What I mean is,

I look at family photos - from any end of my family - in 1990 and after and the photo has a digital date stamp on it.
I look at a photo prior to '90 and the closest thing it MIGHT have to a date of the photo is a year of printing on the back, and in some cases, no hint at all of when it was taken unless the person made sure to note the when and where themselves on the back.

Why is this?

Maybe that's just the way cameras were made back then. Many of our photos from that time don't have any dates stamped on them (front or back), but we know when they were taken, due to us making notes or just remembering that info.

You answered the question already in your first sentence. Digital time stamp. I would say that most cameras before the late 90ies were analog cameras that did not have a date stamp option.
I saw my first digital camera in 98 (yes, I was late to the party), before that all our cameras needed to be loaded with an analog film.

You answered the question already in your first sentence. Digital time stamp. I would say that most cameras before the late 90ies were analog cameras that did not have a date stamp option.
I saw my first digital camera in 98 (yes, I was late to the party), before that all our cameras needed to be loaded with an analog film.


Thing is, the cameras which had the 'digital date stamp' were film cameras, not digital.
Like this:
http://s21.postimg.org/vr4d4s33r/December_1990_8.jpg

Taken with a Sigma 35mm camera, but has that digital date stamp on it.

Thing is, the cameras which had the 'digital date stamp' were film cameras, not digital.
Like this:
http://s21.postimg.org/vr4d4s33r/December_1990_8.jpg

Taken with a Sigma 35mm camera, but has that digital date stamp on it.


I remember those photos with the time stamp, When were they phased out?

I remember those photos with the time stamp, When were they phased out?


I think, most analog cameras that came out in the 2000s were able to produce this time stamp. They were most likely phaesed out together with film cameras during the mid-late 2000s.

Thing is, the cameras which had the 'digital date stamp' were film cameras, not digital.
Like this:


Taken with a Sigma 35mm camera, but has that digital date stamp on it.


this.... 80s cameras weren't advanced enough to have the ability put dates on photos... when you got your film processed at the lab you were lucky if they had machines advanced enough to add a year to the back of the photo.

Not trying to be cutting or sarcastic but perhaps they didn't care.....yet?  ???

Thing is, the cameras which had the 'digital date stamp' were film cameras, not digital.
Like this:
http://s21.postimg.org/vr4d4s33r/December_1990_8.jpg

Taken with a Sigma 35mm camera, but has that digital date stamp on it.


If I didn't know the date of the picture I would guess between 1989-1991.

If I didn't know the date of the picture I would guess between 1989-1991.


and you would've been right...  :P

Not trying to be cutting or sarcastic but perhaps they didn't care.....yet?  ???


no... I think we just didn't have the technology... or maybe we did and we just didn't know how to use it.

no... I think we just didn't have the technology... or maybe we did and we just didn't know how to use it.


I see!

Most of our family photos from 1984 and 1985 have a date stamp on them from the place we got them developed at. They used to stamp on the month and year the photos were developed. Here are two as examples...

* as you can see my brother had the quintessential 80s bedroom... breakdance poster, Duran Duran, BMX, Smurfs and those furry feet things.

Most of our family photos from 1984 and 1985 have a date stamp on them from the place we got them developed at. They used to stamp on the month and year the photos were developed. Here are two as examples...

* as you can see my brother had the quintessential 80s bedroom... breakdance poster, Duran Duran, BMX, Smurfs and those furry feet things.



Interesting... my family photos stopped having borders on them in the mid 70s... maybe it's a difference of where you got them developed...  I think for us once we stopped going to the photomat or whatever and went to drug store instead that's when the quality of the work changed... (my experience is not necessarily everyone elses)

no... I think we just didn't have the technology... or maybe we did and we just didn't know how to use it.
I think that's correct.  I believe non of our (cheap) cameras could put a date on the picture. Maybe some of the more expensive equipment was able to do that, or we just didn't care. The first thing my parents switched off, when they got their first video camera in 98, was the time stamp.

I think that's correct.  I believe non of our (cheap) cameras could put a date on the picture. Maybe some of the more expensive equipment was able to do that, or we just didn't care. The first thing my parents switched off, when they got their first video camera in 98, was the time stamp.



that's because it was annoying to see the date on the image when you looked back at the video footage

I think, most analog cameras that came out in the 2000s were able to produce this time stamp. They were most likely phaesed out together with film cameras during the mid-late 2000s.


Those cameras could be a collector's item one day.

If I didn't know the date of the picture I would guess between 1989-1991.


It says right there in the left hand corner... 1990.

I also hated the date stamp on photos. They were only useful for random shots or documentary photos, but they ruined artistic photos.

In Germany you had a month/year-stamp on the back since the early 80s. This was sufficient IMO.

In Germany you had a month/year-stamp on the back since the early 80s. This was sufficient IMO.

