Did you ever have any thing stolen?

Steve Roberts · Jan 28, 2009

Steve Smith said:
Is that a real word? In the UK we say burgled.
It's usually the US version which is shortened rather than our version.
Steve.

Shortened? Surely you mean "shortenavated" ???

Steve

Chan Tran · Jan 28, 2009

In 1984 while I worked at a 1hour photo finishing lab, I brought my camera with me. Someone, stole my Nikon F2AS and the 28mm f/3.5 lens.

dpurdy · Jan 28, 2009

In 30+ years as a photographer and 20 of it self employed I have never had insurance at all. I own a sh*tload of stuff but the only thing ever taken from my car was a analog Pentax spot meter in 1985 that I replaced with a digital one that still works.

I did have a check book stolen from my studio that cost my bank 2000 dollars.

Dennis

nyoung · Jan 28, 2009

Lost nearly all of my Nikon gear in a house burglary in the 90s. Not insured that time so the good thing was that it put me in the buying/trading used mode to recover.

2002 another house burglary - different town, different house - good insurance this time. Replaced everything and upgraded my 300/4.5 AIS to the AFS 300/4 - heck of a good trade.

Oddly, as the burglars have grabbed one or two bags and left others each time, I still have the 28/3.5 and the 85/2 that represent the first and third lenses I ever bought.

So far I've not lost a camera from a car but I'm discreet to the point of being paranoid and sneaky getting stuff into and out of the vehicle while traveling where people are around.

TheFlyingCamera · Jan 28, 2009

The worst camera gear thefts I've endured were A: a Walker Titan 4x5 (the triple-extension model), B: my Olympus E-1 digital camera and my MacBook laptop, iPod and some other odds and ends (they ignored the $5K worth of Hasselblad gear sitting out), and C: a knife I used as a prop for a number of my Tarot Card series shots that I bought from a custom knife-maker at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, along with several 8x10 trophy aluminum wet-plate images I made. The subject of the plates was the thief. Other than that, the worst theft was a car (my absolutely beloved 1991 red Volkswagen GTI 16v).

Andrew Moxom · Jan 28, 2009

When I was just getting started into serious photography, I had my car broken into while was in Cornwall going to visit my sister after attending a Fay Godwin Lecture. I had a bed roll on the back seat and was using a loaner hasselblad system from a friend (Vinylman) and my 35mm Pentax system was stolen from iside the bedroll!! It was actually kind of an omen as the insurance kicked in and I was able to replace the pentax with a contax 139Q and a few lenses. I then purchased the hasselbald from APUG'er (Vinylman) and never looked back.

Jerevan · Jan 28, 2009

Somebody broke into our storage in the basement a few weeks ago, rummaging around and when they found my halfplate Fidelity holders, a Schneider 50 mm lens from the 60's with a lensboard for a Durst 606, a condenser for the same enlarger, they took it all and ran like h*ll. I hope they know what it is and know how to use it.

Brad Bireley · Jan 28, 2009

Had my Jeep CJ7 broken into back in the late 70's & they stole my FTB, a couple of lenses & a brand new Yashicamat 124G all in a large Orvis camera bag! I had it hidden in the back area & they did not take any fly rods or CB radio. CB radios where big back then.

Paul Howell · Jan 28, 2009

When I was working in Italy as a PJ in the mid 80s I had a Lieca GIII and Canon 7s ripped off at my Villa when I was out of country covering a story. After 911 I was doing a shoot in LA, and SouthWest would not let me carry on by bag with my F3j and lens, forced to put in check baggage along with my 4X5 gear, the 4X5 made it the F3J did not.

KWhitmore · Jan 28, 2009

Stuff stolen? Yes, but thankfully not for a few years and never any camera stuff. (knocking on wood)
Let's see...lots of calculators stolen in high school...my parents thought I was giving them away or maybe a complete dolt.
Years later my two roommates and I had our apartment broken into while we were home and sleeping. We didn't have many belongings to start with so they got an excellent haul of crappy stuff. They came in through a window on a sad little ladder and left the front door wide open...how rude! I can't now recall how we called the police because the silly robbers took our phone too...

I'd have to say the very worst thing we've had stolen (and most humiliating) was my hubby's grandfather's car he loaned us for the weekend. We drove it to Halifax, parked it in the Subway lot and the next morning...no more car. Thankfully hubby convinced me to take all my Nikon stuff out of the trunk the night before. (cold sweats thinking about it) But just to twist the knife a little deeper...that was also grandpa's birthday. Nice present...set of car keys...no car
Every time I visit Nova Scotia now I think about that $%#@ car!

pgomena · Jan 28, 2009

Burglars broke into our rented house when my spouse and I were first married. Stole little things, jewelery, rummaged around a lot. They apparently never went upstairs, where I kept all my camera gear. I've had two or three car break-ins, one while parked at a trailhead. Most valuable thing in the car at the time was a pair of used sneakers, which were taken.

Had my car stolen once from right in front of the photo studio where I worked. It had rained lightly just prior to the theft, so all that remained of my car when I left work was a dry spot on the pavement. Car was found abandoned a month later somewhat worse for wear.

I've been very fortunate to never have had camera gear stolen. I count myself lucky. Either that, or my turn just hasn't come yet.

Peter Gomena

epatsellis · Jan 28, 2009

AutumnJazz said:
You didn't take him to court?

