Serial Number on 70-300mm L

I purchased a lens through Amazon from a private seller. Everything is cool except there is not a serial number to be found. I've gone over every millimeter with a magnifying lens and side light, nada.

The price was fair and it is like new. Problem is that I can't register it with CPS. My Insurance agent said they are fine with pictures and receipt for insurance. I just have to put an identifiable marking on it.

I was under the impression that the serial number was supposed to be engraved in the lens. All of my other lenses are that way. This one has no signs of ever being engraved. The whole thing makes me nervous but I need this lens for events coming up over the next couple of weekends. Returning it and trying to get another one by the weekend is cutting it too close.

Would some of you that have this lens and tell me if it is engraved or if they did something different with this lens. I would feel a lot better knowing if Canon did not engrave the serial number on this model.

Thanks.

I can check mine when I get home, but I want to say it's where they used to put the date code...but I may be mistaken.

no date code, but mine has a serial # on the bottom face where it mounts to the body.

Canon told me they don't do a date code on this lens. The number on the newer lenses is supposed to be printed on the lens just below the IS Mode switch. A few pictures I found online showed this, but mine is blank there.

There are no signs of anyone trying to cover anything up. I just wonder if what they used to print the S/N can be easily cleaned off. I really hope not.

This is what it is supposed to look like......

bigVinnie wrote in post #15040417
There are no signs of anyone trying to cover anything up. I just wonder if what they used to print the S/N can be easily cleaned off. I really hope not.

The numbers are actually stamped into the lens barrel and then filled with paint. There is no way you could just remove the paint and not see the indentations of the numbers.

You have a collector's item!

EDIT: This is how it looks on my 70-200mm 2.8 IS II

Mine has a serial number next to the IS switch. 10 digits.

sebr wrote in post #15040920
Mine has a serial number next to the IS switch. 10 digits.

mine too!

Bizarre!

As you can see in the picture, no signs of any serial number.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Maybe IMPORT vs USA destined product in S/N placement? (No quality difference of course). Just a thought.

weird!. in my copy the serial number appears close to stabilizer switch too!

I talked with the people at CPS, they were at a loss as well. They said they can determine the serial number when I send it in for a CLA. End of October is my end of season and I will send it in then.

Well, I just looked at mine.

Mine doesn't have stamped in numbers like the photos above, mine is 10 digits, painted on like the wording/font size used on the rest of the lens.

Maybe its something they changed with newer production releases, and possibly yours is one of those like mine, but missed the mark on the production line where it got the paint job?

I should point out that the photos of the stamped numbers above are from my 70-200 2.8 IS II. But I am pretty sure that the 70-300L and other L lenses also have similar stamped numbers. You need to look VERY closely to see that they are indeed stamped.

msowsun wrote in post #15043086
I should point out that the photos of the stamped numbers above are from my 70-200 2.8 IS II. But I am pretty sure that the 70-300L and other L lenses also have similar stamped numbers. You need to look VERY closely to see that they are indeed stamped.

I ran my fingers over it and put my eye level to it, its definitely not stamped on mine. Just paint.

Would there be any reason a seller would paint over those numbers? Its not like you can tell the age of the lens from them.