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The question Recover metadata information from photo was closed as off-topic.

IMO the question is asking how to recover (meta)data from an image file, not about the camera used to capture the image.

Questions about recovering data, including from audio/video files are on topic. Examples:

Why was this question closed as off-topic?

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  • Its a pretty bad question, though I'd have closed it for unclear what you're asking instead.
    – Journeyman Geek Mod
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 14:37
  • @JourneymanGeek I would find an unclear close vote much more reasonable than off-topic, though I struggle to see how it's not clear what the OP is after (but that's a different matter).
    – I say Reinstate Monica
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 14:45
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    I agree. I commented on the question and did an additional edit to better highlight how it's on-topic, and voted to reopen. As it currently sits, it isn't unclear.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 21:01
  • As posted, I didn't find it necessarily unclear, but the only answer would be "you can't find the proper date it the device recorded the wrong one." It was also, because the OP didn't mention a computer as the tool, probably off-topic. However, good catch for seeing the computer connection to his problem, and @fixer1234 nice save with the edit to show that connection.
    – Chindraba
    Commented Apr 13, 2017 at 1:48
  • Just because a similar question (maybe asked several years ago) isn't closed as off-topic doesn't mean it's on-topic, maybe it was overlooked, or simply the scope of the site has changed since than. As per closing as off-topic / unclear / too-broad: it's often difficult to correctly decide, subjective (maybe multiple applies). Quite often I see that a question is of a poor quality, but I'm not expert on that topic, and can't tell what exactly the problem is with that. As we can't specify multiple reasons for closing, if a question is closed for one reason doesn't mean it doesn't have ...
    – Máté Juhász
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 7:54
  • ... other issues, it just means, that it's currently below our standards, OP should READ the help center and improve it.
    – Máté Juhász
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 7:55

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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EDIT: Actually I do agree... 'electronic devices, media players, cell phones or smart phones, except insofar as they interface with your computer,'

It's not about the computer <-> camera interface, it's about how/what data the camera writes to the photo.

Agree with closure though. The whole question requires rewriting to be specific about what the user is asking. You could include what they then ask as a follow up as well (about modifying said date).

Also the title and the actual question could be/are entirely different questions.

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  • Good suggestion on editing the question to move it away from deserving closure.
    – I say Reinstate Monica
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 14:50
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If we don't want to rob from the Digital Camera SE site, fair enough, this question as originally written may have belonged there first.

BUT, OP knew the camera date/time was incorrect and so that wasn't what needed to be diagnosed or resolved. We can probably also assume they knew that they needed to correct the date and time on the camera to avoid this in future images.

AND, it doesn't take many words to say you can't get the average camera to re-stamp existing images with a new date and time.

So, that leaves us with only the PC aspects of the solution left before we get to any editing, and causes me to question the validity of closing the question for being off-topic to begin with.

It was clear enough what OP was asking. The issue is most likely to be discovered once the images are on the PC, and a technical solution for the images already taken and stamped with the incorrect date would occur on the PC, and so I have to disagree with those who state that the original question was off-topic.

Editing the question in this case was the correct course, to minimize the off-topic aspects and focus on the on-topic parts.

One sentence beginning an answer would have made it clear the parts of the question referring to the camera can be assumed to be essentially irrelevant at this point. And then the rest of the answer could follow, easily on-topic at Super User.

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