AGE OF MY LENS

[porscheman944]

Hi,

Have just purchased a Canon 70-200 f2.8L is 11 from ebay, seller stated it was 7 months old, have asked him for the original receipt...still waiting for a reply. Have contacted Canon they state lens can not be dated by using the serial number and no other info was given, seems it is now impossible to check the date of manufacture......any advice please

[Crafty_]

Does this method work ? http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Ca...

[Silent1]

You could open it up and look for date codes on the electronics?

Why does the age matter?

[K12beano]

Silent1 said:

Why does the age matter?

+1

(For Nikkors, there's well documented evidence online of serial number ranges and manufacturing years - Shirley something similar exists with Canon? Have you asked Canon the right question?)

And why?

[porscheman944]

Have tried this site but nothing matches up with numbers on my lens

[porscheman944]

Have tried this site but nothing matches up with numbers on my lens

[porscheman944]

Seller states lens is only several months old, so warranty will not be valid without purchase invoice.

[DibblyDobbler]

Are you looking in the right place for the code?

[mikef]

Did the seller state "balance of warranty" in their description? If not it could be a gray import without any manufacturers warranty. That's how I tend to buy my lenses, as if they work on delivery they are relatively unlikely to go wrong in my experience. As said, without a receipt of some sort the age is probably immaterial.

[Simpo Two]

The seller is under no obligation to send the original receipt if it wasn't stated in the advert.

The serial number will tell if it's grey or not. But either way it's yours now. I don't know if Canon offer warranties on grey import lenses.

But on the bright side, if the lens works now then it's unlikely to break in the next 5 months

[RobDickinson]

canon stopped with the date codes about the time this lens launched

[mikef]

Simpo Two said:

I don't know if Canon offer warranties on grey import lenses

Nope. That's why grey importers like hdewcameras offer some sort of third-party insurance cover. You'd still need a receipt though

[RobDickinson]

Canon generally want a stamped warranty card for any warranty work. This is the key bit to have.

A grey import either wont have it or it wont have a UK stamp

[peter tdci]

porscheman944 said:

Seller states lens is only several months old, so warranty will not be valid without purchase invoice.

Warranty starts when the lens was sold, so it doesn't matter when it was made. It could have been on a shelf in a shop or warehouse for a while (not familiar with Canon lenses, so I don't know if it's a new model or not).

I'm pretty sure that Nikon has worldwide warranty on their lenses, but not camera bodies - is Canon different? And is the warranty transferable?

[K12beano]

peter tdci said:

I'm pretty sure that Nikon has worldwide warranty on their lenses, but not camera bodies

That was my understanding too, although I cannot remember the reason this apparent oddity arose....