Question to all POTNr's....

Date code....does it really matter?

For milk, yes.
For hardware and gear...not so much.

Not really. However, people like new things. The newer the date, the better is supposed to be, despite the same lens could be using the same design for the past 7 years. Older date lens may be sold cheaper if buying it used. If you bought a new lens with an older date, this may mean that the seller couldn't move this lens out of the inventory for a while.

JEC wrote in post #11840803
For milk, yes.
For hardware and gear...not so much.

I believe the OP is referring to the date code on L lenses. Camera bodies??? I think they do but the manufactured date is usually indicated from the serial numbers. In fact, this date is even more important than the date code on the lenses. Take the 1dmarkIII for an example. Earlier models have AF issues. Only the later models with the later serial numbers that the AF is fixed.

Condition and function are more important than date, but all else being equal I would take the newer lens.

TooManyShots wrote in post #11840830
I believe the OP is referring to the date code on L lenses. Camera bodies??? I think they do but the manufactured date is usually indicated from the serial numbers. In fact, this date is even more important than the date code on the lenses. Take the 1dmarkIII for an example. Earlier models have AF issues. Only the later models with the later serial numbers that the AF is fixed.

But, but, but :::gasp:::......maybe after making thousands or millions of the same camera or lens the robots are all worn out and aren't making them as good as they used to.

Lens number 999999 is never any good, watch out for those

As long as it works, don't care. My 70-200 looks like it has been in a war, and has been repaired several times (generally me dropping it!), but it still does the business!

tkbslc wrote in post #11840861
Condition and function are more important than date, but all else being equal I would take the newer lens.

Yup. Especially if it still has some warranty balance left.

JEC wrote in post #11841091
But, but, but :::gasp:::......maybe after making thousands or millions of the same camera or lens the robots are all worn out and aren't making them as good as they used to.

Well aside from bad batches, it is not so much what the robot did, but what humans, dust, corrosives and microbes have done to the lens since it left the robot's pincers.