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Andrew O'Neill
23-Aug-2005, 20:02
Well, I just got back from Japan and my house was broken into. They stole both my cars. They used one of the vehicles, which was a van to cart away their haul. They stole my computers, tvs, dvd players ,phones. They stole ALL of my photo gear. I lost all my large format gear and several lenses. My densitometre is also gone as well as two enlarging lenses and weigh scale. If any nikkor 120, 210, 240, 300, 450, fujinon 90, RH Design densitometre, Canham8x10 light weight, mamiya RB67 with two film holders and 55mm, 127mm, and 360 mm lenses, 4x5 Linholf Tech 4, minolta metre 4, and digital spot metre, and drypress mount (I forget the maker...)...if any of these items appear on ebay could you email me? It is quite possible that they are mine...
I'm devastated. I cannot do any photography at all. It took me many years to build up my gear and some little bastards made off with them...they even took my wife's contact lenses and my 4 year old daughter's Brat dolls!!! Scum!

John_4185
23-Aug-2005, 20:13
What a nightmare. My deepest sympathies. Yes, I will certainly keep you in mind as I see things on the 'net. You can also set up an automatic ebay search, I think.

Do you have household insurance that will cover it? (Please say Yes!)

Jorge Gasteazoro
23-Aug-2005, 20:15
My sympathies Andrew, I check the 8x10 section of e bay almost every day, if I see anything like yours I will gladly e mail you.

Joe Smith
23-Aug-2005, 20:24
Hi Andrew,

That really sucks! I hope you have adequate insurance.

May I suggest you also post at http://www.photo.net/neighbor/registry/ where there is a stolen equipment list. I have heard Adorama and B&H check this list.

Juergen Sattler
23-Aug-2005, 20:25
Andrew, I know how you feel. We were robbed last year at our vacation place in Europe and they stole our car, a bunch of camera gear, a laptop and lots of smaller items. The biggest nightmare started afterwards, because the home owner insurance refused to pay for any of the stolen stuff, because there was no "forced" entry. Three weeks later the police found our car - the robbers used it as a get-away vehicle and the police gave them a chase. They almost totalled the car (unfortunately they did not completely total it - now we have a repaired car that every other week needs to go back to the shop for more repairs) but they didn't catch the bastards. Hopefully your insurance company won't give you any problems and you'll be able to buy back your lost gear. All the best and good luck!

Frank Petronio
23-Aug-2005, 21:08
Please post more detailed info about your hot gear. That would help us identify it. I hope your insurance covers it of course, but it would be great to catch the thieves.

Best of luck.

Oren Grad
23-Aug-2005, 21:17
Andrew, I'm really sorry to hear your sad news. Most important thing is that you and your family are OK. I hope all the nuisances involved with cleaning up after a mess like this will pass quickly and with the minimum possible hassle, and that you and yours will soon be able to get back to days filled with only good things, doing the things you love to do. Good luck...

David A. Goldfarb
23-Aug-2005, 21:29
Sorry to hear your news, Andrew. This happened to our family when I was in high school and was pretty disorienting. They had been casing our house for some time, and on the first day of school they did it. I came home and saw the mess everywhere and at first though my little sister had had a temper tantrum, and then I noticed the TV missing, and the microwave, and the broken window and my cameras. Fortunately we had good records of the stolen items, a clear break-in, and a good insurance settlement, so I upgraded my Canon A-1 to an F-1N that I still shoot today. They caught the robbers eventually, who were hitting the homes of jewelers in the Cleveland area. My parents owned a jewelry store at the time, but they kept valuable items in the store safe, not at home, as was the case, I'd imagine, with most other people in the business.

Salty
23-Aug-2005, 21:50
I'm of the belief that some of the items may show up on ebay but the seller might be an innocent person who just got a real good buy on equipment through the local paper, swap meet, yard sale... etc. I keep my serial numbers of my lenses on my computer so I guess I'd be out of luck if someone stole my photo gear and computer.

Ellen Stoune Duralia
23-Aug-2005, 22:10
Andrew, my heart goes out to you and your family. Several years ago, I was the victim of a home robbery so I understand how violated you must feel. I am so very sorry that you are having to experience this nightmare. Give thanks that you weren't at home during the break in and that you are all safe. I wish there was more that I could do but alas, all I am able to offer are my prayers. Take care :)

Ralph Barker
23-Aug-2005, 22:49
Add my condolences to those already offered. Andrew, even though words fall short of what we're feeling for you.

