OTG Cables, and Their Uses On Set

OTG Cable Explained

An OTG cable, or "On The Go" Cable is a cable that has a male micro USB plug at one end, and a female USB port on the other end. This allows you to connect your smartphone or tablet to most USB devices such as flash drives, DVD drives, card readers, or even straight to your camera. This allows quick and easy transfers of video and pictures to and from your smartphone or tablet.

 

OTG Cables uses on set

You can use a OTG cable simply to transfer files from your camera, or a SD card to either your phone, or a flashdrive if you do not have a laptop or computer you can take out to a film set with you. I have two of these cables, both sitting in my Nikon D3300 Camera bag. When ever I have a memory card that is full, I simply take out this cable, and take out my phone, plug the OTG cable into my phone, and attach a card reader. Within seconds, I have all the files saved to my phone, and I can clear my memory card to continue recording! If I feel like my phone isn't the most ideal place to keep my files, I will go ahead and attach a flash drive to my phone, and download all the files to a flash drive.

 

Should I get one?

Certainly! These small pieces of tech are only a couple of bucks each, and it means you don't have to carry a heavy laptop with you everywhere, or risk damaging your laptop. Also, not everyone keeps their laptop in their pocket, with your phone, you generally always have a phone with you. And besides, an OTG cable is so small, that it adds a microscopic amount of wait to your camera bag, and takes up very little space. So quite honestly, I see no reason to not have an OTG cable.
 

Where to buy an OTG Cable

OTG cables are surprisingly common, and can be found almost anywhere. I bought one from Walmart.com, which I needed for a shoot that was less than a week away. I also bought another one from Amazon.com for $1.30 (link below), just in case the first OTG cable from Walmart failed.
Here is the link for the Amazon OTG cable:

Check out last week's episode!!!

Make a free website Webnode