Please note that the actual date of manufacture of the lens does not seem to affect whether the lens provides an internal serial number or not. It appears to be when that lens model was introduced. I have an EF 17-40mm f/4 L. An interesting site that lets you estimate your lens' age by its serial number. I really wished Nikon had adapted a system similar to that used by Hasselblad. Theirs is much more detailed and specific. I know not only year but month of manufacture of every piece of Blad equipment I own by its serial number. Nikon Lens Versions and Serial Nos. According to this thread, there should be a date stamp inside your FM body. Rather than the serial number, it's this 4-character code that indicates the precise date of manufacturer. The first digit is the month: 1-9 = Jan-Sept, 0 = Oct, N = November, D = December. The second digit is the last digit of the year of manufacture.

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In practical terms, these four different models amount to minor variations of the same camera. The Nikon One and the M's are far too expensive to use. Serial #'s 6091 to 6094000. The Nikon S is comparatively common, and not very popular. As a result, the S is the lowest priced way to get into the Nikon Rangefinders. All share the heavy duty construction of tanks in terms of their body casting and body covers -- they have the thickest most difficult to bend or scratch chrome covers of any Nikon Rangefinder.

From a user standpoint, these cameras are slower working with knob wind and rewind. They are relatively heavy, noticeably heavier than the cameras which followed. Their combined Rangefinder / Viewfinders are small compared to the later Nikons or the Leica M, yet large and bright compared to their main competition -- the screw mount Leicas. The combined Rangefinder and Viewfinder window is nice (50 mm view only). Strangely enough, their RF image is probably the brightest of all the Nikon Rangefinders. While flash synced, the S uses an obsolete a prong type sync cord which is very difficult to find today. Nikon S serial numbers range from 6094001 to 6129600.All four early Nikon cameras share the same layout and can easily be mistaken for each other at a quick glance. See separate profiles: Unsynced M,Synced M , S.

The Nikon S2 was introduced in 1955, a great advance over the S. It showed Nikon's innovative design. See Separate Profile Much lighter than the S, its features included:

A much larger Rangefinder/Viewfinder for the 50mm field of view. In fact, it has the largest 50mm finder of any Nikon RF, but it is not parallax corrected. If you are going to shoot with only the 50, this makes an excellent choice. This is a 1:1 finder which is a big plus, allowing easy use with both eyes open, without eye strain. The S2 RF image is generally brighter and less flare than the later S3 and S4 finders. Many shooters find the S2 their favorite NRF camera for 50 lenses.
Faster and easier Lever advance and rewind, compared to the S's knobs.
Standard PC sync terminal
Single latch back removal, instead of the twin latches on the S
A much smaller and lighter body

All of these features add up to make the S2 a very convenient user camera today. Many shooter consider the S2 Nikon's best user rangefinder, though personally I prefer the SP. It is also the most numerous Nikon Rangefinder and sells for less than half the price of the SP, all other conditions being the same. The later S2's have a black shutter speed dial and a black focusing scale. These later cameras are known as 'Black Dial S2' and command a premium over the more common 'Chrome Dial S2.' A limited number of S2's were made in Black, and these command high prices from collectors. Serial # 613500 to 6197000

The Nikon SP

Legendary is the word for this camera. For its time, the SP was far more advanced than anything else available. Many consider the Nikon SP the QUINTESSENTIAL Photojournalist's camera. For the first time, Nikon had not only caught up, but had passed Leica. It's the overall best Nikon Rangefinder choice as a user as far as I am concerned, especially if you have the lenses to make use of its six frameline finder system. Serial # 6200000 to 6232200. SP's are my favorite cameras and I buy all I can. See Separate Profile

Shown here are three original black paint Black SP's with the new Cosina Voigtlander 21/4, 25/4, and 35/2.5 lenses, the Voigtlander double accessory shoe mounting a Voigtlander VC silicon LED meter, with two S36 motor drives and the impossibly hard to find Jacobson SP cordless battery pack (the first and original cordless battery pack for Nikon cameras) made in good old Hollywood USA.

Nikon Black SP 2005!To most dedicated Nikon collectors, there is no Nikon quite as desirable as the black Nikon SP. On January 14th 2005 Nikon announced a new limited production run of 2500 SP's mounting the 35/1.8 Nikkor. This is a dream come true to many long time Nikon collectors. Discontinued after a single short production run, the Nikon SP 2005 is now a rare collectible INFO

The Nikon S3, S3M and S4

Nikon S3/S4'swere actually built on the SP chassis as an inexpensive alternative to the SP. The S3 has a large 1:1 Rangefinder/Viewfinder with three non parallax corrected lines always visible--the 35, the 50, and the 105. The S4 has the same finder, but is lacking the S3's self timer and motor drive connection. The years have not usually been kind to the S3/4 finders, and they usually show a lot of flare, often with a noticeably less contrasty rangefinder than any of the other NRF cameras. If you wear glasses, the outside 35 frame is hard to see. Personally I find all the other Nikon Rangefinders preferable to these. Some S3's were made in black and are now a rare collectible. High S4 prices reflect its rarity and value to collectors--not users. It was never officially imported to the US. S3 Serial #'s 6300000 to 6314500. S4 Serial #'s 6500000 to 6505900. See Separate Profile

Nikon S3 2000: Nikon amazed Nikon collectors in the year 2000 by introducing the chrome Nikon S3 2000 selling for an average of $4500, a near duplicate of the classic S3 first introduced in 1958. Some collectors hoped for a new SP, but the complicated SP finder would have made the camera too expensive. Also introduced was a new formula black 50/1.4. Unfortunately, no other Nikon made lenses or accessories followed. The story that I was told is that Nikon originally intended to make only 2000 of the new S3's. Nikon is said to have cut off orders at 8000, though it is unclear if all were delivered. In 2002 Nikon introduced a new version, a black paint Nikon S3 2000, limited to 2000 units. Personally I think the black S3 was just what Nikon collectors were waiting for. I predict a relatively quick sell out.

Nikon Serial Number Manufacture Date Search

The Nikon S3M

Nikon S3M this is a special low production collectible. It looks very much like a regular S3. Serial # 6600000 to 6600225. Half frame means that its film format was half the normal 35mm frame size. Thus it could give 72 exposures on a 36 roll of film. At a blazing 9fps per second, the motorized S3M was also the first high speed Nikon. Lets talk. See Separate Profile

Left to right: S2 Black Dial, S3/S4, SP -- notice the different finder sizes

Voigtlander Bessa R2S: At Photokina 2002 Cosina introduced the Nikon Rangefinder mount Voigtlander R2S, the ONLY Nikon Rangefinder mount camera ever sold to the public with TTL metering, along with a new series of lenses:12/5.6, 15/4.5, 21/4, 25/4, 28/3.5, 35/2.5, 50/3.5, 50/2.5, 50/1.5, 85/3.5. After a lapse of only 4 decades, the venerable Nikon Rangefinder mount returns to