DateTimeOriginal
DateTimeOriginal is the EXIF field that records the exact date and time the shutter was pressed — the capture time software uses to sort and match photos.
A photo file can carry several dates: when it was taken, when it was copied, when it was last edited. DateTimeOriginal is the one that matters for photographers — the moment the camera captured the image, taken from the camera's own clock. Lightroom, Photos, Google Photos and most galleries sort by it.
Because it comes from the camera's clock, it's only as accurate as that clock.
How it works
EXIF stores DateTimeOriginal as local date and time to the second, with companion fields for fractions of a second (SubSecTimeOriginal) and, in newer files, the time-zone offset (OffsetTimeOriginal). A separate field, DateTimeDigitized, usually holds the same value for digital cameras. File-system dates — created, modified — change whenever a file is copied and shouldn't be trusted for capture time.
An example: matching a GPS track
A travel photographer records a GPS track on a hike and later matches it to photos in Lightroom. The software reads each photo's DateTimeOriginal and finds the matching point on the track. The camera was set to home time, two hours off, so every location is wrong until the offset is entered.
Capture time in CloudTether
CloudTether uses DateTimeOriginal in two places. Geotag photos matches each JPEG's capture time against the phone's recorded location track, so a frame is tagged where it was taken, not where the phone is when the file arrives. If your camera's clock differs from your phone's, set the camera clock offset in More › Settings › Geotagging. When CloudTether saves a shot to the phone's photo library, it sets the library date from the capture time so photos sort in order. See geotagging.
Keeping clocks right
Many cameras can sync their clock from a phone app over Bluetooth; others need setting by hand. Check after daylight-saving changes and when crossing time zones.
Tips and common mistakes
- Set every camera on a shoot to the same time, to the second if you can.
- Check the camera clock after travel and clock changes.
- Correct capture times in your editor rather than relying on file dates.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.