Leica M6 stolen in Ulan Bator

[Xax]

hi

they broke into our car in ulan bator / mongolia and stole my camera bag with a canon 5d, 28-70f2.8L, sekonic lightmeter L758cine and

a black dotted leica M6 with artisan&artist leather half case and summicron 50mm latest version

if you see such a set online somewhere, could you drop me a line?

would be wonderful...

thanks in advance for any help

ps: anyone got experience with insurance of the credit card companies regarding this matter?

 

[__hh]

My condolences... I've had similar camera gear stolen from me before from a house break-in.

 

[steamer]

Good luck, maybe they sell this stuff at the black market, or they have somewhere to fence it, doubt it's on the internet. For insurance etc, you will need a police report. Take a Mongolian fixer with you and stay calm. Hope you had some more cameras back at the hotel.

 

[jayjee]

oh man that's deep. where you traveling? what credit card / travel insurance? make sure to check the websites for as much info as possible.

 

[bennyng]

Sorry to hear that.

I have tried to claim on travel insurance before and it's quite a pain. Normally, there is an excess which they will deduct. That's not the tedious bit. The need to proof ownership with proper documentation is a killer. And after than, the insurance company will only pay up to a fix amount (as stated in your policy) which normally cannot cover the cost of the gear you lost.

As adviced, get a police report in Mongolia first. Without that, it's even more troublesome.

Take care.

Cheers,

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

number of camera and lens?

 

[M. Valdemar]

Never leave anything valuable in a car. In NYC this is second nature to me.

In Mexico, they smashed the window of my rental car to steal two bottles of fruit juice in the back seat.

An unwatched rental car in places like Mongolia is an open invitation that says "rob me".

You'll never get your cameras back. Don't waste your energy. For the thieves, this was like winning the lottery.

 

[steamer]

A lot of cameras get stolen in UB, sometimes by stealth, sometimes by strong arm, I've always wondered what happens to them. I can't imagine the thieves getting a big payday for the cameras though. It's not likely the police will be any help in recovering your gear as they are pretty much a criminal gang that harasses and steals from the populace.

 

[alexz]

My condolenses, sounds really harsh..but I wonder there are still people around leaving such valuable stuff in the car behind, in particular in rental one in foreign country, of course...unless it has been acidently forgotten inside.
Hope your insurance will cover your loss at least partially...

 

[35mmdelux]

Lesson: never leave your gear where it can be stolen. Even a side walk cafe in a posh area is venerable to a running thief. Keep it on your person, hide it, or wrap the strap around chair/ table leg.

FWIW these are probably fenced off asap and resold to the better heeled of the community.

 

[gb hill]

That sucks to get your cameras stolen. I think some people just get off on the thrill of the heist. Even when I drive my junker car I never leave my camera in it. I'm even considering a conceiled carry permit for when I go out shooting. We have had people stabbed here in the small town I live in.

 

[novum]

The thieves might not get much for the gear, but it's undoubtedly a small fortune from their perspective.

 

[M. Valdemar]

You'd be surprised at how much the thieves know. It's not hard to find the value of things these days. They'll probably carefully research them at an internet cafe and get top dollar for the stuff.

 

[steamer]

Yeah Valdemar I'm sure there's a lot of information on Leica prices in Mongolian on the web and these guys will probably get enough money to pay for their medical school instead of a couple of bottles of cheap vodka like the regular thieves.

 

[M. Valdemar]

In a country like Mongolia, a Canon 5D outfit with good lens and a Leica represents a substantial amount of money. Not a fortune but a lot of money. Anyway, someone will end up with the stuff who wants it, perhaps the person they fence it to.

Don't assume all thieves are ignorant or stupid.

 

[steamer]

When you've got nothing 10 bucks is a lot of money. Don't assume that Mongolia is like New York.

 

[M. Valdemar]

I've been there. Apparently, so have you.

 

[daveywaugh]

Not that I've travelled that extensively, but UB is probably the scariest place I've ever been. That said, the Mongolian countryside was the exact opposite! Spent two months cycle touring and never once had an issue with anybody. The people were extremely kind, and completely honorable. It was an incredible experience. We left our gear with people all the time and never did anything go! Even half an hour out of UB was soooo different!

Anyway, really sorry to hear about your loss - it's tough. Hope it goes well with insurance.

 

[jke]

What a cool place to get your camera stolen! 😉 Maybe not so cool if you were working and needed the equipment to compete a shoot, but I would consider trading a few pieces of equipment for a trip to Mongolia. You can usually figure out a way to replace stolen camera stuff, but experiences, especially travel experiences, are always unique and irreplaceable.

 

[RFOBD]

What a cool place to get your camera stolen! 😉 Maybe not so cool if you were working and needed the equipment to compete a shoot, but I would consider trading a few pieces of equipment for a trip to Mongolia. You can usually figure out a way to replace stolen camera stuff, but experiences, especially travel experiences, are always unique and irreplaceable.

Except he didn't trade gear for a trip. I'm assuming he paid for his trip and lost his gear...he paid a few times over.