A not very successful businessman

Thieves will steal anything if the target looks vulnerable.

Preferably when the gear/bag is separated from the photog...in a car, etc.
 
Bill Clark said:
I believe that some, due to body language, conveying a sense of weakness, are more easily taken advantage of.
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Indeed, and being clearly aware of one's surroundings inhibits victimization. But of course that awareness comes pretty naturally to a photographer, doesn't it? :)

I've never had any gear lost or stolen. I mostly use an old blue LowePro that is obviously a camera bag, but when out and about I don't carry it, just the camera over a shoulder, tucked into the angle of my elbow.
 
One of the good points to living in Tokyo is that theft is not a problem. I once left a new Prada bag (a gift from my wife) on the subway platform with a black paint M4, Summilux, notebook PC, etc. It took me half on hour to get back to the station, but my bag and it's contents were right where I left it.
 
I use cheap (<$15) canvas messenger bags bought at markets, with a padded insert (or with a second-hand small padded camera bag inside it). I think I look more like a bankrupt small businessman.. with no hope of attaining solvency.. But I think situational awareness and body language are more important, although I do live in a very safe part of the world. There is more risk here (Sydney) of of having stuff stolen from a car.
 
I was using for years trashed lunch bag to keep in my expense DSLR. Who do you think would be attracted by it left in the car?

If more gear and it is heavy, I use Costco Swiss cheap backpack. I don't know for how many years, trips and customers I have used it. Using now also to carry on my 4x5 monorail camera and tripod attached to backpack and just for weekend's hikes.


As person who works in television for 20+ years I couldn't care less how fancy the bag is among photo gear heads.
To me here is no reason to have expensive gear bag which looks like reach woman purse.
www.portabrace.com this company does the best bags for professional video gear. Best not because it looks fancy, it doesn't, but because it is made by professionals for real professionals for decades.

My another cheap Costco Swiss bag was gone after five or more years of daily use.
Every day I have my laptop, tools and camera(s) in it.
It was replaced by black, nothing fancy, looking dusty while new Domke.
I like it because it is American product, has better build and nice insert and ... it was on huge sale.
People asking me if I'm photographer not because I have fancy bag (which I don't) and I don't wear expensive clothes either. I guess, it just the way I fiddle my gear, which tells strangers I knew something more about photography....
 
i like a nice looking bag...no matter whats inside of it!

using diaper bags and lunch bags is not for me...have i used canvas book bags with an insert inside? sure...but it was a nice looking book bag!
 
Thanks for the link Ko.Fe.

This looks like the company that made the bag I carry my Pentax 645 kit in. Very, very sturdy, business-like bag that does not draw unnecessary attention.
 
In the dangerous places I've been to/lived in I think what brand of shoes you wear or what kind of jacket you have on is much more likely to mark you as a target for thieves/mugs than how fancy your camera bag is (so long as it's not LV or the like).
 
When I go into an area where I could get robbed, I just bring one of my lower end cameras and no bag. If I'm relaxed, and there's a slim chance of getting robbed, I like to have a semi fancy camera bag.
 
I remember one big burly german guy walking with two 5Ds w/fast zoom lenses. Two small street kids approached him from behind and tripped him up, by the time he got up the cameras disappeared:eek::bang:.

I believe that some, due to body language, conveying a sense of weakness, are more easily taken advantage of.[/QUOTE]
 
I like the national geographic series of bags. Basic and rugged canvas make them look non-descript. I also removed the Nat Geo logo from mine to make it more stealthy.

Most of the cameras I shoot with are sub-$1000. So if I do get something stolen, I won't feel too bad. Luckily for me there are so many high quality and inexpensive medium format rangefinders out there :).

Being confident in yourself is paramount in life and photography. I've been in situations where I've worried about my watch being stolen. It's a crappy, all consuming feeling. Being nervous about getting mugged would either make my photography suffer or make it cease. Best go to a place your comfortable photographing using equipment that won't significantly impact your life if stolen.
 
a 40-year solution

a 40-year solution

I generally carry one camera and perhaps a second lens, pocket stuff. But when I got started with an M2 and four lenses they all fitted into a surplus gas mask bag, with room for around 10 film cans. The gas mask bag fits close to the body, easy to handle. socks around the lenses for protection. This was in Chicago, late '60s. The rig stayed functional until it finally disintegrated in the early 2000's. Today, I feel most exposed by the gaudy straps that come with new mirrorless cameras.

scott
 
I think the benefit of "disguise" is mostly psychological rather than real.

