350D no serial number!

[puttick]

I just bought a new 350d from a branch of Jessops in UK. There is an offer of a free 256Mb CF card if you register the camera online at Canon Europe. So I tried to do that - using the serial number on the box. Error - not recognised. So I picked up the camera, looked at the base - and in the little silver panel where the s/no is found, I found - nothing. Completely blank.

Any idea what is going on here?

Jessops is a reputable retailer, not a grey importer. The shop has agreed to exchange the camera, as I am unwilling to accept it - imagine trying to get warranty service, or when you want to sell it...

[puttick]

OK, I think I found the answer for myself. It appears that the number rubs off easily - now how could that have happened to a new camera? See the following if this is of interest to you:

http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=196228
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1031&thread=12997844

And then I read the body number from the EXIF info attached to an image (using DPP v1.6.1 that I downloaded recently). Tried that on the Canon Europe registration page - still no joy until I added a leading zero, then everything went through OK. Though I think I may still exchange the camera.

[pradeep1]

Yeah, the serial number rubs off easily. On mine, I believe the serial number is actually preceeded by a number 2.

[willg]

Yeah i have a 300d and no such problem :)

[puttick]

I have just collected a replacement 350d - with a serial number this time - and the new one seems to be permanently printed, it won't rub off. Canon UK have acknowledged it to be a fault.

[Rob612]

Same here, to get the S/N when I registered the camera on Canon site, I had to get the box... the number on the plate was almost unreadable. Now that I have the grip, it will probably be more protected... maybe I'll rewrite it with a permanent marker...

[Titus213]

I believe the body serial number is available in the RAW data via the Canon File Viewer.

[Rob612]

I believe the body serial number is available in the RAW data via the Canon File Viewer.

Yes, it is. I do not remember with what program, but I am sure it is. It's in the extended exif info somewhere...

[puttick]

Yes, you can read the s/no from the EXIF. But I still could not register, as it needed a leading zero. Also say the camera was stolen, and then found. How would it be identifiable (by normal means)? And if in 2 years I wanted to sell it, who would believe it was "genuine"?

Having a rub-off-able serial number is unacceptable IMVHO.

Nigel

[Jon]

Canon knows about this and Canon USA has posted a service notice (http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=215&modelid=10464) about it.

[puttick]

Here is the text of the service message:

"April 15, 2005
We discovered that, for some of the EOS 20D and EOS Digital Rebel XT models that were produced during a certain period of time, the body number printed on the label had worn off following use of the product. This problem affects some products in the following serial number ranges:

EOS 20D:
Body No. "0910400001 - 0910402496", "0920400001 - 0920407771", "0930400001 - 0930417770"
EOS Digital Rebel XT:
Body No. "0310100001 - 0310112966", "0320100001 - 0320105992", "0330100001 - 0330127407"

The body number becoming faint or wearing off does not affect the product functionality. It also does not affect warranty service since the body number is recorded as data in the product. Please contact your local service center if you encounter this problem. "

...however I would say that is NOT satisfactory! Imagine trying to sell or trade your 350d in the future - many prospective purchasers would simply not accept it is "kosher" - and if lost/stolen and recovered how would you establish that it was yours (without getting the finder to read the EXIF - unlikely at a police station!)?

Also mine did NOT rub off "with use" - it was absent out of the box. My retailer (Jessops) had come across several with the same problem and was content to exchange it and return the "blank s/no" body to Canon UK as faulty. As they have already sold 5000 of these and another 5000 on order, they are a big customer and no doubt Canon will keep them sweet.

Nigel

[Biguss]

Had the same problem. E-mailed Canon support, after a few e-mails they have now arranged for the camera to be collected from my home by courier and will be adding a permanent serial number to the body. All at Canon's expense.