Bob Coates - Taking LUMIX Tether Software for a Test Drive

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's Mirrorless Monday and my good buddy Bob Coates shares a recent experience shooting the LUMIX G9 with it's tether software. Technology never slows down, especially at Panasonic, and today you've got the most creative tools in the 190+ year history of photography.

Check out more of Bob's images with a visit to his blog, Successful-Photographer.com and then wander over to the LUMIX Facebook page and keep tabs on what the other LUMIX Ambassadors are working on. And for more information on the remarkable features of the G9 just click on the camera below.

Image from commercial shoot at Crystal Magic

by Bob Coates

​Shooting commercial work with a client and/or a designer goes MUCH faster when the client can see the image as it is being built. As all decisions need to be made from the view of the camera and the lens mounted upon it being able to utilize Live View on the computer screen makes extreme sense.
  
Back in the day showing images was accomplished by shooting Polaroid’s. Early on in the digital world this was accomplished by showing the client the back of the camera, which could get pretty crowded around a small screen. High-end studios had the capabilities to show clients images on a screen. The ability came later to small camera operators and studios but the technology was often spotty and sometimes expensive.
 
The LUMIX G9 and GH5 now have a rock solid performance in tethering to computers with software provided by Panasonic with your camera purchase, LUMIX Tether. With the software you can set all the controls and operate the camera from the computer. In addition, you can see what the camera sees with Live View and move files to the computer, including RAW’s in near real time.

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I set up my screen to be able to see the Live View as well as the Adobe Bridge interface. This makes it possible to see the working setup and the completed image on the same screen.

Lumix Tether Shooting Controls

Lumix G9 in action on the set. We used to gather round this small image on the camera.

Molly, the Creative Director for the shoot was able to see the set up in real time and see the final image moments later. Images from this shoot are being used at https://www.crystalmagic.com . 

All in all, I am very impressed with the ease, speed and utility of this new feature that Panasonic has built into the cameras. As I went to use the software this morning, there was a notification the software had been updated. Having the ability to get better software, and better performance in your camera through firmware updates, is incredible. In the past if you wanted the latest tech and new features you had to buy a new camera. Not now!