How I Finally Got My Canon 5D Mark IV Tethering on My MacBook Air

If you’re a professional photographer trying to tether a Canon 5D Mark IV to Lightroom Classic on a Mac, you’ll know it can be tricky. There is nothing worse than a tether collapse mid shoot, believe me I know! Not only is it slightly awks it leaves you shooting blind and that’s not great. I recently went through this headache and was left scratching my head as to what the problem could be, let’s face it there are so many reasons a tether could fail and so it’s a question of problem solving one thing at a time and, after some trial and error, I finally got it working perfectly. Here’s exactly what I did it, step by step.

Step 1: Prepare your camera

Before connecting to your Mac, make sure your Canon 5D Mark IV is ready:

• Battery fully charged (or AC adapter for longer sessions)

• WiFi OFF

• Auto Power Off OFF → Menu → Setup (Spanner icon) → Power Saving

• Camera in shooting mode, not playback or menus

Tip: A fully charged battery is enough for a short tethered shoot, but an AC adapter is safer for long sessions.

Step 2: Prepare your Mac

• Quit Image Capture and Photos app — these apps can lock the camera connection and prevent Lightroom from detecting it

• Make sure your Mac is plugged in if possible

• Launch Lightroom Classic from Creative Cloud (avoid the Dock shortcut, which can sometimes open an older or different version)

Step 3: Use a reliable tether cable

I used a Tether Tools cable — far more reliable than standard USB cables for tethering. Plug it directly into your MacBook Air (no hubs or adapters).

Step 4: Start a Lightroom Classic tethered session

1. Go to File → Tethered Capture → Start Tethered Capture…

2. Fill in:

   • Session Name → Client/Shoot Name

   • Destination Folder → RAW folder on your computer

   • Optional: File naming, metadata, keywords

3. Click OK and wait 10–15 seconds

• At first, Lightroom kept spinning “detecting camera”, which led me to some troubleshooting.

Step 5: Troubleshooting (what I tried)

Here’s what finally fixed the issue:

1. Checked the cable and ports — ensured it was direct and high quality

2. Disabled WiFi and auto-sleep on the camera

3. Quit all other apps that could access the camera

4. Restarted Lightroom Classic from Creative Cloud

5. Tested the camera connection in Image Capture → Mac saw the camera

6. Installed Canon EOS Utility → confirmed Mac recognized the 5D Mark IV

7. Updated the 5D Mark IV firmware → this solved the “BUSY” issue, and Lightroom Classic detected the camera immediately

Lesson learned: For stubborn tethering issues, a firmware update is often the key. This is not as hard as it sounds, leave a comment if you want me to go into this and tell you how I did it. Maybe that’s a whole other blog post!!

Step 6: Test and go live

Once Lightroom detected the camera:

• A camera icon appears in the top-left of Lightroom

• Take a few test shots to confirm they appear instantly in your folder

• You’re ready to shoot, tethered, reliably, and professionally

Pro Tips for Smooth Tethering

• Keep Lightroom frontmost

• Don’t open other apps that might access the camera

• Name folders ClientName_Date for easy organization

• Test 2–3 shots first before starting the full session

• Use a Tether Tools cable for reliable connections

Why a MacBook Air is Perfect for Location Work

Contrary to what some might assume, using a MacBook Air doesn’t make you look unprofessional. In fact, for location shoots and headshots, it’s an ideal setup:

• Lightweight and portable: Easy to carry and set up in small spaces or on location

• Silent operation: No noisy fans distracting clients or models

• Powerful enough: Modern MacBook Airs handle Lightroom Classic and a single tethered camera without a hitch

• Professional workflow: Paired with a Tether Tools cable and updated Canon 5D Mark IV firmware, you can deliver flawless results every time

Clients see smooth tethering and instant previews of their photos — that’s what really communicates professionalism, not the laptop model.

With this setup, I’m confident I can deliver professional, reliable results in any location, you can follow these steps to tether your 5D Mark IV successfully. Firmware updates, clean tether cables, and knowing your workflow make all the difference.