A friend, who was running his own studio in Miami a few years back, had a break-in at the studio. They came in through the skylight, and hauled all his gear back out the same way. He was, of course, similarly devastated, but perhaps more so as he depended on the gear for his family's living. His insurance covered only a small fraction of the actual eplacement value. A couple of weeks after that, I found a refrigerator-sized safe (900# empty). I've slept much better since.

matthew blais
23-Aug-2005, 23:01
That's tough Andrew, my condolences. Hope they get caught and your valuables are returned.
It still won't help the feeling of violation, but it would be a nice start.

I've written down all serial numbers and photographed my photo equipment and the list and photos are in a safebox.

Another thing all might remember is to NOT announce upcoming trips and such on this or any forum.
You never know who peruses these sites looking for just that type of info. Just a thought.

Capocheny
23-Aug-2005, 23:24
Andrew,

Am really sorry to hear of your loss... my sincere condolences!

Will keep an eye on ebay for your gear but I would suggest that you contact the local camera shops and let them know of the theft. Also, check/follow the For Sale ads in your local newspaper too.

If you're in dire straits for a 4x5... let me know and perhaps we can make arrangements for you to borrow my Tachihara, ok?

Good luck... I hope the police catch the little *&*($&%*^&^#!

Cheers

Stew
23-Aug-2005, 23:29
Well actually, this was not a robbery, it was an entry into someone's home while they were not there for the purpose of committing theft. It happens to be one of the commonest of crimes, not normally the subject of a "my God, how could this happen" thread about photography. I don't mean to minimize it, but as someone who has been robbed, at knife-point no less, I can assure you that there is a difference between robbery and your basic break and enter. There is enough of a difference, and break and enter is sufficiently common, that I honestly don't understand the point of this thread. Is there anyone on this site who has not been the victim of theft?

Scott Rosenberg
24-Aug-2005, 01:20
jeff, you're not serious with that reply, are you?

Scott Rosenberg
24-Aug-2005, 01:24
andrew, my deepest sympathies. my house was broken into a few years back. the material goods were all easily replaced, what took far more time to recover from was the fear that that woman i was then living with had about being alone in the house from that point foward. all the best to you and your family during this difficult time. we'll all keep a sharp eye for your gear, but you would be well-advised to call the pawn shops in your area with a list of your stolen items.

David A. Goldfarb
24-Aug-2005, 02:30
"Jeff," "Jon," "Stew" ... who knows? If it's really "Jon," are you the same Jon I had a coffee with and bought a book from once? Seemed like it might be, since that fellow also knew some things about TV and cine production and was also NYC based. If it is, he's not so acerbic in person as he is on the forum, but maybe it's really Jeff or Stew or K-something.

Robbery vs. burglary--both unpleasant for sure.

Hiro
24-Aug-2005, 02:35
Andrew,

I'm sorry to hear that. Don't know what else to say... Get well.

GPS
24-Aug-2005, 02:59
I agree with Oren - however sad the event is thank God that you have the greatest gifts of them all - your life, your health and, hopefully, some good friends. Look at those who live for years in hospitals - it will help you to go on.

Herb Cunningham
24-Aug-2005, 06:58
My sympathies about the robbery (b/e)-I don't know of anybody who has not been robbed at one time or another.

Your homeowners insurance will cover most stuff, and I go to the extra trouble to do a separate listing of most of my camera gear, especially the things that cost thousands, and then they are covered against any theft, no matter where it happens, even in a foreign country, breakage, etc. It costs a tad extra, $100/ year I think, but it is comforting.

Jim_3565
24-Aug-2005, 07:58
My condolences.

Do you have a record of the serial numbers? That's a big help to the police, who will circulate them to the pawn shops and camera stores if you can give them a list.

I've also engraved my drivers license number on all my medium format gear, which not only makes them easier to track down but may also have something of a deterrent effect.

A word to the wise and all that....maybe such tricks will help someone else avoid your pain.

Chuck_1686
24-Aug-2005, 08:26
Does a Canham 8x10 have a serial number? Can't be that many out there so that item would be the easiest to track. I know my old Wista and Ikeda cameras don't have any numbers. Maybe I should add my own.

Mark_3632
24-Aug-2005, 09:45
Dang jeff, Your a jerk. I've had both happen to me and both are violations. plain and simple.

Andrew, Sorry to hear about the loss.

Neal Shields
24-Aug-2005, 09:59
Somewhere I read a passage written by H.D. Thoreau that said something to the effect that : "everything you get, you trade for something called life".

If a 90 year old man was murdered, that it could be proven only had one year to live, we would still call it murder, but steal material things someone traded a year's worth of his life to get, and their just "things" that can be replaced.

I always suspect that people that take the attitude (no one here is) that "it's only money", haven't gone through what I have to get mine, to get theirs.

