what to do with cameras in hotel room?

Angela Johnson · Jul 30, 2003

I tried a search (grr it's down due to overload). I'm sure I've seen this topic broached before.

I'm getting married at the end of August (yikes!!) and we'll be honeymooning in Jamaica for a week. I KNOW I want to take my D60, 28-70L and 70-200L IS (and maybe the EOS 3) BUT I'm terribly worried about theft when I'm not using the camera. Where do I keep the equipment? We were there two years ago and had the same type of room we'll be staying in this time, and the safe in the room is not big enough to hold a camera body and two lenses of this size.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to prevent my beloved equipment from being stolen while I'm out enjoying myself?

--
angela
http://www.pbase.com/ziggers

Jojosung · Jul 30, 2003

I think the front desk has a bigger safe.. you can ask them about that!!!

Matt A. · Jul 30, 2003

I struggled with the same issues - and bought insurance. It won't help with the photos, but you could always take your CF cards with you...

Angela Johnson · Jul 30, 2003

Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate them.

Any other ones? My uncle is also a photographer, and was there with our party when we went two years ago. I asked him what he did with his equipment, and he said nothing special. Apparently he left his camera bodies and lenses hanging around all over the room!

I could never be that brave.

--
angela
http://www.pbase.com/ziggers

Vinnie160894 · Jul 30, 2003

You might want to buy camera-bag security system. I'm not sure what they're called, but it's a steel mesh you wrap around the bag and then around something sturdy like the bed frame.

Keeps honest people honest but probably not totally theif proof. This + insurance should give you enough peace of mind, though.

Steve Mason · Jul 30, 2003

I honeymooned in Jamaica with my D30, and a boatload of lenses.

While I didn't quite leave the stuff laying around, I left my camera bag laying aroung, and once or twice the body was sitting on a table. Also left my notebook computer out in plain view.

I was never really concerned, this was at a resort (Superclubs Sans Souci)

I do, have insurance, and the notebook was an old "expendable" unit, just for storage/review of images.

Here's one

--
My Mini-Trekker is about to explode.

Stranger_2003 · Jul 30, 2003

Leave it with the reception, if it gets stolen atleast you'll know who did it

Ed Husar · Jul 30, 2003

--
Ed
http://move360media.com

caswan · Jul 30, 2003

Buy a Detergent Powder the typs witch comes in a cylinder cardboard container , carfully cut of the bottom and clean out line with a plastic bag and replace bottom , you will need to construct a removable cap from the bottom you removed , this will hold your lenses, when your leaving the hotel you can put your lenses inside the container and leave it under your sink any quick thinking thief would'nt think quick enough to look in the cardboard detergent bottle ,
This works .
FRs
Colin.

c.hammett · Jul 30, 2003

--I have my equipment insured and just lock my camera equipment in my suitcase and go to dinner. Take the CF cards with you if you want. The equipment is replaceable, but I've never had a problem. though there is always a first time!
Ranger

Tim C. · Jul 30, 2003

First, be discreet with your camera equipment. You can also inquire about the safety box at the front desk, although I doubt they'll have a large one to accomodate the size of your equipment.

Several things you can do:

1. Meet with the manager or owner of the hotel and ask him/her to take the equipment into their office or private room. The downside is, you don't know if this person can be trusted with your equipment.

2. Find out when the maid will clean your room. You can always remain in your room while they clean so you can keep an eye on your equipment.

3. If you have to leave the equipment in the camera and options 1 & 2 is not a possibility, put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door. The maid CANNOT get into your room if there's a sign. You just won't have a clean room if you do this option.

4. Take the equipment around with you.

Tim C.

Scott Larson · Jul 30, 2003

I really hate the hotel rooms that have signs that say "Not responsible for stolen items." They're really saying "We keeps what we finds."

The best advice I can give (beside using safes) is to make your equipment as invisible and hard to get at as possible. First, I put the digital bodies and the more expensive lenses in my PacSafe bag and lock it up. This bag has a steel cable so it can't be opened and you can lock it onto something so it won't be easily taken.

Unfortunately locking the bag to something in the room usually makes it more visible and tempting. You might consider this if there's something solid and not in the open. Try throwing a bag or a coat over it so it won't be obvious and hope that potential thieves will only take stuff they can quickly grab. PacSafe bags can be defeated with wire cutters in a couple of minutes.

