Old digital camera photos do not retain original EXIF data when copied

Hi all -

Yes, I tried a couple of tools to no avail. The Date Taken is still the copy date.
Why the EXIF data was modified to the file copy date is beyond me. Just a simple file copy.

Thanks.

garlin said:

EXIFtool has a command line, where you can bulk edit timestamps, using whatever EXIF header data is available. There's also a community forum with lots of friendly assistance.

How to change Date modified and Date created in file information

@Compumind.

Been there, done that, was able to fix dates, etc

EXIF is a great tool, actively maintained to cover not just EXIF data but other kinds of metadata as well. That said, it's a royal pain to use unless you are in a hot, torrid relationship with the command line. EXIFToolGUI has worked very well for me to fix all kinds of issues, like when I forgot to change the time zone in my DSLR and when the backup battery in my camera quit working. In that case, all dates started at 01 January 2080 or 2099.

I seem to recall adding geo-location metadata to some photos from an older digital camera.

Despite the date of the last release, EXIFToolGUI works without fail on Win 10. Not sure about Win 11, but it should work. Highly recommended by me and other photogs.

Start here. ExifToolGUI

bro67 said:

Most likely the camera is at fault not the machine.

Nah.

Hi.

The Canon Camera is correctly set and does display the exact EXIF date for each photo (and video).
I'm going to take a picture from my iPhone and first examine, then copy it.

Then I can see.

Thanks.

MisterEd said:

I was surprised to see the date had changed to the date they were copied.

The meaning of the File explorer Date field is awkward, to say the least.
I suggest you monitor Date modified & Date created instead.

Denis

MisterEd said:

I just did a new test using a photo on my phone a Samsung S21 5G. Based on the results I am going to have to reevaluate everything.

Here is a screenshot on my phone showing the file to be tested.



I used the Windows app Phone Link to allow me to drag and drop the photo 20221116_211205.jpg onto my desktop. I did it twice to see if there was a change in the date. To distinguish each one I renamed them 20221116_211205a.jpg & 20221116_211205b.jpg.

I was surprised to see the date had changed to the date they were copied.

I then emailed the 20221116_211205.jpg to my email. I renamed this 20221116_211205c.jpg



In File Explorer the Date and Date taken have retained the original date and time the photo was taken.

I am perplexed that the Exif data for Date & Time for the photo that was drag and dropped twice was changed. Also, during the process the files were compressed to a lower resolution.

The only file that retained the Exif data for Date & Time and kept its original size and resolution was the one I emailed to myself.

That is probably beause there are actually three dates stored in EXIF (for Windows, dunno about Mac), and yes, that's con-frickin-fusing.

Also need to clarify a bit about the location of EXIF data.

If you shoot JPG (or export TIFF) then the EXIF data will indeed be stored within the photo file itself. However, if you shoot RAW, e.g. Nikon NEF or Canon CR2, then Adobe Lightroom (and probably other editors) will create a "sidecar" XMP file to store EXIF data. That's because the best practice for RAW photos is never to alter them, but instead to alter the XMP file which contains the metadata about the photo.
@Compumind. Perhaps more than you needed to know.

- - - Updated - - -

Compumind said:

Nah.

I think the real fault lies with the industry committee that set up the EXIF standards.

Exif - Wikipedia. See the part about "Maker Notes." Way back when, in the "dark ages" before Win 10 , there was a group that advocated for OpenRAW, a proposed RAW format that would be supported by all the camera manufacturers at the time. That proposal went exactly nowhere, so we are stuck today with proprietary RAW formats from most of the current camera manufacturers, increasing the burden on photo editing programs and limiting the number of editing programs that support RAW formats.

Canon and Nikon persist in putting out third-rate free editing programs that work only with their proprietary formats. I don't know why they even bother, except to satisfy some corporate egos in Tokyo.