Canon Date Codes

Canon Lens Date Code

1988 Canon EF 70-210mm f/4 Date Code. bigger.

 

Canon Lens Date Code

UC1204: The C means 1988 and 12 is December. bigger.

This free website's biggest source of support is when you use these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks! Ken.

 

November 2022   Better Pictures   Canon Reviews   Canon Lenses   Canon Flash   All Reviews

Please help KenRockwell..com

INTRODUCTION

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

Canon has been stamping date codes on cameras and lenses since about 1960.

The first letter, "U," means Canon's 3,000 employee, 750,000 sf (75,000 m^2) lens plant in Utsunomiya, Japan, founded in 1977.

"F" would mean Canon's 1,200 employee, 1,300,000 sf (125,000 m^2) Fukushima plant founded in 1970.

"O" will mean Canon's new (production starting May 2007) Oita lens plant with 600 people and 160,000 sf (15,000 m^2), and so on.

Canon uses the second letter for the year. Canon started with A in 1960 and made it to Z by 1985.

In 1986 they started again at A and today, in 2007, have made it back up to V.

The next two digits are the month.

No one has decoded the last two digits.

Early date codes may have had the first letter (the factory code) on the end, so the first letter would be the year.

Canon Year Codes

A
1986
1960
2012
B
1987
1961
2013
C
1988
1962
2014
D
1989
1963
2015
E
1990
1964
2016
F
1991
1965
2017
G
1992
1966
2018
H
1993
1967
2019
I
1994
1968
2020
J
1995
1969
2021
K
1996
1970
2022
L
1997
1971
2023
M
1998
1972
2024
N
1999
1973
2025
O
2000
1974
2026
P
2001
1975
2027
Q
2002
1976
2028
R
2003
1977
2029
S
2004
1978
2030
T
2005
1979
2031
U
2006
1980
2032
V
2007
1981
2033
W
2008
1982
2034
X
2009
1983
2035
Y
2010
1984
2036
Z
2011
1985
2037

 

More Information: Canon's Museum.

 

© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Alla rättigheter förbehållna. Toate drepturile rezervate. Ken Rockwell® is a registered trademark.

 

Help Me Help You       top

I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.

The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Ken.

 

 

 

 

09 Nov 2022, September 2011, August 2007