Stolen BP Leica MP and 50mm Summicron APO in Bangkok, advice please

[Leica All Day]

Hi everybody,

My good friend got his Black Paint ala carte MP and his 50mm Summicron APO kit stolen last night in Bangkok. The thief broke the window of his car and took it. The camera is about 6 weeks old so it looks new. I have the serial number of the camera but I'm still waiting to get the serial number of the lens.

I'd like your advice on what my friend should do now. All of the camera stores in Bangkok that specialize in Leica gear have been notified and I am guessing that most of the local Leica users in Bangkok have been notified as well. I know that there are a lot of international people on this forum that's why I'm posting here.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to post the serial number here, but if it is, please let me know and I'll post it. My friend is new to Leica and photography in general so he isn't aware of the online community as the rest of us are.

Any advice or recommendation on what I / he should do would be great. As far as contacting the local police and all, that's been done , but I'm asking in terms of the greater Leica community.

Cheers, michael

 

[chasfreeland]

Hello, Sorry to read this sad story. I, too, live in BKK. Suppose you've contacted Boon Leu over at Photo Gallery, and Eddie at Camera Collection. They're the leading used Leica dealers, plus they have contacts internationally. You might also post the serial numbers and perhaps a photo of another similar black Leica at BKK pawnshops. The famous 'thieves market' is also a possibility. This kind of break-in -- smashed windows -- seems rare for BKK. The cat burglar and the con-man used to be far more prevalent. Was the car in a car-park? Perhaps there's video surveillance clips that might show the car and the crime. If the thief was a foreigner, I might fear that the camera has been taken abroad for sale.
There's always the other Leica forums on the internet for posting the story. Can't say for sure as to whether or not it would be wise at this time to post serial numbers on the internet, but it would seem there's little alternative. How else could one ID a pretty Leica? My best wishes for a happy outcome to all of this.

 

[Leica All Day]

Excellent advice, I just passed it on to my friend.

Thanks a lot

 

[dave lackey]

Michael,

I hate hearing this. I presume he had no insurance covering theft?

The theft of my "Holy Grail"... Surely this evil thing cannot stand the light of day. You have done the right things so far and you are indeed a good friend.

Not knowing the terrain of that part of the world, perhaps a flyer posted in the neighborhood with a decent reward offer may put thieves in competition? I know we see that here at times.

Wishing your friend well on righting this wrong but it is probably a long shot but well worth the effort to try and recover that beautiful gear! Someday in the future a CLA will be required.. hmmm.

 

[Austerby]

I hope he did have insurance for this £8500 worth of gear he left in a car where it was accessible via the car window - some insurance companies would expect valuables to be locked in the boot.

 

[oftheherd]

I am not a Leica person nor have I ever been to Bangkok. But I seem to remember that Leica will keep reports of stolen Leica cameras. If that is so, I don't know what they might require as proof, but I would assume at least a police report, and perhaps purchase receipts as well. It might be worth checking.

Very sorry to hear of your friend's loss. I had the same thing happen to me once, but a damaged Yashica MAT 124G and an Olympus RF fixed lens were stolen. I still felt the loss greatly.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

A friend had his M6 stolen from a Paris hotel room a couple of years ago. A few months back it turned up at Leica in Wetzler for some repairs and a week or two ago he received it back. Based on this I would say definitely let them know: the odds in favour of its return this way may be long, but if they are not informed, they'll be non-existent.

 

[Leica All Day]

Thanks again everybody for the advice, I passed on the information to my friend.

Cheers, michael

 

[Thardy]

I'd like to know what companies actually insures $8,000 cameras and do these companies make good on claims.

We had some hail damage to our roof and the insurance company all but accused us of causing the hailstorm ourselves.

 

[raid]

I wouldn't be so negative for all companies. When our rental car (in Denmark) was broken into, and all luggage was stolen, our homeowners insurance in the USA covered all of the loss minus $1000 deductible.

 

[icebear]

Hi Michael,
honestly, sad story but not sorry for your friend...
Common sense would tell anybody not to leave valueables in the car. If your friend has insurance and they are paying in this case, then he's lucky. In case he's not regarding a MP with a APO50 as valuable, he won't have a problem just ordering a new one😉.
All other practical advice was given already.

