DIT Triage - Tether Dead
Symptom: Camera will not connect to Capture One at all. No tethering session can be established — Capture One shows “No Camera Detected” or equivalent.
1. Was tethering working earlier today?
Yes — Something changed between then and now. Continue to question 2.
No, this is the first attempt of the day — The issue is likely a configuration or setup problem rather than a hardware failure. → DIT Triage - Photographer Unprepared (run the arrival assessment to check camera settings, cable compatibility, and Capture One configuration).
2. Is the camera in the correct USB mode?
Each brand requires a specific USB connection mode for tethering. Check the camera menu:
- Canon: Menu > Communication Settings > USB App Selection > must show “Remote Control (Capture One)” or “Tethered Shooting”
- Nikon: Menu > Setup > USB > must be set to MTP/PTP (NOT Mass Storage)
- Sony: Menu > USB > USB Connection Mode > must be “PC Remote”
- Phase One / Hasselblad: Typically auto-detected, no USB mode setting needed
- Fujifilm: Menu > Connection Setting > USB Mode > USB Tether Shooting Auto
Wrong mode — Change it to the correct setting (takes 30 seconds). Reconnect the USB cable. Relaunch Capture One. This resolves the majority of “tether dead” cases.
Correct mode → Next.
For full brand-specific setup procedures, firmware quirks, and menu paths → EC - Camera Brand Setup
3. Is the cable confirmed good?
A cable can fail completely without any visible damage — internal wire breaks are invisible.
If you have a spare cable, swap it now. Do not skip this step.
- Spare cable works → The original cable is dead. Label it as bad so it doesn’t re-enter rotation. Done.
- Spare cable also fails → Next.
For cable type identification (USB-C to USB-C vs. USB-C to USB-A vs. USB 2.0 vs. 3.x), testing procedures, and recommended spares → EC - USB Cable Diagnosis
4. Was the camera firmware updated recently?
Certain firmware updates break tethering compatibility with Capture One. This is especially common with Canon and Sony bodies in the weeks after a firmware release.
Yes — Check Firmware Known Issues for known-bad firmware versions and their tethering status. If the installed firmware is on the known-bad list, there is no on-set fix — you cannot downgrade firmware in the field. Switch to card-based capture immediately. → EC - Card Import Fallback
No or unknown → Next.
5. Was Capture One updated overnight?
Check the version: Capture One menu > About Capture One. Compare to the version noted in the session prep checklist.
Yes — If the new version has a known tethering regression, rolling back is the fix. Check if the photographer or studio has the previous version’s installer (.dmg) available. If yes, reinstall the older version. If no previous installer is available, proceed to question 9 — there is no on-set fix for a Capture One regression without the old installer.
No → Next.
6. Was macOS updated overnight?
A macOS update may have reset security and privacy permissions required for tethering (camera access, local network, automation).
Yes — Re-walk the permission checklist from Step 2: macOS configured for tethered shooting. Specifically check:
- System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network — Capture One must be allowed
- System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders — Capture One must have access
- Firewall — must be off or have Capture One exception
- Spotlight Privacy — session folders should be excluded to prevent indexing conflicts
Restart Capture One after granting any missing permissions.
No → Next.
7. Is the disk full?
Check: Apple Menu > About This Mac > Storage (or System Settings > General > Storage on Ventura+).
Yes — Capture One cannot write incoming images if the disk is full, and on some versions it refuses to establish a tether session at all when storage is critically low. → EC - Disk Full Recovery
No → Next.
8. Is the Capture One license active?
If Capture One opens in trial mode, shows a license error, or displays a “Grace Period” banner, tethering may be disabled or restricted.
Yes (license issue) — → EC - License Deactivation
No (license is fine) → Next.
9. Nuclear: All else fails
Every diagnostic has been exhausted. Perform a full system-level reset:
- Try a completely different USB-C port on the laptop (every port, both sides)
- Try a different cable (ideally a known-good cable from a different manufacturer)
- Restart the laptop entirely (full shutdown, wait 10 seconds, power on)
- After restart, connect the camera before launching Capture One
- Launch Capture One
If still dead after a full laptop restart with a known-good cable on a known-good port:
The problem is deeper than on-set troubleshooting can resolve. The cause is likely a software-level incompatibility (firmware, Capture One version, macOS version) or a hardware failure (camera USB controller, laptop USB controller). Do not continue debugging — switch to card-based shooting and diagnose after wrap.
→ EC - Card Import Fallback (shoot to card, import between setups to maintain client preview and backup workflow)