Just got brand new 50mm 1.2 date manufactured 09-2011?

is this normal? its been sitting at b&h for that long? should i go to b&h and ask them about it?

If there is nothing wrong with that lens, don't worry about it.

that's not abnormal, they have runs of these lenses, then the production lines move on to something else.

rick_reno wrote in post #14776173
that's not abnormal, they have runs of these lenses, then the production lines move on to something else.

+1 some lenses only have periodic production runs

Maybe it was on the back of the shelf and new stock kept being placed in front of it.

I wouldnt worry. It wont matter a year from now. Youll never see the date code. This lens will be glued to your camera.

I can't imagine a $1500 prime being bought like hotcakes. That it was made just under a year. Packaged and shipped from Japan and then put on a stock shelf and then sent to you. Seems good to me! Don't worry about it, there is no shelf life on a Canon 50mm f/1.2 L. Or any other Canon lens that I know of!

I'm pretty surprised in how up to date lenses are, at least at B and H. Every lens I have bought had a date code that was the same year or the year previous at the time I bought them.

rick_reno wrote in post #14776173
that's not abnormal, they have runs of these lenses, then the production lines move on to something else.

lannes wrote in post #14776352
+1 some lenses only have periodic production runs

I did not know this...thanks!

If there's no expiration date then you're good to go.

as long as you don't have 2007, you're OK.

They're not made at B&H. There's a lot of travelling to do between manufacture and sale, over different modes of transport through many logistical nodes.

b&h won't sell returns as brand new right?

Don't be a Silly Boy.

SillyBoy81 wrote in post #14780103
b&h won't sell returns as brand new right?

I noticed this at B&H too. All the batteries I received (LP-E6) are dated one year ago, while ones from Best Buy or Amazon are dated only a couple (1-3) months back. Also receive "brand new" lenses in conditions that make me skeptical (e.g. damaged and/or tampered box). This happened on more than one occasion, then I ordered from Amazon and I had no doubt the Amazon one was new. Don't get me wrong, B&H is fantastic to shop at and they've got GREAT customer service, I've just had a few experiences with them in terms of "brand new" items and date codes that make me hesitant to order from them again.

Best Buy is famous for putting damaged goods back on the shelf for sale. I brought a defective printer back once but before I did I put my initials inside the bottom of the box it was in using tiny lettering so it would be unnoticeable. Well, a few days later I went back and bought that same printer and was disgusted when I found my initials at the bottom of a re sealed box. I complained to the manager and told him what I'd done and was thinking about notifying the local paper about it but never did. I moved shortly afterwards.