Post a date stamp on a Rebel xs EOS photo

[NYSF]

I have a Rebel xs EOS and need to date stamp a photo. The online instructions say to "Press the on button". This camera doesn't have that, it has a on/off switch on the right of the picture option knob. 

[MikeSowsun]

The Canon EOS Rebel XS digital SLR (also known as EOS 1000D) does not have the capability to add a date stamp to the photos. 

The online instructions you found are probably for the much older Canon EOS Rebel XS film camera (also known as EOS 500) from the 1990s.

.

[kvbarkley]

The Exif data in the image file does have the date taken. You have to use additional software to add it to the image.

[ebiggs1]

"The Exif data in the image file does have the date taken."

Which is accurate or works only as long as the date/time setting in the XS is correct.

[kvbarkley]

Which goes for any camera even the film rebel that the OP might have found instructions for!

[Lotus7]

FWIW:  There is an inexpensive Canadian-made program called Better JPEG 3 which can automatically imprint selected EXIF data including the image date stamp into the image file.  If you need date stamps on all or a number of images it might be worth considering.   However, as EB stated, it will only be accurate if the camera's internal date has previously been set correctly.

If you just need to add a visible date to a single image, then any virtually any image or graphics processor will allow doing that. 

[kvbarkley]

But if this is for evidentiary purposes, we can't vouch as to whether 3rd party post-processed solutions will meet the standards in your jurisdiction.

[Lotus7]

Unfortunately, even internally generated date stamps are considered an unreliable record of an image's origin since they can easily be changed to any date desired by simply resetting the camera's internal calendar/clock before the image is recorded. 

According to Caught On Camera (an FBI training video), over half of all security camera systems have the wrong time stamped on their surveillance photos and videos.

An image "date stamp" or EXIF metadata might work as sufficient proof if you're returning something on Amazon, but it's unlikely to be of value in any serious legal proceeding.

[kvbarkley]

I don't know, it appears that insurance companies, at least put great stock in them. I guess they have given up, but we used to get requests on this board all the time for cameras that could date stamp the image data.

[normadel]

NYSF:

What camera model are you looking at online instructions for?

Do you have an XS film camera, or a digital camera?  If film, does your camera have a Date Back? That's what would do date-stamping.

Digital don't offer date stamping on the image. The image DATA shows the date & time.