My daughter's digi was stolen

[ruben]

Last Tuesday morning, when we all were out, thiefs entered home and took whatever they found small and suitable, including my daughter's Kodak 3.1 megapixel u$a 250 digital.

They opened my cameras' closet, as the open doors and drawers comfirm, but didn't take anything of the following:

OLYMPUS SLR:
- 7 OM bodies, including an (by Keh rating) excellent ++OM4Ti
- Zuiko lenses: 24, 28, 35, 50, 50 macro, 85, 100, 135, 200, 35~70 autofocus, 35~70, 35~105, 75~150m. Tamron 500, 60~300
- 3 winders
- 4 OM flashes + 2 dedicated Sunpak 440
- all duplicating devices and Varimagni angle finder

OLYMPUS RF:
- 2 Olympus RC
- 1 Olympus RD
- 1 Olympus SP
- 1 Olympus Trip

MAMIYA TLR:
- 2 C330 bodies
- all 7 system lenses
- most system finders

KIEV RF:
- 2 bodies (another 2 plus all lenses were with me at the time of robbery)

ISKRA RF:
- 2 working cameras
- 1 non working camera

OTHER CAMERAS:
- Polaroid SE (MF RF with fixed lens and exchangeable backs)
- Polaroid SX-70
- Horizon 202
- Canon QLIII
=============

Personal Conclusion: to fortify the place from which the thiefs entered.

=============

Conclusions about the thiefs' relationship with Photography:

I leave it up to the forum. In case you have no idea you can choose among the following:

a) The thiefs were very found of digis and hate film.

b) The thiefs have no respect to Photography

c) The thiefs have a great respect to Photography and hence they left me all my equipment intact.

Cheers,

Ruben

 

[ch1]

Sorry to hear you were "violated".

Digis are easy to pawn or sell via eBay. The other stuff looks "complicated" and "old fashioned".

Theives were likely (usually are) young and grabbed what they recognize has value to people like themselves.

Thank goodness all you lost was a camera!

 

[SteveM(PA)]

You should turn this in to a poll. Yes I say "a"...they were making a "FID" social statement, and went to a lot of trouble to do it. It is awful though, and you must be fighting mad regardless...glad you are safe.

 

[zuikologist]

I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. I hope all of it is replaceable.

 

[scottgee1]

SNIP!

I wonder how long before EBAY is required to make sellers post serian numbers of items on Auction, and make it a condition of the sale.

Ha! And cut into their profit?? Not unless laws are enacted that force them to do so. ebay's founder is/was a decent guy. The crowd that run it now get involved with such issues only when it might affect the bottom line -- despite all of their pious pronouncements to the contrary.

IMO of course!/ScottGee1

 

[ch1]

Ha! And cut into their profit?? Not unless laws are enacted that force them to do so. ebay's founder is/was a decent guy. The crowd that run it now get involved with such issues only when it might affect the bottom line -- despite all of their pious pronouncements to the contrary.

IMO of course!/ScottGee1

I thought eBay was founded by a group of Bay Area women? Perhaps you are confusing with the founder of PayPal?

Oh, and the "crowd that run(s) it now" are doing an excellent job if you happen to be an eBay shareholder. 😀

Why do folks have such a hard time accepting that eBay is a business and is expected to maximize profit! :bang:

 

[scottgee1]

I thought eBay was founded by a group of Bay Area women? Perhaps you are confusing with the founder of PayPal?

Oh, and the "crowd that run(s) it now" are doing an excellent job if you happen to be an eBay shareholder. 😀

Why do folks have such a hard time accepting that eBay is a business and is expected to maximize profit! :bang:

Nope. Pierre Omidyar founded ebay. He did so so his then girlfriend, now wife could use the Web to help her collect Pez dispensers.

I have no problem whatsoever with eBay or any other corporate entity making a profit. I do have a problem with them treating low volume customers carelessly by siding with big customers in disputes. I know people to whom this has happened and have read accounts that describe very similar behavior.

And I agree with Brian's point. They create an international marketplace in which some of the sellers traffic in stolen goods and make no effort whatsoever to stop them unless they're forced to do so.

ScottGee1

 

[Dracotype]

I bet it was more ignorance than anything else. I mean, heck, a C330 must look like some primordial monster compared to a cheapy digi. He slayed not the Jabberwocky, yet absconded with the momeraths. Sorry. Spouting off in the epic vein of things. 😀 But seriously, my condolences.

Drew

 

[VinceC]

Hopefully there were no irreplaceable photos on the digicam.

You could make the best of this and upgrade her to a 6 megapixel camera (I'm thinking RD-1 here).

 

[ch1]

Nope. Pierre Omidyar founded ebay. He did so so his then girlfriend, now wife could use the Web to help her collect Pez dispensers.

I have no problem whatsoever with eBay or any other corporate entity making a profit. I do have a problem with them treating low volume customers carelessly by siding with big customers in disputes. I know people to whom this has happened and have read accounts that describe very similar behavior.

