I'm going to save you the 45 minutes I spent figuring this out. Sony's documentation is a masterclass in saying nothing useful across 400 pages. And their own software — Imaging Edge Desktop — is what happens when a hardware company tries to make software. I'd rather edit photos in Microsoft Paint.

Here's the thing nobody tells you upfront: Adobe Lightroom does not support Sony tethering. At all. Not on Mac. Not on Windows. If you're a Sony shooter and you've been wondering why you can't find the tethering option in Lightroom — it's not hidden. It doesn't exist. Adobe just... never built it.

That leaves you with three options: Capture One ($229/year), Imaging Edge (free but genuinely terrible), or TETHER STUDIO ($99 once). I'm biased. But I also wrote this guide for all three, so do what you want.

USB tethering (the reliable way)

Step 1: Set the USB mode

On your A7IV:

If you see options for "Mass Storage" or "MTP" — those are for file transfer, not tethering. You want PC Remote. Sony calls it different things on different bodies, but on the A7IV it's straightforward.

Step 2: Set the save destination

While you're in the menus:

Step 3: Plug in and shoot

USB-C cable into camera. USB-C (or USB-A with adapter) into Mac. Open TETHER STUDIO. Your camera appears in the header within 2-3 seconds. Press Space. Done.

Transfer speed: roughly 2-3 seconds per 33MP RAW file over USB 3.2. If you're seeing 8+ seconds, you're using a USB 2.0 cable (the thin ones). Get a proper USB-C to USB-C cable — the one in the box works fine.

WiFi tethering (the cable-free way)

Sony's WiFi tethering uses a JSON-RPC protocol over HTTP. TETHER STUDIO implements this natively. Here's the setup:

Step 1: Enable remote shooting

Step 2: Connect your Mac to the camera's WiFi

Go to Mac's WiFi settings. You'll see a network like "DIRECT-xxxx:ILCE-7M4". Connect to it. The password is on your camera screen.

Step 3: Open TETHER STUDIO

Open Connection Manager (click Connect in the footer). Select WiFi. It finds the camera automatically.

WiFi vs USB: honest comparison

WiFi pros: No cable. Freedom of movement. Great for location work where you don't want to trip over a cable.

WiFi cons: Slower transfer (4-6 seconds per image). Settings control is limited — you can trigger the shutter and transfer images, but adjusting ISO/aperture/shutter from the software requires USB. Battery drains faster.

My recommendation: USB in the studio. WiFi on location when cable management is impractical. Start with USB — it's faster and more reliable.

Mode 300: the thing Sony doesn't explain

Newer Sony cameras (A7IV, A7RV, A9III, A1) use what's called "Mode 300" for PTP communication. It's a Sony-specific extension of the standard PTP protocol that adds remote capture capabilities.

Why should you care? Because older tethering software that doesn't handle Mode 300 will connect to your camera but can't fire the shutter. You'll see the camera name, you can browse files, but the capture button does nothing. If that's happening to you, your software doesn't support Mode 300.

TETHER STUDIO handles Mode 300 automatically. Plug in, it detects, it works. I wrote the protocol handler myself because I was the photographer staring at a connected camera that wouldn't fire.

Troubleshooting

"Camera not detected"

"Connected but won't capture"

"Slow transfers"

The bottom line

Sony makes incredible cameras. They make terrible software and write documentation like it's a legal defense. But the actual tethering — once you know the three settings — is solid and reliable.

USB: PC Remote mode, PC+Camera save dest, good cable. That's it.

WiFi: enable smartphone connection, connect Mac to camera network. Done.

And no, you don't need to pay $229/year for Capture One to tether a Sony. $99 once. Same camera. Same shots. Just without the annual fee.