Tell us your camera — or just the shape of its USB port — and what you're plugging it into. You'll get the exact connectors, a sensible length, any adapter, whether USB 3 matters and how to stop the cable pulling out. Generic specs, no shopping list. The background is in our camera tethering cable guide.
Pick your camera or its port to see the cable.
Look behind the camera's side door, or check the manual's specifications for the “digital terminal” or “USB terminal”.
| Port | What it looks like | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| USB-C | Small, rounded and reversible — the same plug as a USB-C phone | USB-C cameras run anywhere from USB 2 to USB 3.2 speed, depending on the body. |
| Micro-B USB 3 | A wide plug with two parts side by side | Micro-B USB 3 runs at USB 3 speed. An ordinary Micro-USB plug also fits the left half, but only at USB 2 speed. |
| Mini-B | A small trapezoid, thicker than Micro-USB | Mini-B is USB 2. |
| Micro-USB | A thin, flat trapezoid — the plug of older phones | Micro-USB is USB 2. |
Ports from the makers' published specifications — check your exact model. Each link opens the picker for that body.
A USB data cable with your camera's port on one end — usually USB-C on current cameras, otherwise Micro-B USB 3, Mini-B or Micro-USB — and your phone's port on the other. A Lightning iPhone also needs Apple's Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, which has a USB-A socket.
To a phone on the camera strap or a belt clip, 30 cm to 1 m. To a computer in the studio, 3 to 5 m is typical. Passive USB 2 cables are specified to about 5 m and passive USB 3 cables are reliable to around 3 m; beyond that, use an active cable or active extension.
Only if both the camera and the phone or computer support USB 3 and you move a lot of large RAW files. Lightning iPhones and many phones run at USB 2 speed, and a USB 2 tether is still quick.
Not with a USB-C cable: almost every current Android phone acts as a USB host (OTG) on its USB-C port. You need a small USB-C OTG adapter only if your camera cable ends in full-size USB-A.
The cable probably only carries power. Many USB-C cables are charge-only; swap it for a data cable. Then check the camera's USB mode — PC Remote on Sony, USB tether on Fujifilm, Wi-Fi off on Canon.
No. Tether Tools' TetherPro cables are well made and well known, but any reputable data cable with the right connectors, a sensible length and good strain relief will tether a camera to a phone.
Often, yes — many cameras can tether over Wi-Fi instead. In CloudTether, Wi-Fi is verified on Canon, depends on the model for Nikon and Sony, is experimental on Fujifilm and isn't supported on Lumix. Wi-Fi was about three times slower than USB in our logs.