How to sync up time between cameras?

[Satyaa]

Hi. I primarily use a GH6 and a GH5 II. Occasionally I use a D7200 (this and older Tamron 70-200/2.8 came back when I sold all my DSLR gear).

The D7200 seems most accurate with its internal clock. One of my GH bodies goes slightly off, and the other goes off about 3 minutes in a month.

Because I use multiple cameras, I try to sort my photos by time and the sequence is messed up.

Currently what I am trying is to take a baseline shot with each camera at the start of an event. When editing photos later, I do a batch edit on the timestamp to sync up between the three cameras.

I have tried the Panasonic app. It doesn't connect to one of my cameras and there is no easy way to sync up times. But then, it also leaves out the D7200.

Is there a better way to keep camera times in sync?

Thanks.

 

[Skeeterbytes]

I feel your pain. Often do two-camera shoots and time-sequencing the images can be a royal pain when the cameras aren't clocked identically.

Mine (Olys) drift and I have to set them no more than a day before to get a proper sync. I use my cell or PC's clock and set them to the second. This is only possible since IIRC the E-M1ii, which added seconds to the camera clock. Before they were only settable to the minute

A week after syncing they will have drifted apart by as much as a minute.

Only the E-M1X has GPS and is always accurate. IIUC I can also sync them using the OI Share app, which will set time, but have not investigated further. Maybe Panny has something like that?

Good luck,

Rick

 

[Satyaa]

I never needed or liked the idea of a GPS on cameras (didn't want location to be disclosed or the battery consumption).

I didn't know that clock accuracy is a benefit from it. Something to think about.

 

[John Bean (UK)]

I never needed or liked the idea of a GPS on cameras (didn't want location to be disclosed or the battery consumption).

I didn't know that clock accuracy is a benefit from it. Something to think about.

GPS only works because of the phenomenally accurate clocks it uses. Every receiver gets the benefit of a very accurate clock as a side effect while acquiring its position

 

[Bassam Guy]

Hi. I primarily use a GH6 and a GH5 II. Occasionally I use a D7200 (this and older Tamron 70-200/2.8 came back when I sold all my DSLR gear).

The D7200 seems most accurate with its internal clock. One of my GH bodies goes slightly off, and the other goes off about 3 minutes in a month.

Because I use multiple cameras, I try to sort my photos by time and the sequence is messed up.

Currently what I am trying is to take a baseline shot with each camera at the start of an event. When editing photos later, I do a batch edit on the timestamp to sync up between the three cameras.

I have tried the Panasonic app. It doesn't connect to one of my cameras and there is no easy way to sync up times. But then, it also leaves out the D7200.

Is there a better way to keep camera times in sync?

Thanks.

I can synch my O. E-M5 II's clock and my E-M1 III's clock to my PC's clock by using the OM Capture program. Because my E-M5 III is [intentionally?] incompatible with OM Capture, it cannot.

IDK which other models can or cannot

 

[Jaded Snapper]

When I realised that I only had to sync one camera to another, not both to a clock, my life was made slightly easier…

 

[Danielvr]

I use my cell or PC's clock and set them to the second. This is only possible since IIRC the E-M1ii, which added seconds to the camera clock. Before they were only settable to the minute

?? You don't need seconds to set a digital clock accurate to the second. It will assume ".. and zero seconds" at the exact moment when you press OK to enter the time.

So, to set your camera's time, take an accurate time source (a recently synched phone or computer that displays seconds). Go to your camera's date+time settings and prepare by setting it to the next minute that will come up, but don't press OK yet (if it's 05:42, set the camera to 05:43). At the exact moment that your phone or computer moves from 05:42:59 to 05:43:00, you press OK on the camera and it will be set accurate to the second.

 

[Skeeterbytes]

I use my cell or PC's clock and set them to the second. This is only possible since IIRC the E-M1ii, which added seconds to the camera clock. Before they were only settable to the minute

?? You don't need seconds to set a digital clock accurate to the second. It will assume ".. and zero seconds" at the exact moment when you press OK to enter the time.