Speaking as a white, 6 foot (ish) large-framed, northern european (UK) in his early 50's, if I travel anywhere in the developed or developing world (photographic pun not intended) I stick out like a sore thumb. I don't want to, but I do.

I also need a week to acclimitise to hot conditions - especially when it's also humid. My wife and I tend to stay at tourist type hotels, in what we expect to be reasonably safe areas of the country we're visiting. However, that is also a misconception as I expect that the local bad lads also know that's where to find us if the want to rob us or rip us off.

We don't want to upset anyone by flaunting our possessions but it's hard not to (even with modest gear) in countries / cities where most of the locals scape by on a few dollars a week. We also don't engage in "povertty porn" as we're not photojournalists trying to sell a story. We are respectful of the local cultures, leave tips and try, as best we can, to engage positively with the people we meet - wherever that may be.

We've traveled with Lowepro bags and Billingham down the years - Egypt, Morrocco, Costa Rica, USA, Maldives, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic, Tunisia, etc. with zero problem - photographically. The only difficulty we ever had was having some money stolen from my wife's bag while were scuba diving off Sharm el Sheikh (but that could have been another tourist as easily as one of the deck hands).

I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that our safety is as much about how we interact as much as your possessions or the bag they're in. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm not convinced that we're kidding anyone if we think the locals don't know we have money belts, watches and cameras - even if we try to disguise the fact by carrying beat-up old canvas bags. If the bad guys want our stuff, they know where it is.
 
I was born in South Africa.
Theft there was a major problem that became an epidemic, after the change!
I lost two Leica lenses, in an attack on my car with me in it..
I long ago gave up use of bags marked "Nikon","Canon", "Leica".
I live in Canada.
There can be problems but truthfully a very safe city.
I use a kids backpack at moment.
It's dirty, worn and used for groceries, books, spare sox or T-shirt.
The T-shirt to protect a camera, usually my battered M3.
Spare plastic bag for Leica if it shares space with milk, groceries and fruit!
I always carry one camera, a roll of film, if there are less than 10 shots left..
My main camera these days, is a cheap point and shoot digital, on a cord.
It's more a weight problem than one of safety..
Folks today are unaware of what is an expensive camera.
The big monster Hulk sized DSLR and L o n g lenses are easy.
The old Film cameras not so easy to know.
I don't look like a poor business man!
No!
I resemble an old cowboy without a horse.
Jeans, T-shirt and now in Winter, a Parka coat.
No spare lenses, no extra bodies..
Occasionally seen as a street person or a mugger!
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I did use a couple of diaper bags initially for my rangefinder gear. Liked their low-vis stealthiness but the straps were kind of short and didn't hold up well at the attachment point. Now I use messenger style bags that don't advertise their contents (I think). I received a filson bag as a gift (nice), bought a martilena (etsy) insert for it, but haven't used it. The canvas/leather look is real pretty but probably too much for where I live and shoot.
 
If it fits in a coat pocket then I tend to go with that option. Come summer or if I'm somewhere warm then its an old messenger bag worn with the strap across my body, though this is for comfort rather than security.

In most cases and countries sense and sensibility should be enough, bar a bad case of poor luck, to keep a hold of your possessions. For those above who've mentioned working in tougher conditions/places then personal experience and making the most of the experience of colleagues unsurprisingly seems to have the best results.

I've always liked the idea of the late Jane Bown using her old wicker shopping basket, sometimes you need to carry other items too :)
 
scott kirkpatrick said:
I generally carry one camera and perhaps a second lens, pocket stuff. But when I got started with an M2 and four lenses they all fitted into a surplus gas mask bag, with room for around 10 film cans. The gas mask bag fits close to the body, easy to handle. socks around the lenses for protection. This was in Chicago, late '60s. The rig stayed functional until it finally disintegrated in the early 2000's. Today, I feel most exposed by the gaudy straps that come with new mirrorless cameras.

scott
Click to expand...

Scott, you nailed it. I had a gas mask bag for my gear back in the seventies when I was doing a lot of wandering in third world countries. I made draw-string soft leather pouches for lenses to keep them from getting too scratched. Gear was 3g or 3f and 35-50-90 lenses.
Best thing was you looked just like one of the other hippies who probably only had dirty laundry and a chillum in their bag.
Last time it got used was for travel into eastern Russia in 1991.
Haven't seen the bag in a while so it was probably thrown out after I retired. Not sure it would be a great idea to carry a bag with military vibes these days, too much paranoia around.
It was sure a bargan, think I paid about $2 for mine.

Glenn
 
I use a bag with both waist and shoulder fasteners. I walk with the camera side as close to fences, buildings as possible.
 
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