DIT Triage - Photographer Unprepared
Symptom: You’ve arrived on set and the photographer has not completed the SOP_Photographer_Handoff checklist. Run this 5-minute arrival assessment to determine what capabilities are available and what’s lost.
Time budget: 5 minutes before call time. Work through these in order. Skip anything already confirmed.
1. What Capture One tier is installed?
Launch Capture One. Check the title bar: “Capture One Pro” / “Capture One Studio” / “Capture One Enterprise.”
- Pro → Use SOP_DIT_Pro. You have Capture Pilot + Capture One Live + wired display. No Client Viewers, no Live for Studio.
- Studio → Use SOP_DIT_Studio. Full feature set.
- Enterprise → Treat as Studio. Enterprise is a superset of Studio.
- Trial or expired → EC - License Deactivation. If unreachable license server, may need to fall back to SOP_DIT_Wired_Only.
2. Are macOS permissions configured?
Do you have the admin password?
Yes — Walk through permissions (budget 5-10 minutes):
- System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network > toggle ON for Capture One (Sequoia 15.0+ only — skip on earlier macOS)
- System Settings > Network > Firewall > allow Capture One (or disable Firewall temporarily)
- System Settings > Desktop & Dock > disable Stage Manager if enabled
- System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy > add capture folder
- System Settings > Battery > disable sleep, disable Power Nap
No admin password — Permissions cannot be changed. Fall back to SOP_DIT_Wired_Only. Wired tethering and display work without network permissions.
MDM lockdown (corporate-managed Mac, settings grayed out) — Cannot fix. Fall back to SOP_DIT_Wired_Only and accept that some features may not work. Escalate to the production company.
3. Is the camera in the correct USB mode?
This takes 30 seconds to check and fix.
- Canon: Menu > Communication Settings > USB App Selection > “Tethered Shooting” or “Remote Control”
- Nikon: Menu > Setup > USB > MTP/PTP
- Sony: Menu > USB > USB Connection Mode > “PC Remote”
- Fujifilm: Menu > Connection Setting > USB Mode > “USB Tether Shooting Auto”
- Phase One / Hasselblad: Usually auto-detected, no change needed
Full brand-specific details → EC - Camera Brand Setup
4. Is camera auto power-off disabled?
This takes 30 seconds to check and fix.
- Canon: Menu > Power Off Timer > Disable
- Nikon: Menu > Setup > Auto Off Timers > Standby Timer > No Limit
- Sony: Menu > Setup > Auto Power OFF Temp. > High (also: Power Saving Start Time > 30 Min or Off)
- Fujifilm: Menu > Setup > Power Management > Auto Power Off > Off
5. Is there a correct tether cable?
The cable must be a DATA cable (not charging-only) and match the camera’s port.
Wrong type, wrong connector, or missing — Use the DIT’s spare if available. If no spare available → tethering is not possible. → EC - Card Import Fallback
Cable types by camera: Canon R5/R3 = USB-C, Nikon Z8/Z9 = USB-C, Sony A7R V = USB-C, Phase One = USB-C/USB 3.0, Fujifilm GFX = USB-C.
Quick cable test: plug into camera and laptop. If Capture One shows “Camera Detected” within 10 seconds, the cable works.
Cable confirmed good → Next.
6. Was camera firmware recently updated?
If the photographer mentions updating firmware in the last week, or if tethering isn’t working despite correct USB mode and good cable:
Yes — Check firmware version in camera menu against Firmware Known Issues. If firmware is known-bad → no on-set fix → EC - Card Import Fallback. If firmware is unknown → proceed, troubleshoot if issues arise.
No → Next.
7. Was Capture One or macOS updated overnight?
Capture One updated — May have broken tethering or changed behavior. Check version (Capture One > About). If tethering doesn’t work, try clearing preferences or rolling back if installer is available.
macOS updated — Likely reset permissions. Re-walk step 2 above.
iPad app updated — If Live for Studio or Capture Pilot app version doesn’t match the Capture One version, features may not work. Bring your own iPad with known-good app versions as backup.
No updates → Next.
8. Is storage prepared?
Is the handoff drive formatted correctly?
- exFAT → Good, cross-platform compatible.
- APFS → Mac-only. At wrap, copy files to the DIT’s exFAT drive.
- NTFS → Mac can read but not write. Not suitable for capture destination.
Is there enough free space? At least 2x the expected shoot volume (e.g., 500 shots at 50MB = 25GB minimum, so 50GB free).
No handoff drive at all → Capture to internal storage. Arrange cloud transfer or DIT-provided drive at wrap.
9. Has a chain test ever been done?
If the photographer has never tested the full chain (camera → USB → laptop → Capture One → network → iPad):
No — Budget 15-20 minutes before call time for the first chain test. Run through the SOP setup steps. If issues are discovered during the test, triage them using the relevant DIT Triage - Tether Dead, DIT Triage - Network Setup, or DIT Triage - iPad Disconnected note.
Yes → Next.
10. Is the photographer using a catalog instead of a session?
Check: In Capture One, look at the title bar. Sessions show the session name. Catalogs show “Catalog” in the title.
Catalog → Higher corruption risk, harder to hand off files. If there’s time, create a new session and set it as the capture destination. If no time, proceed with the catalog but note the increased risk.
Session → Good. Proceed.
11. Does the photographer have a Windows laptop?
All DIT SOPs assume macOS. Windows has different:
- Tethering drivers (Windows-specific Capture One drivers)
- No Bonjour by default (must install Bonjour for Windows)
- Different firewall configuration (Windows Firewall instead of macOS Firewall)
- Windows Defender instead of macOS antivirus
- Different network interface priority management
Yes (Windows) — Adapt the SOP procedures to Windows equivalents. Key: install Bonjour Print Services for Windows if Capture Pilot will be used. Check Windows Firewall allows Capture One through. Most tethering works identically once the USB connection is established.
No (macOS) → Setup assessment complete. Proceed with the appropriate SOP.