Camera to cloud

Professional cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Sony can upload over FTP as you shoot. ZenTransfer is the cloud endpoint that receives those files and routes them to your destinations automatically.

How it works¶

Configure your camera once:

1. Set ZenTransfer as your FTP server (ftp.zentransfer.io on port 21)
2. Enter your ZenTransfer username and temporary FTP password from your dashboard
3. Enable passive mode (PASV)
4. Set the path to blank or /
5. Save the profile

Your ZenTransfer Dashboard shows the server names and ports for all protocols (FTP, FTPS, SFTP).

Every image your camera transmits is received by ZenTransfer, processed with your active metadata template and rename rules, then forwarded to every enabled destination in parallel.

Connecting on location¶

Your camera needs network access. Common options:

Smartphone hotspot — enable hotspot on your phone, connect the camera to it, and shoot. This is the most common field setup.

Dedicated 5G hotspot — standalone devices often have longer battery life, develops less heat and supports many devices.

Venue Wi-Fi — may or may not be a better option than mobile networks. Check with the venue if they have networks reserved for the staff.

Starlink — useful when you have clear sky access and need high throughput away from cellular coverage.

Slow or interrupted connections¶

You only need a single upload to ZenTransfer - the relay and fan-out to multiple destinations take place in the cloud, on the world's best networks.

The laptop-free workflow¶

Without a relay service you typically: shoot to card, import to laptop, open an FTP client, upload to each destination separately.

With ZenTransfer: the camera transmits as you shoot and every active destination receives the file automatically with your metadata embedded.