How many members here on RFF have been robbed of their camera?

[zenza]

Never in 15 years of wandering the cities and countrysides of N. America, Europe, and Asia with a camera.

 

[ktmrider]

Have not had any cameras stolen but last December my rental car was broken into while in ABQ. The thief grabbed a couple pieces of luggage which was in the back seat. He got a Billingham bag with two M mount lenses. I was lucky in a way as a bigger Domke bag was in the trunk with a digital Leica and two film bodies and three more M lenses.

I don't leave valuables in the car overnight anymore while staying at motels while traveling. I did not have any guns along on that trip but I sometimes travel with one and the theft of a handgun would bother me way more then a camera.

 

[valdas]

Robbery - never. Theft - never, but it was a close call. Thiefs broke into my appartment, took some stuff like CD player, some clothes, but did not notice my camera bag which was in plain sight in the middle of the room. All the valuable stuff was in that bag.

 

[AntonioC]

20 something years ago. Sitting outside in a cafe in downtown Milan with my then girlfriend. I was silly enough to put my camera bag under my chair.
F80, 24 2.8, 85 1.8, plus several rolls of Kodachrome 64 and 25 (which I wanted to try for the first time) in it.
All of a sudden, the young lady by my side walked away in a hurry. A few seconds later I realised I had been robbed.
I was young and economically broken, but also so upset and furious to IMMEDIATELY jump into a photo store (Matuella, some Italians here might remember about it) and get a brand new F80 and a 50 1.4
Needless to say, since then I’ve never lost physical contact with my bag when sitting outside.
You live to learn…

 

[Evergreen States]

No burglaries, robberies or theft since I was given my first camera in 2007. I usually only go out with the lens that's on the camera and wind the neck strap for the camera into a wrist strap so I hardly ever need a camera bag. However, I do carry a tote bag everywhere to put a water bottle in because I have a medical condition that necessitates that I stay hydrated.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Raid, statistically, i'd say you should be optimistic about which camera(s) to take on your holiday.

 

[raid]

I once read at RFF about Leica equipment being stolen from a parked car in England, and since I read about it, I have never ever left any camera bags in the car when I leave the car. A few years ago we were in Aarhus (Denmark) over night. I had all camera gear with me in the hotel, but we left some suitcases in the car. The next morning we saw our broken-into rental car. Everything was stolen-even my used socks! My camera gear was safe with me.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

I once read at RFF about Leica equipment being stolen from a parked car in England, and since I read about it, I have never ever left any camera bags in the car when I leave the car. A few years ago we were in Aarhus (Denmark) over night. I had all camera gear with me in the hotel, but we left some suitcases in the car. The next morning we saw our broken-into rental car. Everything was stolen-even my used socks! My camera gear was safe with me.

Thefts from parked cars are common everywhere. You hear about it all the time. Musicians losing instruments. Rental cars are easy to spot and a sure sign. I never leave equipment in a parked car. A couple of summers ago I travelled from a music festival in Cashmere Wa, through Sun Valley, down to visit friends in Taos & Santa Fe, and then to a music workshop outside Flagstaff. The 30s guitar i was using went with me into every restaurant, gas station rest room, every grocery store for 3 weeks.

 

[jvo]

in infantry in vietnam... tour done, in a base camp, leaving the next day, had a minolta srt 101 stolen by vietnamese worker on the base camp.


was in a mechanized unit and had 2 other camera's destroyed - and i really wasn't doing much photography during my tour! :bang:

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Burglary yes, robbery no.

In the early 1980's I still lived in my parent's home in Rosedale Queens.
Some neighborhood kids entered my bedroom through an open screen window,
opened my dresser drawer, opened my camera bag and removed only my Nikon FTn body.

They left behind several Nikkor lenses, any of which was worth more than that old camera.
What a bunch of dummies!

Chris

 

[Ronald M]

Almost one time maybe. I exited the Art Institute in Chicago and had a Leica with 180 mm lens. A scruffy boy offered to take my picture and I declined.

 

[maigo]

How many members here on RFF have been robbed of their camera?

Summer 2008 my wife and I went out for a walk in the evening. When we came back I saw flashlights through the window of our second floor apartment.
I rushed upstairs and yelled at the thieves from the hallway door to Get the F Outta My Home. They took off over the balcony and ran away with their booty.
Almost the stolen loot was a Nikon E7900 digital compact. They missed the Nikon D50 and a Pentax SLR.

Through insurance we replaced the Nikon compact with a very nice Panasonic LUMIX TZ5 with Leica zoom lens and took the two cameras with us to Egypt, London and Paris two months later. My wife made some wonderful shots and memorable movies with the Panasonic and I used it to record the birth of our daughter the following year. The delivery Dr said, Is that the one with the Leica lens? Nice camera!
It was in heavy use until 2014 when we upgraded to the LUMIX LX-7 compact. I still use the LX-7 for recording kids performances due to decent zoom and microphone. Well, I did this until C19 and no more school concerts. 🙁

In 2019 I sold the TZ-5 for $40USD to lighten the number of cameras I had at the time and do my part to fund a family adventure to Argentina.

