EOS R6 Mark II & Canon Camera Connect: Time and Location Data Discrepancies

[carl_schnurr]

Location shows places I visited at a different time that day.

I have an R6 Mark II since late 2024.  When possible, I use the Canon Camera Connect App to tag the photos with location data.  I've noticed that the location data is incorrect and indicates a location I was at some other time that day.

I have since noticed that when playing back images, the 'Shooting Date and Time' in the top right of the screen indicates the correct time, but the UTC time is incorrect.

The Date/Time settings (including Daylight Savings setting) on my camera, phone, Computer EOS Utility all exactly match each other.  I live in Eastern Std Time Zone, with Daylight Savings Time.  This should provide a UTC time +4hrs ahead of my local time.  But my photo data has  UTC times are all over the map.  I haven't formatted my memory since I bought my camera, and the discrepancies are evident on all photos since I purchased the camera in late 2024.  For example; I looked at image data from the past week all taken with my RF100-500 lens.  I have several images with Shooting Times:

-04/18/2025, 16:39:47 thru 18:07:41 all with the same UTC time 20:43:36; and 
-04/21/2025, 19:14:57 thru 19:25:14 , all with the same UTC time 22:46:10.

Could someone explain these times to me? 
Could this discrepancy cause my geolocation data from Canon Camera Connect to be out of synch in time?

[John_Q]

Hello carl_schnurr,

There are some things to try to verify to identify what's happening there. The smartphone can acquire location information only while it is paired with the camera via Bluetooth. That acquired location information may not be accurate depending on traveling conditions or smartphone status. Location information is also no longer acquired after any of the following operations.

• Turning the camera off
• Quitting Camera Connect
• Deactivating location services on the smartphone
• The Bluetooth connection is ended
• The smartphone's remaining battery level is low

You may also want to review your Date/Time/Zone settings on the camera. You can adjust the [Zone/Time  difference] setting based on your travels prior to shooting.

[TomRamsey · Accepted solution]

I have noticed a couple of times that I may get locations of somewhere that I was earlier.  I think what may have happened was the phone GOS went to sleep.  I have learned to always check when starting at a new location.  I have an iphone, Location Services (in the settings of the iphone) must be active for Camera Connect to access the GPS.  I hust changed mine to "always" instead of "when using".  I think you could laso get corrupted data from not formatting your card, but O don't think you have got that, I've never heard of corrupt files with anything but rruined photos.

[carl_schnurr]

Thanks Tom and John.  I think the most likely cause is that my phone went to sleep and the last known location was imprinted onto the image.  I'll have to do more focused testing to nail this down.

[jrhoffman75]

What I have found from my recent "testing" is that if I connect to the camera and use the shutter button for exposure all images have the same GPS location and time stamp.

If I use the app to capture images the GPS data is different.

In my mind that limits the value of the app; pretty much requires being on a tripod. But that may be the intended use - a remote exposure device; GPS recording is just an extra feature.

[TomRamsey]

Interesting John, I went back to look at a couple of the last groups of photos I shot.  I shot a whole bunch of photos of surfers, all from the bottom of a pier, I moved from one side to the other, all maybe within 20 feet of each other.  I do have different GPS locations recorded, but it would go with a bunch of the same, then a change, then more of that new valus and so on.  I could tell that some were from different sides of the pier but had the same location.  So my thought is that it changed because I turned the camera off and back on, or did something with the phone.  I honestly don't think I turned the camera off.  Another morning I shot at three places.  The first place has a couple of different locations, a good chance I turned the camera off or changed modes.  The second and third places which are nearly a mile apart have the same location, and I think I left the camera on.  I had been going to the app and make sure it reconnects when I go to a different location, but I did not do it that morning.  So I think you need to either turn the app or camera off and reconnect to change the location.  

[jrhoffman75]

I agree Tom. Previously I confirmed that disconnecting and reconnecting the app resulted in a new data set, but continued shooting didn't change that data. All test shots were camera actuated.

I am planning on going out tonight and will use both shutter and remote via app.

[jrhoffman75]

Hi Tom. 
I confirmed tonight that if you use the shutter button the GPS data attached to each image is the reading that was recorded when the camera was first connected. If the Camera Connect app is used to take the images the GPS data is different for each image. 

[TomRamsey]

I was out this morning and concur with you, I connected, left the camera on and app on, and everything I took was tagged the same, even though some were several hundred yard from others.  I have a Pentax camera that connects to an actual GPS and I confirmed that it changes for each location, even a couple feet away.  

Often this won't really matter that much, but it's good to know what to do when it does.