What's your oldest Canon EF lens?

[mrsfotografie]

I'll kick off with my Canon 28-70 f3.5-4.5 II

Datecode UC0500: Utsonomiya, 05/1988

I've also got the original hood (not shown).

Canon Lens Date Codes - How Old Is That Lens?

Beside the rear lens element of many (but not all) Canon lenses is a date code (as seen above) in the form of "UR0902". This code is also present on many other Canon products including camera bodies.

The first letter, "U", indicates that the lens was made in Canon's Utsunomiya, Japan factory. Prior to 1986, this letter is moved to the last position of the date code.

U = Utsunomiya, Japan
F = Fukushima, Japan
O = Oita, Japan

The second letter, "R", is a year code that indicates the year of manufacture. Canon increments this letter each year starting with A in 1986 and prior to that, A in 1960 without the leading factory code. Here is a table to make things simple:

A = 1986, 1960
B = 1987, 1961
C = 1988, 1962
D = 1989, 1963
E = 1990, 1964
F = 1991, 1965
G = 1992, 1966
H = 1993, 1967
I = 1994, 1968
J = 1995, 1969
K = 1996, 1970
L = 1997, 1971
M = 1998, 1972
N = 1999, 1973
O = 2000, 1974
P = 2001, 1975
Q = 2002, 1976
R = 2003, 1977
S = 2004, 1978
T = 2005, 1979
U = 2006, 1980
V = 2007, 1981
W = 2008, 1982
X = 2009, 1983
Y = 2010, 1984
Z = 2011, 1985

* assumption of continuation being made for future years.

The first two numbers, "09", is the month number the lens was manufactured in. Month 02 is February, month 11 = November. The leading zero of the month code is sometimes omitted.

The next two numbers, "02", are meaningless in determining how old a Canon lens is. This is a Canon internal code (that is occasionally omitted).

 

[mrsfotografie]

... and my 50mm f/1.8 MkI is a little older; UC0302:

Utsonomiya, 03/1988

 

[blonigan16]

I bought a Canon 28mm f/2.8 on Ebay last year from July 1987 (UB0700). Everything still works great on it after 26 years.

 

[Loswr]

UY = 2010.

My MP-E 65mm is older, but you asked about EF lenses.

 

[Marsu42]

I'll kick off with my Canon 28-70 f3.5-4.5 II

I have to admit you beat me, but considering longevity I've been shooting with my 1992 28-105 mk1 (replaced the 35-135 which was too narrow) up until a couple of months ago ... and it held up great, a bit soft @f3.5 but surprisingly ok @f8 on crop for walkaround shots.

Unfortunately I cannot say this for the even a bit older 100-300 4.5-5.6: the good ol' Canon usm doesn't help if the lens is so soft @300mm that cropping @100mm has better iq :-\ ... so it's now a nice paperweight, this is really a model from the analog days where you couldn't crop the picture with the click of a button.

 

[mrsfotografie]

I'll kick off with my Canon 28-70 f3.5-4.5 II

I have to admit you beat me, but considering longevity I've been shooting with my 1992 28-105 mk1 (replaced the 35-135 which was too narrow) up until a couple of months ago ... and it held up great, a bit soft @f3.5 but surprisingly ok @f8 on crop for walkaround shots.

Unfortunately I cannot say this for the even a bit older 100-300 4.5-5.6: the good ol' Canon usm doesn't help if the lens is so soft @300mm that cropping @100mm has better iq :-\ ... so it's now a nice paperweight, this is really a model from the analog days where you couldn't crop the picture with the click of a button.

Well, I didn't really beat you because I bought this old zoom a year ago out of curiosity. The IQ is surprisingly good, the vignetting pretty bad. It's soon going to be up for sale again 'cause I've finished playing with it. My mint condition 50mm MkI however is a keeper

I also had the 100-300 for a while, it's a good action sports lens put unfortunately very soft at the long end and with considerable CA. I loved it for its small size and lightning fast AF but the IQ overall was disappointing so I sold it.

 

[distant.star]

.
Without digging into boxes of old stuff, the oldest thing I have still in some active use is the EF 50mm f/1.8 with a 1988 code:

UC0402

Interesting that it was a kit lens with the SLR I bought around 1990.

While I say still in some active use, it's really been supplanted by the 40mm pancake. As anyone using the old 50 knows the AF motor makes the sound you hear when you crank up an old castle drawbridge -- and it's not much faster either!

 

[paul13walnut5]

My bags all fairly recent.

