diff --git a/fail2ban/server/filter.py b/fail2ban/server/filter.py
index 9265a58b..001b35b7 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/filter.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/filter.py
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ class Filter(JailThread):
 				if self._inIgnoreIPList(ip, tick):
 					continue
 				logSys.info(
-					"[%s] Found %s - %s", self.jailName, ip, datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(unixTime).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+					"[%s] Found %s - %s", self.jailName, ip, MyTime.time2str(unixTime)
 				)
 				self.failManager.addFailure(tick)
 				# report to observer - failure was found, for possibly increasing of it retry counter (asynchronous)
@@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ class FileFilter(Filter):
 		fs = container.getFileSize()
 		if logSys.getEffectiveLevel() <= logging.DEBUG:
 			logSys.debug("Seek to find time %s (%s), file size %s", date, 
-				datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(date).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"), fs)
+				MyTime.time2str(date), fs)
 		minp = container.getPos()
 		maxp = fs
 		tryPos = minp
@@ -1171,7 +1171,7 @@ class FileFilter(Filter):
 		container.setPos(foundPos)
 		if logSys.getEffectiveLevel() <= logging.DEBUG:
 			logSys.debug("Position %s from %s, found time %s (%s) within %s seeks", lastPos, fs, foundTime, 
-				(datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(foundTime).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S") if foundTime is not None else ''), cntr)
+				(MyTime.time2str(foundTime) if foundTime is not None else ''), cntr)
 		
 	def status(self, flavor="basic"):
 		"""Status of Filter plus files being monitored.
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/mytime.py b/fail2ban/server/mytime.py
index e20e9690..98b69bd4 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/mytime.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/mytime.py
@@ -115,14 +115,14 @@ class MyTime:
 			return time.localtime(MyTime.myTime)
 	
 	@staticmethod
-	def time2str(unixTime):
-		"""Convert time to a string representing as date and time in ISO 8601 
-		format, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS without microseconds.
+	def time2str(unixTime, format="%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"):
+		"""Convert time to a string representing as date and time using given format.
+		Default format is ISO 8601, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS without microseconds.
 
 		@return ISO-capable string representation of given unixTime
 		"""
 		return datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(
-			unixTime).replace(microsecond=0).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+			unixTime).replace(microsecond=0).strftime(format)
 
 	## precreate/precompile primitives used in str2seconds:
 
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/observer.py b/fail2ban/server/observer.py
index c3fa7d54..ffeeec71 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/observer.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/observer.py
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ class ObserverThread(JailThread):
 				return
 			# retry counter was increased - add it again:
 			logSys.info("[%s] Found %s, bad - %s, %s # -> %s%s", jail.name, ip, 
-				datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(unixTime).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"), banCount, retryCount,
+				MyTime.time2str(unixTime), banCount, retryCount,
 				(', Ban' if retryCount >= maxRetry else ''))
 			# retryCount-1, because a ticket was already once incremented by filter self
 			retryCount = failManager.addFailure(ticket, retryCount - 1, True)
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ class ObserverThread(JailThread):
 					# check current ticket time to prevent increasing for twice read tickets (restored from log file besides database after restart)
 					if ticket.getTime() > timeOfBan:
 						logSys.info('[%s] IP %s is bad: %s # last %s - incr %s to %s' % (jail.name, ip, banCount, 
-							datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(timeOfBan).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"), 
+							MyTime.time2str(timeOfBan), 
 							datetime.timedelta(seconds=int(orgBanTime)), datetime.timedelta(seconds=int(banTime))));
 					else:
 						ticket.restored = True
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ class ObserverThread(JailThread):
 			if btime != -1:
 				bendtime = ticket.getTime() + btime
 				logtime = (datetime.timedelta(seconds=int(btime)),
-					datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(bendtime).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"))
+					MyTime.time2str(bendtime))
 				# check ban is not too old :
 				if bendtime < MyTime.time():
 					logSys.debug('Ignore old bantime %s', logtime[1])
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/filtertestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/filtertestcase.py
index b22cd0f8..cae1e173 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/filtertestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/filtertestcase.py
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ class _tmSerial():
 	@staticmethod
 	def _tm(time):
 		# ## strftime it too slow for large time serializer :
-		# return datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(time).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+		# return MyTime.time2str(time)
 		c = _tmSerial
 		sec = (time % 60)
 		if c._last_s == time - sec:
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ class BasicFilter(unittest.TestCase):
 		unittest.F2B.SkipIfFast()
 		## test function "_tm" works correct (returns the same as slow strftime):
 		for i in xrange(1417512352, (1417512352 // 3600 + 3) * 3600):
-			tm = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(i).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+			tm = MyTime.time2str(i)
 			if _tm(i) != tm: # pragma: no cover - never reachable
 				self.assertEqual((_tm(i), i), (tm, i))