My dSLR and Lenses - STOLEN! (along with my iBookand iPod)

[kwajo.com]

Well I guess I can start looking for a new camera, or whole camera system for that matter, because last night my apartment was broken into and I lost almost everything. I lost my iBook and my iPod, my xbox 360, etc., but what I'm most upset about is my camera and all its lenses! I mean it's practically my most treasured possession and it was taken away from me! I'm glad I wasn't hurt, don't get me wrong, but we're talking thousands of dollars in photo equipment, and one of my sources of income!

Now I know many of you are Canon and Nikon freaks, but losing a Pentax hurts a lot, it's like a member of your family, one that you take with you where-ever you go, and one you can share memories with. This is a sad and angering day to be sure.



n.b. as an oddity about the whole thing, everything was taken except my G5 Powermac. How weird is that? I guess they must not like PowerPC

 

[FleurDuMal]

That sounds horrible. Sorry to hear that mate.

Did you have any contents insurance?!

This really reminds me that I need to update my insurance (my DSLR still isn't insured, nor is my Macbook).

 

[echeck]

That's awful.

Hopefully you have some insurance on those items.

It sounds like the guy couldn't be bothered with heavier items, just things that could fit in to a backpack. I'm sure that's why the G5 wasn't touched. The guy was probably scared out of his mind that he would get caught so he just grabbed what was easily accessible and went for it.

Some people... I'll just never understand them.

 

[Aperture]

Thats too bad. I can't imagine losing my camera/iMac/etc. Hope you had insurance on them.

 

[Sun Baked]

Seems like you cannot really have a bunch of really nice stuff these days without an armed guard -- who is likely to walk off with something anyways.

Starting to think the FedEx furniture and lego PC is the way to go, just buy a decent chair and matress and I'm all set.

 

[balofagus]

GAHH ! Who would do that ! That sucks so much, and I'll take your word on losing a Pentax sucking, I'd rather not try. I hope you have some sort of insurance.

 

[beavo451]

Now I know many of you are Canon and Nikon freaks, but losing a Pentax hurts a lot, it's like a member of your family, one that you take with you where-ever you go, and one you can share memories with. This is a sad and angering day to be sure.

Doesn't matter what brand. Having ANY possession stolen sucks.

 

[YS2003]

n.b. as an oddity about the whole thing, everything was taken except my G5 Powermac. How weird is that? I guess they must not like PowerPC

I think this thief was a feeble SOB who does not have muscle to carry the heavy PM.

Is your neighborhood known for this type of crime? Usually, apartments are safer than the stand-alone house because there are always some people near by as witnesses. Thieves usually do not like attention (except for some hard core nut-case thieves who break in the middle of the day in an audacious manner).

 

[bousozoku]

Sorry to hear that. Years ago, someone got my favourite SLR and a number of other things, including some rare coins. He burglarised over 200 apartment complexes and houses. Expensive drugs, right?

Good luck with getting things back in order. I suppose you did need a newer camera, though. Don't worry, no one will force you to get a 300D.

 

[Mike Teezie]

Oh man, that sucks. I feel awful for you. Did you happen to have renter's insurance?

 

[kwajo.com]

Don't worry, no one will force you to get a 300D.

haha! thanks for the laugh, I needed one right now.

It really is an angering situation. I know it happens every once in a while to almost everyone, but the worst part isn't the feeling off loss from losing my possessions, it's the feeling that someone violated my home, that some horrible stranger was standing by my bed and taking the things which I have worked hard to earn. Disgusting. It made me want to throw up last night when I got home and realized what happened. Now I am just grateful that I am alright, and that I can start to rebuild, bigger and better. My neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, but I heard another place got broken into as well last night, so it must have been a random spree or something. Doesn't offer much comfort, but at least I don't feel alone.

 

[Clix Pix]

Oh, Kwajo, I am soooo sorry to hear this! I can imagine how violated you must feel.....a stranger tromping around in your home, your (supposed) sanctuary.... While, yes, it is awful to have lost so many of your prized possessions, especially the camera gear, it is even sadder to realize that you've lost an element of innocence and trust.

