A list of every USB-C camera tether cable color
I’m a digital tech by profession and over the years one of the hardest items to reliably procure in my setup is a USB-C camera tether cable.
Many people often confuse USB-C as a connection protocol rather than a connector type because initially manufacturers were advertising their “new” USB-C cables with the fastest speeds available at the time of its launch. However, as the USB protocol matured, cable makers started flooding the market with USB-C cables that were sometimes transferring at USB 2.0 speeds. These cables were identical to all other USB-C cables on the market except on price (but the reason wasn’t always clearly labeled). See the bottom of the chart here on how the USB-C connector could potentially cover USB 2.0 speeds.
Today, the USB-C connector covers everything from display protocols like HDMI and DisplayPort to Thunderbolt, and a plethora of power delivery speeds ranging from 5W to 240W. All of this on top of what most people need primarily which is maximum transfer speed.
In the photography world where the bare minimum requirements for cables are 10M/32ft reach, USB-C cables are only available from a select few makers. Here’s the definitive list (so far) of all of the different colors you can get that will work on set.
ORANGE
The most well-known USB-C tether cable comes from one of the oldest makers, Tether Tools.
They are not my preferred cable by any means, but they seem to do the job if budget is higher on the list than reliability or if your setup stays in a studio all the time. Their USB-C cable comes in black as well, but it’s iconic orange is hard to miss on BTS videos.
HYPER BLUE
LVNA Cables based out of Los Angeles make a Hyper Blue cable in limited quantities. Their options are limited so choice should be rather simple once you narrow down your needs (basically, are you shooting on the GFX 100 II?).
I use their cables, I like them as a company, and they generally ship fast with great customer service.
Their cables come with additional options in all-black as well.
PRICE: $149 for the Hyper Blue
PINK (FLAMINGO)
The 10M Pink/Flamingo USB-C cable from ROCK CAMERAS is available locally for those of you who are in London. They are the only company I’ve seen so far that also makes a Lemo to USB-C cable at 10M.
They also make an active extension at 10M if you prefer to use pigtails.
All of their cables come in standard black as well but the pink is where they stand out.
PRICE: £100.00
YELLOW
Cobra Tether is based in Germany and supplies reliable tether cables out of Europe. If you see a yellow cable on set, chances are you are working with a crew member out of Europe. Their tether cables come in 10M lengths and they also have 10M active extensions, all in yellow.
If you prefer the classic black, they have that option as well.
PRICE: $150 USD for the 10M cable and $130 USD for the active extension
RED
Area51 Tether Co is based in the US and supplies USB-C tether cables in a variety of configurations. As far as I know, they have the largest cable options available at the sacrifice of quite possibly the most confusing naming convention ever.
As they were one of the first companies to mass-market USB-C tethers, they command a premium price: The 10M cable is $185. I use them, I can vouch for their reliability, but if all other cables are also available and in stock ready to ship, I will sometimes steer away from Area51 on price alone.
Interestingly, they DO NOT make cables in all black.
PRICE: $185
BLACK
While most of the USB-C cable manufacturers on this list also make a black option, Nine Volt seems to only make their IQ Wire cables in black. They are however the only maker on this list that makes a single 15M cable, priced at $189.
These cables are no-frills-do-the-job-right kind and are not flashy at all with a very reasonable price to boot.
PRICE: $129 for 10M
ARCTIC BLUE & MAGENTA
I’m including the Mathorn cables in this list because they are technically tether cables but they currently only come at maximum lengths of 5M/16ft (not ideal for commercial shooting applications in my opinion).
The company is based in Poland so if you’re in that region and want to save on some shipping costs this is one place to look.
For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen anybody use this cable in a commercial setting.
PRICE: $40 USD (???)
PURPLE
Kondor Blue and YouTuber Gerald Undone are coming out with this 15ft purple USB-C cable that delivers 10Gb/s transfer speeds, 4K display support, and 65W power delivery.
I’ve not used this cable (it’s only on pre-order right now) but I know Kondor Blue makes decent cables and on paper the specs of this cable should work with USB-C active extensions to create a hybrid-colored cable length at 10M. Of course, your mileage may vary but I thought I’d include it here anyway.
Kondor Blue makes a number of shorter USB-C cables in different colors (pink, blue, red, black).
PRICE: $40