 

[telenous]

I've had a Contax T3 picked from my jacket while traveling in the underground. It was the day President Obama arrived in Athens (2016). All traffic was diverted out of city-centre, and people were streaming into the carriages. I remember literally not being able to move, that's how packed it was. Some stray hand went into my pocket and that was it. I 'd used the camera every single day for 8-9 years but there was still life left in it. It kills me to think how much they go for these days.

 

[Freakscene]

I've had a Contax T3 picked from my jacket while travelling in the underground. It was the day President Obama arrived in Athens (2016). All traffic was diverted out of city-centre, and people were streaming into the carriages. I remember literally not being able to move, that's how packed it was. Some stray hand went into my pocket and that was it. I 'd used the camera every single day for 8-9 years but there was still life left in it. It kills me to think how much they go for these days.

Yes, losing a T3 these days is very ouchful. I hope you can get another.

Marty

 

[Archiver]

I once read at RFF about Leica equipment being stolen from a parked car in England, and since I read about it, I have never ever left any camera bags in the car when I leave the car. A few years ago we were in Aarhus (Denmark) over night. I had all camera gear with me in the hotel, but we left some suitcases in the car. The next morning we saw our broken-into rental car. Everything was stolen-even my used socks! My camera gear was safe with me.

When I first met my partner, I was perplexed by how she left her zip-up leather diary case in the car. It looked like a small laptop or tablet case. She said, 'but it isn't, it's a diary'.

I said, 'yeah, but some junkie is going to think it's a laptop, smash the window and take it. And if I come back to a smashed window and it's because you won't put your diary away, you're paying for the window'. Since then, she either takes it with her, or puts it under the seat. Same with her carry bag, it goes in the boot before we arrive anywhere, or she takes it with her once we arrive.

Speaking of cars, my uncle's car was broken into in a carpark because when he parked, he put his laptop into the boot in full view of passersby and then walked away. Someone must have been watching, because they went straight for the laptop in the boot. Weirdly, he told this story to his boss, and the boss did exactly the same thing and then exactly the same thing happened.

So as much as possible, whenever you drive somewhere, put your belongings in the boot or under the seat BEFORE you park. Don't leave things like jackets on view in the back, some druggie might think you've got a phone or money in the pockets. Don't take that risk. Keep the visible interior clear.

 

[Paul T.]

A thief actually got his hands on my wife's Olympus Mju in Barcelona.

It was the classic diversion scam. Someone comes up and asks directions from our map, while a mate sneaks up behind.

we both spotted what was happening the moment they started to look at the map... my wife said something like "hang on a minute" and I turn around and grab the accomplice, who was reaching into her Levi's denim bag with his hand on the camera.

He was only a little fella. I actually instinctively grabbed him by the throat. I could have carried him to the cop shop but I didn't know where one was and didn't want to lose an afternoon. So after admonishing him and suggesting he go on his way we let him go.

 

[telenous]

Yes, losing a T3 these days is very ouchful. I hope you can get another.

Marty

Thanks. "Ouch" is correct. These days I carry a Minox in my backpocket. Not as nice as the T3 but it's a worry-free little camera.

 

[PKR]

I once read at RFF about Leica equipment being stolen from a parked car in England, and since I read about it, I have never ever left any camera bags in the car when I leave the car. A few years ago we were in Aarhus (Denmark) over night. I had all camera gear with me in the hotel, but we left some suitcases in the car. The next morning we saw our broken-into rental car. Everything was stolen-even my used socks! My camera gear was safe with me.

I think it was a press photographer in SF, who kept lots of his not immediately needed gear in his car while working. He kept his second bag in a plastic laundry tub covered in what looked like soiled diapers. He used some old diapers and added art store products to get the wanted look. He never had a problem.

I remember, Bill Pierce writing about carrying his camera gear on the NY Subway in a dog food bag. I often put my small Domke in a grocery bag when transporting it on suspicious turf.

 

[agfa100]

Way back in 1969 in Saigon out near Tan Son Nhat airport area (where the bars were) I was walking on the sidewalk with my new Yashica Mat 124, and the usual for that time and place two guys on a moped jumped up on the sidewalk and the rear guy grabbed the camera strap off my shoulder. Only problem for him I was 5ft 8in and 180 and I pulled him off the bike, his buddy kept going and there were two police across the street and they came over and took him in a back alley and had a "talk" with him and left him there. There was a reason they were called "Saigon Cowboys". I sent the camera off to Yashica in Japan with the story and they returned the camera to me repaired and at no charge.

 

[cboy]

Early 2000's home was broken into. Took the laptop but didnt touch my camera equipment which was an olympus om2 , some lenses and a olympus dslr...They probably didnt think they were worth much lol.

Since then i got a safe...dont know if it provides false peace of mind lol.