Everything stolen so hello M8 and a question

[tunznath]

remember brands say a lot about where you are from -
Jack Wolfskin - German
Blacks, berghaus British
etc remember your backpack, windbreaker, boots - it says a lot where you are from

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

I think that the original poster had the right approach in the beginning: buy the camera you want, insure it and then go where you want. Cameras are replaceable and insurance puts people in the enviable position of having to choose between a Canon 5D and a Leica M8!

 

[georgef]

1. put a PANASONIC sticker over theLEICA name he
2. carry an SLR lens to whack thieves over the head with he he
3. carry your gear in a bag with this on the outside: WORLD KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP he he he

Seriously though, get a slim bag that goes over your head and keep it in front of you, not behind your back.

 

[bottley1]

Italy is a very safe civilised place, just be savvy. Electrical tape stuck all over the leica bits will make camera less showy. Enjoy your trip

 

[BillBingham2]

Chocy,

I'd go with insurance and also do not bring the world (read every lens you own). I'm a minimalist these days. Take a 28mm, a 50 and nothing else. I use diaper bags for most of my kits and never had problems. I also am somewhat solid and walked all around NYC with a leica for many years so I do walk with a bit of an attitude.

Carry your bag around your shoulder across your chest, flap to the inside. I've been looking at the Timbuk2 medium or small classic messenger bag as a logical next level up. It's a bit bigger than the diaper bag I use and so I might get one of them.

While I would limit my self to a GR-D (28mm) and 40mm add on lens for places like that, I do not have insurance. You have to use your stuff, so walk strong and get the stuff insured.

B2 (;->

 

[Roberto]

Anyway now I will be going to Rome next week (after getting the M8)
so I am even more concerned about the theft than the Spain

Hey it's not fair! Italian are not worst than Spanish ppl..


Err.. where exactely will you stay in Rome? 😀 AHAHHA

Rob.

 

[shimo-kitasnap]

get a dark colored domke f5xb cut off the domke labels, wash it everytime you do your laundry for 4 months before you go on your trip, or buy a used one that looks like it's been to a warzone and back.....plenty of used ones on ebay, hell i'm selling one right now, real cheap. Get the waist belt and use it with the shoulder strap (can't be grabed off your person), Use a mini combination luggage lock on the zipper pulls.

If you're paranoid about camera getting stolen, buy a Zorki 6, canon 50mm f1.8 and 35mm f2.8, and a Voigtlander 28/35 mini finder. there you've got a camera that cost nearly nothing compared to a leica, has wide baselength for night focusing. Youv'e also got 2 decent lenses that yeild nice results yet are relatively cheap. And if it still goes missing, you're only set back $250 ish dollars.....

dress:
don't wear sandals, tourist trademark in many parts of the world, don't wear shorts.
avoid high fashion jeans, stick with levis in plain blue, or some kakhis or even black slacks. wear plain colored buttion shirt, loos the sunglasses and hats, loose the expensive wrist watch, wear a timex or skagan, dark colored.

 

[cosmonot]

I use diaper bags for most of my kits and never had problems. I also am somewhat solid and walked all around NYC with a leica for many years so I do walk with a bit of an attitude.

FWIW, from where I come from diaper bags often play substitute for purses when people are travelling with kids. Same goes for strollers. That means they have the cash/credit inside them, which to me makes them seem like just as much of a likely target for thieves.

I usually load up with army surplus bags & generic messenger style bags. Try to find something that looks like it DOES NOT HAVE A LAPTOP inside of it, then put some padded inserts inside. Unfortunately the popular "satchel" style domke/billingham bags don't really pass this test for me. Nor does anything with leather trim. Make it look like something that a starving student would carry a lunch and a magazine/newspaper or with, not like something a well off retiree would carry between home and the country club, and that's even better.

The attitude helps the most though. Moving around like you know where you are and you know where you're going seems to be the best tactic.

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

I think that Shimo is onto something too ... don't dress like a tourist! Not only do you make yourself a target, but (worse?) you'll look like a dork.

 

[hou baloo]

My friend carries his Leica gear in a pink "Hello, Kitty" padded lunchbag. It may not stop a thief, but it will likely limit the number of thieves to those who have a secure sense of their masculinity! 😛

Traveling in urban environments, I use a very generic sling bag, usually one I have picked up in a thrift store for a couple of bucks. A little ragged, not fancy, usually black. In a lot of European cities, carrying one is so de rigeur that I would guess there is little notice taken of them.

 

[georgef]

insure it and go... i have travelled extensively (including some seriously dodgy places) with a leica and never had an issue.
however i AM 200lbs, thick as a brick and have two full arms of tattoo's (talk about enforcing stereotypes).
seriously, insure it and don't worry about it. a camera can't take pictures if it's at home!
john

HA hA, the tats work for me too. "When in doubt, raise your sleeves"! It works.
But I suggest other means than tattoos for the poster he he.

