Today I decided to play with Aperture 2.0's ability to shoot tethered. Not really wanting to take photos of myself or my less than tidy office, I called in my dog Ellis to sit for me while I fired off a few frames. She patiently sat, lied down, looked pensive, etc. while I fussed with lenses, angles, etc. Sunday will mark our 9th year together, so I offer this post in her honor.
Nikon D300, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-EDƒ/4.5 | 1/40 | ISO 280
As for the software, shooting tethered worked fine--set up was very simple and intuitive. Just launch Aperture 2, plug a USB cable into the camera and computer, turn the camera on and under the "File" menu, select "Tether>Start Session". You are now ready to shoot tethered.
The transfer rates while shooting seemed a little slow, but I imagine that's to be expected given the file size [shooting RAW 14-bit]. I was very disappointed, however, when I ended the tethered session and had Aperture crash on me. No data was lost, but if I were shooting a client session and that happened, I would have had a canary. Not sure yet if this is a repeatable issue nor have I checked the forums for other reports. Luckily, the shots are also captured on the camera's CF card, so there's always a back up. Like anything new - be it equipment, software, or new techniques, always try it out first on your own time.