So, to set your camera's time, take an accurate time source (a recently synched phone or computer that displays seconds). Go to your camera's date+time settings and prepare by setting it to the next minute that will come up, but don't press OK yet (if it's 05:42, set the camera to 05:43). At the exact moment that your phone or computer moves from 05:42:59 to 05:43:00, you press OK on the camera and it will be set accurate to the second.

I can verify that does not work as it should with Oly cameras having clocks with just hours and minutes. Trust me, I've tried it.

 

[Danielvr]

I can verify that does not work as it should with Oly cameras having clocks with just hours and minutes. Trust me, I've tried it.

Works perfectly fine on my E-M1 (and on my E-510 and E-330 before that). When I enter the camera's time precisely when my time source is at 0 seconds, the camera keeps on updating the minute counter at the same moment that my time source does. I don't see how it could even work differently. How did you arrive at the opposite conclusion? (note that the menu display of the time does not update in real-time).

 

[John Bean (UK)]

I can verify that does not work as it should with Oly cameras having clocks with just hours and minutes. Trust me, I've tried it.

Works perfectly fine on my E-M1 (and on my E-510 and E-330 before that). When I enter the camera's time precisely when my time source is at 0 seconds, the camera keeps on updating the minute counter at the same moment that my time source does. I don't see how it could even work differently. How did you arrive at the opposite conclusion? (note that the menu display of the time does not update in real-time).

It's always worked for me as well - I've always used that method.

 

[Skeeterbytes]

I can verify that does not work as it should with Oly cameras having clocks with just hours and minutes. Trust me, I've tried it.

Works perfectly fine on my E-M1 (and on my E-510 and E-330 before that). When I enter the camera's time precisely when my time source is at 0 seconds, the camera keeps on updating the minute counter at the same moment that my time source does. I don't see how it could even work differently. How did you arrive at the opposite conclusion? (note that the menu display of the time does not update in real-time).

My pair of E-M1s do not acknowledge "set on zero" reliably (i.e., only guaranteeing agreement to the minute) and I never found a workaround. E-M1ii resolved it.

Lightroom can resolve the times by shifting one camera's image set forward or back the required # of seconds. Once aligned, the mixed set interleaves correctly from start to finish across several hours.

And so it goes.

 

[Satyaa]

When I realised that I only had to sync one camera to another, not both to a clock, my life was made slightly easier…

I don't need to worry about actual clock. I am just struggling to keep the time on three cameras in sync, even if it's off from the internet clock.

My biggest driver for this need is to be able to sort all photos on time shot and they come out in the true order of the event.

 

[Satyaa]

I use my cell or PC's clock and set them to the second. This is only possible since IIRC the E-M1ii, which added seconds to the camera clock. Before they were only settable to the minute

?? You don't need seconds to set a digital clock accurate to the second. It will assume ".. and zero seconds" at the exact moment when you press OK to enter the time.

So, to set your camera's time, take an accurate time source (a recently synched phone or computer that displays seconds). Go to your camera's date+time settings and prepare by setting it to the next minute that will come up, but don't press OK yet (if it's 05:42, set the camera to 05:43). At the exact moment that your phone or computer moves from 05:42:59 to 05:43:00, you press OK on the camera and it will be set accurate to the second.

I can verify that does not work as it should with Oly cameras having clocks with just hours and minutes. Trust me, I've tried it.

This is also my experience with the two Panasonic GH cameras I use. I can set them both to the same minute and press OK at the same time using both hands.

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

--
See my profile (About me) for gear and my posting policy.

 

[Danielvr]

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

If you shoot long sequences of frames and the camera needs multiple seconds to clear its buffer, I can see how with some images, their file time will be off by several seconds from their EXIF time.

So, by which time do you sort your images? If it's true that the file time is your problem, you may want to set the file time to the EXIF time first.

