Disguising valuable equipment

Yeah, they're really great on wet days.

--
Charlie Self



http://www.charlieselfonline.com

Richard Crowe said:

If you are really worried about theft; carry your gear in a soft-sided cooler bag. Coleman makes several and there are loads of them imported from China.

A thief is less likely to rip off a bag that might contain your lunch or a six pack of Pepsi, that a bag that sends out signals that it is carrying expensive photographic gear.

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There's always the Maxpedition, too. Very roomy cross body concealed carry bags that work quite well as photo bags. I'd guess if someone thinks you've probably got a Kimber .45 in easy reach, you're less likely to be mugged.

--
Charlie Self



http://www.charlieselfonline.com

Over the past 5 years I've travelled to Singapore, Italy, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Chile, Peru, Mexico, USA, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Holland France, Bali (about 10 times) and eastern & central Java. Never had anything pinched!

Only ever felt nervous on two occassions - once in Mexico city (wandering around at night and found myself 'out of limits') and once in Amsterdam when I noticed a couple of guys following my movements.

I typically walk around with a D90 (and grip) plus 18-200mm over one shoulder and a small 'slingshot' bag with another D90 with 12-24mm fitted and a 80-400mm and sb-800. Both bodies and lall enses fit in the 'slingshot' which is a Chinese 'knockoff' of the small Lowepro (bought on eBay really cheap).

With this bag over one shoulder, and a regular standard cabin bag (on wheels) that houses the laptop, chargers, batteries, cell phones, emergency clothes and toiletries (and anything else I simply can't live without until me luggage finds me), I've managed to fly all over the world without having to put any camera gear in as checked luggage.

I can remember years ago walking out of a restaurant in Bali and leaving a Nikon F3HP on the table. A few minutes later I heard someone running down the street saying "Mr...Mr...you left your camera behind"

The world is not such a nasty place but you do need to be aware of your surroundings.

We're off to India in a few weeks, hopefully with a D700 and D7000 outfit - I'll let you know if the theory holds up!

everything was sweet - no problems!

I don't do it, so I can't speak for experience, but I know a couple people who do and think the logic behind taping over the logo is not so much to protect it, it's more to hide it. They feel logo is designed to stand out and someone can see it and say "that guy/woman looks like a professional, (s)he's shooting with a [Canon/Nikon/etc...] I want my pictures to look more professional, I should buy a [Canon/Nikon...]." So yes, if you're using a discrete 20mm f/2.8 or 85 f/1.8, covering the logo (and in Nikon's case, the red triangle too) might make it stand out a little less. However, if you have a huge piece of glass in front of the camera, that's going to stand out more. Also from a distance, something covered in black tape looks like it's an older piece of crap, and maybe less worth the hassle.

I also know one guy who dropped his 5D (original) and it took a decent ~1/4" (~1/2cm) chunk out of the prism area, so he now tapes his cameras just to give extra strength. Though I really don't expect the tape to add that much protection in the case of drops.

If you're working in a really bad area, maybe you could make a tube that looks like a bazooka that the camera fits in and you shoot through that. I don't think anyone will mess with you, at least until the police and national guard show up...
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~K

Same experience for me, always take large bag of photo gear on holiday, never any trouble and like thomo I once left the whole lot in a Restaurant and had walked about half a mile before my Wife noticed I was not carrying my treasured toys, with heart pounding I ran back and it was still there with a few guests smiling and saying, We thought you would come back, Phew!!

When I did a short stint at the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun newspapers in the early 90's they didn't tape the logos.

They taped the corners, tops of the cameras, bottoms, and usual grip areas with black masking tape. They owned their own cameras and were provided a yearly allowance for equipment.
Since they traded them in often, they wanted to get top dollar for them.

Daniel Kkesi said:

I must say that I am not by any means a paranoid, just whish to keep my gear for myself rather than giving it away freely for someone I do not want to.

The big Q is: what do you do to disguise your equipment so that it draws the least attention by thieves? Of course, when a big lens comes out of the bag in the middle of a crowded street at the part of the world where standards of living are not too high, then you cannot aviod curiousness. But with smaller lenses and while the gear is inside the bag... what precautions do you take against needless attention?

