diff --git a/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Customfields.php b/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Customfields.php
index aa795cfd0a..697e3c0d9e 100644
--- a/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Customfields.php
+++ b/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Customfields.php
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ class Customfields extends Transformer
 {
 
 	/**
-	 * Allowd types of customfields
+	 * Allowed types of customfields
 	 *
-	 * The additionally allowed app-names from the link-class, will be add by the edit-method only,
-	 * as the link-class has to be called, which can NOT be instanciated by the constructor, as
-	 * we get a loop in the instanciation.
+	 * The additionally allowed app-names from the link-class, will be added by the edit-method only,
+	 * as the link-class has to be called, which can NOT be instantiated by the constructor, as
+	 * we get a loop in the instantiation.
 	 *
 	 * @var array
 	 */
diff --git a/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Date.php b/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Date.php
index 73dc0671c5..e4b2568cb5 100644
--- a/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Date.php
+++ b/api/src/Etemplate/Widget/Date.php
@@ -120,15 +120,17 @@ class Date extends Transformer
 		{
 			$date = Api\DateTime::server2user($value);
 		}
-		elseif (!empty($this->attrs['data_format']) && $this->attrs['data_format'] !== 'object')
+		// if data_format given, try that first, before leaving it to Api\DateTime to figure it out
+		elseif (!empty($this->attrs['data_format']) && $this->attrs['data_format'] !== 'object' &&
+			($date = Api\DateTime::createFromFormat($this->attrs['data_format'], $value, Api\DateTime::$user_timezone)))
 		{
-			$date = Api\DateTime::createFromFormat($this->attrs['data_format'], $value, Api\DateTime::$user_timezone);
+			// set AND checked above
 		}
 		else
 		{
 			$date = new Api\DateTime($value);
 		}
-		if($this->type == 'date-timeonly' && $date)
+		if($this->type === 'date-timeonly' && $date)
 		{
 			$date->setDate(1970, 1, 1);
 		}