Prevent USB Port Damage With LockPort USB

Commercial food photography is pretty much my bread and butter. I tether my EOS 5D Mark II to a Dell Studio laptop with a 17-inch HD display using a 5m long USB cable. The length gives me a great deal of freedom to move back and fourth between the table where food is prepared and presented, and a separate table for the laptop. Tethered shooting works exceptionally well where reliability and transfer speed matters but this setup isn’t without a downside. As long as a physical cable is connected to the camera’s USB port it’s only a matter of time before an accident happens. Once I unknowingly stepped on the cable (happens when your mind is preoccupied with other distractions) pulling the cable downwards causing the mini USB connector to bend but just short of damaging it entirely. This cable is presently on loan to an associate who has just started to experiment with tethered shooting.

Find out if there’s a LockPort USB or HDMI device that suits your needs

A LockPort USB port saver attached to my 5D Mark II. The L bracket is secured to the camera body using the tripod’s quick release plate.

One incident was enough to make me look for ways to prevent a costly recurrence. The USB port on the camera is an integrated component of the main PCB so the entire board needs to be replaced. According to a comment in this post, it costs an approximate SGD700 (Singapore dollars) to replace the motherboard. The LockPort USB adapter kit cost me SGD211 including FedEx door to door shipping.

Photography: Reducing the Risk of Tethered Shooting Using a HONL Speed Strap

Update July 16 2013: While a HONL Speed Strap makes a great secondary protection, I now use LockPort USB port saver for primary protection. As I frequently take the camera off the tripod, having the cable strapped makes it inconvenient.

I photograph food a lot and goes without saying, I tether my EOS 5D Mark II to a 17 inch Dell Studio laptop. There’s really no other way when critical review is key to decisive, quality results. Thing is, working with any sort of exposed cable comes with an inherent risk that requires no explanation. Last week, during a routine shoot, I accidentally stepped on the cable closest to the camera and there was no slack, resulted in a good tug that fortunately didn’t cause any damage to either connectors. I may not be so lucky next time.

Tripping hazard: working with exposed cable comes with inherent risk.

A quick search on the web revealed several kinds of brackets designed for HDSLR videographers to hold HDMI cables securely. This one in particular is designed to interface all 6 cables on EOS 5D Mark II/III and 7D bodies.

This CoolProtector is designed to protect the 6 cable interfaces of your DSLR CANON 7D 5D-2 5D-3(Super expensive to repair your DSLR’s cable interface such as HDMI Cable interfaces).

It’s not my style to buy gadgets online or spend time searching for stores that carry them. So I put on my thinking cap, looked around the studio room for ideas and came up with a perfect instantly available solution that does the same thing — using a HONL velcro Speed Strap. It’s rubber lining provides sufficient traction that when securely fastened around the tripod leg, it offers plenty of protection against a repeat accident.

Using a HONL Speed Strap I’m able to secure my 5M long USB cable to the tripod. This effectively stops the cable from being pulled out of its socket reducing the risk of damage to delicate pins.

I am Official Samsung Mobile’s Fan of the Month

For many years I was using a NOKIA E71 I was a “NO”-body. In the last two months or so after switching to a SAMSUNG I became a “SAM”-body 🙂 — quite the honour to be the official Samsung Mobile ‘Fan of the Month’. During this time, one of my blog posts was also featured on SamMobile, a leading resource on all things Samsung mobile. Thank you Samsung! Switching from a QWERTY Nokia phone to the S III the only learning curve is getting used to the touch screen keypad which I still find challenging to type accurately even with the help of the excellent predictive text.

Featured Tips: USB Tethering the Canon EOS 5D Mark II | Tethering USB Flash Drive

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