topic Re: Noob Question - time settings in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Noob Question - time settings

mdjunk — Mon, 27 May 2019 01:44:38 GMT

I'm not a professional or seasoned or experienced photographer...and this question really has nothing to do with photography; it's about setting the date and time on the EOS 70D.

On my first big trip out of the country, I changed the time zone. I think that is all I did. When I pulled the pictures off the camera, they were all date/time stamped the same number of hours ahead as the number of time zones we traveled (flew from East coast of the US to Spain). Not a huge deal, but I was sorting some of them in with phone photos and it got a bit confusing.

So how should I set the date time on the camera, and what should I do when I get to Paris (next big trip!) with the camera? Should I do nothing, leaving it set to the time zone I set while at home? Change the location when I land (change from NYC to Paris)? Change the time zone AND the time to match the then current time in Paris? Something else?

Re: Noob Question - time settings

Tronhard — Mon, 27 May 2019 07:57:17 GMT

The mechanics of setting the time/date and zone are in the manual, but that's not what I understand is your issue. As I understand it you want to figure out if you should match the time zone to your holiday location or keep with your home. I will note that many models of camera let you differentiate between your home time zone and a local one, and that can resolve the issue to some extend if you use it judiciously.

The further you stray from your own time zone the bigger the difference, but also the more gap between them in terms of flying, when you are assumedly not taking photos. For most trips changing the time zone to your local one seems the most logical to me - your images will synchoronize with the activities and light of your locality at the time.

It gets a bit complicated when you cross the international date line and you go forward or back a day. I did that a lot travelling between Canada and New Zealand. In the end however the date and time reflect your reality at the time when you took the photos. One way around it is to split the images into folders based on your location on the planet at the time, so you won't get interleaving of images from two confusing time zones.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 27 May 2019 14:17:29 GMT

"Something else?"

In all my working years when I had to travel, I never changed the time/date in the camera.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 27 May 2019 14:20:10 GMT

Trevor,

"...is to split the images into folders based on your location ..."

ALmost my procedure but I use(d) separate CF cards.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

mdjunk — Mon, 27 May 2019 16:48:24 GMT

Ok. That's a lot of info but I'm still not clear. I'll rephrase:

If my time zone is set to Eastern US for the then-correct time for that time zone, what is the easiest way to have all of the pictures that I take in Paris date/time stamped with the then local correct time to that time zone? I don't think my camera automatically updates to the right time zone...I see nothing in the manual on that feature. The folders thing is interesting, and largely what I do.

I'm trying to get these pictures to be properly sorted by date and time when I mix them in with the pictures from several iPhones and iPads that are used by other family members.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 27 May 2019 18:49:46 GMT

"That's a lot of info but I'm still not clear." Either Trevor's folder idea or my CF (memory card) idea will work. Both require you to manually set the time/date for each location you will be shooting in. I like the multiple memory card way better because it lessens the possibility of lossed shots due to card failure.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

mdjunk — Mon, 27 May 2019 20:10:49 GMT

Thanks all. I don't know that I follow how using a card will in any way affect the date, but I found this online in the Canon FAQ's just now:

"If you set the camera to the correct time zone where you currently live, when you travel to another time zone you can simply set the camera to the correct time zone for your destination to update the camera's date/time automatically."

So it sounds like I just change the time zone from New York to Paris and the time should be adjusted.:

Re: Noob Question - time settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 27 May 2019 21:01:48 GMT

"...it sounds like I just change the time zone from New York to Paris and the time should be adjusted."

That is exactly what we have been advising. Perhaps poorly but the same never-the-less. The folders concept is to just keep like dates in the same place. Not a bad idea. The use of several memory cards is simple "good practice" no matter what twilight zone you are in. It is a question of putting all your eggs, actually photos in this case, in one basket or memory card. If you drop the basket you risk breaking all the eggs. If you have a memory card problem you risk losing all your photos. Folders and all. You may not heed this advice until it happens to you, then you will. Get several memory cards and be safe.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

Tronhard — Mon, 27 May 2019 21:35:49 GMT

Phones will automatically adjust to the local date and time because they get a signal from the local infrastructure as part of the service. Your camera (and most of the ones on the market) will not unless they have a tie-in to active GPS. You have to change the date/time yourself.

I looked at the manual... the first thing anyone should do with a camera, and here is what it says about the date/time settings on P33:

"If you set the camera to the correct time zone where you currently live, when you travel to another time zone you can simply set the camera to the correct time zone for your destination to update the camera's date/time automatically.

Note that the date/time appended to recorded images will be based on this date/time setting. Be sure to correct date/time."

So to clarify any ambiguity... you must change the date and time for your destination, and the photos taken thereafter will have the new values built into their EXIF data. When you return you reverse the process so your values match your home location.

A good time to do so is while you are on the aircraft - it's something to do and you are unlikely to be taking time-critical shots on an aircraft.

I also concur with the idea of swapping memory cards between locations. What I do when I get back is upload the different memory cards to different folders based on location, to avoid mixing of images.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

kvbarkley — Tue, 28 May 2019 12:41:41 GMT

I know someone who does a lot of international travel. They just keep the camera on UTC.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

shadowsports — Tue, 28 May 2019 13:28:21 GMT

I keep mine set to local time zone. Even if I'm in one country in the morning and another by the afternoon, I don't have any problems grouping photos in folders by day. Sometimes I do it, and sometimes I don't.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Final

England

>London

>Manchester

>Liverpool

If you can't seem to remember stuff, write down the number of the first shot in a sequence when you arrive somewhere.

Using GPS is also helpful if your camera has this option. The last thing I would worry about though is trying to make my camera's time match my local timezone. The EOS Map Utility will also allow you to log your travel route.

GPS did a great job when I traveled to Russia. Home time zone set... UTC time captured

Re: Noob Question - time settings

Tronhard — Tue, 28 May 2019 19:46:16 GMT

So... There are two questions here:

1. How do you change the time on your camera. I have answered that and also given Canon's take on #2.

2. Do you choose to modify your time at all when you travel between time zones (or set it to Universal TIme as suggested), or leave it at your local time?

Obviously people take different paths to resolve this dependent on their needs and preferences, and they have demonstrated several methods to do so. The rest is your choice. However if you leave your camera set to one time zone and travel across multiples, the time stamps will bear no connection to the local reality - so that is one consideration. Also if you are using your camera in conjunction with a cell phone then you might want to consider making sure that the camera matches the phone's time, which will likely be set to local time by the cell system.

Certainly the idea of separating different time locations to avoid confusion is a good one. You can do so by using different cards in your camera, and also in the micro SD cards in your phone if you use them, or creating different folders on your phone to get the same result.

Re: Noob Question - time settings

mdjunk — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 13:26:45 GMT

So the answer is: set the camera to your time zone. When you go to another time zone, change the time zone only not the time.