On Feb 25, 2006, at 5:36 AM, Cotty wrote:
Interesting tale.
I normally walk around with $45,000 worth of TV gear hung over my
shoulder. I'm 6' 5"" tall and weigh 210. In 15 years I have had
zillions
of people comment on how expensive-looking the kit is. I have never
once
had a problem.
Of course, that is not to say that it could easily happen. There are
numerous documented cases of violent theft here in the UK. As a normal
part of my work, I risk assess continually. If I think there's any
possibility of unwanted attention, there are a host of security
measures
I call on. Things that are incredibly simple, like parking with the
rear
of the vehicle to the wall, so kit is not 'on display' when getting it
out / putting away. The camera weighs 26 lbs and I would not
hesitate to
use it as a weapon in the event of an attempted robbery.
That's filming kit, and there is no such thing as 'low-profile'
with it.
I appreciate that stills kit is a different kettle of worms ;-) and i
certainly do take appropriate measures when out and about.
For one thing, if a thief did steal all that TV gear it would not be
easy to sell as compared to still camera gear. As you say, a thief
can sell a still camera in a local pub. Not so likely with pro video
gear.
Thieves are usually pretty stupid people. Years ago I worked in a
camera shop and we were hit by thieves one night. They came in
through a side window on an alley. They tried to open the cash
register and couldn't get it open, so they threw it out the window
into the alley, which did open it. Of course the day's receipts were
taken out at the end of the day and there was nothing in it but a few
dollars in change. They grabbed cameras, lenses, etc., seemingly at
random, leaving some expensive items and taking some awfully cheap
stuff like Zenit SLR cameras. Anyway, two days later the
"mastermind" was caught trying to sell cameras out of a big burlap
sack in the restaurant just around the corner from our shop!! The
restaurant owner called us and we called the cops. We got most of
the stuff back none the worse for wear.
About camera bags. I have one friend who keeps his expensive gear in
a diaper bag on the back seat of his car, complete with a couple
diapers sticking out. He used tea to partially stain the diapers.
He never locks the car.
Another keeps his Leica gear in a woman's sewing case. He made a
false top out of cardboard and glued spools of thread and other
parephernalia to it. That lies on top of the cameras, and the lid of
the sewing case stays open. Again, on the back seat of the car, car
never locked.
Neither of these guys has ever had anything stolen.
Bob