Across state lines, any chance of success requires a lawyer. I'd even out him, if I thought it'd do any good, though I do ask my friends not to buy I*$%&D digital papers, as he's a upper echelon management type for the US distributor. Sad thing is the guy makes enough money to have bought all of it, without even impacting his lifestyle. It took me a decade to get to that point, working side jobs and earning extra here and there. A disheartening experience to say the least.

DeBone 75 · Jan 28, 2009

I must say for a post I started less than 24 hours ago this sure got alot of responses. Must be alot of theives in the world or people just wanting to get into Photograghy but just don't want to work for it.

Vaughn · Jan 28, 2009

bowzart said:
In 1965, I had three photographs stolen off the wall of the art department at San Francisco State...

Bummer... When I had my 5x7 kit stolen out of my truck, the thieves added insult to injury -- they did not steal my framed photograph I had with the gear. Obviously they had no taste...

Vaughn

domaz · Jan 28, 2009

Changeling1 said:
Look what happened to this poor guy in L.A. recently- http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/sys/1006266767.html

Ouch. Never good to learn about backups the hard way.

For the record- never had any camera equipment stolen. I probably just jinxed myself.

Larry Bullis · Jan 28, 2009

Vaughn said:
Bummer... When I had my 5x7 kit stolen out of my truck, the thieves added insult to injury -- they did not steal my framed photograph I had with the gear. Obviously they had no taste...

Vaughn

You know, it is weird. There were a bunch of photographs up from several of us students. One other person lost one photograph; I lost the three. It is a very strange feeling to realize that the photographs reached someone enough that they were compelled to rip them off the wall, but at the same time, I would have liked to have them acquire them another way. I got some insurance money, but it hardly filled the mental void that appeared with the disappearance of the work. Same with the piece stolen from SAM. Of course, that has the additional cachet: "I had a piece stolen from the Seattle Art Museum".

Regarding taste, I think there is a difference between thieves who'd steal art off the wall and those who raid cars. Some years back, a friend's old VW bug, kept in the greatest shape, had its windshield broken and there was blood all over the place. The individual who broke in payed rather heavily for his fruitless efforts; nothing was in there that was worth stealing. The irony: The door hadn't been locked. He didn't think to try it before smashing his way in and cutting himself up.

Duh.... Taste?

Of course there are professionals. They are efficient and they know what they can sell. That's different. I doubt they'd take my photographs either.

arigram · Jan 28, 2009

No.
And better not anyone try.
I have booby-trapped my apartment and my pockets, have a high degree in six martial arts and can use anything as a weapon, including a strand of hair, have a detachment of merciless Mongol warriors on standby and have tagged every single thing I own (including each page of every book and notepad) with high-tec RFID/GPS transmitters and can fry the thief from orbit with a satellite laser.

L Gebhardt · Jan 28, 2009

No photo equipment, but I did have a car stolen. Got it back the next day, minus the wheels, stereo, change, jack, and other stuff. On the plus side I got 3 new spare tires that they used to drive it away after stripping it. No insurance on that so I got nothing better from it. Now I insure my cameras so I don't expect them to be stolen.

VaryaV · Jan 28, 2009

Steve Smith said:
Yes.... For all the stuff I can't find, someone may as well have stolen it!
Steve.

My digital camera has been missing for months -

Needless to say, I haven't missed it.

VaryaV · Jan 28, 2009

arigram said:
No.
And better not anyone try.
I have booby-trapped my apartment and my pockets, have a high degree in six martial arts and can use anything as a weapon, including a strand of hair, have a detachment of merciless Mongol warriors on standby and have tagged every single thing I own (including each page of every book and notepad) with high-tec RFID/GPS transmitters and can fry the thief from orbit with a satellite laser.

You're hired!!!

Steve Smith · Jan 28, 2009

arigram said:
and can fry the thief from orbit with a satellite laser.

Not if I'm wearing my mirror suit!

Steve.

arigram · Jan 28, 2009

Steve Smith said:
Not if I'm wearing my mirror suit!

Yes, but I didn't mention my backup sharks with freaking lasers on their heads, that can bite your bum off if the beam doesn't work.

And Varya, if you're paying well, consider my minions, security installations and other special services to be at your disposal.

AdClem · Jan 28, 2009

London, circa 1990. Burglary. My first 'proper' camera a Pentax K1000, which had been a present from my father, and an Olympus system I'd begun to build around an OM4. All un-insured. It took me a few years to claw my way back. Note to self: check insurance policies are up to date.

I've now got a Nikon sytem, most of which was bought new, but I wonder how many of us are innocently using equipment that was once cherished by another victim.

I didn't acquire my medium format gear new, but I know it came from a good home. It was previously owned by a police force scene of crimes unit, and I got it as a job lot at auction. I often wonder what grisly sights it's been exposed to. In fact one of the film backs had a partly exposed C41 roll still inside. I thought of getting it processed, but lost my nerve. Imagine the explaining I might have had to do. It's bound to be of something perfectly innocuous, but I think I'll have to pluck up the courage to process it myself.

jd callow · Jan 28, 2009

A friend had his truck broken into they took a complete nikon system and a pair a nike's. The thief left an old pair of shoes.

MattKing · Jan 28, 2009

Not for several years, and never anything photographic.

When I was younger and living as a student or just starting out, I suffered a number of car break-ins and lost a car stereo or two.

Most recently, there was a break-in in the secured car parking area for our condominium. A couple of things were taken from cars. They included a bag of things from one car owned by a young couple who are our neighbours.

I wonder what the thief did with the breast pump he/she obtained?

Matt

Did you ever have any thing stolen?

Steve Roberts

Chan Tran

dpurdy

nyoung

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