With my Linhof, I spent 12 hours just replaceing the leather.

I wouldn't shoot somebody to stop them from stealing it, but I would sure WANT to.

Steve Lewis
24-Aug-2005, 10:00
Hi Andrew

I can't begin to understand how violated you and your family must feel. Please accept my heartfelt sympathies. I will, of course, keep an eye for the gear.

Steve.

www.landscapesofwales.co.uk

darr
24-Aug-2005, 10:31
Andrew,

I will be praying for you and your family. I too will keep my eyes open on eBay for you concerning your gear. If you find it totally unthinkable to obtain another large format camera, I would consider sending you my Wisner 5x7" Tech that has a 4x5" reduction back and a few #1 lensboards that I do not use until you can get more gear. Email me if it comes to that.

Kind regards,
Darlene Boharsik

J. P. Mose
24-Aug-2005, 10:38
Andrew,

You certainly have symphony from all of us (except for one schmuck). If you don't mind sharing, where do you live? Are you in the city, country, etc.? I will keep a lookout on Ebay as well!

Regards,

J. P. Mose

Varakan Ten Tipprapa
24-Aug-2005, 10:50
Andrew.... My deepest sympathies as well, I was the victim of a car robbery last three months. Luckily, police found the day after, but they rip all wheels and radio.. My case just only car, but you...can not even compare,… I'm so sorry.. My house have ADT system since two years, now I feel, I should keep it… I’ll keep eyes for your stuffs.

CXC
24-Aug-2005, 11:06
Quite possibly the stores you bought from may have records of the serial numbers. Especially for the Canham 8x10, if you bought it directly from KeithC.

Best of luck putting this behind you and moving forward.

John_4185
24-Aug-2005, 11:15
Is it too paranoid to buy a one of those big gun safes?
Supposedly some have an electric dehumidfier inside.

Brad Rippe
24-Aug-2005, 12:17
Hi Andrew,

I know this is a long shot, but I saw a Canham 810 lightweight at a well known northern California camera shop on Aug 6. It sold the next week. I had a very good look at it and it had some unique characteristics that I'm sure you could identify if it was yours. You can contact me offline and I'll give you details. I even contacted Keith Canham with very specific questions about it. Again, it's very unlikely it's yours, but it might be worth a look. I've had stuff stolen from me several times and there is such a hopeless feeling, especially if it was photography related.

Brad

J. P. Mose
24-Aug-2005, 12:49
Andrew,

Perhaps the lookout on Ebay could be covered in detail by individuals who watch specific items. For instance, I watch Linhof daily (including all international sites). E-mail me some particulars on your Technika IV and any other Linhof items....I will target this only.

Perhaps others can do the same for your Nikkor lenses, Mamiya, etc.

JP Mose

John D Gerndt
24-Aug-2005, 14:09
Thank you Andrew for your post. In my little world it hadn't occured to me that anyone would want my antiquated stuff; I never gave a thought to being robbed at all. I would not have thought to ask either for assistance with keeping it off ebay. I would have done none of the the thinking I have done as a result of your post.

I will keep a look out for said items and be much more aware of my sources for used gear in the future. I will be recording serial numbers. I will be more afraid and more grateful. You have my sympathies and my thanks.

QT Luong
24-Aug-2005, 15:10
One question about serial numbers. Assuming that they are in your possession, and communicated in
a police report (as well as transmitted to the insurance company, if applicable) , does anyone know whether those numbers are actually used for anything ? Do they get into some kind of database that is checked by dealers or repair services ?

David A. Goldfarb
24-Aug-2005, 16:32
When it happened to us years ago, I got the sense that the serial numbers would be used as evidence in court, in the event that the burglars were caught with the equipment in hand (which was not the case), or if the equipment were found in a pawn shop, etc. At the time there was certainly no database of stolen goods, but that was long ago.

Eric Rose
24-Aug-2005, 19:32
I don't know about your area, but here in Calgary at least, having a monitored alarm system is a major deterent. That and a really mean dog.

My advice to anyone who hasn't done it already is pull out all your camera gear, write down the serial numbers and take digital pics of each piece. Save all the info to a CD and put it in your safety deposit box.

As said before, it's just stuff, hopefully you have insurance.

For anyone who doesn't have insurance, hasn't taken any precautions, or recorded the necessary information, well don't cry to load. It's the same thing as putting your own "kick me" sign on your back.

When I was a kid our house got B&E'd. We had an alarm system but the friggen lazy neighbour that was watering our plants left it turned off. Fortunately my parents had sufficient insurance and had both photographed (keep negs in safety deposit box) and copied down the serial numbers of anything that had one.

