Total Commander

When copying files to backup or when copying pictures from my camera to the PC, I would like to have the ability to rename the files as they are copied using the YMD and hms capabilities.

I did not see this as an existing thread, but if there is one, can you point me to it?

Unfortunately you can only rename them afterwards. You can use the multi-rename tool for this, e.g. together with the EXIF plugin to get the date/time when the picture was taken.