Stolen Alpa Gear:

[GrahamWelland]

I believe alpa maintains a list of stolen kit. It might be worth checking and getting all your serial numbers listed there. Alpa is so specialised that there is a greater chance that a future buyer identifies that it has been stolen. Fingers crossed.

Yes, I already did this plus emailed all of the Alpa dealers and also Bay Area photo dealers with the serial numbers. Alpa's list is down on the web site but they are in the process of bringing it back.

 

[GrahamWelland]

what is also pissy about this is that those thieves have no idea what they got, and if they did, they would have realized the re-sale market is practically zero for hot alpas. which means all that beautiful gear will get dumped

My thoughts too. The only easily sellable item was the a7rII and 24-240 that was in the 2nd bag. Other than that they got nothing of value for the average car thief.

 

[BJNY]

I wasn't shooting at all. Driving to the Bay Area for work and stopped at Chevy's restaurant on Powell St by the bay for dinner so parked in a well lit busy parking lot. Took out my laptop bag and brought that in with me but apparently the thieves were waiting in the parking lot. I changed my mind about eating there and came out and the security guy in the parking lot and I saw them grabbing a couple of bags off my folded down rear seat. Unfortunately one was my rucksack with the Alpa in it and another with the Sony. Also they got my dirty laundry from an overnight bag. The other bag with my actus db+ and MFDB were out of reach.

im very careful about where I park and never leave things in the car unattended if I can or out of sight. I took in what I could carry (laptop bag) but it's not practical to bring in everything.

in my case it was simply a case of an expensive car in what turns out to be a common targeted car theft location. They wait for a mark and then strike and drive off for the freeway immediately. The security guy and I were almost hit by the white Escalade gunning it out of the parking lot. I wasn't targeted as a photographer and they would have not known what they were getting in the bags they grabbed when they broke the side window. I guess they knew there was something because I took out my laptop bag and cover the rear folded down seat with a jacket.

Thanks for the details, Graham.

Glad you weren't followed, and that you're alright.

Billy

 

[jlm]

maybe part of the photo kit should be a nasty dog with big fangs

 

[steve_cor]

If police departments were truly interested in helping us, they could easily set up a sting operation to catch such thugs. Or they could be carefully watching from a hidden location places that are known to be a common targeted car theft location. *It seems they don't actually try.

They prefer to give tickets.

 

[aztwang]

Sucks Graham. I know what you're feeling. Back in June I had my Think Tank Logistics Manager and a couple other bags stolen . I had gotten home late and was tired, so I grabbed my F-stop gear back pack ( THANK GOD! ) that was in the front seat which had my entire Phase One kit and 4 lens's, locked the car, in my driveway, and was going to come back out in a few to grab the rest of the stuff. Needless to say, I popped open a brew sat down and processed the days work and forgot all about it. The thieves nabbed the big bag which had Nikon, Broncolor gear worth just north of 30K. The police said most likely kids and they work a neighborhood checking door locks and popping locks. I did find out the policy I have had a couple of special riders that covered like 5K in additional items that I lost that were not on my policy.

I hope all works out for you. That feeling of violation is horrible and really never goes away though the check will help.

All the Best

Don

 

[darr]

My condolences Graham. I hope for the best possible outcome.

Best,
Darr

 

[thompsonkirk]

Terrible news. And near my workspace/studio, so it hits close to home.

I looked on SF Bay Area Craigslist, and no Alpa gear has been posted there. But sophisticated thieves would sell it in LA, on the opposite coast, or abroad.

Kirk

 

[Bill Caulfeild-Browne]

Awfully sorry to hear this, Graham.

I remember how personally violated I felt when standing at a 12th floor window in SFO and seeing thieves break into my rental car parked right below me on the street. I was powerless to do anything but watch and wish I had a rifle. They stole my Mamiya 1000 and a bunch of lenses, and worst of all, all the film I had shot of surfing competitions in Hawaii. The gear was insured but the week of shooting was completely lost. I couldn't sleep for several nights.

Today I carry my exposed CF cards in my wallet!

Looking on the bright side, as others have said, there was no personal (physical) injury. The rest was stuff, and stuff is replaceable. But I feel for you nonetheless.

 

[Jeffrey]

So sorry to hear of your loss, Graham. However, your loss has made me make an urgent update to the equipment list on my insurance policy. Indeed I've been lazy in not updating the list. Guys, when is the last time you updated your equipment list for your insurance coverage?

 

[GrahamWelland]

+1, sucks but way too much gear.

Well I think that's all a matter of perspective. I had one medium format bag with my Alpa lenses in it primarily and an Actus DB that I intended to shoot in another hidden in the back of the trunk with the IQ back in it. The other bag had a Sony A7RII and Actus mini as backup and a zoom lens. The small RX1R bag is always in the car or what I'll take with me on a business trip.

Since this is a road trip for two weeks I wanted to shoot with the a7RII and the Actus Mini at some point.

 

[jlm]

you should see what each vehicle is carrying in one of the pigs gigs in carmel

 

[dchew]

Catching up on all this. Sorry to hear about this Graham.

I used to work right off Hollis in Emeryville. We had a service van that got broken into 3 times in 2 months. We finally sold the thing because we couldn't park it anywhere!

Dave

 

[Ken_R]

THIS looks like a good idea...

 

[Bryan Stephens]

One of the forum / workshop members has this installed in his truck and it is indeed pretty awesome. In addition to having to get into the tailgate of the truck, you then need to get into these solid drawers that are equipped with combination locks. Looks pretty darn secure to me!!!

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Sorry to hear that. I've made it a rule to put camera gear in the trunk when I start the day's journey, so that I won't have to do it when stopping for a break somewhere, since there's always a chance somebody will be watching then.

 

[jlm]

Truck vault does look great but $2grand
Problem with trunks is you can pop them open with a release once inside most cars

 

[schuster]

What do you think about establishing a new Forum here for listing stolen items, their descriptions, where and when stolen and serial numbers? I think it could be a valuable resource for camera stores, repair shops, law enforcement, insurance companies and of course individuals.

 

[GrahamWelland]

Truck vault does look great but ��$2grand
Problem with trunks is you can pop them open with a release once inside most cars

I have a number of colleagues who've lost laptop bags due to being watched putting them into the trunk. As John mentions, the scumbags watch and wait and then break in and pop the trunk from inside.

The truck vault is fine in theory so long as you are prepared to dedicate your trunk to just this purpose. I have a 2015 Range Rover Sport Autobiography and if I put one in the back I would still have to store travel bags inside the cabin as the trunk area isn't that large. If I wanted to leave gear in the back overnight then I can see the value and indeed if I still had my Land Rover LR3 then the utility would have been worth it. With my RRS I would also be unable to get to the spare wheel either with a vault fitted. (there is no vault lift option for RRS - I'd already asked them).

 

[jlm]

Maybe a lockable wire cage for the entire back area like one of those dog kennels
And a sign on the car so they don't break your window, also a pia