Everything was replaced, and in some cases with stuff that was better than what was stolen. It took years for the feeling of violation to dissipate.

But I must say our attack kitty put up quite a fight as the bad guys left lots of blood around where he had clawed them.

Turns out the kids that did the B&E were headed up by the son of a friend of ours. How did we find out? They (father and son) came over one afternoon and as soon as the cat saw the kid he attacked him. Now this is a normally very mild mannered cat you understand. We called the cops and they followed it up. Appears they (the B&E artists) still had a bunch of the stuff stashed at a buddies place.

One honour student and several flunkies off to reform school (the good old days).

Eric Rose
24-Aug-2005, 19:36
Oh ya one more thing. This cat was 1/2 Lynx and was the size of a medium dog. The neighbour kids when they were small use to ride him (for as long as he would put up with it).

Stew
24-Aug-2005, 21:19
Mr. Goldfarb,

I regret that we have not had the pleasure of meeting. While I am envious that you have enough time on your hands that you can play amateur sleuth about people who post to this site, I'm afraid that your sleuthing skills leave something to be desired. As the average 15 year old knows, internet providers such as AOL do not allow one to use one's first initial if that initial, combined with the last name, has been taken by someone else. That same 15 year old might know that two people who live together sometimes post from the same e-mail address. As I am sure you know, personal attacks of this sort, when they have nothing to do with the subject, are the refuge of the witless. When someone goes around "sleuthing" for no apparent purpose than to launch such an attack, and it turns out that the sleuthing results in an assertion of facts that are nothing more than wishful, we are no longer in the realm of the witless, but rather in the realm of the pathetic.

There are many things that I am sorry about in this world. Of those things, the following are not at the top of the list: the theft of camera gear, especially if it is insured, as it should be; getting ripped off on E-bay; and getting ripped off by a New York camera store (insert one of two names here). If someone wants to start a thread, complete with banner capitals, called I WAS ROBBED!, about a break and enter, that is his business. If others want to engage in a group therapy session over it, they are entitled to do so. If they want to establish a sub-category of this site about the injustices of the world, perhaps moderated by an expert on 12 step programmes, more power to them. I just have trouble getting all indignant and weepy over this kind of stuff, maybe because my capacity for feeling indignant and weepy is not limitless. If that makes me a schmuck, then I plead guilty.

Frank Bagbey
24-Aug-2005, 21:35
Please, please do not engrave any of your photo equipment. You can kiss its value goodby if you do. When you try to trade it in, instead of lucking out to get half the value, you will receive maybe 10% of what it is worth if it is engraved. Would you pay fair prices for a piece of gear with someone's name and address and drivers license engraved on it? Of course not!
Record all your serial numbers and keep the records at the bank or in a safe place. Invest in a hugh gun safe! As inconvenient as it is to keep most of the gear in there, a good gun safe is a great investment in peace of mind.

It takes a long time to get over the sense of violation from coming home and finding your backdoor busted in, glass everywhere, all the lights off in the house, things scattered everywhere, your televisions missing, your stereo gear missing, three pistols missing, and long guns laid out on the bed with other goodies waiting to get carried out. Having interrupted the robbery, the cops got here in a hurry and actually chased the two culprits across the neighborhood, before the bad guys escaped. The happy part of the story is a retired Sheriff who was a real estate agent found all the stuff in a basement about 3 blocks away and realized it was stolen. He reported it to the police and the evidence tech, who was a friend, was thrilled to let me know it was recovered. One walnut speaker cabinet had a small scratch, everything else was recovered in good shape, except for the 3 pistols. They are on a list of stolen property and may someday turn up someone for receiving stolen property. To this day I can still hear the crunch of glass around the backdoor and experience the feelings I felt that night. Maybe one does not get over this feeling of violation, after all.

Andrew O'Neill
24-Aug-2005, 21:43
Hi everyone who replied,

The police recovered my van and my photo vest was left inside with one light metre in pocket. I was quite happy about that. I live in Coquitlam which is like a suburb of Vancouver, BC. Home invasions and car theft are huge here. LF community is very small here, so hopefully I will be able to recover some stuff. I was talking to one guy and he said a lot of stuff is fenced in Calgary, not here. So Eric, if you here or see anything please let me know. Thanks again for all your advice. I really have no one else to talk to who would understand how I feel right now as far as losing my gear goes. I really appreciate you guys!! Even you, Jon! Jeff, b&E and the removal of property is robbery as far as I'm concerned! My kids are freaked out about this.

