Deter Thieves By Uglifying Your Camera

@Harlan: They're not that hard to ride. If someone's stealing one they probably know what it is anyway. Most bike messengers definitely do lock their bikes.

@ziipppp: agro, hehe, thats sort of the perfect word to use for this topic. sorry that just made me giggle, and i dont giggle. ^_^

bharatpatel89

@vonbon3000: unfortunately its a pretty iconic bit of tech, i would recommend encasing it in something entirely unrelated, like a snack food box, pocky might do well, or you could dig out a book and hide it in there. of course this defeats the point of having a phone easily accessible, but who's going to steal a really boring looking book, or a snack box.

bharatpatel89

uglifying isn't something you should rush. it takes time and patience. I've been uglifying my car for about 12 years now. these days I don't even need to lock it!

lol

That cannon camera is an inexpensive camera to begin with. I highly doubt that anyone would be interested.

I do think the concept is pretty solid, but I would recommend self defense any day over having to go through all of the hassle of dressing up electronics to look like junk.

pvtryan2

@four12: lol

AliShaikh_Returns

I thought it was going to be an article about Steampunk cameras.

Back in college I happened into a deal I could not refuse on a very expensive camera. A bunch of the guys in the dorm were amateur photographers and carried nice stuff in well marked bags. There was always a story of someone losing their Nikon emblazoned bag full of cameras and lenses. I chose to carry mine in a well-worn Army/Navy Surplus Store backpack. In the late 60s and 70s I was the only person I ever saw with a backpack.

In Columbia, where the crime rate is much much higher than Brazil, people uglify everything. When a friend of mine bought a new car, he took a sledgehammer to it and threw green and brown paint onto it. It looked 20 years old within 10 minutes.

If the car looked new, it would have been stolen within a month.

matzahboy

I have an "urban camoflauged" lightweight 5 year old laptop that I use when I travel to less desirable locations. The duct tape, lack of logos and faux bare wires have never even gotten a second glance on the bus.

Like the Chameleon XLE

AntiNinja

Well, to be safe in Brazil you have to
First: keep your eyes on whatever valuable thing you have;
Second: DON'T, absolutely DON'T look like a tourist.

@JoshDev: Well, sometimes when one's abroad you just don't know which areas are good and bad until a local tells you about it. In that case it really sucks to have shiny valuable visible because you stick out. You might as well have a red target painted on your shirt.

ThePioneer

@vonbon3000: they should make screen covers with faux cracks

SamburgerHandwich

@gmerin: That's a pretty awesome story. Do you have any pictures of yourself in this anti-robbery get up?

ThePioneer

I'd probably just carry cheap 35mm point and shoots, or disposable cameras, but good idea.

Alden Pyle

@gmerin: Dang, that last part is a major sacrifice... unless you are married.

BrianB

Dang, I'm not sure if I'd even want to touch that thing!

Great idea, if you don't care about your nice new gadget looking ugly... but also that weighs against whether or not you care about your nice new gadget being stolen because it's pretty.

BrianB

How about just avoiding areas where you'll be mugged?

Thieves love brands too. A long while ago I was in NYC on the subway getting harassed and funny looks with my nice Nikon SLR. So I got some black duct tape, covered up the Nikon wording on the pentaprism and got a no name camera strap and lens cap - and suddenly there was no more agro. Not a full on uglifying, but just enough urban camo to take the heat off. Plus it was now all black, and as everyone knows, all black just looks cooler.

ziipppp

@vonbon3000: you could make it look like a pretty convincing iPod Touch

madjack1987

@vonbon3000:

have you tried carrying it in a case marked "Blackberry Curve"?

gmerin

way back when, in the late 1970s (yes, i'm old) when it wasn't all that safe during the bright sunlight, i used to commute into Brooklyn Sunday evenings arriving at Brooklyn College by subway at midnight. in an attempt to get the muggers to pay attention to anyone else, i uglified myself: I bought a large, torn and very worn but serviceable leather coat and heavily paint-stained suitcase from a flea market. this was my commutation attire while dragging my $2500 audio equipment back from NJ for 5 years. never got mugged; never attracted any interest from the juvi gangs; never picked up a girl while so attired (yes, it was the fault of the coat!).

gmerin

@rogsim: I think the theory is that someone wouldn't get very far on a fixed-gear bike, even if they nicked one. :-) A lot of bike messengers don't even lock their bikes, I think.

Harlan

@vonbon3000: I would replace the white headphones with black ones. A number of people have been robbed after being seen with the unmistakable white headphones when the iPod came out. Other than that a cheesy silicone or metal cover (which you can bang, scuff and/or paint it up).

mados123

@vonbon3000: Got a Zune logo sticker?

four12

I keep my video camera in a nylon lunchbox. I even leave it in the car in plain view. Only really really hungry people will break into your car to steal your lunch!