 

[caparobertsan]

RE: storen ca,eras

RE: storen ca,eras

Hello, I have read some of comment from members regarding travelling Eu countries.

I have travelled by myself arounf EU in 1992. I had no problems. I stayed at ythhostel all the time. I travelled Italy for a month it was great fun. Actually Spain and Italy were the better place for me to visit because of people and food. I was yes very very cautious. Only the gypsy(annoing kids) bothered me. Actually they More scary than any other criminals. And Italian people thinks all Asians are Karate master. They told me that long time aga A Japanese couple went to Rome for honey moon and thives soroundded them demaniding money. But hasband moved quickly atually KILLED them all not Just hit them KILLED them. In 1992 the story was still believed among Italians.

BY the way how did they steal your cameras???? How did happenen?

because your story and everyone`s comment worries me a lot.

 

[Avotius]

Try a Canon G9. Well rounded, easy to carry in your larger pocket. As for bags, I have a Matin black canvas bag with olive interior. Its quite ordinary looking and a pain in the neck to get into, which is why I bought it.

 

[Ben Z]

I've travelled everywhere, including extensively in Italy, and never had a problem. One of the reasons I put up with a lot of disadvantages in order to carry an M8 vs a DSLR is so I can dispense with a camera bag when I want to. When we go out in the evening I take the camera and one lens. Lens in one zippered inside sportcoat pocket, capped camera body in the opposite, small accessories in the un-zippered pockets.

I never understood the diaper-bag ploy. A middle-aged guy carrying a diaper bag, with no baby in sight? Come on, how smart does a robber need to be to see through that one?

 

[John Noble]

I never understood the diaper-bag ploy. A middle-aged guy carrying a diaper bag, with no baby in sight? Come on, how smart does a robber need to be to see through that one?

I do it all the time. 🙂

I'm 40. My increasingly weatherbeaten diaper bag goes with me everywhere, and it always has a supply of diapers, wipes, etc. sticking out of it. The kids (2 1/2 years and 3 weeks) aren't always with me. The fact that the diaper bag is an olive Domke F-6 doesn't make it any less a diaper bag.

No diaper bag is complete without a couple thousand dollars' worth of camera gear, of course.

 

[jbf]

I am just glad I live in a part of the world where most people can't even pronounce Leica, let alone know what one is.

Hey I resent that. I'm living in georgia too! 😀


No i know what you mean though. No one here has a flying clue what one is... with the exception of the few photo students who ask "is that a leica" (when in reality it isnt). Even then the students know the name but not the camera.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

Chocy (or others):
Would you mind specifying HOW you were robbed? If they got the 5D "and lots of L lenses," did this happen in your hotel? Were you carrying all that gear while shooting?

I travel a lot to South and Central America. I generally take all my gear (Canon 5D, Leica, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex), in a big case. But, once i'm there, i might take only one camera and one lens to shoot with. I'm careful not to use a "camera bag," but still, i've been cautioned by locals that thieves can ride by on bikes and slice straps —*that kind of thing. But, like the poster above noted, with stereotypes... i'm tall, black, and 'look' athletic — like i could chase down a thief without a problem.... So, i rarely feel at risk....

I'm just wondering about what other scams/ploys/strategies i need to be aware of.

 

[Larky]

I'm currently going with the messy backpack approach. I have a BMX (I ride, I'm too old but I enjoy it!) backpack, which even when held down with both feet and without the stress of trying to do it quickly and silently, is almost impossible to open! In that I can carry everything I need, it doesn't hurt my bad back (BMX and laptop use) and a thief would have to cut two straps to get it off.

My camera is always on my wrist though, always. I use a wrist strap pulled tight. I always walk with an attitude, I am only 5 foot 8-ish inches tall, but seem to look like I'm built well! Not fat, stocky, and I have a naturally angry looking face and walk. This seems to make people leave me well alone, and nobody ever starts on me.

I honestly think attitude is a big part of it. Be confident, be polite but be firm. Do not dress like a tourist, purely for the reason that you'd look like a git!

 

[ramosa]

three ideas. first, get a camera bag that looks non-camera like. i have a domke canvas bag and tore off the label.

second, i haven't done it yet (as i just got my M8), but i plan to put some black tape over the "M8" and red dot. has anyone done this? my first thought is to use black electrical tape. i would put a little piece of paper directly over the "M8" and red dot ... so that there's no adhesive on the actual camera labeling. would the tape hurt the black exterior of the camera? (sorry for answering your question with another question ... )

third, have good insurance. it sounds like you have adequate insurance (e.g. to cover for theft). you can also get a policy add-on that can protect the camera from anything ... theft, dropping it, losing it, etc. it doesn't cost too much--but does give an undeniable piece of mind.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Get as inconspicuous a bag as you can find. Something that doesn't proclaim: "Very expensive camera and lenses inside!"

I'd get a Pokemon bag 😀