pin number

This has probably been raised before but.....!!!

Given their value, why are DSLRs not capable of being protected by a pin number to make them a less attractive target for thieves. Cheap mobile phones and computers, which can often cost less, are capable of being protected this way.

Probably because we expect our cameras to turn on and be ready to shoot in the shortest possible time.

Imagine the frustration and missed opportunities if we had to enter our PIN every time before making the shot.

I was thinking more of when you switch the camera on, not before every shot!! I take your point however.

Cheers

Thieves still steal phones and computers and the like which are frequently protected by PINs

Not before every shot oldhat, but we'd have to leave the camera switched on and then there would also be battery issues.

I understand where you're coming from but think it would be difficult to implement.

It really ought to be totally trivial to not only provide a pin facility but also to allow options for how often you wanted to have to put a pin in. Obvious candidates being every switch on once a day/week or month or not at all.

That said, however trivial it might be, it probably wouldn't sell any more cameras.

So what does the thief do when he finds that he needs
a pin number.... Bring it back to you!

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I beleive the idea is that if thieves know an item is unlikely to be useful/resaleable then they are much less likely to nick it in the first place.

Maybe not a PIN but a small coded plug in module with an RFID tag and it would work with the tag plugged in but remove it and that is it.

Or an RFID reader - a separate tag that you hold close and it then give 24/48 hours of use with a refresh warning just before.

Of course this would mean nothing unless lenses were also protected. My lenses are worth far more than my cameras.

In truth, the minute something is harder to steal, the more dangerous it becomes to own it.

Car security improved so thieves no break into houses to get the keys. Once mobiles have PINs, muggers won't be happy just to steal them, they will threaten the owners for PINs and passwords.

Most people who steal don't do it because they are thinking. They do it to make some fast money, and will think nothing of selling a £1,000 camera for £20.

A case in point: link

RFIDs can be read from a surprisingly large distance so I don't think they are the solution.

Gareth makes a couple of good points, about the harder things are to steal the more dangerous they are to own, and about lenses. How do you protect a lens?

That said, my mobile is protected by two different PINs, one for the SIM and one just to unlock it. When I start using it to pay for things I dare say I will add a third - to the wallet.

They won't know anything about a Pentax... won't even have seen
one but they will steal it anyway.

If they did know about Pentax they will know that they
aren't easy to sell So that should be a deterrent
in itself especially when they get a RED RICOH Badge
They will go off and nick a Canikon

link

If Pentax were do implement this alone, you would be correct, but if it were as ubiquitous a feature as it is in mobile phones it might have an impact.

She has the violin back now, found in a house in MAnchester