For now what I do is put black tape all over the camera brands and logos. But it does not camouflage the pro appearance of the gear and the bag.

--
Regards,
---------------------------
Daniel Kékesi
http://www.kekesi.com

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That's simple. I switched from Nikon to Pentax. Everyone know all real pros shoot Nikon or Canon.
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In the end, the only things that matter are the people we help and the people we hurt. http://pa.photoshelter.com/user/ronkruger

...for being English speaking but looks not different from the locals emoticon - smile

i know a Philippine-born parents here in UK who tells their children that Philippines is not safe to live and everything they told their children Philippines are negative that's why they don't want to go back there. they totally denied the country where they used to live and constantly tell lies to their children.

Danilo F Ingan-eng said:

Working in the oil and gas industry has given me a priveledge to work in many places of the world where there is oil, including London so I can relate to what you are saying about my country.

wil saxon said:

I find that absolutely amazing. Every single person I know, naive and vigilant including myself have had someone try to rort them or mug them at one stage during a visit or a stay in Manila. I'm not sure about the areas that you stayed out, I'd imagine if they were further out of the city you'd expect less trouble from the locals.

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Danilo F Ingan-eng said:

places to visit. I would think that I blended in as a local over there buy they can sniff a foreigner a mile away.

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I don't know where in the Philippines you been to. It could be you and the every single person you know are born rich, look rich - enough to make you think you are the obvious target for thieves that can change their lives forever. Honestly speaking, even if Bill Gates would have to travel incognito he would feel safe even in places that does look poor. The smiles he will encounter will be more than smiles in any place he had been will prove Philippines is a safe country. Unless one is cynical rich, you won't feel the smile.

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--
http://www.exp1orer.com

I'm no pro, but I do like to be modest about my equipment and keep it discreet. I went to a military surplus shop and bought WWII British engineer's bag, which fits my camera and a few lenses, with some pockets on the side for batteries and filters. It doesn't look like a camera bag, but it works great. I took it on a trip to Egypt last month and if my (inexpensive entry-level) camera was around my neck, I was hassled endlessly by beggars, merchants, and taxi drivers. However, with the camera in the bag I was treated no differently than anybody else. It was surprising how the presence of a large camera around my neck could draw so much attention... attention that disappeared immediately when the camera disappeared. I was also concerned that the military appearance would cause suspicion at security checkpoints, but the guards never said a thing.

To the non-photographer, as other have said, the exact model of your camera does not matter to most people. What matters is that they can see that you have an expensive camera, and so you can afford to part with money.

Kel Toookay said:

i have never seen a newspaper photographer who give a cr*p about protecting their equipment, because it's not theirs, it belongs to the paper. They always have the most beat up scratched and ugly equipment. I saw a guy pull a 300 2.8 out of his trunk. It wasn't in a case , just naked in the trunk. Never seen anybody with logos taped over, it strikes me as a case of sever weenieness.

K2K

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I saw a photojournalist a few weeks ago and he was carrying the most ugly camera I have ever seen, a Canon with a big zoom on it, it was scratched to glory, the lens was a mess to look at, he was using it so it was all oviously OK, I said to him that has obviously had a lot of use is it yours? he said it belonged to the paper and he moved on.

Walter

exp1orer said:

i know a Philippine-born parents here in UK who tells their children that Philippines is not safe to live and everything they told their children Philippines are negative that's why they don't want to go back there. they totally denied the country where they used to live and constantly tell lies to their children.

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The Philippines is not "safe" for Filipinos compared to the UK because of overall national instability. That has almost nothing to do with whether a tourist is more likely to get mugged in Manila or some areas of London. The Philippines is not a "safe" place to live compared to Washington DC, either for that same reason of national instability, and I'd guess the odds of being mugged in some areas of DC are even higher.

The old saying, "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there" often applies.

--
RDKirk
'TANSTAAFL: The only unbreakable rule in photography.'

I think most people are on the money here. The answer is don't advertise it. I have a big logo-emblazened ruck sack which mostly stays at home and I use a plain black shoulder bag. One which looks like it has my lunch in it - rather than expensive photographic equipment.

Just insure the heck out of everything you have receipts for and go have a good time. Serious injury or worse isn't worth it, camera gear can always be replaced but can you.
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ABA DABA