Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>Crooks don't even want to steal cameras, as there is no market for hot >cameras. They will steal $2,500 worth of gear and net, at most, $50 for >their risk and trouble, while a good car stereo will bring them $100 and a >TV $150. If they KNOW you have a camera in the bag, they'll leave you >alone: they're hoping it has something exotic in it, like a boom box or a >gun. When I worked news in Atlanta the Fulton County Stadium caught on fire (some of you baseball fans may remember this...was the first game Fred McGriff played for the Braves in Atlanta.). The UPI darkroom was directly behind where the fire started and had any of us been in there working we surely would have died in the fire as there was no other way out except through the flames, we were all on the field (McGriff was late taking batting practice or Bob would have been souping film and transmitting when the fire started) or at home (me I was off that night)...anyway in the darkroom was a 400, 300 and several other lenses and camera bodies. In the ensuing confusion over the next day the lenses and bodies dissapered from not only our darkroom, but also AP's as none of us could get back up there because of the fire. The genius who stole these very expensive and low market lenses took them to one of the pro stores in Atlanta...the sales clerk was a sometimes stringer/film runner for UPI. He said Let me hold on to these for a day and work up an estimate on their value and come back tommorow at XXpm. The guy came back and was met by some of Atlanta's officers and everyone got their lenses back...smoke damage and all....The brilliant theif went to jail I assume. Harrison McClary email: harrison@mcclary.net http://www.mcclary.net preview my book: http://www.volmania.com