Of course, buying a new camera and lenses will come in time...but I understand it's still not going to be the same....

 

[kristiano]

That sucks man. Sorry to hear 'bout that.

 

[Abstract]

Of course, buying a new camera and lenses will come in time...but I understand it's still not going to be the same....

Buying new lenses may not be the problem. Even if something like insurance were to cover it, he'll never have HIS lenses back again.

Even if I was robbed but had full insurance on everything, I'd be pretty upset.

 

[bousozoku]

haha! thanks for the laugh, I needed one right now.

It really is an angering situation. I know it happens every once in a while to almost everyone, but the worst part isn't the feeling off loss from losing my possessions, it's the feeling that someone violated my home, that some horrible stranger was standing by my bed and taking the things which I have worked hard to earn. Disgusting. It made me want to throw up last night when I got home and realized what happened. Now I am just grateful that I am alright, and that I can start to rebuild, bigger and better. My neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, but I heard another place got broken into as well last night, so it must have been a random spree or something. Doesn't offer much comfort, but at least I don't feel alone.

We all thought that Canada was a safe country, but to hear you and Wimic, it seems a crime spree every day.

At least, you didn't find that someone had been wearing your clothes. I heard about some burglars who made a meal for themselves, took baths, etc. and then, burglarised the home properly. Pray they didn't meet me while in the bath. Hey, that didn't come out right.

 

[pdxflint]

I had an experience where my camera bag w/ two bodies and three lenses, as well as filters, film and a small rangefinder camera were stolen while on the road. I made a police report, and when I got home I called the officer who took the report and gave him all the serial numbers (which I had just taken the time to write down the week before - thank God...)

Long story short: I replaced my gear and bit the bullet, since I was also doing freelance work for a living at the time. Around 6 months later I got a call from the cop who had taken my report. He said a couple pieces of my gear had turned up in a pawn shop in Washington state (I lost my stuff in Bend, Oregon) and wanted to keep me posted. Seems that they had the identity of the person who pawned the camera body and one lens, and were doing more investigating to see if he had the rest of my stolen equipment.

A couple days later I was told that the police department in Centralia, WA had recovered the rest of my stuff, including the bag. I was told I could come and retrieve it, and also go to the pawn shop and get my pawned camera. When I looked in my camera bag, my rangefinder camera was still in a side pouch, and most everything was intact, except the film which was missing, including my exposed film. It was great going to the pawn shop with my police receipt and asking for my camera/lens from them. They weren't too happy, but they could have checked if it was stolen before offering to loan money on it.

All in all, the system worked, even though my stuff had been taken to a neighboring state. So, hopefully if you made an accurate report, your equipment could turn up if they try to pawn any of it.

Anyway, the point of my story was to try to inject some sense of hopeful possibility during a tough time. Good luck, and hopefully you'll see some, if not all of your equipment sometime down the road.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

haha! thanks for the laugh, I needed one right now.

It really is an angering situation. I know it happens every once in a while to almost everyone, but the worst part isn't the feeling off loss from losing my possessions, it's the feeling that someone violated my home, that some horrible stranger was standing by my bed and taking the things which I have worked hard to earn. Disgusting. It made me want to throw up last night when I got home and realized what happened. Now I am just grateful that I am alright, and that I can start to rebuild, bigger and better. My neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, but I heard another place got broken into as well last night, so it must have been a random spree or something. Doesn't offer much comfort, but at least I don't feel alone.

Sorry to hear about the loss.

My sister can fully understand your pain after her home invasion last year; while she was still there. Fortunately for her, only her truck was stolen (though she is still fighting to get it repaired properly).

Never had my home broken in to, just my car (lost a couple of suits hanging in the back- hope the thieves were able to find a decent job);and my ex's truck (lost about $8000US of camera gear in that one - all covered by insurance).

I would like to think that if my home were broken into, I could maintain my outlook in that I am safe, and my loss was covered by insurance.

