Canon lens date codes- a big deal?

mrjames

mrjames

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What's the deal with date codes, I mean obviously a 10 year old lens has probably seen more action than a 2 year old lens- but is there more to it? has there been any silent upgrades/downgrades over the years, like is a particular date range of a lens better/worse than later or earlier ones etc

i'm specifically referring to the 17-40 and 70-200 2.8 IS if there's anything particularly juicy on these 2 lenses
 
Im not overly concerned about date codes as I have had lenses in my bag that are UV for eg that havent been used for months at a time, but then you may find someone else that has a UY that uses it as their primary lens. I think a lot of people get hung up on date codes.
 
Hi there

You can look up changes to the lenses on

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/


There is a discontinued lenses section but for each lens they provide comparisons to earlier and comparative models.

The current 70-200 f/2.8L IS is a Mark II and it is a stellar lens. The Mk I is pretty good too but the update which came out two years ago is to die for. Can't tell you anything about the 17-40L as I prefer faster lenses.


Hope the link helps.
 
Date codes having an effect on value is a load of tosh and means utterly nothing, it annoys me when people see a mint looking lens, ask for the date code and moan about its age even though it's perfect.

There aren't any silent upgrades, QC may get tighter after the initial niggles after 6 months but that's all. A 2007 vs 2012 version of the same lens left in a box will be... the same.

Physical condition trumps everything. Do not worry one bit about age! Lenses can last a life time.
 
Adam_M said:
Date codes having an effect on value is a load of tosh and means utterly nothing, it annoys me when people see a mint looking lens, ask for the date code and moan about its age even though it's perfect.

There aren't any silent upgrades, QC may get tighter after the initial niggles after 6 months but that's all. A 2007 vs 2012 version of the same lens left in a box will be... the same.

Physical condition trumps everything. Do not worry one bit about age! Lenses can last a life time.
Click to expand...

brilliant, thanks everyone- I figured it was all much of a muchness anyway

I will now buy old lenses with confidence :)
 
thanks to date codes, I received a mint 17-40mm f4L lens for £340 :D

made in 2003, but looks and uses like new.

my 2007 24-105mm f4L has seen more action and is in a much worse state than the wide angle.
 
Not a problem yet as they're still so new but the latest generation mk2 super telephoto lenses have a firmware update available to enhance AF servo performance. I need to drop mine of at a service centre and get it done under warranty as beyond that I'd imagine it would become chargeable.

For me, lens condition is of a far greater importance than a date code.
 
Canon have recently dropped the date codes from the newest lenses. My 500F4LISII doesn't have one - just a serial number.

One thing I would say however regarding the age of a lens. It may not have mattered several years ago - A piece of glass was a piece of glass and condition is all that would have mattered. However, IS lenses have a significant number of moving parts inside, so I would suggest that there is more of a rationale for age related price reductions, but there is still no substitute for a seldom used / well looked after piece of kit.
 
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