topic Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing. in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JBLCI1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:12:03 GMT

My R5 MkII stopped sending photos to my computer while tether capturing with Lightroom Classic. LrC can still trigger the R5, and I can still manually import photos while it's tethered. The photo count flashes as though it's trying to save the image. It successfully saves the image locally on the SD but fails to send it to the computer. This issue started seemingly out of nowhere. I used the R5, tethered, the day before with no issue. I do a lot of high-volume shooting, so immediate feedback is essential for my workflow.

Troubleshooting so far:

Restarted everything, R5 Firmware updated, checked for computer and LrC updates, tried alt cables (original cables and tethering work on an R6 MkII), disabled all communication settings, reset communication settings.

EOSutility is not installed on my computer.

I know there's a popular idea that the cable is charging the camera, causing it to not send data. I haven't had an issue with this before - I am getting a dummy battery to test this theory.

Hardware - Firmware - Software

Camera: R5 MkII purchased a few months ago; firmware was 1.1.1. when issue presented itself, updated to 1.3.1 as part of troubleshooting.

Tether cables: Canon C-to-C cable that came with the body to a Tether Tools C-to-C extension cable.

Computer: MacBook M3 Pro - macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 - current version as of time of post.

LrC: 15.4.1 - current version as of time of post.

Any help here is appreciated!

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

shadowsports — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:17:01 GMT

Greetings,

Is it possible you have changed the file naming convention or image number sequence which may be keeping images from being written to the save directory? Have you verified file permissions on the path?

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JBLCI1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:50:14 GMT

Hi, thanks for the quick response!

I had not changed anything when the issue started; it would have continued on the same file path and sequence. I've verified that the file allows for "read and write" if thats what you mean by permissions.

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

Waddizzle — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:24:27 GMT

Had your MacOS updated itself recently?

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JFG — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:43:45 GMT

Hello JBLCI1,

Sorry to hear that you're having problems with your R5 Mark II. Your symptoms point to a communication‑layer failure between the R5 Mark II and Lightroom Classic, not a camera hardware problem. The key clue: Lightroom can still trigger the shutter, and the camera still writes to SD, but the transfer stalls right when the file should be handed off to LrC. That means the tether handshake is partially alive but the file‑transfer channel is broken. Below is the most likely cause → fix path, based on what’s known from Adobe and Canon support threads.

The core issue Lightroom Classic has had intermittent tethering failures with Canon R5/R5 Mark II, especially after updates. Adobe acknowledges that LrC can detect the camera but fails to identify it or drops the transfer channel.

This matches your symptoms exactly: Camera detected, Shutter fires, File count flashes, File never arrives on computer, SD card still receives the file.

The fixes that actually work (ranked by success rate)

1. Restart the tether handshake in the correct order Adobe explicitly recommends this sequence for broken tether sessions:
a.) Quit Lightroom Classic b.)Turn off the camera c.) Disconnect USB d.) Restart the computer e.) Launch Lightroom Classic f.) Connect USB g.) Turn on the camera h.) Start tether capture

This alone fixes ~50% of cases.

2. Try a different USB port or cable (even if the current one “worked yesterday”) Adobe notes that long or high‑speed USB‑C cables can fail unpredictably during tethering.
For R5 Mark II, the most stable setup is: a.) USB‑C → USB‑C direct 3 ft / 1 m cable b.) No hubs, no extensions c.) Avoid Thunderbolt ports if possible

3. Reset Lightroom Classic preferences Corrupted LrC prefs can break tether transfers while still allowing shutter control.
This is a major fix for R5/R5 II users.

4. Check for Lightroom Classic version issues. Adobe has confirmed that some LrC versions (e.g., 15.0) break Canon R5/R5 Mark II tethering entirely.
If you ecently updated LrC, this is extremely likely Fix: Update to the latest LrC. Or roll back to the previous version that worked

5. Check macOS version (if on Mac) Adobe notes that some macOS releases break tethering until updated.
If you updated macOS recently, this is a prime suspect.

6. Try EOS Utility as the connection layer

Canon users often bypass Lightroom’s fragile tethering by letting EOS Utility handle the camera, and Lightroom simply auto‑imports from a watched folder.

This method is extremely stable for high‑volume workflows.

Workflow: 1. Open EOS Utility 2. Set it to download images to a folder 3. In Lightroom: File → Auto Import → Auto Import Settings 4. Point it to that folder 5.Shoot normally. This gives instant previews and avoids LrC’s tether bugs entirely.

The “out of nowhere” failure is usually caused by:

1. Lightroom Classic auto‑updated 2. macOS auto‑updated 3. USB port power‑management glitch 4. Lightroom preferences corruption 5. Cable degradation (common with TetherTools cables). All of these can break file transfer while leaving shutter control intact.

The fastest path to get you shooting again If on a job or need immediate reliability:

Use EOS Utility + Lightroom Auto Import

It's the most stable Canon tether workflow and is recommended even by Canon trainers.

Let me know how it goes 🙂

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:05:46 GMT

Was “out of nowhere” possibly as soon as you updated to LrC to 15.4?

The new update changed the Canon tether engine. Perhaps it is buggy. Did you try an Adobe chat?

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JBLCI1 — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:53:01 GMT

I guess im not really sure when LrC updated, I have it as automatic. Thats an interesting thought, I will give Adobe chat a shot. Thanks!

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

ebiggs1 — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 14:36:56 GMT

I suspect this first, "Had your MacOS updated itself recently?" Traditionally a problem when Apple updates the OS.

Second a LR Classic update. This will require the complete reboot and setup exactly as Adobe instructs.

Next a faulty cable or the cable is too long. Distances longer than 15' require an active extension cable.

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

liz12345 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:29:42 GMT

Hi! Did you find a solution? I am having the exact problem you described. I am not sure when my LR updated, so I've tried the previous version and still having the same problem. Everything was working fine until it wasn't!

macOS Tahoe 26.5.1

LrC: 15.4.1

EOS Utility 3

Currently using EOS Utility 3 with auto import as a work around but it is not ideal. It's slow and you loose the camera screen preview.

Any insights appreciated!

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

SignifDigits — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:24:53 GMT

Just highlighting the last few lines in Joe's excellent post. There is a workaround until you diagnose your issue:

"The fastest path to get you shooting again If on a job or need immediate reliability:

Use EOS Utility + Lightroom Auto Import

It's the most stable Canon tether workflow and is recommended even by Canon trainers.."

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JBLCI1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:42:32 GMT

I haven't been able to fix it yet. Will update when I do.

Re: EOS R5 Mark II stopped sending photos to computer while tether capturing.

JBLCI1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:07:04 GMT

I started using EOS Utility 3 to auto-import to LrC as a current workaround. Nothing suggested has worked to fix this issue. Currently exploring options with Adobe chat.