I recently purchased a used Canon lens from eBay and noticed it doesn't seem to have a serial number printed anywhere on the lens body or mount. Is this normal for some Canon lenses or could this indicate it's a fake? Do all genuine Canon lenses have serial numbers?
Re: "Just wanted to say thanks for everyone chiming..." - honestly might be jumping the gun calling it a fake or grey market just yet. over the years ive handled hundreds of these and sometimes the physical serial is just garbage quality. on stuff like the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, the laser etching is so faint it basically disappears if the barrel gets even a little bit of wear from a camera bag. heres a quick tip: check the digital footprint. mount it to your camera and snap a photo. then open that file in a proper metadata viewer. the internal serial number is hard-coded into the logic board and usually shows up in the EXIF data even if the outside of the lens is totally blank. if the electronic ID matches a known canon format, youre probably fine. if that EXIF field is empty or says something generic like 000000, then yeah, send it back immediately. i wouldnt trust a lens that doesnt report its own ID to the body.
Just wanted to say thanks for everyone chiming in. Super helpful discussion.
Came here to say the same thing lol. Great minds think alike I guess.
Yes, all authentic Canon lenses should have a serial number printed on them. The serial is typically located on the lens mount or bottom of the lens barrel. If there is no serial number anywhere, that raises a red flag that it could potentially be a counterfeit lens. I would double check carefully and if you still don't see one, consider returning it.
Just found this thread and ngl it hits way too close to home! > i once bought a lens that looked mint but the serial was basically invisible. turned out it was a grey market copy and someone had actually scratched it off the barrel to hide where it came from. Honestly, I am so incredibly frustrated right now! I am dealing with the exact same issue on a lens I bought for some DIY macro experiments. It is just amazing how people can be so dishonest! I really try to be methodical about my gear purchases to save money, but this is a total nightmare. It is so heartbreaking when you realize your gear is potentially a fake or tampered with. I feel so defeated because as a beginner, I just want to trust the community! Everyone needs to be so cautious about this. Skipping the serial number verification is a massive mistake that can cost you so much. It is just so discouraging that we have to worry about this kind of thing at all when we are just trying to learn! I love this hobby but these shady sellers are just the worst.
Facts.
ngl i’ve seen this happen a few times with gear i’ve picked up second hand. i once bought a lens that looked mint but the serial was basically invisible. turned out it was a grey market copy and someone had actually scratched it off the barrel to hide where it came from. super shady. in my experience if that number is missing it makes it impossible to get any official repairs done later. canon support is really strict about that stuff and wont even look at a lens without a valid serial. even if it works fine now i’d be worried about the long term. i eventually learned to always ask for a photo of the mount or the serial sticker before i hit buy... saved me a lot of headaches later on.
👆 this
TIL! Thanks for sharing
Yes, all my Canon lenses have series numbers.
