First published on 27 April 2017. Last updated on 19 September 2021.

Part of my enjoyment of using old Canon FD lenses on my modern digital camera is simply that they are old, in contrast to the ephemeral — almost disposable — nature of so much modern technology.

But exactly how old is old? FD and New FD lenses were produced between 1970 and 1995. Fortunately, Canon stamped the rear plate with a date code that specifies a year and month.

The code “V1015” on my Canon New FD50mm f/1.4 indicates that it was manufactured in October 1981.

These codes are explained in a number of places, but most explanations gloss over the existence of two slightly different formats:

The switch from the first format to the second format seemed to occur in the middle of 1986. The latest first-format code I’ve seen is “A400” (April 1986) and the earliest second-format code I’ve seen is “UA0801” (August 1986).

Here is a table with a complete correspondence between the letters and years.

LetterFirst FormatSecond Format
A1960/19861986
B19611987
C19621988
D19631989
E19641990
F19651991
G19661992
H19671993
I19681994
J19691995
K19701996
L19711997
M19721998
N19731999
O19742000
P19752001
Q19762002
R19772003
S19782004
T19792005
U19802006
V19812007
W19822008
X19832009
Y19842010
Z19852011

I originally thought that the date referred to the month of manufacture, but Richard Armstrong makes the case that it might well be the month that the lens passed inspection. He comments, “It’s not uncommon to find lenses that have a date code a month or two later than others in the same serial number sequence. It’s thought these lenses failed initial inspection and received their date code stamp after they had been reworked and passed. The same applies to cameras.”


Earlier Lens Codes

I originally though that earlier Canon FL and rangefinder lenses did not have lens codes.

Richard Armstrong corrects me that there is one exception: some later versions of the Canon TV 50 mm f/0.95 lens. The earliest he has seen is O1100, from 1974 and well after lens codes had been introduced for FD lenses.


EF Lens Codes

EF lenses initially continued to have second-format date codes. After 2008, the date of manufacture can be determined from the serial number.


Acknowledgements

Thanks to Richard Armstrong for sharing his knowledge of date codes and his earliest lens date code reported here — K900 on a chrome-nosed FD 50/1.4. Thanks also to Tim Clay for reporting the previous earliest lens code — L107 also on a chrome-nosed FD 50/1.4.


© 2017, 2019, 2021 Alan Watson Forster