Introducing new designs of TetherBLOCK®-MC and TetherBLOCK®-QR2 for commercial photographers
Industry: Art & Design
The clever invention that will protect your camera’s data port has two new designs.
Los Angeles, California (PRUnderground) April 8th, 2014
Both TetherBLOCK® versions come with a new third channel, for heavier duty FireWire & HDMI type cables. The curve is more gentle and is far less likely to damage these expensive cables, while still providing excellent restraint, should these cables get pulled, yanked, or tripped over.
The additional channel also allows for a wider variety of options for routing any electronic cable, no matter how thin. Giving a wider array of ways to protect your camera / video data ports.
The TetherBLOCK®-MC is thinner and lighter then previous models and besides the 1/4” and 3/8” tripod threads, the MC has two additional 1/4-20 threads for mounting accessories. Especially of interest to anyone shooting video. The tripod threads can also be used to attach any of your favorite quick release plates.
TetherBLOCK®-QR2 (Quick Release) is Arca Swiss Compatible. Arca Swiss is the most universal Quick Release plate, and it is machined into the base of the QR2! It is the quickest way to photograph on tripod, then hand held within a split second. The QR2 also has 1/4” and 3/8” tripod threads, should you accidentally grab the wrong tripod!
TetherBLOCK® came about when David Blattel bought his first digital camera (quite a while back). His first day of shooting tethered, David tripped over the cable, tethering from the camera data port to the computer. Needless to say, without anything to protect the data port, the cable, when tripped over, tore the mini usb cable and the camera data port right out of the camera.
Not being able to shoot tethered, the cost of repair and the camera out for repair, David became very determined to come up with a solution so this would never happen again.
Designed and developed with a close friend (an electronics nut) who was working at a machining company, David and his friend collaborated through several prototypes before the first, very heavy and bulky TetherBLOCK® HD was created. (HD- HEAVY to say the least / duty)
Never considering the product for production, it was requests from other photographers and assistants that saw David photographing tethered with this device, which he realized this is a product that almost every commercial photographer needed!
Unsure what kind of market there really was for it, David took his new product to Samy at Samy’s Camera. It only took a couple of minutes for Samy to see it, and say – “I want 100 of them!”
To date, Samy’s has purchased over 500 TetherBLOCKs, including 60 that are used in their rental departments.
For anyone, amateur or professional, that wants to shoot tethered, or having any type of cable connected to the camera, this product is a must! The camera data ports are very small and fragile. It doesn’t take much pulling to damage and make useless any camera data port, whether a DSLR camera, medium format camera or video camera system.
David Blattel is a commercial photographer living in the Los Angeles area. His recent interview with Los Angeles I’m Yours, explains in detail how TetherBLOCK is a great asset to any commercial or studio photographer shooting tethered.
About TetherBLOCK
I can’t tell you how many times myself, or my assistant has tripped over the tether cable, and because of TetherBLOCK® not once did any damage occur to my camera’s tether connection. Ninety percent of my shooting is tethered, and I will not shoot without TetherBLOCK®!
