lost ALL my gear!

Oh dear Mark,
Im sorry to hear this.

Hopefully your kit will turn up or the Insurance will pay up.

Chin up,

Kindest regards,

Peter.

That's gut wrenching Mark, really sorry to hear it. Hope there is some happy resolution.

Something similar happened to us last year, though not involving camera equipment. My wife was travelling - between postings - from Ethiopia to Sri Lanka on Emirates. She took a laptop and another bag on as hand luggage. Changing planes at Dubai, she was told that that one of the bags had to go in the hold - and they charged her $15 for the privilege.

Although the bag had tons of personal stuff in she naturally opted to put this in rather than the laptop. We've never seen it since. It had bank details, birth and marriage certificates, medical records, photos of our daughter when she was born and much more besides.

Emirates have come up with a paltry compensation offer. They are covered by international law governing airlines that sets a maximum limit of about (I can't recall exactly) $20 per kilo for lost hold luggage (the rate was set in the 1970s). So bear this in mind next time you're taking a flight folks. And if you're on Emirates be careful if you're changing planes in Dubai - even if you've boarded at the place of embarkation with a heavy bag, they can still take it off you there.

Very sorry to read this mate.

A simple momentary laps, I have dont it myself several times and lost things, although not quite on the same scale as this.

I hope Monday brings good news for you

Regards
PaulM

Mark,

Ouch. There but for the grace of God...

Maybe also try a lost and found ad (with a reward as an incentive) in a local paper?

Additionally, are there any forum members local to you, that may be able to help you out with 'bits and pieces' to get you by until you get your own kit back or replaced?

All the best with it.

Sorry to hear that Mark, you must be devastated. I hope it all works out for you.

Well... first hope gone - Dad didn't pick it up.
Just off to tell the schools.
Big thanks to i-Berg for his Very generous PM, I'll Keep you all informed.
What a wake up call for everyone. That tracker thingy looks quite useful for an airhead like me

I really hope you get your gear back.
Fingers crossed.
/Ian

On one occasion when i was at Kensington Olympia using a Chinon CP7m I had sold a friend I turned my back and the camera and bag was gone.. In the bag next to it was my Z-20, but that wasn't taken.

I did a wedding a few years ago for a former friend, getting to the day I was really being messed about such that I was in a bit of a state, we got all the shots done at the house and then I raced to the church, forgetting that I had left the bag containing my Mamiya 645 on a street corner. I went into MELTDOWN. thankfully the bridesmaid's chauffeur rescued it.

Hope your kit turns up Darkmunk, I know the feeling.

Very sorry to hear the bad news Mark. Hopefully there will be a silver lining!!!!

Cheers Tim,
Well... latest is the police are none the wiser and I've been round all the second hand shops and left my police ref and details.
Presumably it is a bit of a dead giveaway trying to sell lenses without a box and a camera without a charger etc.
House insurance next...

I'm sorry to hear there is no good news today. Best of luck.

It's not unusual to sell lenses without boxes, but it is to sell a camera without the charger. I would check everyone eBaying a K10D is including a charger. You could also ask for the serial numbers if you know them.

I also have the iTrak system (which BTW is UK based) for my most of my travel gear. One of their packs has metal disks for bags, along with tagged stickers for equipment. I had heard it mentioned on a number of photo podcasts here in the US about a year ago, and was actually introduced to it formally when I purchased a bag for my netbook in Paris, where not only the bag was tagged, but also a sticker for the netbook. Everything is entered then on their database regarding tag numbers in order to help reunite you to your gear if need be.

While it may not be a theft deterrent, it definitely helps when equipment is found and they need to track it back to the owner. Of course, all the stickers for my cameras are located on the bottom of the camera next to the tripod mount.

Keep us informed as to whether anything shows up. Good luck!!!

The Photomonk

Guys, maybe we should all get together and put up a fund to help Mark replace his lost equipment. I would volunteer to do it, but being across the "pond" makes it kind of difficult.

Anybody would be willing to take care of it? I would be first to contribute.

I hope you get some good news soon Mark. I know how I'd be feeling right now if it were me. On a lighter note, perhaps you ought to change your signature to something like:
Kit Bag: Missing In Action

Steve