Hah, I didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. Thanks! :)

It's just always been odd to me because we have a lot of pix from '89 - no date, yet the next year, date stamps all over the place. I notice a lot of '70s photos have the printing date on the side, or on the back--But most '80s photos don't. Some do, they'll say "May 1988" for example. But the majority don't. It's just like odd to think that suddenly in 1990, digital date stamps were discovered or something.

Hah, I didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. Thanks! :)


Really, you never turned the photo and noticed the month-stamp? You are 5 years older than me and you must be even more used to analog photography ;)

Really, you never turned the photo and noticed the month-stamp? You are 5 years older than me and you must be even more used to analog photography ;)
I actually never paid much attention to the rear side when I picked up the photos from the shop and since all of our photos are placed in photo albums I hardly ever saw the rear side again. ;D

I actually never paid much attention to the rear side when I picked up the photos from the shop and since all of our photos are placed in photo albums I hardly ever saw the rear side again. ;D


I understand. Since the late 80s, my family used albums where you could remove the photos again ;-)

I understand. Since the late 80s, my family used albums where you could remove the photos again ;-)
So did we. That's how I confirmed your info for me. Just grabbed some old albums, took a few pictures out and could finally tell from which year they were. :D

In Germany you had a month/year-stamp on the back since the early 80s. This was sufficient IMO.

In The United States, you had the date stamped on the back of the photo.

It says right there in the left hand corner... 1990.


;D

Even most of my family's '90s photos either don't have date stamps or are sometimes on the back (some faded). The reverse of course was to improve the artistic quality of it. Of course Polaroids don't have date stamps due to their instant pictures. Unfortunately, our albums are not arranged chronically well like my grandparents' were, there may be an '80s photo on one page followed by one from the 2000s on the next. Looking at my families' photo collection, you're right that most date stamps on the back didn't arrive until the early '90s. I'd say about 5% of all our photos from the '80s have a date stamp after checking a volume. Thank goodness for over 30 DVDs from VHS transfers I made dating from 1987 to 1999 to approximate some of my families' photos.

Not trying to be cutting or sarcastic but perhaps they didn't care.....yet?  ???


I agree with you.

Interesting... my family photos stopped having borders on them in the mid 70s... maybe it's a difference of where you got them developed...  I think for us once we stopped going to the photomat or whatever and went to drug store instead that's when the quality of the work changed... (my experience is not necessarily everyone elses)

That's probably about right; some of my family's photos from that time have those borders on 'em too... through about '78 or 79. I guess it does depend on where the photos were processed.

that's because it was annoying to see the date on the image when you looked back at the video footage

yeah, sometimes it could be visually distracting

yeah, sometimes it could be visually distracting


But sometimes you wanted to know when you took the photo.

But sometimes you wanted to know when you took the photo.


Back in the days, when you had analog photography, people had better brains and were able to memorize more things ;)
Today, everything is on your smartphone...  8)

But sometimes you wanted to know when you took the photo.

True, but sometimes that information could be stamped on the back, after the photo is printed. Or not...



Back in the days, when you had analog photography, people had better brains and were able to memorize more things ;)
Today, everything is on your smartphone...  8)

Some people still can memorize things of that nature.

But the thing is, with a lot of old photos...How is the person going to remember the exact date (or even the month) a photo was taken, say, 30 years after the fact (unless it was from a memorable event)? Human memory can be good, but in most cases not THAT good. That's why date stamps are helpful.

But sometimes you wanted to know when you took the photo.


I recently assembled a bunch of pics for my mother's surprise birthday party (which I couldn't attend  :-\\ ) and you won't believe this.... back in the 40s and 50s and 60s but not so much in the  70s and 80s... people actually hand wrote dates and details on the backs of photographs...  :o  shocking ... I know!!!  :D

True, but sometimes that information could be stamped on the back, after the photo is printed. Or not...

Some people still can memorize things of that nature.


that was back in the 1970's.

I recently assembled a bunch of pics for my mother's surprise birthday party (which I couldn't attend  :-\\ ) and you won't believe this.... back in the 40s and 50s and 60s but not so much in the  70s and 80s... people actually hand wrote dates and details on the backs of photographs...  :o  shocking ... I know!!!  :D


My Parents did the same thing too back in the 70's and 80's.

that was back in the 1970's.

We have plenty of photos from back then too. Not sure if they have anything stamped on the back, since they're safely in albums, but I suppose I could take one out to look if I was curious.

We have plenty of photos from back then too. Not sure if they have anything stamped on the back, since they're safely in albums, but I suppose I could take one out to look if I was curious.


I have a few photos from when I was just a little baby along with my brother and a few of them were stamped in 1976 and 1977.

I have a lot of my (deceased) grandfathers photos from the '40s - 70s. Excpt for a couple, he always wrote the date on the back; in some circumstances he would even write the context of the photo (Thanks, Grandpa!).
http://s27.postimg.org/d29563z6b/save27.jpg

Whereas here, in a lesser attempt (after a stroke), he just wrote the date for an August 1973 pic- but even still, it was helpful:
http://s10.postimg.org/uuybpa749/8_5_73.jpg