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Noob Question - time settings

mdjunk
Apprentice

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?

12 REPLIES 12

Tronhard
Elite
Elite

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.


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Trevor,

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

 

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

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

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.

"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.
EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

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.:

"...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.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

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.


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

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

 

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

 

or

 

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

 

GPS.png

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


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