# Lightroom doesn't recognize or list camera as a source via USB



## Geneva3 (Mar 22, 2016)

Hi,
I'm working through a reinstallation of Lightroom due to some problems with my hard drive and video card (Mac). Unfortunately the reinstallation has changed some settings and now I'm unable to import directly from my camera into Lightroom. I'm using El Capitan 10.11.1 on my mac; although I can import from image capture to Lightroom I'd really like to save some time and if possible just import directly to LR. I would appreciate any guidance on how to configure LR so that my Nikon camera appears in source list.
Thanks in advance for your expertise!


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## DGStinner (Mar 22, 2016)

I would recommend getting a card reader and import using that instead.  The import will most likely go quicker and you won't need to ensure the camera has enough battery charge during the import process.


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 22, 2016)

I agree that using a card reader is a better choice. Having said that, if you can import through Image Capture, the disk should be mounted and so Lightroom should see it too.


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## Geneva3 (Mar 22, 2016)

Thank you for responding to my question. Previously LR was able to connect / list my camera in the source list. Can you provide some guidance on how to check or troubleshoot the connection with my camera? I have an external NAS and there's no issues connecting to it via ethernet. The USB ports are working as my printer is connected so no issues at the USB ports. Is this an El Capitan or LR issue in terms of not detecting the camera? LR is able to detect my NAS and associated files but not my camera - very strange. As mentioned, I appreciate any support in getting me back to a direct import from my camera. Thanks.


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 22, 2016)

Doesn't the camera show as a disk on your desktop? It should if you can use Image Capture to download the images from that camera...


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## Geneva3 (Mar 22, 2016)

Thanks for taking time to reply. When using image capture, my camera is listed as a device -good news bc I can import from image capture into LR and that's a working solution; 

However when using Finder the camera is not listed and it is not listed when using LR. In the old days many times this problem was caused by a missing software driver - not certain if my MAC needs a Nikon driver to connect or talk with my camera?? I'm not very good at LR and knowing it was working prior to my hard drive blowing up, I wanted to inquire to see if I didn't configure something properly on the reinstallation of the LR software. It's peculiar that Finder doesn't see my camera when it's plug into the USB port but image capture has no problems finding it. Any suggestions or next steps?


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 22, 2016)

Yes, use a card reader.


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## Linwood Ferguson (Mar 23, 2016)

I don't speak Mac, so take this with a large grain of salt... 

If the camera manufacturer provides software for it (for example Nikon has ViewNX-I) try installing it.  This may install drivers, but it also gives you a separate program that should connect directly to the camera.  See if it can see it.  Just installing it may "fix" the issue.  Or may not.

Also, on some older cameras there were settings that governed what protocol was used on USB connection; I can't recall what they were called, but two different ways, one more like a disk, one more like a device.  See if your camera has such a setting and if so try the opposite.


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 23, 2016)

Macs usually don't need special drivers. Installing custom drivers for each and every peripheral is typically a Windows thing.  It could also be a camera setting. Make sure your camera acts as a USB disk when connected to a computer.


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## Paul Cantrell (Mar 30, 2016)

Geneva3 said:


> Hi,
> I'm working through a reinstallation of Lightroom due to some problems with my hard drive and video card (Mac). Unfortunately the reinstallation has changed some settings and now I'm unable to import directly from my camera into Lightroom. I'm using El Capitan 10.11.1 on my mac; although I can import from image capture to Lightroom I'd really like to save some time and if possible just import directly to LR. I would appreciate any guidance on how to configure LR so that my Nikon camera appears in source list.
> Thanks in advance for your expertise!



So, I just upgraded to a D5, El Capitan, and Lightroom 6.5 and I'm seeing the same problem as you - when I connect my camera via USB Lightroom doesn't see it. Unlike you, ImageCapture also doesn't see it, and, it doesn't show up as a mounted volume either. I verified that rebooting to my old copy of Yosemite makes it work, so it's not a Lightroom 6.5 issue, it's an El Capitan vs Nikon issue. My iPhone 6 shows up, so it's not ALL cameras in El Capitan, it's Nikon apparently.

