Why check the serial number and production date?

When buying a used camera, sellers often confuse (or deliberately distort) the date of purchase and the real year model release. The phrase “the camera is only 2 years old” can only mean that it was in a warehouse for 5 years and then was purchased 2 years ago.

Using the serial number and in-depth analysis of EXIF metadata, you can determine **the exact month and year the carcass was assembled on manufacturer**.

Where is the camera serial number?

1. Physical plate on the body:Applied to the nameplate on the bottom edge of the carcass near the tripod nests
2. Inside the file in the hidden EXIF ​​tag Internal Serial Number:Unlike the external sticker, which can be re-glued when changing the case; a non-forgeable serial number is sewn into the motherboard firmware.

Decoding serial numbers by brand

1. Nikon cameras

Nikon uses 7-digit serial numbers. The first digit often encodes the target sales region:

• 2xxxxxx / 3xxxxxx:USA and North America.
• 4xxxxxx:Europe and international market.
• 5xxxxxx:Japanese Domestic Market (JDM).
• 6xxxxxx / 7xxxxxx:Asia-Pacific region and official supplies to the Russian Federation/CIS (until 2022 year).

2. Canon cameras

On Canon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, the production date is encoded in the 12-digit serial number. Third and The fourth digit (positions 3 and 4) indicates the month and year of production according to the Canon factory revision table.

InternalSerialNumber tag and fraud protection

Some unscrupulous sellers, when selling a broken camera, buy a non-donor body with a preserved sticker and rearrange the nameplate.

However, the original processor serial number is recorded in the MakerNote of **Nikon (.NEF)** and **Canon (.CR2)** files. If the serial number on the sticker below does not match the serial number in EXIF, you have a “Frankenstein” assembled from different donors.

Correspondence table between serial numbers and regions

Brand	First digits SN	Destination region	Peculiarity
Nikon	5xxxxxx	Japan (JDM)	Japanese default menu
Nikon	6xxxxxx / 7xxxxxx	RF / CIS / EAEU	Official certification Rostest / EAC
Canon	Special code 3-4 digits	Global market	Deciphered by the service table