diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3ab7ff2..66d60ea 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -500,12 +500,10 @@ its XMP metadata, its EXIF metadata and, for a JPEG, its dimensions. EXIF is
 read with [exifreader](https://github.com/mattiasw/ExifReader) from any image
 format it reads, JPEG, HEIC/HEIF, AVIF, PNG and WebP among them. The record's
 `exif` field is exifreader's EXIF tag output: each tag by name, with its
-`value`, `description` and `computed` value. Dumps written before 2026-10-01
-hold `exif-reader`'s `Image`, `Photo` and `GPSInfo` groups there instead. An
-EXIF block exifreader finds but reads no tag from is recorded, base64, as
-`exifRaw`, with the reason in `exifError`. `collections`, `files`, `backup`,
-`helper list-missing-thumbnails` and `helper fix-missing-thumbnails` take
-`--json` for machine-readable output.
+`value`, `description` and `computed` value. An EXIF block exifreader finds but
+reads no tag from is recorded, base64, as `exifRaw`, with the reason in
+`exifError`. `collections`, `files`, `backup`, `helper list-missing-thumbnails`
+and `helper fix-missing-thumbnails` take `--json` for machine-readable output.
 
 `backup-metadata` fetches ML data in requests of up to 200 files. When a request
 fails, the error is logged, each of its files is written with the reason in an
diff --git a/test/cli/metadata-exif.test.ts b/test/cli/metadata-exif.test.ts
index dffe9a6..2deda57 100644
--- a/test/cli/metadata-exif.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli/metadata-exif.test.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,25 @@ const TIFF_ORIENTATION_6 = [
     0x00, 0x00,
 ];
 
+// A big-endian TIFF block holding Orientation 6 and DateTimeOriginal
+// "0000:00:00 00:00:00", which a camera with an unset clock writes.
+const TIFF_UNSET_DATE = [
+    ...[0x4d, 0x4d, 0x00, 0x2a, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x08], // the first IFD at 8
+    // The first IFD, at 8: two entries, then no next IFD.
+    ...[0x00, 0x02],
+    // Orientation (0x0112), SHORT, 6.
+    ...[0x01, 0x12, 0x00, 0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x06, 0x00, 0x00],
+    // The Exif IFD's offset (0x8769), LONG, 38.
+    ...[0x87, 0x69, 0x00, 0x04, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x26],
+    ...[0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00],
+    // The Exif IFD, at 38: one entry, then no next IFD.
+    ...[0x00, 0x01],
+    // DateTimeOriginal (0x9003), 20 ASCII bytes at 56.
+    ...[0x90, 0x03, 0x00, 0x02, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x14, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x38],
+    ...[0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00],
+    ...new TextEncoder().encode("0000:00:00 00:00:00\0"), // at 56
+];
+
 // An APP1 segment whose length field matches its data.
 const app1 = (data: number[]): number[] => {
     const len = data.length + 2;
@@ -44,6 +63,13 @@ describe("readPhotoExif", () => {
         });
     });
 
+    it("gives no dateTimeOriginal for a DateTimeOriginal of 0000:00:00 00:00:00", () => {
+        const data = [...EXIF_HEADER, ...TIFF_UNSET_DATE];
+        expect(readPhotoExif(bytes(SOI, app1(data), SOS))).toStrictEqual({
+            orientation: 6,
+        });
+    });
+
     it.each([
         [
             "a file that is not an image",