The oldest design of lens I currently have is my 50mm mk2 which ates from 1990, mine was only bought in the last few years. 2nd oldest design 100mm f2.0, then 70-200.

Of the earliest stuff, i've owned:

50mm mk1 (lost infinity focus and repair shop couldn't get parts)
50mm f2.5 (great on film, never rated on digital)
135mm f2.8 SF (very nice lens, would have breen brilliant 200mm equiv on my dslrs except for ancient afd focus)
70-210 f4 (owned two of these, good video lens btw)
100-300 f5.6 (not L) not great, in any way.
28mm f2.8 probably my favourite lens. Wish i'd never sold it.

And its great to see the 28-70 ii. Loved this lens on my 5 (a2e) 50e, 3, didn't make so much sense on my dslrs, and the filter thread was a masterpeice of poor design.

 

[Montell]

I still use a Canon Zoom Lens EF 50-200mm 3.5-4.5 L.
The focus sounds like a coffee grinder but it is sharp.
Date code UC0901

 

[Powder Portraits]

My oldest and I intend on keeping this lens is a EF 50mm 1.8 mk1, with a date code of June 1988. Think it just celebrated its 25th birthday!

 

[Kernuak]

My oldest EF lens must be an EF 28-80 3.5-5.6 (MkI). It doesn't appear to have a date code, but the MkII came out in 2004. I got it when I was looking to experiment with slide film a few years ago and it came with an old Canon EOS 500N. I've never used it, as I doubt the optical quality is up to my other lenses. Most of the lenses I had when I returned to photography in the digital age have now been upgraded, so my oldest of the ones I use is probably the secondhand 300 f/2.8, date code UU from 2006. I also still have my old Helios 58mm f/2 and Carl Zeiss Jena 70-300 f/4.5-5.8 (yes 5.8 ) in M42 screw mount from the early 80's.

 

[optikus]

Hello,

exactly that 28-80 is actually on my D60 (NOT 60D!) - and it is pretty good there. Have it with me nearly every day on the banks of the middle Rhine.

I think it is my oldest EF.

Joerg

 

[tron]

I have sold my 28-70 f/3.5-4.5 II. But it wouldn't count as my oldest lens.

I have kept my first EF lens: EF35-105 f/3.5-4.5

I also have EF50 1.8 (version 1) and 28mm f/2.8

 

[Vossie]

My oldest EF is the 50 1.4; I bought it around 2001; it was my 2nd EF lens (but I have sold the 28-135 quite a while ago)

 

[jdramirez]

I keep buying and selling lenses so my arsenal keeps getting refreshed. Probably only 2011... it's a 70-200mm f2.8l is mkii.

 

[rpt]

I keep buying and selling lenses so my arsenal keeps getting refreshed. Probably only 2011... it's a 70-200mm f2.8l is mkii.

;D

And I thought I could boast of my FD lenses - but U da man!
No, you da man!
No! U da man!
OK, I da man

 

[eos650]

Here are mine:

The 1st is a 50mm f1.8
The 2nd is a 35-70mm f3.5-4.5

I also have a 70-210mm f4.0 with code UB0700

 

[CharlieB]

I still have the orginal 35-80 that came with an old film Rebel-S. Also have two old zooms from that era... are they 70-200 or 80-200... plastic mount stuff. Old. Still work fine! The one zoom totally clouded on an early morning outing, and when it cleared up... a sort of residue was left behind on one of the elements. Not worth fixing, so I bought another for $99 new. Ha~ The flare caused by the residue makes that zoom "perfect" for portraiture now. Sort of like a Softar I from Zeiss.

Oldest metal mount lens... 28/2.8. My 50/1.4 focus died and that was replaced too.... but the 28's been doing well since the mid 1990's.

 

[Maxaperture]

My oldest EF lens must be an EF 28-80 3.5-5.6 (MkI). It doesn't appear to have a date code, but the MkII came out in 2004. I got it when I was looking to experiment with slide film a few years ago and it came with an old Canon EOS 500N.

Me too, that's my oldest lens, kitted with the 500n, and the reviews reckon it's a cracking lens, but Canon ruined it with a MkII version.

 

[AlanF]

.
Without digging into boxes of old stuff, the oldest thing I have still in some active use is the EF 50mm f/1.8 with a 1988 code:

UC0402

Interesting that it was a kit lens with the SLR I bought around 1990.

While I say still in some active use, it's really been supplanted by the 40mm pancake. As anyone using the old 50 knows the AF motor makes the sound you hear when you crank up an old castle drawbridge -- and it's not much faster either!

Same. The. 50mm f/1.8 with the metal mount is much sought after.