I prefer to rely on invisibility so I lock my PacSafe bag to a strap on the inside of my luggage. Then I bury it in clothes and random junk. Cheaper lenses go into socks and shoes. If I have a cheap film body, I'll put that on the top -- if they want a camera, let them have that one. Then I lock my luggage closed so it can't be quickly opened and searched. This maximizes the amount of time and effort it would take to get to the camera equipment and get it out the door.

It also helps to keep anything to do with cameras or computers in your bags and out of plain sight. Why give them clues that you have good stuff to steal?

leofoto · Jul 30, 2003

I try to put as much as possible into the safe (espacially the body and the most expensive things), the rest I try to hide somewhere under the bed, ...

If I leave the room I switch on the TV and turn it louder, and mount "dont disturb" on the door.

But I always try not to leave anything in the room (if possible)

Trop · Jul 30, 2003

they will treat it just like any valuable item.

--
Troponin (Trop)
I must admit, I gotta problem with typo's

HockeyDave · Jul 30, 2003

Went to Tahiti on my honeymoon and did a split trip between Club Med Bora Bora and Moorea. BB was fine Moorea was another story.

We got there, loaded things into the room, locked the camera into the box, and headed to the beach. We were gone maybe an hour because it started to rain (total time since arrival was an hour and a half). got back the room. Noticed the door knob turned weird but thought nothing of it. Didnt leave until dinner. Went to the safe (it was open) ...NO CAMERA (sony F505) .. since it was open thought wife got it out. Asked her ..NOPE - she never opened the safe. She couldnt have.. I punched in the code (user programmable). Guess what .. code no longer worked...HMMM...very peculiar

Door opens differently than ALL doors at the place (we checked)
The code I set didnt work anymore

We were set up by an employee! They reset those safes when a guest checks out and they used that method to open it and take my stuff. The door was rigged so it could be entered.

Long story short - police reports, no camera for pics, lost mem stick with pics which had been taken, VERY UNHELPFUL STAFF (F*&# Club Med) = very bad last week of my honeymoon

After returning to the states my trav agent and lawyer got in the shorts of Club Med and I was reimbursed for everything missing and given free travel vouchers...and what I wanted -- the admittance that the liklihood was high that an employee had taken it and the door knob (lock) had been tampered prior to our arrival (apparently something similar had been reported by other guest before us on the same room - robbery with no forced entry but safe not hacked.)

I say be very careful, keep your eye on your things, take them with you if leaving your room, dont trust the employees .... Maybe also take some things which may help lock your stuff down - locks for bags, maybe a small bike chain, or locking mechanism for laptops may do it.

--
HockeyDave
http://www.pbase.com/igotjump

Harrison McClary · Jul 30, 2003

You can also get a device called Elert. these are small motion activated alarms that shreik at an unholy noise level. You attatch it to your bag, turn it on and leave it. If someone moves your bag it screams like a banshee....no theif wants a very noisy bag shrieking at them.

Ken N · Jul 30, 2003

Just put a sign on the camera bag...."Canon 10D". No one will even bother taking it.

William C · Jul 30, 2003

Yes it has when someone get their gear stolen!

Check with the hotel before hand, if they have a safe that you can lock up your gear. I once split my gear between the hotel's safe and my room's safe. If there is no option of a safe I will lock up my camera gear in the suit case. I said locked and not zip closed and not leave any of it in the camera bag. Also I usually will carry the camera gear while they are cleaning my room. The cleaning staff usually leaves the door wide open while they are cleaning and anyone can walk in and take something quick before the cleaning staff realizes it. When I have dinner I usually will return to my hotel/b&b and drop of my gear. I like to have dinner, to relax, reflect on the day, enjoy the meal and take my sweet time eating and not have to spend every second with one eye watching my camera bag.

Have a happy honeymoon and all the best!

Bill

tuanokc · Jul 30, 2003

Hey, you should focus on not to lose your partner than worry about your equipment. Most hotels have a safe in the room thatyou can use, you can also buy optional insurance for your equipment (check with your insurance agent). But don't lose any sleep over it, relax and enjoy your vacation. I travel all over places with my phto gears, never have problem before.

Canon and Nikon user. Film/Digital

Simon-Ph · Jul 30, 2003

The sign should to say... "Front-Focused 10D in this bag. Leave name and number and I will give you a Nikon instead." Hehehe.

--
Simon-Ph

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