 

[Chubberino]

Ahhhh, classic victim blaming rears its ugly head. Unfortunate but expected. Sorry for your friends loss. I hope all is resolved in immediate and appropriate fashion.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Common sense would tell anybody not to leave valueables in the car. If your friend has insurance and they are paying in this case, then he's lucky. In case he's not regarding a MP with a APO50 as valuable, he won't have a problem just ordering a new one😉.

Victim blaming, nice. Smiley face at the end of the snarky addendum, sweet.

Someone else posted something similar a bit higher up in the thread. Struck a raw nerve with me as I had my entire, largish collection of Leica-R lenses, plus two R bodies, plus an RX1, plus another $2K or so of accessories stolen out of a locked car last week at my hotel in Fresno. Was stolen in the time it took to walk back to my room to get the rest of my luggage and other equipment while I was checking out.

There is only one person who bears any responsibility for theft, and that's the thief. Comments to the contrary don't really help anyone.

 

[Thardy]

Here's an article about photographer's insurance. There are some companies out there that offer excellent protection for high dollar equipment.

https://fstoppers.com/business/down-and-dirty-photographers-insurance-55324

 

[Emile de Leon]

If you don't leave stuff in cars...thieves wont be tempted...
I remember back in the day...a jazz guitarist friend of mine..left his amp and other stuff in his car when he went into a club mid day to talk to someone about a gig..
A few min later..he came out..and there was a huge boulder on top of his car roof..and the windows were smashed and the Fender twin amp was gone gone gone...along with other stuff..
Lucky he brought his Gibson L4 into the club with him..
Lesson learned...he never did that again...
Me on the other hand..have left my drums in my van in mid city all night..but covered the drums up pretty well...as in..you meet a gal or 2 after the gig..and you don't have time to schlep the drums back home and hang...if yas gets..my drift..
One time though..someone broke into my van...and stole a topaz silver ring my brother had made for me..it was in the ashtray..the only thing in the whole van to steal...go figure..I still miss that ring..
Again..don't tempt thieves...and you wont lose stuff..

 

[fireblade]

Post the last 3 digits of the serial number and we'll keep looking on Ebay. Likely going there if the camera stores in Bangkok are reputable and don't touch it.

 

[uhoh7]

That's several years wages for most in Thailand. If the camera was visible it would be awfully tempting. Imagine walking by a car and seeing 80K on the passenger seat.

But I've done the same thing, though not in the third world.

About 3 weeks ago I stupidly left my beloved v4 50 cron on my handlebars in a famous Moab riding area, then forgot and rode off. Two hours later, I realized it.

I looked everywhere on the trail and could not find it.

Finally I gave up and returned to the trailhead, where it had been hung in it's pouch on the entry cow guard 🙂

I often leave literally 10s of thousands worth of gear covered in my car at remote trailheads. Buried under dirty laundry though 😉

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Victim blaming, nice. Smiley face at the end of the snarky addendum, sweet.

Someone else posted something similar a bit higher up in the thread. Struck a raw nerve with me as I had my entire, largish collection of Leica-R lenses, plus two R bodies, plus an RX1, plus another $2K or so of accessories stolen out of a locked car last week at my hotel in Fresno. Was stolen in the time it took to walk back to my room to get the rest of my luggage and other equipment while I was checking out.

There is only one person who bears any responsibility for theft, and that's the thief. Comments to the contrary don't really help anyone.

That's bloody awful news, so sorry to read it. Can't imagine how you must be feeling. I just hope some or all of it turns up. Sounds like there were quite a few individual items taken so perhaps it may increase the chances of at least some of it being traced when it's being offloaded? Any possibility insurance may cover some of your losses? I would assume you've investigated any possible security vision of the location for leads, right? Sending my best wishes.
Brett

 

[Brian Atherton]

Probably gonna get shot down in flames, but here goes…

Would it help to have a dedicated RFF thread where stolen gear can be posted?

Simple details: Description; Serial Number; Photo (if available); Date Stolen; Where.

Nothing else, and not a thread for others to post commiserations, advice, comments etc; if members feel the need they could do this via a PM.

Just a simple gear listing of stolen gear that our worldwide RFF might be able to help recover, or, at the very least, give everyone a ‘heads up’.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Ahhhh, classic victim blaming rears its ugly head. Unfortunate but expected. Sorry for your friends loss. I hope all is resolved in immediate and appropriate fashion.

We all do stupid things. That doesn't stop them being stupid. I'd rather learn from others' mistakes than from my own.

Cheers,

R.