Analog Lounge · Serial numbers
Estimate the age of your historical Rodenstock lens from its serial number. This lookup uses the cross-checked historical section of a preserved manufacturer's table.
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Check a Rodenstock lens number
JavaScript is required for the automatic lookup. The underlying data are also available in the tables below.
This lookup covers historical Rodenstock lens numbers. It does not identify the lens model, date a camera body or verify authenticity.
What do the year limits mean?
The table contains 40 upper serial limits, from number 50,000 for 1910 to number 11,805,455 for 2005. The heading “Serial No. up to” identifies upper limits, not the first number of each year.
For numbers between limits, the adjacent table years are shown as an approximate period. No months are added. Later figures differ between preserved versions, so this checked selection ends at 2005.
View the reference data
| Serial number up to (upper bound) | Year |
|---|---|
| 50,000 | 1910 |
| 200,000 | 1920 |
| 400,000 | 1930 |
| 700,000 | 1935 |
| 900,000 | 1938 |
| 950,000 | 1940 |
| 2,000,000 | 1945 |
| 2,500,000 | 1952 |
| 3,000,000 | 1954 |
| 4,000,000 | 1957 |
| 4,500,000 | 1960 |
| 5,000,000 | 1961 |
| 5,300,000 | 1963 |
| 6,000,000 | 1966 |
| 6,500,000 | 1969 |
| 7,000,000 | 1971 |
| 7,500,000 | 1972 |
| 8,000,000 | 1973 |
| 9,000,000 | 1974 |
| 9,300,000 | 1976 |
| 9,500,000 | 1977 |
| 10,000,000 | 1979 |
| 10,300,000 | 1981 |
| 10,500,000 | 1984 |
| 10,750,000 | 1986 |
| 10,950,000 | 1989 |
| 11,000,000 | 1991 |
| 11,150,000 | 1993 |
| 11,231,713 | 1994 |
| 11,294,073 | 1995 |
| 11,358,165 | 1996 |
| 11,407,513 | 1997 |
| 11,468,541 | 1998 |
| 11,521,123 | 1999 |
| 11,588,264 | 2000 |
| 11,649,679 | 2001 |
| 11,678,274 | 2002 |
| 11,724,136 | 2003 |
| 11,767,376 | 2004 |
| 11,805,455 | 2005 |
Frequently asked questions
Will I get an exact manufacturing year?
An exact match identifies a published upper serial limit for a year. Numbers between limits receive an approximate period, not an individual production record.
Does the result also date my camera?
No. The table concerns Rodenstock lenses. It does not establish that the camera body or shutter was manufactured in the same year.
Why does the lookup stop at 2005?
The selected historical figures through 2005 agree across the checked sources. Some later figures conflict and have been excluded. This does not mean that production ended in 2005.
Sources and accuracy
Based on a preserved Qioptiq / Rodenstock Photo Optics manufacturer's table, June 2012 version. Its historical section through 2005 was checked against a contemporary transcription of the 2011 version. Reviewed on 21 October 2026.
- Herstellungsdatum von Rodenstock Objektiven / Production Date of Rodenstock Lenses
- Zeitgenössische Abschrift der Rodenstock-Herstellerliste durch Emmanuel Bigler
Sources reviewed: 21.10.2026
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