Canon Camera Date Codes

steven broome

Recently I received a question regarding determining the year of manufacture for Canon cameras. You can use the following chart and information to determine the date of manufacture of your Canon FD and Canon EOS EF bodies. Although you can apparently get an “idea” of the date of manufacture from the serial numbers, the correct and accurate method is to refer to the alpha-numerical stamp inside the camera in the film cassette compartment.

I have also read that the same info applies to Canon lenses. However, taking a quick look at my EF 50mm 1.4 USM I couldn’t find the code anywhere. I could barely find the serial number. I actually have seen the code stamped on FD lenses, though.

Location of Canon camera body date codes
Canon Date Codes are located inside the film cartridge compartment

The FIRST LETTER of the code refers to the year the camera was manufactured. Looking inside this Canon FTbn, we find “Q1206F“. We can determine by using the chart below that this camera was manufactured in 1976.

A=1960 or 1986
B=1961 or 1987
C=1962 or 1988
D=1963 or 1989
E=1964 or 1990
F=1965 or 1991
G=1966 or 1992
H=1967 or 1993
I=1968 or 1994


J=1969 or 1995
K=1970 or 1996
L=1971 or 1997
M=1972 or 1998
N=1973 or 1999
O=1974 or 2000
P=1975
Q=1976
R=1977

S=1978
T=1979
U=1980
V=1981
W=1982
X=1983
Y=1984
Z=1985

The following TWO NUMBERS refer to the month of manufacture:
“1” refers to January; “12” refers to December. For the example above, then, we can determine that the camera was manufactured in December 1976.

The following code was for internal purposes only.

The final LETTER refers to the factory of manufacture. “F” refers to the Fukushima factory. An “O” in this position refers to the Oita factory. Again, looking at the code from the Canon FTbn body above, we can see that it was made in the Fukushima factory in December of 1976.

In 1986 they began the code with “A” again – since they ran out of letters. But at that point the factory code was included before the year code. So if your camera’s date code begins with two letters, it will be from 1986 or later.

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Published by steven broome

I'm a professional photographer/videographer with 32+ years in the field of higher-education.

9 Comments

  1. I have a Canon A-1 with the serial number of V242F. it also has the numbers 1269933 on the back of the body. It is a film camera. I cannot find it in any of the searches I have spent hours on. Can you help me identify the age and correct model of it?

    Thanks,

    Pat

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      2. Depending on condition, I’ve seen recent sales in the range of $75-200. Even though it’s one of Canon’s top-spec’d bodies, it never has gotten much love from consumers who greatly preferred the AE-1 and AE-1 Program.

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  2. Recently found your YouTube channel and subsequently your website. Must say your videos are spot on. Keep them coming please. Been shooting film since my first AE-1 back in the mid 70’s. Moved up to the A-1, which I still have and recently picked up an EF model. My latest is the Yashica FX-3 and a Canon AV-1. BTW… I don’t hear any accent in your voice. Maybe because I’m from South Georgia!

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    1. My Georgia brother! Thanks for the comment. And thanks for checking out the channel and the site! I’ve shot with both the A-1 and AE-1, but haven’t had the chance to check out the AV-1 or the FX-3. I do have an FX-2, though, but haven’t shot much with it, yet. Thanks for the kind words, and I’ll keep the content coming!

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  3. Hi, I have a Canon Ae1 as well but I’m having trouble figuring out my code. It appears to either be H399XU or HB99XU, the H and the symbol next to it are scratched. If it helps at all the serial on the outside is 5757954

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    2. Unfortunately, it remains a mystery. My AE-1 and AE-1 Program both show date codes that don’t follow this guide. The first letter of each puts their year of mfg way too early or too late for these models. What is certain is that the ink Canon used for this code isn’t very durable, and the fact that it was stamped in the one place of the camera that would see the most handling means that it might eventually become hard to read.

      If we go by the guide above, your camera would’ve been made in 1993. And I don’t think that’s possible. There’s a very slim chance, I think, that this model would’ve still been being produced in 1993. By that time, they were well into the EOS era, and the only FD body possible being made then would’ve been the New F-1 (and the Cosina-built T60).

      Sorry I don’t have a better answer.

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