JesGirl said:
It got stolen in Tampines St 81, 30 Oct, between 10-11am
Tampines... I'm staying in Simei and Tampines is always a favourite place for me to hang around during weekend.
Looks like it is not safe to bring any gear there anymore...
Can describe how it was stolen? reasons being that the IXUS is a small handheld camera, unlike the big SLR gear which we must carry them in professional camera bags. And normally these bags looks very tempting. In fact from far we can deduce the price of the camera and gear by looking at the model of camera bag itself. And in most cases, when we are alone ordering food or stuff like that, we tends to leave the bag unattended on the seats or floor.
Maybe one suggestion is:
i. Avoid going alone to take pictures with big, professional camera bags. Always if possible keeps the gear light and avoid carrying lens we might not use at all. Better still go in a group so as we can look out for each other.
ii. Avoid hawker centre, food courts, public open area when we are alone dining with our gear. My practice is that when I carry my camera with me, I normally go to resturants for my meals. Sometimes the extra few dollars we spent on food is worth it, as compared to our gear that amt to thousands being stolen. Moreover, that extra few dollars would also meant better, tasty food and with added security. In most cases, also a good time for me to review my shoots.
iii. Avoid showing off our gear in open especially when we are alone. I still remember during the Chingay, as I was dining with a friend at Burger King after the shoot, I saw a group of 5 guys, maybe fellow CS members dining on the other table next to mine, showing off their gear, 2x D1x, 1x 1Ds, 3x F5, all mount with big, big, lenses. And they actually occupy a double empty table next to theirs, as if to tell others that "...mine camera is so expensive that it had to seat on an empty table when I dine... ". What a show-off... If there are any fast runners around, they can actually do a quick snatch and run on any camera, and that could easily earn them at least $2K by re-selling in the grey market.
Above all, I feel sorry for your loss. :embrass: Frankly, the chances of getting it back is very, very, slim... you might as well get over it, and start looking for a new one. Maybe you can take it that, "God is giving you a chance and reason for yourself to upgrade to Digital...", in fact if you like, I think I can help you get a brand new IXUS 400 digital 4MP for $730... PM me if you want... ;p
So sorry for reading my lo-sor 2 cents worth view... Just that I felt quite disturb over the recent increase of camera being stolen in public. Maybe that is a indirect effect of the recent economy downturn... Regards.