[Dave]

For Canon "L" lenses it is possible to identify the year of production from the code you find stamped on the rear of the lens. eg. UV0712

The 1st letter identifies which Japanese location it was produced :-

U = Utsunomiya
F = Fukushima
O = Oita, Japan

The 2nd letter identifies which year it was produced :-



So for example UV0712 we can tell it was produced in Utsunomiya in either 2007 or 1981.

Having trouble finding code ... look here :-

[Rob Barron]

Hey, I never knew that. That's really useful, thanks Dave