Date Codes - Do they matter?

[Eric Patdu]

Been noticing in the Buy and Sell boards of other forums that potential buyers always ask for the date codes when inquiring about the lenses being sold.

Do date codes really matter? I mean, say, will a UR or US be very different from a UV or UW aside from the year of manufacture? Do they affect the resale value? Isn't it that let's say, an old 300mm f/4 L lens performs the same as a new 300mm f/4 L lens? If there is a difference in performance, is there a guide or a site that indicates the performance difference among the lens' batches?

Just curious so that I can make intelligent decisions when I do get to buy me an L lens. ;D

[ppaaoolloo]

The practice probably stems from the belief that an early production lens would have a longer opportunity of user abuse than a later produced lens. Another explanation is they apply the logic of used car buying to other items like lenses.

For me it is all about supply and demand. If you're the only one with a 300/4L and they need it now then they pay the seller's price. And unlike computers or phones they often have a production run of one to two decades so opportunities of depreciation spans longer than the customary 3 years.

Sometimes with some lenses they appreciate until a replacement comes around. Like say 50/1.0L and the 200/1.8L whose value peaked a few years ago but now is in decline. The 1200/5.6L is 120k now rather than the original 80k when made to order requests were accepted by Canon.