Date imprinting

[NeeZee]

This might sound a bit odd, but does any of you film P&S experts know if there is a camera with date stamp function that can set the year to anything earlier than 1980 (i.e. 70s included or even without restriction)? Just curious as I've been thinking of a related project lately.

 

[NeeZee]

oh and while we're at it: is there a camera that prints the complete year, meaning 1987 instead of '87 for example?

 

[flip]

I have doubts a P&S would do that. Most computer dates start are 1970 if I recall. I think some databacks for system cameras can be tweaked, but I don't know about P&S.

 

[NeeZee]

1970 would be a great help already - only know about the nikon l35ad which starts at '80-1-1.

 

[sevo]

I have doubts a P&S would do that. Most computer dates start are 1970 if I recall.

Well, those displaying a two digit year and built on a quartz clock would usually turn around after 2000 - they generally do not distinguish between 2069 (or 2169 for that matter) and 1969. If it prints a day of week letter, that would be wrong unless you could forward by as many centuries as needed to hit the right day of week - unlikely, as many of them don't even have correct DOW sequence for the 21st century. But as these data backs did not appear before the late seventies (indeed five to ten years later in P&S), a pre 70 imprint would be a obvious fake regardless of that, so you could care less.

The really early mechanical data backs (pre AF/P&S age) did not appear until the seventies on generic handheld cameras, and typically had some mechanical way of date entry, which usually is more restrictive. The Nikon F2 one I've seen for example only had a year wheel with apparently 12 positions (76-87), matching the 12 number circumference of the month wheel.

 

[NeeZee]

thanks a lot for these infos, servo. The problem is that many of those point and shoots are restricted to set years between 80 and 99 or some (like the l35af) between 80 and 09. the later models (yashica t4 for example) on the other hand don't have the nice 7-segment-display style anymore and therefore look too obviosuly 90s if you know what i mean.

 

[NeeZee]

by the way, the oldest compact camera i read about having date imprinting is the konica c35 efd from 1978. This one can do the 70s but it's hard to find one.

 

[sevo]

thanks a lot for these infos, servo. The problem is that many of those point and shoots are restricted to set years between 80 and 99 or some (like the l35af) between 80 and 09.

Sure that isn't a limitation in the time setting only? There was a 16-bit rollover in 1989 for calendars that counted days from 1900 - but that lesson ought to have been learned in the mid eighties, and another accidental calender rollover should not have happened within the horizon of that (back then well-published) event. Maybe the camera makers intentionally implemented a time fuse by starting their calendars in 1910 or 1920...