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 🙂
Cheers,
Joe
Ancora Imparo
"A good photograph is knowing where to stand."
--- Ansel Adams >
"You don’t take a photograph, you make it."
--- Ansel Adams
