Canon SLR/DSLR DateCode - How to tell when/where your camera was manufactured
By Edmund Tan
Where to find the DateCode
Look inside the film chamber (for film SLRs)/the wall of your battery compartment(for DSLRs). There should be an alphanumeric code printed in black ink on the black surface of the chamber/ compartment wall. You may have to hold the camera under a strong light to see it. This alphanumeric code is essentially an internal date code used by Canon, possibly something like "U1140F" or "OR0705".
Deciphering the DateCode
So far, there are essentially 2 formats of the DateCode used by Canon in their SLR/DSLR cameras. Thankfully, the 2 formats are there only because of an update in their camera design and not of some random choice.
If your date code is similar to the first type, e.g. "Z1240F" (sorry, no sample photos here),
The first letter tells the year the camera was manufactured:
| A | = 1960 | (the first year for EOS range) |
| B | = 1961 | |
| : | ||
| : | ||
| : | ||
| L | = 1971 | |
| M | = 1972 | |
| N | = 1973 | |
| O | = 1974 | |
| P | = 1975 | |
| Q | = 1976 | |
| R | = 1977 | |
| S | = 1978 | |
| : | ||
| : | ||
| : | ||
| X | = 1983 | |
| Y | = 1984 | |
| Z | = 1985 | |
The next 2 numbers tell you what month the camera was made. Note that the leading zero for the month code is sometimes omitted.
The following 2 numbers are probably some kind of internal code for determining age.
The last alphabet refers to the name of the factory it was made in.
So for the date code of "Z1240F", it would translate roughly to something like
December 1985, Fukushima factory (which was the main Canon SLR factory for about 20 years from the early 70s until 1991).
If your date code is similar to the second type, i.e. "OR0705", (I think ALL Canon DSLR users fall in this category)
From 1986, the year code was restarted with "A" again and the factory code moved to the front. Now that Canon SLRs are no longer manufactured at Fukushima, you might for e.g. see a code starting with "O" for Oita factory.
The second alphabet now tells the year the camera was manufactured:
| B | = 1987 | (the first year for EOS range) |
| C | = 1988 | |
| : | ||
| : | ||
| : | ||
| L | = 1997 | |
| M | = 1998 | |
| N | = 1999 | |
| O | = 2000 | |
| P | = 2001 | |
| Q | = 2002 | |
| R | = 2003 | |
| S | = 2004 | |
| : | ||
| : | ||
| : | ||
| X | = 2009 | |
| Y | = 2010 | |
| Z | = 2011 | |
The next first one or two numbers refers to the month (Oct, Nov and Dec will have four numbers).
The last two number again refer to some internal code.
So for the date code of "OR0705", it would translate roughly to something like
Oita factory, July 2003
Incidentally, the same type of code is printed on the back of most EF lenses as well, but from around 10 years ago, this code seems to appear largely only on "L" lenses.
