Whatever happened to UZ ... which should be for lenses made in 2011?
I just bought a used 70-200L II with a UY date code. Although the lens is only a couple of months old, I am already feeling like I bought an "old copy" as the newer ones don't have a date code.
texasphoto wrote:
I have read that the new 70-200 f/2.8L IS MkII lenses made after July don't have a date code anymore. If you prefer to have one with date code, I can swap mine with you .
I also got a 35L with a UY09 date code. I am wondering if Canon has stopped to use date code on other lenses.
bobbytan wrote:
Whatever happened to UZ ... which should be for lenses made in 2011?
I just bought a used 70-200L II with a UY date code. Although the lens is only a couple of months old, I am already feeling like I bought an "old copy" as the newer ones don't have a date code.
How can they control product recall issues without dates codes? If they find some production issue at some point the way to remedy it is to identify when the issue started in the manufacturing process and thereby limit the recall to the proper population of possible lenses with the issue. Remember the 24-105L for example?
Its a necessary tool for that issue. Seems strange to stop doing it.
It also keeps sellers honest. A buyer should know what they are getting and should not have to guess whether a lens is 6 mos or 6 years old.
Don't feel so bad. I got a new one just before Christmas from Adorama, It also has a old-style date code. When few 70-200L II is around several years later, I will sell this lens as an antique.
bobbytan wrote:
Whatever happened to UZ ... which should be for lenses made in 2011?
I just bought a used 70-200L II with a UY date code. Although the lens is only a couple of months old, I am already feeling like I bought an "old copy" as the newer ones don't have a date code.
you ever hear of serial numbers? nikon doesn't have a date code. you don't hear their users crying about it, only canon "users".
RGS65 wrote:
How can they control product recall issues without dates codes? If they find some production issue at some point the way to remedy it is to identify when the issue started in the manufacturing process and thereby limit the recall to the proper population of possible lenses with the issue. Remember the 24-105L for example?
Its a necessary tool for that issue. Seems strange to stop doing it.
It also keeps sellers honest. A buyer should know what they are getting and should not have to guess whether a lens is 6 mos or 6 years old.
RGS65 wrote:
How can they control product recall issues without dates codes? If they find some production issue at some point the way to remedy it is to identify when the issue started in the manufacturing process and thereby limit the recall to the proper population of possible lenses with the issue. Remember the 24-105L for example?
Its a necessary tool for that issue. Seems strange to stop doing it.
It also keeps sellers honest. A buyer should know what they are getting and should not have to guess whether a lens is 6 mos or 6 years old.
I agree with Mike Mohrmann, I'm pretty sure they're switching to a digital date code, if you will, by placing that information on the chip in the lens. So, as of right now, only Canon can see those codes (until someone figures out how to read the info off the CPU).
EB-1 wrote:
My oldest Canon lens (other than the used 300/4 non-IS) is about 10 years old and maybe used for a total of 6 weeks. I have not used at all after having it CLA'd six years ago. Now is that lens (300/2.8 IS) worse than the 70-200/4 IS that I have used frequently for the past 3.5 years?
Probably, yes. I wouldn't buy it. There are moving parts that need to be exercised to spread the lubricant, assuming they still used lubricants. I have just discovered one of my mothballed OM lenses now has a bad diaphragm; it hasn't been used since I bought the equivalent Canon. It went bad despite being stored in an air conditioned area, because it wasn't used. I had been exercising the bodies but forgot to do some of the lenses. I don't even know if yours was kept in an air conditioned area.
It's just like the cars only driven by little old ladies to church and the Red Cross on Sundays. You actually don't want one of those.
What really kills Canon lenses is the discontinuation of spare parts for a given model.
RGS65 wrote:
How can they control product recall issues without dates codes? If they find some production issue at some point the way to remedy it is to identify when the issue started in the manufacturing process and thereby limit the recall to the proper population of possible lenses with the issue. Remember the 24-105L for example?
Its a necessary tool for that issue. Seems strange to stop doing it.
It also keeps sellers honest. A buyer should know what they are getting and should not have to guess whether a lens is 6 mos or 6 years old.
The date is in the new ten digit serial number - just no-one but Canon knows how to read it yet as there aren't enough lenses with this type of serial (up from six on the date coded lenses) to provide a good sample.
The change-over seems to have come not at the end of the letter sequence but because Canon have a new lens manufacturing plant on line.
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