My sister on the other hand has lingering issues with that day. She has a security cameras trained on her property, 24 hours a day. The security monitor never is turned off. She has two large dogs;but she will only travel if she can get a dog sitter - just so the dogs might scare someone off. She won't travel for more than a couple days at most in her vehicle, just so that it can sit in the driveway - to make it look like someone is there.

I love my sister; but is hard for me to fully understand her anxiety after the break-in. Sure I think I would be jumpy over some things. But IMO I think that I would count my blessings that I was safe, and that I had insurance to cover my losses.

She does not live in the best of neighborhoods. But like so many across the nation with rising house values, she is sought of caught in the bind of what she wants (a place for large breed dogs, a private pool, a relatively easy commute to work).

This contrasts to my personal view. For those that followed my saga over the past couple of years here on MR; I made the choice after my ex and I split, that the best option in the area was to sell and go rental. Sure I could have taken in a room mate or two and held on to my TH. But I made a choice that I wanted more control in my life. I did not want to rely on others to make my way of life possible.

For those that know the back story, I made the greatest sacrifice IMO; and that was after I signed the lease on my current space - my ex delivered our loved dog, Chewey at my doorstep. Chewey is a 100+ pound lab/chow mix. My lease allows for only up to 50 pounds.

If I had a "normal" job I would have suffered the loss on the lease I signed. That cost was almost $3000US; but my hours at work also came in to play. So I did the hardest thing I think in my life; and worked night and day to find Chewey a new, loving home.

Sorry for the rant. But your situation brought up some deep feelings on my part. And I hope that contrasting views may provide something for you to help make some choices.

Regards

Chip

 

[serpent]

kwajo, you never answered whether you were insured or not? if not I say why not everyone here @MR paypal ya a couple of bucks to get ya back shooting again! first $10 on me!

Serpent

 

[FFTT]

I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation.

I agree, the gear can be replaced, but peace of mind is much harder to re-build.

My father travelled all over Europe with his 1949 Leica 3F.

The best advice he ever gave me about cherished valuables was to have them professionally engraved with your name on them and then to keep copies of all important information and photos of rare items and appraisals in a safe deposit box.

 

[ejb190]

kwajo,

Sorry about your loss. I had a computer stolen from a storage locker this past summer while I was between homes. Like an idiot, I forgot to put the lock on back on the door. The funny thing is they took the $200 PC (It was an old P3-600) but skipped the $800 bike and the $300 table saw sitting right next to it! The PC was the only thing taken. Not near as bad as having a house broken into, but I know the sense of loss. (My RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 files were on that PC!)

Hey, this might be a good reminder for everyone to look at their insurance policies.
A) Do you have enough coverage to replace all your camera/computer equipment?
B) Is your equipment covered where you use it (my old renter's policy did not cover my laptops outside of my house).

 

[iGary]

Geebus, sorry about this, buddy.

Maybe your misfortune will talk some people into getting renter's insurance - it's really cheap, folks.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Maybe your misfortune will talk some people into getting renter's insurance - it's really cheap, folks.

Amen to that!

Also review your coverage every year. And be sure to add each new purchase.

Depending on the gear you own, the replacement costs may have increased(or maybe decreased, saving you some money on the insurance premium).

Given some of my gear, I just did a review with my agent and found out that I was underinsured by more than half! Thankfully I am now up to date on my values.

Also based on my loss back in 2001, if you do not have the gear on the schedule, my insurance company only paid 75% of the value.

 

[Clix Pix]

Buying new lenses may not be the problem. Even if something like insurance were to cover it, he'll never have HIS lenses back again.

Even if I was robbed but had full insurance on everything, I'd be pretty upset.

Oh, I quite agree! I KNOW I'd be upset! Each of my lenses has its own history with me, its own characteristics....and that would be difficult to replace.

This is a physical loss and a financial loss, but it also is very much of an emotional loss as well.....

But to reiterate what I said earlier, to me, although the loss of my camera equipment would be very hurtful, the most significant piece of this whole thing is the violation of one's home, one's supposedly safe place from the world, one's sanctuary....

I can see why Chip's sister has responded the way she has to the incident in her own home....