ValoraToad

Any ideas on uglifying or otherwise disguising an iPhone?

vonbon3000

It might help if you're mugged on the street, but someone looking through your bags might take anything that can fetch a dollar.

aeronaut

It's a neat idea, but there's something I'm worried about: If you're uglifying something others might use, they might assume its less valuable and thus give it less care than they would something that looks nice. Since people often are asked to hold the camera to take pictures, or ask to borrow a camera for a weekend, an ugly camera might be treated worse.

TVarmy

I think that looks pretty cool. Just as a general aesthetic mod.

@McKinnis_Moon: good one!

harryyeah

This is crazy. just 3 weeks ago I was searching all over the web for any articles on this exact topic. I ended up taping up my 5d MK-II with black hockey tape so all the decals were gone. it actually looked pretty nondescript and I didn't get any questions. Took the tape off again when I came back from holiday and now everyone is asking questions all the time. bottom line: uglifying your camera works!

mor10

That's simply impressive, for a new camera to be left behind in lieu of a cheap cellphone.

dangerp

I uglified my track bike when I used to work as a messenger. Was it effective? Well my bike was never taken, but then again I locked it up pretty well too. It does make it less appealing than the other shiny bikes I sometimes parked next to.

I could see this working if the thieves were stealing to use themselves and didn't care about it's look or didn't plan to pawn it off to another unsuspecting tourist.

I've lived in Asia for a long time, and never had anything stolen. By the way, people being poor and ready to steal stuff doesn't mean they are stupid: Switch a TV on, look at billboards in the street and you'll see high-tech stuff everywhere. They know what they're going after.

OctaviusErmoo

@Ninja007: hmmm easy thing to say coming from a secret agent ninja!

McKinnis_Moon

@Ninja007: Maybe it depends more on the locales you're planning to visit. If your problem is getting stuff pickpocketed on your way through Napoli Centrale, then sure, keeping better track of your electronics will probably be enough.

If your trip takes you to places where you end up getting mugged - twice - as the author's did, then "keen supervision" might not be enough. Muggers are going to take whatever you've got that looks the most valuable, not whatever looks the easiest to swipe.

seems like overkill to me. I've travelled to dozens of countries and three continents and have never had my camera nicked. Keen supervision is all you need to prevent your stuff from getting stolen.

Ninja007

pretty good idea. until someone turns it on..

jslizzle

This may be the dumbest article I've ever read.

jlayman920

@matzahboy: Then your friend is an idiot. Why not just buy a beat up used car?

jlayman920

Hey guys... I just bought a brand new Ferrari... I didn't want it to get stolen so I dressed it up like a 85 Ford Tempo.

No offense but this is pretty dumb.

The Thinker

@designed.com: According to the linked post, these events took place in '05. He's had the uglified camera ever since.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@BrianB: I think he meant that he only didn't pick up girls while commuting. And to be perfectly honest, how many girls have you ever picked up on the subway, regardless of your attire?

jcongdon

If you must carry a camera bag (I don't - a body and two lenses go in clothing), diaper bags are awesome. Nobody wants to steal a diaper bag. Just don't get the high end ones with the laptop sleeve....... :-D

ShilpaBloobla

I've got a Powershot G9. It's plenty ugly on it own... but in a beautiful sort of way. If it weren't for the screen, it wouldn't look much like a digital at all.

@TVarmy: Then it's probably an added advantage - you won't have anyone trying to "borrow" your camera.

If you can convince someone else to touch to take the odd photo for you, there's not much damage they can do with you watching them and at least you know that strangers won't run off with.

KittyKittyKitty

@TVarmy: They may be also less likely to ask to borrow it in the first place, in which case, double win.

reynwrap582

I always uglify my downhill skis and poles - prevents theft AND makes it easier to spot them on the rack at crowded resorts!

AllegraGoolsby

Don't forget the camera BAGS. That Lowepro patch is code for "This bag contains $2000 worth of gear!" If you can't cut it off, cover it up with some patches or pins. My best camera bag is a mini-igloo cooler with the logo of some lab equipment supplier with foam rubber lining the bottom.

jenjen

That's an old nasty camera, made to look even nastier.

Firasco

Well, as a brzilian I must confess that here is not the safiest place in the world. I've got mugged a couple of times. Still a wonderful place to live though.

Hideki

This is all fine and well and good and stuff like that. But how do I uglify my girlfriend to keep other men from stealing her? Bet LH can't answer that! :)

paintbox

@matzahboy: That's pretty sad. Defeats the purpose of having a shiny new car. I suppose the smooth running is what really matters vs. the aesthetics of the outside, but.

Prissi

i think this will even draw more attention

koollife

@bharatpatel89: Yeah, I wonder what level the mobs are on the NYC subway...

@matzahboy: The higher an area's criminal nature, the slower they progress technologically, since it increases the cost for early adopters of technology. It is this reason that theft needs to be seriously punished. Cutting off the hands of thieves isn't really such a bad idea. WE shouldn't have to pay for locks, security systems, cameras and insurance. THEY should, and furthermore, people who don't have enough money to pay for the damages they can cause should reasonably be kept out of areas of high value. You don't let a bull in an art gallery, and low-valued people should be kept out of high value areas. Unfortunate, but yet logical.