 

[Satyaa]

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

If you shoot long sequences of frames and the camera needs multiple seconds to clear its buffer, I can see how with some images, their file time will be off by several seconds from their EXIF time.

So, by which time do you sort your images? If it's true that the file time is your problem, you may want to set the file time to the EXIF time first.

That's an interesting point.

I am sorting by the field "Date/Time Photo Taken" (something similar on Google Photos). I am guessing this is the EXIF time.

Thanks

 

[elfroggio]

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

If you shoot long sequences of frames and the camera needs multiple seconds to clear its buffer, I can see how with some images, their file time will be off by several seconds from their EXIF time.

So, by which time do you sort your images? If it's true that the file time is your problem, you may want to set the file time to the EXIF time first.

The last 4 digits are the photo counter for that directory/folder.

I usually rename my images xxxxx-yymmdd-the-counter.orf

So it will always be in the proper order, ascending or descending

 

[Satyaa]

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

If you shoot long sequences of frames and the camera needs multiple seconds to clear its buffer, I can see how with some images, their file time will be off by several seconds from their EXIF time.

So, by which time do you sort your images? If it's true that the file time is your problem, you may want to set the file time to the EXIF time first.

The last 4 digits are the photo counter for that directory/folder.

I usually rename my images xxxxx-yymmdd-the-counter.orf

So it will always be in the proper order, ascending or descending

Remember, I am shooting from three cameras and the naming or sequence is different between the three.

--
See my profile (About me) for gear and my posting policy.

 

[elfroggio]

When I sort the photos at the end of the events, there is difference in seconds and they are not in the same order as the event.

If you shoot long sequences of frames and the camera needs multiple seconds to clear its buffer, I can see how with some images, their file time will be off by several seconds from their EXIF time.

So, by which time do you sort your images? If it's true that the file time is your problem, you may want to set the file time to the EXIF time first.

The last 4 digits are the photo counter for that directory/folder.

I usually rename my images xxxxx-yymmdd-the-counter.orf

So it will always be in the proper order, ascending or descending

Remember, I am shooting from three cameras and the naming or sequence is different between the three.

1. Set the clock are correct as possible on the 3 cameras, press the OK when the second hand on your watch = 0
2. Reset the counter on all 3 cameras, so it starts with 0001 before the event.

The more tricky portion. I hope that the 3 cameras are not used at the same time, ie: 3 people or timers. I assume, you use 1 camera takes some photos, switch to the next...

I will assume that the 1st camera is the base time

use exiftool to assign the date/time as best as possible from the 1st camera:

exiftool -SubSecDateTimeOriginal="2024:08:09 12:00:00.00-08:00" /path/to/files/

this will update the EXIF:CreateDate

The 4 digits counter will guarantee that the images are in the correct order per camera.

 

[Sranang Boi]

The way I do it is to sync the clocks according to the GMT time shown on my laptop or phone. After I have finished shooting I take a reference shot on each camera by looking at the clock and pressing the shutter at a reference time. So I might take a picture at 11:00PM on one camera, and another reference shot at 11:05PM on the other camera. That gives me enough of an idea to see if those shots were indeed 300 seconds apart, or whether one camera is out of sync by x amount of seconds. I then match the sequences of the shots by the time stamp of each picture on each SD card based on any error reading.

But i also use a quicker system, especially at weddings when things are very fluid. I take a picture of the time on my watch from time to time. I can then match up sequences based on double checking the time shown by the camera and the time of my watch.

 

[alcelc]

I shall syn the clock right before the shooting session. Usually either a day easier (for travelling and I have to pack my gear) or for other local event, syn before leaving home.

This saves me a lot of work on modifying the time stamp in post. Therefore I won't use your method of taking pictures on every camera before the shooting.

I shall usually have to deal with outputs from 3 cameras or plus 2 phones. My 2 weeks' trip to China 3 weeks ago had carried G85, GX9, GX850 & 2 phones. I had merged total 3.6K of keepers from them by their times stamp without problem.