Tethered shooting file name

[donc1000]

When shooting tethered in Lightroom Classic with my Z8 or Z9 I am getting some odd file naming.

The file naming template is set to Filename and the camera colour space is set to Adobe so I would expect a filename similar to _DSC1234 but, what I get is DSC_0000 followed by DSC_0000-2, DSC_0000-3 etc...there are no duplicate files anywhere.

When shooting non-tethered file naming is as I expect so this file naming oddity is only when tethered.

Any ideas on why are certainly appreciated.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

14.3 fixed a bug that addressed this. Can you confirm the Lightroom Classic version you are using? 

Please go to Help>System Info… and provide us with your software's installed version number. 

[donc1000]

I'm using Lightroom Classic version: 14.3.1

[drtonyb]

@donc1000 

Posting a screen shot of your Tethered Capture Settings dialog and the Filename Template Editor dialog will help work this one out.

[donc1000]

[donc1000]

The only variable that I can think of that has changed sinced my last tethered shoot is the upgrade to MacOS 15.5...this file naming issue did not occur before that.

[drtonyb]

@donc1000 

In the Tethered Capture Settings, click the Template drop down in the Naming section and choose Edit...

In the Filename Tempalet Editor, remove the {Filename} then click the Preset drop down and choose Custom Name.

Now in the Numbering section, select Sequence # (0001).

Click the Insert button next to the Sequence # (0001) drop down.

Click the Done button. Edit the Custom Text box in the Tethered Capture Settings to _DSC_ and set the Start Number to 1 or whatever you want the number to start at.

Click the OK button and you are good to go.

[donc1000]

Thank you for your response...it gives me a better option for file naming but I'm still curious about the original file name and why I was getting what I was getting.

[Noel Orridge]

Hi @donc1000 Thank you for reaching out! We're sorry for the issue you're facing. While there could be multiple reasons for this occurrence but to name a few here are some potential ones:

• If Lightroom detects a potential filename conflict (even if there are no actual duplicate files), it may append a suffix like "-2" or "-3" to ensure uniqueness. Lightroom's tethering logic might think it's encountering duplicates if it's not correctly syncing with the camera's naming convention

• This can sometimes happen if Lightroom perceives each shot as part of a new sequence or if it fails to correctly read the camera's internal filename counter in real-time. The "Filename" token in Lightroom isn't pulling the exact camera-generated filename as seamlessly as it does during a regular card import. Instead, it might be using a placeholder or a session-based counter.

I'd suggest trying the fix provided by @drtonyb and updating your camera's Firmware (if there's a new update available) as well as resetting the Lightroom preferences : How to reset Lightroom Classic preferences

Cheers! 

[donc1000]

Thank you for your help...

Initially I thought this situation was simply a firmware, software or preference setting issue so my first step was to make sure all firmware and software updates were current and then to reset the preferences...none of this had any impact.

Then it occured to me that it may be a specific camera related issue and a simple reset would solve the problem but I get the same result with both cameras so I ruled that out.

drtonyb's solution does give me a workable option but it doesn't address my original question.

Tethered shooting is not something I do much of and any tethered shots still available in my computer all used the Naming Template "Session Name - Sequence" but as I remember in the past when I set the Naming Template to "Filename" I got a different result then the DSC_0000-2, DSC_0000-3 etc I'm getting now and, I'm just trying to understand why that is.

[drtonyb · Accepted solution]

@donc1000 

It seems to me that the Nikon cameras give the 'tethered' filename as DSC_0000.NEF (shooting raw). I'm currently shooting with a Z8 and prior to this, a D750 and both behave the same when tethered shooting, as did my other previous Nikon DSLR's. You will notice that the camera's internal sequence number does not advance when shooting tethered. I also tested changing the colour space to Adobe RGB, which prefixes an underscore to the DSC in the filename (shot in camera), but the tethered filename transferred to the computer is still DSC_0000.NEF.

With Filename set in LrC's naming section of the Tethered Capture Settings, and saving into a folder that doesn't have a file named DSC_0000.NEF, the first tethered shot will be named DSC_0000.NEF. The next shot will also be named DSC_0000.NEF, but two files in the same folder can't have the same name, so LrC appends "-2" to the new file, then "-3" to the next and so on.

Creating the Custom Filename with sequence numbering allows you to manage the filename just as you want it to be.

[donc1000]

Thank you for replying...what I'm getting from your message is that the file naming results I'm getting are as Nikon intended. Its been a while since I last shot tethered and I guess I just remembered things differently (old age and a failing memory).

[drtonyb · Accepted solution]

@donc1000 

If you haven't tried it, the Nikon NX Tether software is worth giving a go. It provides far more control over your camera than LrC's rudimentary controls. It can be configured to work with Lightroom Classic by saving to a 'watched folder' from which LrC can be set to automatically move to a desired folder and then import. It is a bit slower than LrC's Tethered Capture to get the photo imported, but it works well enough. At least it has for me with my Z8, especially when LrC's Tethered Capture was broken a while back.