Quick question about lens dates, please....

RedRobin

RedRobin

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On Canon lenses, a code appears on the black part of the rear lens mount.

Can someone please tell me how to translate the code into a date.

I assume it would always be the date of manufacture and therefore earlier than the lens entering the retail stream.
 
That's very helpful indeed, Gary :thumbs:

It's academic curiosity but I now know that one of my Canon lenses was manufactured in Japan in February 2013 and the other doesn't have a UB**** code but just a 4778*** serial number.
 
It's only 'L series' lenses that have date codes, with a couple of exceptions; the 35mm f2 and 135 2.8 soft focus are two 'non L series' lenses I know which do have date codes.
 
Both my lenses are L lenses (both bought from TP's Classifieds) and it's the Canon 100mm f2.8L Macro IS which doesn't have a date code. However, it's not something which bothers me as the optics and condition etc are very good - Just idle curiosity (to stop me spending time planning a great train robbery) ;)
 
I'm sure I read something about the 100L code being very difficult to see, I didn't check mine as it was brand new. Perhaps worth a google, if it bothers you in the near future ;)
 
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