Date Codes in Film Chamber?

[mike_sowsun]

I recently bought an AE-1 to replace one I sold in 1989, when I switched to EOS AF film cameras, and then digital. Most Canon film cameras have a date code in the film chamber area, but I just noticed something unusual about my AE-1 (and maybe all AE-1s). The date code has the Greek “Omega” Ω symbol at the beginning. ΩU 750U is my date code, but the last U is worn off. Is there some reasoning to the Ω symbol? It seems like the other “A” series cameras don’t have the Ω symbol.

[Bettendorf]

I don't know Mike, it's all Greek to me.  

My AE-1P has a non-letter letter.  Or maybe some other alphabet. 

 

[mike_sowsun]

That = symbol is strange. I don’t think it is a Greek letter. I always thought Canon just used regular letters in these date codes. 

[Bettendorf]

Yes it is.  By another alphabet I meant one us westerners aren't familiar with, or maybe keyboard type symbols.

When you look straight down on that = of mine, the lines are not parallel.  More like foot prints that are wider at the toes.

[jim_bielecki1]

I've been looking at Canon date codes for decades and 99.9% of the time they're just what you expect.  But every once in awhile some weird combination pops up that isn't easily explained.  It makes sense to Canon, but not to the rest of us. 

[gwhitegeog]

Yes, this area is a minefield. The issue was that the date code was stamped when the camera was packaged to leave the factory. Thus, a camera could be made one year or more before the camera was released. This was certainly the case with the T-90 and the A-series, where towards the end, large batches were made and stockpiled before they ended production. The stamping was sometimes a bit ad hoc and amateurish, if I can use that word. And at the time that it happened, was anyone checking and quality assuring what the worker was doing? I doubt it.

[mike_sowsun]

I had a look on eBay and many of the date codes that were visible in the photos had the Greek “Omega” Ω symbol at the beginning. But some had other strange ones. 

I think this is an example of 𝚵 which is “Xi”.

Edited October 30, 2023 by mike_sowsun

[jim_bielecki1]

25 years ago, when List Serv's were popular, there was a guy from Canon (Chuck Westphall?) on an FD list I was on.  He could tell you anything you wanted to know about date codes.  I do recall him saying that cameras that failed initial inspection were repaired and re-stamped.  Maybe some of these unorthodox symbols/letters/numbers relate to that.

[gwhitegeog]

Good point, I do recall now hearing that before