Camera to cloud

Professional cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Sony can upload over FTP or FTPS 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 the FTP hostname to your ZenTransfer server address (see Edge nodes)
2. Enter your ZenTransfer username and temporary FTP password from your dashboard
3. Enable passive mode (PASV) if your camera offers it
4. Save the profile

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 and support multiple cameras.

Venue Wi-Fi — works when reliable; not dependable for breaking news. Consider a VPN on untrusted networks.

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

Slow or interrupted connections¶

ZenTransfer is built for variable mobile networks. Files are processed as they arrive and queued for parallel delivery. Transfer time depends on your uplink speed and file size (RAW files from full-frame bodies are typically 25–90 MB).

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.

Next steps¶

• Supported cameras — model compatibility list
• Camera FTP relay (features) — extended overview
• Multi-destination delivery — route to newsrooms and cloud at once