Originally posted by stevebrot The "internal" serial number in the makernotes of the EXIF is never the same as that affixed to the camera.
It is important to note that the label "Internal serial number" is not actually found in the makernotes. The label is a friendly name for the ExifTool developers'
best guess as to the purpose of the data at a specific location.* InternalSerialNumber (the assigned tag name) is one of four "tags" that have data related to the camera's manufacture. The other three are PentaxModelID, ManufactureDate, and ProductionCode (
REF). With the exception of PentaxModelID, any of the remaining three may change when the camera is serviced. As a result, those three fields should NOT be used as evidence of camera history.
As noted above, InternalSerialNumber is not the secret "real" serial number. It is related to manufacture, but the serial number of record is, and remains, the serial number for the body. A value different from the actual serial number is NOT evidence of tampering, remanufacture, or refurbished goods.
Steve
* Many tools, including this forum's software, use ExifTool's code. Other tools may assign different labels to the same data in the makernotes section, though the ExifTool's designation is usually deemed authoritative.