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Archive 2017 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco

  
 
jfeldt
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


Hi everyone, I had my photo bag stolen in San Francisco this last October. It was a terrible feeling and I'm still upset thinking about it. My insurance paid for what I had covered but I had about $1,000 of gear that was not covered, and luckily I was able to re-buy what I needed in time for a photo trip a week later. I have a police report on file with the San Francisco Police Department.

In case it helps catch the thief, or in case I can get my memory cards back with a day of pictures that I don't otherwise have, the serial numbers are below. Please let me know if you see any of this floating around for sale! It was all in a black Crumpler 8 million dollar home bag with Crumpler Industry Disgrace neck strap on the camera.

Main items:

Canon 1DX mark 2 serial number 052011000381

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L mark II Lens, serial number 9300007198

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L mark II Lens serial number 3400000182

Canon 85mm f/1.2L mark II Lens serial number 39813

Canon 580EX mark II flash serial number 047982

Sandisk 64GB CFast card
Sandisck 256GB CF card.
X-Rite Color Checker Passport
and more ....

Thanks for reading this and keeping your eye out!



Dec 10, 2017 at 04:02 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


Bummer. Glad your insurance covered most of it.


Dec 10, 2017 at 07:05 AM
josh-himes
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


San Francisco appears to be a hotspot for this type of incident. I had over $100K of equipment stolen while on assignment there in 2015. Never heard a word back from the SFPD afterwards, even though they said the value was high enough to warrant an investigation. I submitted a lengthy police report with a complete list of the stolen items, along with all serial numbers. Nothing.

Always be very cautious there and NEVER leave anything of value in your vehicle at any time.



Dec 10, 2017 at 11:27 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


josh-himes wrote:
Always be very cautious there and NEVER leave anything of value in your vehicle at any time.


That is a good goal anywhere — not SF specific.

And if you do have to leave something in a vehicle, avoid errors that make a break-in more likely: moving stuff in/out after you park, leaving things out in plain view, parking in really sketchy areas, etc.

(I spend a lot of time in SF. There are places that are sketchy and others that aren't but which seem so to those not familiar with The City. Care is warranted — as it is almost everywhere — but paranoia is not.)

Dan



Dec 10, 2017 at 12:24 PM
Herb
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


jfeldt wrote:
Hi everyone, I had my photo bag stolen in San Francisco this last October. It was a terrible feeling and I'm still upset thinking about it. My insurance paid for what I had covered but I had about $1,000 of gear that was not covered, and luckily I was able to re-buy what I needed in time for a photo trip a week later. I have a police report on file with the San Francisco Police Department.

In case it helps catch the thief, or in case I can get my memory cards back with a day of pictures that I
...Show more
Ouch! We had our car parked on a street and someone broke the window looking for a GPS device...only we had taken it with us. They got nothing, but I got to ride with broken glass in my seat and floor.

Where was it when it was taken?



Dec 10, 2017 at 12:27 PM
jfeldt
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


I live here and I knew we were in a bad area near Division and Potrero. I was really sick with a cold and had forgotten that my bag was in the trunk. You couldn't see anything from the outside and we didn't open the trunk when we got there, they just got lucky it seems.


Dec 10, 2017 at 12:56 PM
Photonadave
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


I've never thought of San Francisco as a "hotspot" for theft after living near there for 10 years.

I agree that the thief likely just got lucky.

It doesn't matter to me where I travel as I take the same precautions by never leaving anything of interest in the passenger compartment of the car. It all goes in the trunk where it's out of view from prying eyes. For general travel anything I'm not planning to carry with with me whenever I stop along the way all goes straight into the trunk of the car from the start of the drive so I'm not visibly repacking stuff in parking lots where the car will be left unattended.

The car trunk is less secure if a prospective thief knows for certain that valuable stuff is in it.

Sure there are places that make me uncomfortable that are best not visited or other measures are taken to secure equipment as best as you can.

There's always some risc no matter where you travel no matter how careful you are. Based on what you are willing to lose your best bet is insurance as the OP did.



Dec 10, 2017 at 01:25 PM
Herb
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


jfeldt wrote:
I live here and I knew we were in a bad area near Division and Potrero. I was really sick with a cold and had forgotten that my bag was in the trunk. You couldn't see anything from the outside and we didn't open the trunk when we got there, they just got lucky it seems.


Ugh....it’s that lucky thing that keeps these people coming back and doing this stuff. When the rental car was broken into, we weren’t far from the wharf area where the Alcatraz pick up / drop off point was. Maybe a bit over a mile, very near Fog City Diner...I am not from the area and don’t know if that was a good or bad area. Looked like a good area....



Dec 10, 2017 at 01:31 PM
Herb
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


Photonadave wrote:
I've never thought of San Francisco as a "hotspot" for theft after living near there for 10 years.


I have visited enough to think as SF as a hot spot for theft. There are enough spaced out people walking around...they need to get their money someplace!

