Stolen LF equipment. Heart broken, to say the least

[Bruce M. Herman]

Andy,

Sorry to hear about your loss. You may wish to ask your insurance agent if you can purchase an all loss (not sure if these are the correct words) rider to cover your photographic gear. I have State Farm home owners insurance and have such a rider. They have one rate for people who do not use their gear commercially and another for those who do. They have replaced cameras and lenses that I have simply dropped and broken. I've never had any stolen. Keep in mind that they have the option to repair or replace, and that if your camera or lens is no longer in production, you may have to convince them that item x is a more appropriate replacement than item y.

This isn't meant to be a State Farm advertisement, as I suspect that other agencies have comparable policies. I would expect to pay 2-4% per year. If you can't afford to replace all or a significant portion of your gear in the event that it is stolen or lost, this is a small price to pay.

By the way, do the trip, cameras or not. You never know when something will make such a trip impossible for you.

Best of luck,

[Paul mapstone]

Sorry to hear about problem. Just one small suggestion, I picked up a Pinhole camera from Lensless Camera Mfg. Co in Santa Barbara. I had great fun with it shooting 4x5. http://www.pinholecamera.com/

Regards Paul Mapstone

[Stephen Vaughan]

So sorry to hear that you have suffered at the hands of "petty" thieves - it isn't petty when you are the victim! I have had my equipment stolen a number of times, and sympathise with how empty it makes you feel. Difficult to be enthusiastic about anything creative when all you can think of is where your belongings are and what a waste it seems. After one theft I went into a store here in London and described the equipment (5x4 wooden field/limited edition lenses) which was all quite unusual. A half hour after I left the store, a guy came in with the equipment. His story was the familiar one about it being his Dad's old camera. The secondhand-dealer was clever enough to keep him waiting, saying he was really interested and would like to get the manager to have a look. He called the police while the man was waiting and he was arrested. Although I got some of my equipment back, it made my insurance claim for the rest of my gear much more complicated and slow, until I began to wish they hadn't caught him after all. It would have been easier to have just put it behind me and started again with new equipment. The best way to get over such a violation is to get back on the horse and make some new work! You have the sympathy and support of everyone here on the forum. All g

[Rob Pietri]

DITTO, ABSOLUTELY, Get a description, serial numbers, ANYTHING and fax it around, walk in to any and all camera stores. Most reputable stores are very co operative in this area and have lists of serial numbers and check equipment they take in against them. I have heard stories of stolen equipment returned.

[Andre Noble]

Dear Andy, in comparison to my very dubious recent choices in the ladies, your decision to park your uninsured Canham in Frisco seems perfectly reasonable.

I don't think there's anyone of us out there who is wise, but if so, would you please share with us your secret!

[Doug Paramore]

Sorry about your gear, Andy. I guess it happens to a lot of us. Did to me. Look one the bright side...maybe he will sell your camera for a good sum, buy drugs with it, OD and take himself out of the gene pool. Cars seem to be an invitation to burglary. It got so bad at one point at a hospital parking lot near where I live that the nurses began putting notices on their cars that they were unlocked and to please not break the windows. They finally caught the scum who were responsible.

Regards,,

[Lyle Aldridge]

Andy, I sympathize with your plight, and share the hope that something poetic will happen to the thief. Everyone who's had similar experience knows exactly how it feels.

You might take care, though, not to give up too quickly on the insurance angle. You mention calling "the" insurance company, but there are perhaps three policies to check for coverage -- your homeowner's, your auto policy, and the homeowner's or renter's coverage of the friend whose house you were watching. Frankly, the "location other than our home" clause has a somewhat dubious ring to it. Check the policy, and be sure they're not playing fast and loose with the language.

[abiggs]

Thank you, everyone, for all of the thoughts and ideas on what to do regarding getting this equipment back. And going forward with insurance companies.

Yes, I knew better than to leave it in the car overnight. What is done is done. I am just disappointed, because I have spent so many hours upon hours reading and learning as much as I can regarding LF photography, darkroom techniques, etc etc etc. I just feel that I have been slowly building up a system that would last for years to come. It certainly takes the wind out of one's sail.

I took inventory on what was stolen, and I can definitely recover. At least I left my 35mm gear at home! Here was my post to rec.photo.equipment.large-format earlier this morning:

"To all who live in San Francisco area:

On Saturday evening, my vehicle was broken into in the Russian Hill area. Most of my large format equipment was stolen, and I am in the process of trying to do my due diligence to get something back. It is a long shot, but what the heck.

here are the items that were stolen:

Rodenstock APO-Sironar-S 210mm f5.6. Serial # 11558913 Schneider Symmar 150mm. No serial number recorded Pentax Zone VI modified digital spot meter Leica 5x loupe Fuji readyload holder with box of Velvia/Provia misc filters to fit Cokin P holder Domke black satchel

If anybody happens to see this equipment at a pawn shop or camera store, please let me know. I am heartbroken, and this will take a long time to build back up.

Kind regards,

Andy Biggs abiggs@tvmcapital.com"

Thanks again, everybody.

Andy

[John Bailey]

Your safety is the most important thing, it is better to hear it was only the camera gear and that it was not taken physically from you. Here is a place you may wish to consider sending information about your loss:

http://www.photo.net/registry/search.tcl

Regards,

John Bailey

[Merg Ross]

Andy, so sorry to hear your tale. Take a few deep breaths, buy a used lens or two, and by all means take the trip you planned. You will feel better in a few days. Regards, Merg.