Brian C. Miller
24-Aug-2005, 22:12
I purchased a cheap $100 gun safe at a local hardware store. It's not the best that can be had, but its tall enough to store long guns in it, and lots of room for camera gear. It can be bolted down. Stuff can be kept dry with chemical driers made for closets.

Never been robbed, but went through three fires, and had one psychopath show up at my front door.

Bruce Wehman
25-Aug-2005, 08:52
Andrew, my condolences: I know how you feel. The first time we were broken into, they got everything of value that could be easily carried. The cop that investigated suggested that for small stuff like camera gear all you have to do is hide it. It seems that crooks don’t have a lot of time to do much searching. The second time we were robbed they got everything except the camera and lighting gear which was stashed behind some ratty plywood leaning against a wall in the basement – the last place anyone would look for things of value. With that lesson learned, my present house has a false wall, behind which go all valuables, whenever the house is unoccupied for any length of time.

tim atherton
25-Aug-2005, 09:10
errr - yoy might not want to advertise that last one Bruce....

Bruce Wehman
25-Aug-2005, 09:29
That’s all right. I left out the bamboo spikes.

Eric Rose
25-Aug-2005, 09:44
Andrew I have emailed you contact info for the major camera stores in Calgary. Sent to a canada.com address.

Kerik Kouklis
25-Aug-2005, 09:55
"This cat was 1/2 Lynx and was the size of a medium dog."
I gotta get me one of those! But, seriously, Andrew, sorry about your loss. I had a bunch of gear stolen out of the trunk of my car in '97. A beautiful Korona 7x17 camera, holders, classic lenses, etc. Yes, I had insurance on all but a few things that I had purchased since the last time I submitted my equipment list to my insurance company (keep those lists up to date if you buy/sell frequently!) I had serial numbers for everything, contacted local pawn shops, listed the gear on the website for stolen gear, watched eBay like a hawk, etc. Never got any of it back. Even though I recovered some $$ from my insurance company, the old, classic gear is difficult to replace. It's not like I can call B&H and order a mint condition 14" Dagor mounted in a Compur Electronic Shutter. But, after the anger and pain subsides, you move on.

domenico Foschi
25-Aug-2005, 14:16
Andrew, I feel so bad for you at this moment, and outraged at the fact that some scum, might wipe out your hard earned tools of expression in moments....
I was just talking to my girlfriend this morning how much I value this comeraderie. I hope you will replace soon your gear with a lottery ticket.
Bastards!!

Doug Dolde
26-Aug-2005, 18:56
I am not going to add to all the sympathy but I recently saw some quite large gun safes at Wal Mart for $350.

Robert McBride
1-Sep-2005, 20:15
You know, this raises an interesting issue. If the insurance pays a fair amount for the equipment, would you stay with traditional photography or go digital? This could be a difficult choice for any of the readers of this news group.

I’m not trying to be flippant, but just wanted to brighten a bummer of a situation. If lost as much gear as that I might consider Rollei's X-Act2 or something like it as a new beginning.

RM

robert_4927
1-Sep-2005, 22:07
RM.... You wouldn't even ask that question of a guy who just lost a Canham 8x10 if you understood the passion for film and alternative processes. So please don't turn this man's misfortune into a digital vs. film debate. He has listed that he lost a densitometer. My guess is that this means he is developing negatives to a certain density range for alternative processes like pt/pd or azo. So to try and promote digital will probably fall on deaf ears. His new beginning might just be a new Ebony 8x10 or something comparable. " This could be a difficult choice for any of the readers of this news group".....It would take me about a half of second to decide. Does that sound difficult?

Robert McBride
2-Sep-2005, 07:55
I don’t think that this is strictly a digital vs. traditional technical argument. I've been robbed and also lost equipment so I understand the feelings. To tell the truth, I’m worried about traditional photography because of all of the recent news (Kodak, Ilford, Agfa, etc.). It seems to me that within 10 years the only source for light-sensitive materials will be from small manufacturing plants in Eastern Europe or China.

The only piece of digital equipment that I own is an old Epson flat bed scanner. I don’t have any plans to convert to digital but if my equipment were lost and my insurance paid for it, I think that it would have to be a consideration. The current trend to digital is similar to the effects caused when simpler processes (push-button mentality) were introduced in the past. The only difference is that the earlier changes didn’t threaten the supply of materials for serious practitioners.

As to alternate processes, I think that one of the future uses for digital will be creating large negative transparences to be printed on hand-coated papers. Serious photography will always be done by those who are dedicated to the final product. The people who are satisfied with “push button to expose” then “push button to print“ are the same people that were satisfied with the nearest 1-Hour photo. To do good work in traditional or digital will constantly require dedication (hours in the darkroom or hours at the computer in Photoshop).