a practiced expert in motion graphic design and digital video. Starting his career out in the world of broadcast journalism, Rich has always had great interest in visual communications. His producing skills were also recognized by AV Video Multimedia Producer Magazine who named him as one of the Top Producers of 2004. Rich is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, and a popular speaker at international conferences. He has chaired conferences since 2003 for the National Association of Broadcasters.
Connect with Richard on his RHED Pixel website, Twitter or Facebook.
