Breaking news update for Leica SL users: !!! The latest version of Lightroom Classic now tethers seamlessly with the Leica SL camera.

 After yesterday's success tethering the current Leica SL2 with Lightroom Classic I came into the studio this morning and found the correct Tether Tools cable for use with the Leica SL. Here's what the end that goes into the SL looks like:

I connected the camera to the computer, launched Lightroom Classic and then turned on the camera with the USB set to PTP. The app found the camera right away and opened up a control strip that allowed for changes to the camera as well as triggering from the computer. Lightroom in tethered mode provided a live preview and then a beautiful, full window review of the .DNG file just shot. It also provided a sequential row of image thumbnails across the bottom of the program window. 

I repeated the hook up and shooting from scratch three times and each time the whole shebang started right up and there were no issues. 

Now my three main shooting platforms, the Panasonic S5, the Leica SL2 and the Leica SL all provide me with the ability to shoot tether and to review images on my computer in real time. No extra charges. No need to buy a yearly license to yet another application. 

Just in time for Christmas...

Lightroom and Leica SL2 now work perfectly for tethered capture.

 Two weeks ago I was trying to tether the Leica SL2 to Lightroom Classic for a photo shoot. Every time I launched "start tethered capture" in the app it would crash. Something has changed. I have no clue what it is. But the process is now simple and saves me from buying yet another expensive and unnecessary application which I would have only used for the purposes of tethering a camera. 

Here's how to do it. First update both the camera, the computer operating system and Lightroom classic to the latest versions. In the camera menu choose PTP for your USB setting. Turn off camera. Attach the camera to a USB 3.0 cable and attach the cable to the computer. Launch Lightroom. Turn on the camera. Select "tethered capture" in the LRC "file" menu. Select "start tethered capture" in the sub-menu. Select a folder to house the files. Start shooting.

This works with the camera's raw files because they are a standard .DNG file. 

A window will open at the top left of the screen to show a preview image. You can use a command bar to do rudimentary setting changes on the camera and to trigger the shutter. When you take each shot it appears in the center screen at a large size. A row across the bottom of the window contains the sequential thumbnails of all the images. You can magnify the selected frame and use any other image processing tools in Lightroom. You do not need to load any plug-ins.

I tried it twice. Both times it was rock solid. Nice. Happy photographer. 

Now to see if it will work on an older SL....

You saw the black and whites earlier this week. Now revel in the magnificent colors of the TTArtisan 50mm f0.000095 Lens mismatched to a full frame camera.