How to Set the Time & Date in Your Canon Rebel Camera

[JodyBuchanan]

There are many reasons you may want your Canon Rebel T3i to have an accurate date and time set. First, every single photo you take with your camera will have the date and time attached to its meta data. If you like looking back in time at old photos, this becomes very important. It’s really not difficult at all to see when you took a particular photograph simply by viewing it in a piece of software such as Adobe Bridge. Accuracy matters on occasions like this.

Beyond that, this information is critical when you begin sorting groups of photos and would like to edit them in a particular fashion. It even helps when searching for images via the software I mentioned above (or Adobe Lightroom). Can you imagine searching for a photo you took in May of 2014 when all the dates attached to your photos are wrong? At that point, your search function isn’t going to help much.

What’s more, if you’d like to geotag your photos, you’ll need the date and time set properly. I can go on and on, but I think I’ve said enough on this topic. Just take it from me, don’t have your photos end up like one of my older collections where each and every photo’s meta information told me I took the photo in 1900 some time. That gets depressing.

In today’s post, I’m going to guide you through the process of setting the time and date on the Canon Rebel line of cameras. As an example, I’ll be using my Canon T3i, but really, the entire line (T2i, T4i, T5i, T6i, T7i, T8i) pretty much uses the same method.

Accessing the Menu​

I’ve taken this step in the previous posts I’ve written on the T3i, but I’ll show you what I’m referring to again. To access the camera’s menu, I first change the mode to Program (P) on the top dial. The various modes offer various functions, but I’ve found that P gives us a lot of choices. Once I do that, I simply press the Menu button on the back of the camera.

Accessing the Settings​

Once in the menu area, I can push the left and right arrows that surround the Set button on the back of the camera. I’ll switch screens until I hit the center yellow Tools menu. When you get to this screen, you’ll know it. The date and time are as clear as day.



Next, I’ll push the down arrow to the Date/Time option and press the Set button to open that particular area.

Setting the Date & Time​

When I make it into the Date/Time screen, I can use the arrow buttons to navigate through the exact areas that need to be changed. Each option will be highlighted when I select it. When I find the one I’m interested in editing, I can again press the Set button to activate it so it’s in edit mode. Then, I’ll use the arrow keys to change the current value. When I’m finished with the one I’m working on, I can once again press Set to accept my change.

Really, it’s just a matter of using the Set button to activate an area, the arrow buttons to make a change and then the Set button again to accept the change. It’s sort of like using the Enter key on a keyboard to say “good” or “done.”

In the same menu area, right below the date and time, you can edit the date format itself. There are only a few choices; mm/dd/yy, yy/mm/dd and dd/mm/yy.

Accepting the Changes​

When I’m finished making the changes to the date, time and format, I’ll use my arrow buttons to make my way down to the OK option. I’ll select it by pressing the Set button and then I’ll press the Menu button again to exit the menu area. It’s really that easy.



Note: If you store the camera without the battery or if the camera’s battery becomes exhausted, the date/time might be reset. If this happens, set the date and time again.

I hope I clearly explained how to set the date and time in a Canon Rebel camera. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know below. Thanks for reading!

PS – So many of the cameras in the Rebel line behave so similarly that you’ll be able to apply the concepts in this post to the T2i, T3i, T4i, T5i, T6i and the T7i.

 

[CampFireJack]

Hi, thank you for the post - helped me change the time. One thing I can’t seem to find. I don’t know how to tell it A.M. vs. P.M. - I’m assuming it’s on the military time maybe ? So I set it this morning- hoping it will now display the right A.M. Yesterday it showed up as A.M. in my files when I took the picture in the P,M. Also can it be set for daylight savings time? I couldn’t find that anywhere ? I have Canon EOS Rebel t3i EOS 600D. Thanks much!

 

[JodyBuchanan]

From what I can tell, I do believe these camera use military time as their default time format. I’ve seen a few examples of this. Also, I don’t believe the cameras offer daylight savings time. I checked on my Canon Rebel T7i as well as the T3i and neither offer daylight savings time. Let me know if you see military time after noon today or not.

Thanks!

 

[15Katey]

Does the Canon EOS Rebel 600D (T3i) Use AM/PM or Military Time?​

I have a question for you. I’m trying to set the time on my Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) and I can’t figure out how to set it to AM and PM. Is this possible? All I’m seeing is time that goes up to 24 hours, otherwise known as military time. And is there a way to set it up for daylight savings time? I don’t see any option for that.

 

[JodyBuchanan]

I have a question for you. I’m trying to set the time on my Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) and I can’t figure out how to set it to AM and PM. Is this possible? All I’m seeing is time that goes up to 24 hours, otherwise known as military time. And is there a way to set it up for daylight savings time? I don’t see any option for that.

Unfortunately, the Canon Rebel series of cameras uses only military time. I may be incorrect here, so if you do discover something different please correct me. I’ve never seen the am and pm option for any camera in the Rebel line, including the T2i, T4i, T5i, T6i or T7i. I currently have a T7i and I’m looking at it right now. There’s no option for anything other than military time. There’s also no option to set daylight savings time. I guess you’ll have to change the camera clock when you change all your other clocks. Sorry.

 

[JodyBuchanan]

How to Set the Date, Time, & Zone on the Canon Rebel T7i​

After you purchase your camera and turn it on for the first time, you’ll be presented with the Date/Time/Zone screen. There will be a few steps for you to follow in order to make these settings. Begin with the time zone in which you live and then move onto the date and time. When you travel to different time zones, it’ll be easy enough for you to merely change the zone to which you traveled. In doing this, you’ll keep all of your time and date settings and only the zone will have been changed. This is an easy way to stay current without having to make all sorts of cumbersome alterations.

To change or set the time/date/zone on your Canon T7i, turn your camera on and press the Menu button on the rear of the camera. Using the left and right arrow keys on the rear of the camera or the dial on the top of the camera, scroll to the second tab of the yellow section. This is the section identified by a wrench. Within this tab, you’ll see the fourth option down labeled Date/Time/Zone. Scroll down to that section and then go ahead and press the Set button on the rear of the camera to enter it.

When inside this area, use the left and right arrow keys again to navigate to the time zone section. This area will likely be populated with a city name. When this section is highlighted, press the Set button again to enter it. By the way, since the T7i also offers a touch screen, you can touch all of these options with your finger to avoid having to use the buttons and dials on the camera. To set the time zone, simply scroll up and down the options until you see the zone closest to you. In this section, you may also set the time difference from UTC. Then, to save either of these options, either touch or navigate to the OK button and select that. The time zone and time difference from UTC will have been set.

After you press this button, you’ll return to the Date/Time screen. To set the Daylight Savings option, navigate to that and make your change. This option can be identified by a small sun icon. Also, to change the date and time, you may navigate to these options as well using the same methods you used to alter the time zone. Use the right and left arrow keys to navigate to the variable and then press the Set button to enter the area. Once inside, use the arrow keys and the Set button again to make your change and then to record it. When you’re finished with all your changes, navigate to or touch the OK button and you’ll return to the settings menu. From here, to exit the menu section entirely, simply press the shutter button down half way.