luminescence Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Hello there, Thought I would try a long shot by reporting a theft near Montpelier, France of all my (uninsured) gear on June 6 recently. Two bodies GH2 and GH3. Lumix lenses: 7-14 mm, 12-24 mm, 14-140 mm, Leica 25 mm, several memory cards, camera bag etc. Passports, credit cards. I guess the GH5 might be a new option, but I really loved the other two cameras. Perhaps I will try the gear sale section here. Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanveer Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Sorry to hear about your loss. I hope you have reported everything to the police and the embassy. I doubt whether anything can be recovered. luminescence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Matthews Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 That really sucks and it must feel awful! ...I will say this after having lived in France for some time. If I were you, I'd check leboncoin.fr. It's the go-to site in France for buying and selling stuff. I'm sure there's all kinds of stolen stuff on it. You might find your gear and be able to alert the authorities. The other option is to just chalk this one up as "lost forever" ... and this will be an opportunity to get some new gear! luminescence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapist Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 This site might help for tagging your gear. https://www.lenstag.com Also maybe the authorities can track the use of your credit card with the person who stole everything else? luminescence, teddoman and benymypony 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddoman Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 9 hours ago, Escapist said: This site might help for tagging your gear. https://www.lenstag.com Also maybe the authorities can track the use of your credit card with the person who stole everything else? Despite being relatively new, I saw some news a while back that they actually had already helped someone recover stolen gear. luminescence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Sorry for you. Perhaps you could say a little more about the circumstances? I had all my gear stolen on a train before Christmas and know of at least one other photographer who had the same problem recently. Station / train theft here (in France), I discovered afterwards, is a big and organised thing. Camera cases and Manfrotto tripod bags are clear signals to thieves. It got me thinking very seriously about how much kit it was reasonable to carry vs the revenue generated working with it. Decent camera insurance in France is virtually impossible to find. luminescence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luminescence Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Thanks one and all for your feedback, I will follow up on some of your tips. I think I resigned myself in the first ten minutes that I would never see all the gear again. To answer one question, yes I think there are highly organised gangs in France that know how to target people. I may have even been followed as a lone driver when driving my motorhome from Italy to Portugal through southern France. I stopped for the night at a truck stop and was robbed while I was fast asleep in the middle of the night. I kid you not, they broke into the camper through the passenger door by forcing the lock and must have had a torch. I am usually a fairly light sleeper, I did not hear a thing probably because I was exhausted from driving the day before. They got credit cards, passport and cash as well. One would not think to take precautions when "safely" locked in the van but people are becoming more devious and desperate these days, so all travelers have to be prepared "as if". I usually hide my camera bag under a storage seat but left it in my wardrobe that night. I left my wallet and passport in my shorts on the seat, they should have been taken out and hidden away. Even experienced travelers like myself for the past 20 years can get caught out by letting your guard down for a moment. Now I strap up my front doors with rubber straps, so even if they forced the locks, it would be impossible to open the doors. If I had woken up and disturbed them, who knows what might have happened if they were armed so I figure I got off lightly. andrgl, teddoman, John Matthews and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I think you were lucky not not have woken up. I personally know someone in the Montpellier area who was attacked by an armed gang in his home. You really do have to be vigilant all the time. I now chain my bags together or to something fixed when I take the train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Plagaro Mussard Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 They probably sprayed something to keep you sleeping. Most important thing is that you are OK, but having things stolen sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luminescence Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Yes I had heard some years ago that they used to pump gas through the refrigeration vents of motorhomes to make sure no one wakes up while they rob it. It could have happened to me when inside the van but I did not feel anything when I woke up. I wonder what sort of drug or chemical they would spray? There's a good doco theme here, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddoman Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I bet motion detection lights would scare them away too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luminescence Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 yes, super bright torch or super loud devices ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huuow Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 sorry to hear... I lost my whole camera setup years ago this way.. in france.. along with my car and everything else lol.. I tried local markets the next days.. those markets where people just have a blanket on the floor and on it what looks like the inside of a travelling bag... had no luck. the car was seen one or two month later, two black guys trying to cross border to england... well.. english border control did not react fast enough and they got away.. since your case is already 20 days old.. i guess you are looking for a needle that someone might have dropped into a haystack, or somewhere else... :/ luminescence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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