As I'm going to abandon the Apple-route and will rely on Windows machines for the foreseeable future, I'm currently looking for a new Laptop for on location tethering and editing images when I'm traveling.
My MFDB only has a FireWire port but it can use its own battery when connected for tethering.
So far so good. The problem is that in 2018 no modern laptop features a Firewire port. Now with Apple this wasn't a problem until a few years ago, as there was a Thunderbolt 1&2 adapter for FireWire that worked like a charm (though it doesn't power the back). Now with Thunderbolt 3 (which is available for Windows and Mac alike) there's a new connector type and it seems to be much more confusing than it was with TB1/2.
- PhaseOne support told me that getting a dock (such as the OWC) would be the most reliable solution and that the Thunderbolt3<->Thunderbolt 2 + Thunderbolt2<->Firewire800 adapter chain would not work.
- Reddit users have reported that the adapter chain indeed works but not explicitly for a PhaseOne back using CaptureOne tethering on Windows...
- Some said that the Apple TB3<->TB2 Adapters work fine in this configuration and others suggested StarTech Adapters because the Apple Adapter doesn't work for them.
Personally I would really prefer the adapter chain as it's the only real portable option (I wouldn't even know where to start with a custom battery for the OWC dock, nevermind the additional cost) - but before I buy everything I would really like to know if there's some consensus here on this forum regarding the connectivity issue and which adapters work.
I have also been thinking about getting a workstation grade laptop with an expresscard-port +firewire-expresscard. But that's very expensive and limits my options severely, so I'd rather not, even though that looks like a very reliable option that doesn't require additional external power.