Looking like a camerabag or not. Does it matter after all?

mdarnton said:
If anyone knows who the goat film maker was, please tell me--that was about 30 years ago, and I've not been able to find reference to him. He lived in the mountains of Colorado, or similar, and the show was on educational TV.
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Not the fellow you are talking about... But this might interest you.

THIS LINK is from >100 years ago -my grandfather...
 
Soeren said:
Lately there has been some discussion on camerabags, Leatherbags, Diaperbags etc and the comment " I need one that doesn't look like a camerabag" allways pops up. Ok I don't go photographing late nights in dark places (long time ago I did) so I don't have the fresh experience of people eyeiing my gear but does the bag really matter?
Will the thieves think Camerabag = $? or is it whether it looks expensive that matters? Could it be the size => lots of stuf inside? The "Pro look" of the photog and perhaps his camera?
What do you guys think draw the attention to you and your gear as potential donators of it?
Best regards
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For me it is not the fear of thieves.
But it is always easier to move in an enviroment if your guise doesn't scream "photographer".
Police or security staff can be really anoyning... and there are always people, who don't like photographers and become unrelaxed...
At the end, it all depends on if you do not care to be identified as a photographer... some need this, some don't like it...
 
celluloidprop said:
I'd be more concerned about looking like I was carrying a laptop, these days.
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Even laptops aren't stolen that often, except out of offices or flats - the new, shiny and expensive ones are mostly owned by people a few ranks above those that have to work while commuting. Nowadays, fashionable streetwear, costume jewellery and prestige gadgets like iphones and ipads seem to account for most of the non-cash street robberies...

That said, even though I don't feel that one or the other is more or less safe, many of my camera bags are re-used messenger or DJ/record bags - I mostly use cameras either bigger or smaller than the regular prosumer DSLR the majority of camera bags seem to be designed for.
 
FWIW Department.

Ever since my Leica IIIG with50 /1.4 Nikkor was stolen from my

proudly labeled Leica bag, I have eschewed CAMERA bags.
 
Steve M. said:
The best idea I've heard was someone who was using a diaper bag to stuff the gear into and tote around incognito.
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I do that frequently. The great thing about a diaper bag is that, well, when you have a one-year-old with you, it's great for holding diapers. So why not put my camera in there too? Only one bag to carry and the diapers provide great padding for the camera. An M6 fits in there nicely. Best not to put the soiled ones back in there though, trust me. Thing is, unless you have a baby with you it may also look suspicious. :eek:

Cheers,
Rob
 
Roger Hicks said:
Very true. A sort-of-related tale:

When my wife was a student at USC, a campus policeman asked her if she was carrying CS gas. She was rather taken aback, and said, "Yes, I am, but I have a permit." The policeman smiled and said, "No, that's all right. It was just a little bet with myself. You don't walk like a victim, and I wondered why. Then I thought about the CS gas..." I should add that she's only a little over five feet tall.

Cheers,

R.
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A good idea might be to find out where you are able to carry pepper spray. Where spray isn't legal to carry, trade in that light weight monopod for a stout, metal model since they don't make 'em out of hickory.

The Preacher: Nothing like a good piece of hickory.
 
robbeiflex said:
I do that frequently. The great thing about a diaper bag is that, well, when you have a one-year-old with you, it's great for holding diapers. So why not put my camera in there too? Only one bag to carry and the diapers provide great padding for the camera. An M6 fits in there nicely. Best not to put the soiled ones back in there though, trust me. Thing is, unless you have a baby with you it may also look suspicious. :eek:

Cheers,
Rob
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Heh...so true, especially at my age.:rolleyes:
 
dave lackey said:
What camera(s)/gear are you carrying? It makes a lot of difference in bag selection and how you are perceived. The smaller camera in a fanny/bum pack on the waist is pretty low-profile. A large bag, well, it certainly has a lot more bang for the buck for a potential theft, IMO, which could include electronics like iPads, phones, iPods, wallets, etc.

First rule of being safe is your location choice. Second rule is whether or not you appear vulnerable. I rather like the Smith and Wesson T-shirts myself.:p

Personally, there are things you can do without carrying a diaper bag. If I could afford insurance, I would certainly have it. If I could afford the risk of going to rather risky areas, I would still avoid it, just not my interest. But a man has to have a certain minimum standard of style and IMO a diaper bag ain't it!:)
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I have carried most My Nikon gear in a Lowe Pro backpack or even my P6X7.
Carrying my three lens Nikon kit is done using a noname camera shoulderbag.
My TLR, MF RF and the Zorki lives in a LP Passport Sling so all my bags are camerabags. What I think make me recognizeable as cameracarrier is when I carry my F100 with 85mm f/1,4 which is hardly stealth and not which bag I use. Or even when I use my Yashica Mat 124G that often result in " Is that a Rolleiflex? My dad..........."
Best regards
 
and i would say, carry whatever is comfortable, and makes you feel comfortable...
imho that will really help with the way you move around.. with ease and confidence. and like some of you guys mentioned in some earlier posts, deter the thieves looking for an easy prey.

I mostly using a hadley pro now, simply because it's comfortable and functional.. i even use it as a workbag.. i used to use a lowepro back when i was shooting with my dslr and it was bulky and not all at comfortable for me.. and after awhile, i feel awkward and bulky

I am rather small so hadley pro is a perfect fit...
 
No, the "how does it look" part does not matter so much. The size and the functionality are things that matter more.
 
I feel it has less to do with what you are carrying and more to do with presence. If you look like you will be trouble to any thief they are far more likely to walk on by. If you look like you will go completely nuts on them unless they are looking for a ruck I feel your less likely to be robbed. The bag will make little difference unless they know what is inside and have a place to dump cameras. I have been mugged once he will think about it again but it cost me a cheep tripod. Be aware of your surroundings, what is going on and try not to look like you are carrying a lot of cash, they want cash more.
 
rlouzan said:
That's why they invented
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/31675-REG/Lightware_UG105_UG105_Ugly_Cover_Small.html
:D:eek:;)

Regards,
Robert
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FS: Hand Made Leather Camera Wrist Straps
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...a-wrist-straps
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Price of those you may as well get a reasonable priced used camera bag and put patches or paint on it. One of the domke clones costs less or any of the cheep bags on the auction site.
 
I don't want my camerabag to look like a camerabag.
Mainly because I'm vain. And I want to be pretty when I take photos.
 
I've just added a knife onto my camera bayonet style... seems to keep people away in general. My bag is covered in feces... seems to work. Ok, joking, truly. However, I wonder how many people are just paranoid about losing their gear so they think of any way to hide their gear (black tape, etc)...for their comfort (and in most cases, paranoid over nothing).

I'm of the opinion that many people know Leicas (and like cameras) are expensive and also know that older cameras are valuable. Whenever we are out and about in NYC photographing and talk to non-photographers, one of the first things out of their mouths is how expensive the cameras look. Also, people always assume theives are looking for super-expensive items... when that's not necessarily the case at all. People know brands and people know what is expensive generally speaking. However, the most important thing for a theif is how easy it is to flip the item they stole. I believe theives are better off looking at ladies handbags and shoes for any easier target than cameras. Of course, it depends on the area.

The propblem with a Billingham or Fogg bag is that the bag looks expensive... they might not know a camera is in it, but they know there is something of value even if it is just the bag itself. Remember, expensive is relative. $200-300 might not be a lot to you, but could be a huge amount of money to someone else.
 
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