Stolen Gear & Serial numbers!

Tallon

So, was thinking today looking at a recent stolen equipment thread, When people list serial numbers, are they getting it from the camera and lenses themselves, or are they on the boxes etc?

I ask because I realise that I have not made a note of them anywhere. I will be noting them as soon as I get home though!

Also, how common / uncommon is it to recover those items with the help of serial numbers?

PCPhoto

some people will make a list for insurance...some people keep the documentation.

the advantage of having the serial numbers seperate is that if its reported stolen .... and sometime in the future that camera/lens is sent to a Canon authorised repair centre the serial number will be flagged. (I assume its the same for Nikon and other camera makers)

I cant say whether this will result in having the lens/camera found - but it increases the chance of equipment being found.

if you are creating a database of serial numbers - its also a good idea to actually photograph each piece of equipment and create a "stock" inventory - this will help in the event items are stolen/mislaid/borrowed.

hbr

Tallon wrote: »

So, was thinking today looking at a recent stolen equipment thread, When people list serial numbers, are they getting it from the camera and lenses themselves, or are they on the boxes etc?

From the camera or lens. From the box. This can lead to confusion because
most camera boxes have several numbers and bar codes. Some cameras
put the body serial number and even the lens serial number in the EXIF tags.

I ask because I realise that I have not made a note of them anywhere. I will be noting them as soon as I get home though!

It is always wise to keep a list of the serial numbers for valuable,
stealable or easily lost items like cameras, smart phones, laptops,
bikes etc... Mine are kept in a text file called Serials.txt.

Also, how common / uncommon is it to recover those items with the help of serial numbers?

I don't know if anyone keeps statistics for this. If your camera is stolen
by a professional thief, it is quite likely that they will be caught or raided
at some time in the future. If your SN is on the Garda computer, they will
be able to trace the owner.

There have been a few cases of stolen cameras being traced through
EXIF data using on-line search engines like http://www.stolencamerafinder.com/

I just tried putting the serial number of my second hand Canon 50D into
stolencamerafinder.com and it lead me to the flicker page of the
previous owner. The photo even has a watermark with his real name.

A list of serial numbers will be useful if you need to make an insurance
claim. Some camera manufacturers keep a list of stolen cameras, just
in case one turns up for service or repair.

Tallon

Excellent information, thanks

How would I go about getting my details on the Garda database?

hbr

Tallon wrote: »

Excellent information, thanks

How would I go about getting my details on the Garda database?

When you report the theft of your camera.