Camera, Lens and Drone Serial Numbers: Where to Find Them and How to Check Used Gear

Camera gear is small, valuable and easy to sell, which makes it a favourite of car and house thieves. Stolen kit is quick to resell on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. The serial numbers are what let police, insurers and buyers tell your camera apart from every other copy of the same model.

A typical kit has more serials than people expect: one on the body, one on every lens, and on a drone, separate numbers for the aircraft, the controller and each battery. Here is where to find them, and how to use them when you're the one buying.

Camera bodies

On most interchangeable-lens cameras the serial number is printed on a sticker or engraved on the base plate, near the tripod socket and the regulatory markings. Look for a code marked "No." or "S/N" rather than the model number. Some models put it somewhere less obvious:

• Inside the battery or card compartment. Sony places the serial inside the battery compartment on many models, and Fujifilm puts it in the battery or SD card compartment on some bodies such as the X-H2 and X-T4.
• Under a tilting screen. On some compact and mirrorless bodies the label sits behind the rear LCD, so tilt or flip the screen out and check.
• In the menu. Some cameras show the serial number in a firmware or camera information screen.

The serial is also on the original box label and usually on your tax invoice.

Lenses

Lens serials are notoriously hard to spot. Depending on the brand and age of the lens, the number may be:

• On the barrel, often on the underside opposite the distance scale or on the model plate. Sony generally prints it on the lens barrel.
• Near the mount, on the ring just in front of the bayonet or on the rear of the lens around the electrical contacts. Canon prints it on the barrel or on the mount area depending on the lens.

Many modern lenses print the number in dark grey on black plastic. Canon notes that on some RF lenses you need to tilt the lens under a light to read it at all. Shine a torch across the barrel at a low angle and photograph it with your phone so you can zoom in.

Drones (DJI and others)

DJI prints the aircraft's serial on the body, and you can also read it in the app. In DJI Fly, connect the aircraft and controller, open the camera view, tap the three-dot menu and go to About. The remote controller and each Intelligent Flight Battery carry their own labels, so record those as well; a thief often sells batteries separately.

DJI also lets you bind an aircraft and controller to your DJI account. Do it as soon as you buy a drone: DJI says it is needed to produce a flyaway report under DJI Care, and it's a strong record that the drone is yours. Only the bound account holder can unbind it, using "Remove Device from Account" in Device Management in the app. For privacy reasons DJI won't tell a new owner whether the previous owner has unbound it, so check the app yourself.

Your photos carry the serial number too

Every digital photo contains hidden EXIF metadata: the camera make and model, the date and the settings. Many cameras, including many Canon and Nikon models, also write the body serial number into that data, and some add the lens serial. Not all do. Stolen Camera Finder, which searches for these serials, notes that some manufacturers (including Sony) don't store them, and phones such as iPhones don't either.

If your camera does, that's useful in two ways. First, your original files are evidence of ownership: a folder of photos from your holidays, all carrying the same serial as the camera police have recovered, is hard to argue with. Keep a few original, unedited JPEGs or raw files backed up. Second, services such as Stolen Camera Finder (stolencamerafinder.com) search the web for photos carrying a given serial, which can show where a thief is uploading images. Its reach is limited: Facebook strips EXIF data from uploads, and many other sites do too. Treat it as a long shot, and pass anything you find to police rather than confronting anyone yourself.

Checking second-hand camera gear before you buy

1. Get the serials first. Ask for the body and lens serial numbers, or a photo of each label, before you meet. Run them through the SerialCheck search. A genuine seller has no reason to refuse.
2. Match them in person. Check that the number on the body is the one you were given, that it matches the box and receipt if they come with it, and, if the camera writes its serial to EXIF, take a test shot and check the file. A scratched-off or missing label on a camera that's otherwise in good condition is a reason to walk away.
3. Check the shutter count. A camera's mechanical shutter has a finite life, and the number of actuations is a good guide to how hard it has been used. Many Nikon, Sony and other models record the count in each image file, and free online checkers can read it from an original JPEG. Canon bodies often don't, so you may need other software or a service centre. Ask the seller for the count and compare it with the manufacturer's rated shutter life for that model.
4. Inspect the lens properly. Look through it against a bright light for fungus, haze and scratches, check that autofocus and stabilisation work on a body, and confirm the model matches the listing.
5. For drones, see it fly and see it unbound. Ask the seller to connect it to their app, show you the serial under About, and remove it from their DJI account in front of you before you pay.

Grey imports and warranty

A "grey" or parallel import is gear brought into Australia without the manufacturer's permission to sell it here, often at a lower price. The ACCC says buyers of parallel imports still have the usual consumer guarantees, and the seller has to sort out a problem rather than send you to the manufacturer. The manufacturer's warranty is a different matter: it may not apply in Australia, and local distributors don't have to honour it if its terms exclude parallel imports.

Buying second-hand from a private person changes things again. According to the ACCC, most consumer guarantees don't apply to private sales where the seller isn't running a business. The guarantees that do still apply include that the seller has the right to sell the item and that you get to keep it. But if the gear turns out to be stolen, police can seize it and return it to its owner, leaving you to chase the seller for your money. So for used gear, ask whether it's Australian stock, ask for the original receipt, and don't pay a premium for a warranty you can't confirm.

Red flags

• A price well below what similar gear is selling for.
• No box, receipt, charger or strap, and a vague story about where it came from.
• A seller who won't give serial numbers, or whose serials don't match the gear.
• A new account, a meeting in a car park, and pressure to pay by bank transfer before you've inspected it.
• A drone that's still bound to someone else's account.

Our guides on buying safely on Marketplace and Gumtree and why you should check the serial number before buying second-hand cover the rest.

If your camera gear is stolen

Report it to police as soon as you can and give them every serial number: body, lenses, drone, controller and batteries, along with makes, models and any marks or stickers. Give them some original photo files too if your camera writes its serial into EXIF. Tell your insurer, and then mark each item stolen on SerialCheck so anyone who checks the serial before buying is warned. Our guide on what to do if your property is stolen walks through the police report and insurance claim step by step. If it was taken in a break-in, see our home security tips as well.

Record it today

Get your torch, photograph the serial on the body and on every lens, open your drone app, and write down the numbers while everything is still in your bag. Then register your camera gear on SerialCheck so there's a timestamped record of ownership if you ever need it. For everything else in the house, see our guide to where to find serial numbers on common items.