Tether table
A tether table is a portable platform that holds a laptop next to the camera on set, usually on a tripod or light stand, so tethered shots can be reviewed on a big screen.
Traditional tethering means a laptop on set: the camera is cabled to it and every frame appears in Capture One or Lightroom. A tether table gives that laptop a safe, stable home — a small platform mounted on a tripod or stand, with straps and sometimes a sun hood. Studios and location crews use them to keep the laptop at standing height next to the photographer.
They're part of a wider kit: cables, cable locks, power and a stand.
How it works
The table attaches to a stand with a standard thread or clamp. The laptop sits on it with a lip or strap so it can't slide, and a short USB cable runs to the camera, often with a cable-retention clip at each end so a tug doesn't pull the connector. A second monitor may let the client or art director watch.
An example: a product shoot
A commercial photographer shoots packaging on a sweep. The laptop on a tether table shows each frame at full size, the art director approves the composition, and the session is graded live in Capture One.
Tether tables and CloudTether
CloudTether replaces the laptop for a different job: getting every frame off the camera and delivered while you move, with the phone on a strap, mount or pocket instead of a table. It isn't a big-screen review station. Many photographers use both — a tether table in the studio, and the phone on location. If you want the studio screen too, CloudTether can fill a folder that Capture One's hot folder watches. See how to tether without a laptop.
Safety on set
Sandbag the stand, route cables away from walkways, and secure both cable ends — tripping over a tether cable is the classic way to lose a laptop or a camera port.
Tips and common mistakes
- Use cable-retention clips at both ends of a tether cable.
- Weigh down the stand, especially outdoors.
- Keep a spare cable in the kit — they fail at the worst time.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.