I did use a card reader, but my workflow is typically to plug into USB so I would like to get this working...


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## Paul Cantrell (Mar 30, 2016)

One extra data point - I just plugged in my Nikon 810 and that showed up... One thing different about the D5 is that I have the XQD card in it... I wonder whether El Capitan needs something extra to understand the file format on XQD? What kind of card do you have in your camera (and what kind of Nikon camera is it?)


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## Paul Cantrell (Mar 30, 2016)

Ok, I figured out what the issue was for the D5 on El Capitan. Apple's Photos application would launch every time I would connect the camera, prompting me that it needed to update it's catalog. Being impatient, and never using that software, I would always just quit the program, meaning to go find the setting to not have it launch for this camera.

Well, when I finally got around to checking the box to not launch Photos for this camera, all of a sudden the D5 is showing up in Lightroom. So, dismissing Photos at that point must have been interfering with talking with the camera. The camera now shows up in Lightroom.


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## Jim Wilde (Mar 30, 2016)

It's great when people fix their own problem!

Thanks for the information, and welcome to the forum.


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## Stephen Imbler (Apr 11, 2017)

I have a more serious problem.  Lightroom no longer recognizes either my Nikon D800E or my card reader (so suggestion to use card reader instead doesn't work for me).  Mac Pro,  El Capitan operating system.  Any suggestions?


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 11, 2017)

Stephen Imbler said:


> I have a more serious problem.  Lightroom no longer recognizes either my Nikon D800E or my card reader (so suggestion to use card reader instead doesn't work for me).  Mac Pro,  El Capitan operating system.  Any suggestions?



Does the card (you need to have a card inside the reader!) show up on the Macintosh desktop?


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## DGStinner (Apr 11, 2017)

One suggestion that comes to mind is to upgrade to macOS Sierra, the latest OS available, and see if that fixes your problem.


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## clee01l (Apr 11, 2017)

Stephen Imbler said:


> I have a more serious problem.  Lightroom no longer recognizes either my Nikon D800E or my card reader (so suggestion to use card reader instead doesn't work for me).  Mac Pro,  El Capitan operating system.  Any suggestions?


Welcome to the forum.  What card reader are you using? 
Plugging the camera into the computer would be my least choice to read a camera card.  I think my D800E uses a USB3 cable.  Are you plugging this into a USB 3 port?
I use a Thunderbolt/USB3 hub (Amazon.com: Lexar Professional Workflow HR2 Four-bay Thunderbolt 2/USB 3.0 Reader Hub LRWHR2RBNA: Computers & Accessories)  Although I have used a variety of USB3 card readers as well as the built in SD card reader on my iMac.   Card readers have to be compatible with the card being read.  You can't use a SD card reader with an SDHC or SDXC card. And the same is true with CF. Have you tried different cards to determine if the card itself is good?  Also,  do you have the same issue with SD and CF cards?  Have you ever been able to import from the D800E into LR using a card reader or a cable attached camera?
I go along with DGStinner in recommending that you update to MacOS (10.12.4)  Although I have always been able to import into LR from my D800E camera cards using a card reader no matter which OS version I had installed.
IMO,  the problem is not with LR, or the D800E or the OS.  So, it must be related to the hardware.  Try a different cable, different card reader, different port until you find the hardware component that is failing.


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## Linwood Ferguson (Apr 11, 2017)

PLease do note Johan's question, it is very important to distinguish whether the device is not visible to the operating system, or just not visible to Lightroom.  Further, it is relevant whether it is not visible to lightroom (e.g. if you invoke import manually), or it is just not popping up automatically when plugged in.  There are separate issues for those problems; settings determine if it pops up automatically, hardware and OS settings will be the issue for being visible at all in the OS.


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