jb17kx Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 <p>Hi all,<br> I recently acquired a 500C/M body and CF Planar T* 80/2.8, and out of curiosity decided to see if I could work out the production dates. My body and back are both 1989 by the VHPICTURES code (RE), but the lens has been a bit more troublesome. I found several sources that say a CF lens can be dated by looking at the red stamping inside the rear baffle. Mine has the code M98, which corresponds to the 13th month in 1989.<br> Is there something I've missed or does the M have another, unrelated, meaning?<br> Thanks in advance.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 <p>Good question. ;-)<br />Could be, yes. Could be that that theory needs adjusting. Or expanding.</p> <p>But are you sure it is an "M"? But then, what else could it be that fits the scheme and resembles an "M"? ("H" perhaps?)<br />But could you make sure anyway? Thanks!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btmuir Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 <p>It's easy to mistake stamped/painted/embossed etc serial numbers.</p> <p>I did this recently on a DSLR.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb17kx Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 <p>Thanks. I've seen some very difficult-to-read embossings (including some of the other markings on the same lens - you'd have thought Zeiss could have afforded to engrave them), but this one says "M98" clear as day.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 <p>Best thing would be to forget about the letter, until a better explanation can be found.<br> The numbers we are pretty sure of.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenhan_xue Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 <p>My 2 cents opinion is that "M" represents the 12th month because letter "I" is skipped. This is because letter "I" resembles number 1 which could confuse us. It happens in other areas. For example, when it comes to the drawings of building, architects typically use letters and nummers to locate and identify building columns. If letters (A, B, C...) are used in horizontal direction, then numbers (1, 2, 3...) will be used in vertical direction. To avoid confusions, letters "I" and "O" are commonly skipped. Hope this is the case for Hassy lens. However, if somebody proves there is "I89" lens, then I am in the wild guess world like you.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb17kx Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 <p>Sorry for the late reply, but that makes a lot of sense. I should have thought of it before. Thanks.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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