A few years ago on another trip we were there to watch my son participate in the Triathlon, Escape from Alcatraz. While a couple was registering for the race, someone stole both bikes off the back of their car! Those bikes can go for as much as $12,000 each! Fortunately some locals loaned them two bikes they could use so not all was lost....but SF is a hotbed.....don’t ever let your guard down!



Dec 10, 2017 at 01:38 PM
jfeldt
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


SF has become a hotbed for car break ins with a sharp uptick the past two years. Some say it is because we are slowly de-criminalizing it. I have had my car and my wife's car broken into right in front of our house recently, both had nothing visible and nothing valuable taken but it still sucks. I highly recommend insurance, since I never want any reason to not shoot whenever and wherever I like.


Dec 10, 2017 at 01:54 PM
erikburd
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


Being on your guard is sound advice in general, regardless of the city you're in. I'm usually in paranoia mode with my camera gear and stay very aware of my surroundings. Some parts of SF are worse then others.

SF has been having an uptick in car break ins because it's easy to commit petty crime, odds of getting caught are very slim to none. The SFPD are frankly pretty lazy and slow with these crimes unless it affects a local politician. People also leave items in the cars (GPS, purses, phone, laptop, etc.) so they're easy targets.

Tourists with rental cars are easy to spot with the bar codes that they place on the windows, and are targeted because they're out of the area and often have their luggage and other valuables with them.



Dec 10, 2017 at 03:46 PM
josh-himes
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


gdanmitchell wrote:
That is a good goal anywhere — not SF specific.

And if you do have to leave something in a vehicle, avoid errors that make a break-in more likely: moving stuff in/out after you park, leaving things out in plain view, parking in really sketchy areas, etc.

(I spend a lot of time in SF. There are places that are sketchy and others that aren't but which seem so to those not familiar with The City. Care is warranted — as it is almost everywhere — but paranoia is not.)

Dan


Let me tell you - my experience leads me to believe otherwise. If you haven't had a problem yet, you're one of the lucky few. My brother has a very nice house in Pacific Heights and has had his car broken into multiple times, both at home and downtown where he works.

I'm normally on assignment 250+ days per year and am very careful when it comes to keeping my equipment safe. The only time there has been a problem in the last 5 years on the road was this incident in SF.

My vehicle was broken into at noon on a Saturday...one block from Ghirardelli Square on North Point Street. It was 50 feet from Gary Danko's restaurant...so close that they tried to pull the video from their cameras to ID the thieves...with no luck of course. So yes - EXTRA caution is warranted anywhere/anytime in San Fran.



Dec 10, 2017 at 06:47 PM
chez
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


I leave nothing in the car, leave it unlocked and if it doesn't look like rain, the windows down. Everyone is welcome to come in and check things out as long as they don't beak anything. I see zero reason to lock the doors so that I come back to a smashed window.

Bottom line, leave absolutely nothing in the car. I've gone shopping at Costco with my pack full of camera gear in Kauai. Got some weird looks...but had zero worries on my mind as I shopped.



Dec 10, 2017 at 07:03 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


josh-himes wrote:
Let me tell you - my experience leads me to believe otherwise. If you haven't had a problem yet, you're one of the lucky few. My brother has a very nice house in Pacific Heights and has had his car broken into multiple times, both at home and downtown where he works.

I'm normally on assignment 250+ days per year and am very careful when it comes to keeping my equipment safe. The only time there has been a problem in the last 5 years on the road was this incident in SF.

My vehicle was broken into at noon
...Show more

As I wrote earlier, I don't generally leave gear in a car anywhere. I especially don't leave it in rental cars.

Some extra (but not "EXTRA") caution is warranted in some areas of SF and the greater Bay Area, just as it is in many other places. But to read some posts you would think that photography is an irresponsible and dangerous thing in SF.

I do it all the time. I'm reasonably careful, but I photograph there. Last week I did street photograph on Market Street east of the Civic Center. A few days earlier a group of friends and I went out and did night photography at Alamo Square (not my thing) and then along the Embarcadero.

Dan

A couple from the Embarcadero area:

http://gallery.gdanmitchell.com/gallery/var/resizes/HumanWorld/Cities/UnitedStates/SanFrancisco/SanFranciscoatNight/SegwayRidersGlowingOrbNightSF_BW12032017.jpg

http://gallery.gdanmitchell.com/gallery/var/resizes/HumanWorld/NightPhotography/NightPhotographyColor/ReflectionSanFrancisoBay12032017.jpg

Older work from Chinatown...

http://gallery.gdanmitchell.com/gallery/var/resizes/HumanWorld/NightPhotography/NightPhotographyColor/AsianStylesShopPeopleNight20150725.jpg



Dec 10, 2017 at 07:25 PM
Herb
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


Nobody said it dangerous, unless of course you mean dangerous to a car, then it is!


Dec 10, 2017 at 07:39 PM
josh-himes
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


gdanmitchell wrote:
As I wrote earlier, I don't generally leave gear in a car anywhere. I especially don't leave it in rental cars.

Some extra (but not "EXTRA") caution is warranted in some areas of SF and the greater Bay Area, just as it is in many other places. But to read some posts you would think that photography is an irresponsible and dangerous thing in SF.

