[Leica] Stealing cameras

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

I've had two Leica systems stolen. One in San Francisco, Lombard Street,
under Coit tower. The other at the visitors center at Point Reyes National
Seashore (North of SFO). Broke a window of my van and took everything they
could find. Everything was covered, nothing in plain sight. No hint of
photo equipment.

An interesting experiment would be to:

Lay out, on a park bench, a few cameras. A Nikon, Minolta, Canon, Pentax,
and an M6. Then ask a thief or a fence, if he could take all but one
camera, which would he leave. I believe the resale market for stolen name
(publically recognizable) brands far exceeds that for Leica. I believe the
Leica would be left. A thief wants *money* and he knows what is instantly
recognizable and resalable.

The Thieves that snach and run have absolutely no clue as to what kind of
camera you have, it's just a camera.

A very close friend of mine (and camera store salesman - many of you know
him) just got back from a photography trip to Cuba. He went to an area
recognized as risky. He had a small backpack over one shoulder which
contained an M Leica and lenses, he was photographing with an N90, he had a
small fanny pack on, and a money belt under his pants. While photographing
some children in the area, a very large man came running at him. The man
grabbed the fanny pack from around his waist, ripped it off, and ran. He
DID NOT TAKE the N90, he DID NOT TAKE the backpack containing the Leica,
and he had no idea that my friend had his money in a money belt under his
pants. He obviously thought that the small fanny pack was where the loot
was. All that was in it was... a couple of Band-Aids, some neosporin,
chapstick, and some aspirin. My friend was not hurt.

Thieves are after recognizable money sources. In third world countries,
cameras aren't always the best thing to steal. They may be hard to fence.
IMHO, taping-up a camera is like using a UV filter on a modern lens. It
serves no useful purpose.

Jim