And I agree with Brian's point. They create an international marketplace in which some of the sellers traffic in stolen goods and make no effort whatsoever to stop them unless they're forced to do so.

ScottGee1

Thanks for the info - I knew it had something to do with women collecting some item - wasn't sure of the whole story.

I doubt that the amount of stolen goods moved through eBay amounts to more than a very small fraction of the total amount of goods sold there. Much of eBay's sales volume is biz2biz in large lots that few of us "casuarl buyers and sellers" ever see.

I do think that eBay doesn't mind some people thinking there are lots of "hot" goods being sold at cheap prices there. It's like street vendors in NYC. Almost always they get legit goods from wholesalers - but love it when people think the stuff is "hot" and that they're getting a "real bargain".

We're all "whores" to some degree! 😀

 

[w3rk5]

The important thing is everyone in your family is okay. 🙂

The theives sound like small potatos that have more guts than brains. I hope they will get caught. I'm sure they eventually will if they don't smarten up.

One thing I noticed is regardless how well you fortify your home....if someone really wants to get in, they can and will. I find that the best defence is to make whatever you do visible. Stickers from an alarm company, a surveillance camera (maybe a little overboard but it's up to you), ect. Just make is visible so the small fries will think twice.

 

[ywenz]

No on'es gonna buy a Kiev RF except for us crazies...

 

[pbjbike]

Ruben, Sorry to hear about the invasion of your home. Glad you still have the good stuff.

15 years ago, around Christmas, a house I shared with some fellow bike builders was bulglarized. The TV, VCR, and some silver were snatched. The dumpy garage/shed, (locked), was untouched though there was probably $10,000 worth of racing bikes housed there. The best part: I was away visiting family and had left my room in total disarray after packing and wrapping gifts, (and living like a bachelor). At the last minute, I decided not to take the Leica kit--An M4-P, 50 cron and 35 Summaron, because the XA would do just fine for snaps...I threw the beadspread over the kit and went on my merry way. The housemates called me to tell me of the break-in: "The police officer took one look at your room and said, 'This room has been totally vandalized!'. I told him, 'No, it always looks like that.'" They pulled back the cover, and there was my gear, safe and sound. Chaos has its advantages.

 

[wyk_penguin]

They wouldn't take the Leica even if you put it in the doorway.

Thieves just don't realize that a P&S digi loses 70% of its value in 3 months and is worth nothing in half a year. The 2nd hand guy in my area don't take digi P&S. :bang: As for DSLRs, they keep their value better, but are still reduced to trash in 3 years (max.). On the other hand, Leicas just keep getting more and more expensive. 😕

I take my TLR and my Kiev out all the time and get the following comments:
1. What's that? (Usually refering to the TLR)
2. Can it really take pictures? (Now... if only I could pull out the pictures from the Kiev just like they do on their digicams...)
3. How do you use it?
4. Is it a Leica? (Again refering to the TLR, and I am not joking. 😡 )
5. Don't you think it is a bit outdated? (Followed by a rant on their DSLR... at least they know what I am doing.)

But then then the world isn't all bad, once I saw a boy who stared at it and said, "Can I hold it?" And he knew how the Kiev worked. 😉

 

[Richard Black]

Having lost my photo equipment twice to differennt thieves, I sympathize with your daughter's loss. As mentioned, unless you are setting up a Ft Knox, thieves can enter most houses and apts with ease. Alarms can be a deterent. Now my film-based cameras are safe because they are not the objects of desire and would be worthless to a pawn shop. Some security there! For a long time after the last break in, I distanced myself from the replacement equipment, weird I know, but I had lost a Fujica ST 701 that accompanied me through my Naval years. I really miss that camera. Oh well, good luck securing your home.

 

[oftheherd]

Sorry to hear you were "violated".

Digis are easy to pawn or sell via eBay. The other stuff looks "complicated" and "old fashioned".

Theives were likely (usually are) young and grabbed what they recognize has value to people like themselves.

Thank goodness all you lost was a camera!

I missed this thread when it was active. I only want to post, not only to offer my condolences, but to add to what copake_ham said about being violated. That is a common feeling when a home is broken into. Home is supposed to be our castle. When it is breached, we tend to think nothing is safe any more. I have mentioned this before.

Don't be surprised if you feel that way. It is quite common. More importantly, don't be ashamed of those feelings. As I said, they are common. Talk about it to friends and/or family. Even seek professional help if necessary. As a former investigator, I saw that happen on more than one occasion. It even hapened to me once and surprised myself when I recognized I started to have that feeling. Having seen it before, and knowing where it came from, I was able to overcome it quickly.

Sorry for the long post on this, but I feel strongly about it since so many people don't know it is a common thing to feel that way. It may help some to know it. I think I remember copake_ham mentioning he was a property manager. If that is of residential units he may well have seen the same thing.

 

[remrf]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.It would make me very angry were someone to break into my house and steal ANYTHING. But I have to tell you that my very first thought when reading the subject line was" And this is a bad thing"?