I do it all the time. I'm reasonably careful, but I photograph there. Last week I did street photograph on Market Street east of the Civic Center. A few days earlier a group of friends and
...Show more

Like I said - if you haven't had a problem with a vehicle break in yet, you are one of the lucky few. You are blindly defending the city and that is actually a disservice to those who may visit. It's a great place, but unfortunately, it isn't safe to leave a parked car unattended on the street anywhere in the city.

Further reading for anyone who is interested. A quick search brings up plenty of similar info.

The Atlantic - Why Can't San Francisco Stop Its Epidemic of Window Smashing?

*Edit - added a quote from the linked article: “Recent data from the F.B.I. show that San Francisco has the highest per-capita property crime rate of the nation’s top 50 cities. About half the cases here are thefts from vehicles, smash-and-grabs...”

Edited on Dec 10, 2017 at 08:52 PM · View previous versions



Dec 10, 2017 at 08:09 PM
chez
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


This thread sort of puts things into perspective. I read so often about people scared to travel to foreign places with their expensive gear, scared it might be ripped off...when at home the likelihood of such ripoff is much higher.




Dec 10, 2017 at 08:35 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


josh-himes wrote:
Like I said - if you haven't had a problem with a vehicle break in yet, you are one of the lucky few. You are blindly defending the city and that is actually a disservice to those who may visit. It's a great place, but unfortunately, it isn't safe to leave a parked car unattended on the street anywhere in the city...


Not the "lucky few." The typical majority.

There are thousands of people in The City every day making photographs. There were probably 50 shooting after dark in Alamo Square when I was there.

I will not disagree with the fact that there have been some very visible camera thefts in the past couple of years, including one sad situation in which the photographer was actually murdered. It is also true that you are more likely to have your car broken into in San Francisco than in some of the suburbs.

I'm not "blindly" defending the city. That would be the case if I had no on-the-ground experience doing photography there, but the opposite is actually the case.

And it is no disservice to post what I posted: Use the same kinds of cautions you use in any big city. Don't leave gear unattended in your parked car on the street. Keep stuff out of sight, and try to not be seen putting gear into the car even if you hide it. Then get out and make photographs in San Francisco.

If anything is a disservice it is hyperbole that needlessly panics folks. Reasonable caution and situational awareness in a big city? Yes! Fear that you are "likely" to lose your gear? No.

Anyway, I doubt if I'll change your mind... ;-)

And, to the OP: I've very sorry you had this experience, and I hope it doesn't happen to you again!

Dan,

who realizes that this subject has now gone far enough off of Canon subjects that the moderators should probably consider moving it to the locations forum.



Dec 10, 2017 at 08:52 PM
josh-himes
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


gdanmitchell wrote:
Not "lucky few." Lucky majority.

There are thousands of people in The City every day making photographs. There were probably 50 shooting after dark in Alamo Square when I was there.

I will not disagree with the fact that there have been some very visible camera thefts in the past couple of years, including one sad situation in which the photographer was actually murdered. It is also true that you are more likely to have your car broken into in San Francisco than in some of the suburbs.

I'm not "blindly" defending the city. That would be the case if I
...Show more

I beg to differ. This thread is exactly on topic. A guy posts to say his equipment was stolen in San Fran. Another guy posts to say yes, San Fran is actually a hotbed for that type of crime, it happened to me, and in that case it was $100,000 worth of gear. How could it be any more on topic?? My gear was all Canon, Leica & Zeiss if that makes you feel any better...

In my particular case, $100K of stolen photo equipment is not hyperbole, and I deeply resent the implication. You clearly don't understand the facts. Take a few minutes to look at the statistics and you may just realize that San Francisco is not the safe haven you think it is. It's pretty hard to ignore the fact that San Fran has the highest per capita property crime rate of America's top 50 cities and half of that crime comes from vehicle break ins. That's a staggering statistic.

Whatever you are trying to accomplish, it's not going to work with this photographer. All it takes is one event like this to change your life. And afterwards, you WILL be singing a different tune. I sure hope it doesn't happen to you.

Edit* Clarified that the crime rate statistic mentioned pertains to property crimes, which is what we're discussing.

Edited on Dec 10, 2017 at 10:47 PM · View previous versions



Dec 10, 2017 at 09:09 PM
dallvr
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Canon 1DX II, 35L II, 85L II, and more stolen in San Francisco


I live near SF, have for a long time, and have followed the many stories about camera theft and car break-ins in the City. Years ago I wouldn't have hesitated to go to the City alone to shoot, but now I will only go where there will be other photographers nearby, such as in a meetup group. As gdanmitchell reported, in July a photographer at Twin Peaks, a popular tourist destination, was murdered for his camera. Tourists have been beaten and pistol whipped in the course of having their cameras stolen. The SFPD does not give a high priority to property crimes, and several parking garages near Fisherman's Wharf are popular targets for automobile break-ins. It is a sad state of affairs; there are many excellent photographic opportunities in San Francisco, but the risk of theft and injury is always there.


Dec 10, 2017 at 09:10 PM
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