LessIsMore

that "new" camera is at least 4 years old! it is a Canon A95.

[www.dpreview.com]

Announced 19-Aug-04

that's pretty clever; I might have to remember that for my camera gear.

SaraswatiPhineas

Or like, you could keep an eye on your stuff.

@matzahboy: My parents never wash their car for this very reason. Of course, it "helps" that it's an old Suzuki Swift hatchback from the 90's...

That seems a bit overkill to me, but then again I don't flash my camera at dangerous sites (have no need to visit them...). What I always do is use a small, discreet bag, never a camera bag. I just feel better lugging around a bag that could have anything inside than a camera bag begging to be taken...

RosaThisbe

Well, no one's ever bothered to molest my rusty old car. There might be something to the idea.

LorenzoEros

Ummm....it would deter me from using my own camera.

ShreeparnaInsect

You must first ugly-fy yourself and avoid looking like someone who might have valuable stuff.

huskie

@Feh Am Legend: I agree it's very 'steampunk' and for a good reason. I'm a sucker for when aesthetics and use blend together.

kimirike

@bharatpatel89: Someone could accidentally throw out the snack box you know.

@Chameleon XLE!

90230

@LessIsMore:
Ah, the old fashioned way! Crude and just plain sad. But heck, it works.

its like the terminator camera

@Victor V.: It's hard for any gringo to not look like a tourist in Brazil. I never had anything taken from me during my 2 weeks there, and I looked like a tourist every step of the way. I made sure not to go to dodgy places though. I wouldn't have stood a chance.

Natnie

I wish there were a way to "uglify" tourists...I live in Brazil, and most Americans who visit walk around and gawk at things like blind tourists. Its not their cameras that stick out - it's THEM.

@femaledwightschrute: How to uglify an iPhone? Get yourself a Blackberry Storm!

@[news.cnet.com]

Iris Van Breda

My camera case is a Playmate cooler. Provides some heat protection in summer and when someone peeks in the car they just think it's someone's lunch.

Fitwit

@four12: rlol

Man what a great idea.

I've ALWAYS resigned myself to buying smaller cameras that can fit into pockets when I travel. It's irritating, because sometimes the shots just aren't as good.

This has given me a great idea though.

Now where did I put that brown paint....

This may explain why my girlfriend says she's not worried about another woman trying to steal me away from her.

Since I doubt thieves troll Lifehacker for tips on improving their efficiency:
I drive a 13 year-old Subaru Legacy wagon - plain wagon, not an Outback. Unless there's something valuable in the car I never lock it. I don't even have to uglify it. It has plastic wheel covers, a cassette player(!), not a CD, no sunroof, and it's even a 5-speed, not an automatic. What self respecting car thief would steal an old station wagon?

imajoebob

It would seem to me that poor people in Brazil would rather have a cell phone than a camera. Yes, they could sell the camera, but for most people, a camera is a luxury item. A cell phone, on the other hand, is a necessity, if you have no land line. Cell phone = contact information = greater chance of getting jobs.

Weston M Taylor

I actually did this with my latest laptop bag purchase. When will manufacturers learn that putting a big fat "Dell" or "HP" or "Microsoft" or "Targus" logo on the bag is basically a flashing neon sign to a thief that says "I'm carrying a laptop, steal me!"

@Fitwit: Great idea. Spend the money on the quality camera, and don't bother with a "flashy" looking bag.

Rahsaan Pringle

@ValoraToad: Me too! Some of those lunch bags make far better camera bags than actual camera bags. They're padded, insulated, and water proof. Plus, like you said, no one looks twice at them unless they're starving.

@vonbon3000: It's already been done for you!

If you meant "ColOmbia", then your friend is an odd exception. Of course cars get stolen, but it isn't that ("more more") extrem. I have NEVER heard of something like that (a couple of decades there).

KirbyHybris

that's just a great idea. probably even more effective if left on the back seat (where kids live). thanks

SevitaFunguar

Fearing her being stolen from me, I have my girlfriend uglified when we go out.

thetalkinghand

I did the same with my cell phone: I got an ugly ass mobile casing, and proceeded to tear it up and stain it to horrible ugliness. Noone wanted to even look at it when I had it on my coffee table.

And the backfire:

I accidentally dropped it while on a walk. The ugly rips and tears and stains gave it a natural camouflage. I spent four hours looking for it left and right. I kept calling but had put it on Silent Mode. Noone found it, noone picked it up, because if they did they would just throw out the Sim card, and I called my number for three days, where the battery probably died off.

I never found my cellphone again.

@vonbon3000: Seems to defeat the purpose of having an iPhone.

@ValoraToad: i also do this and it's worked to my benefit. i had my car broken into last fall and while they wanted the crappy stereo, they didn't glance twice at the hello kitty lunch box on the passenger seat - containing my DSLR.

Ha i just realized this is the Jimmie Rodgers I went to school with. Doesn't surprise me at all that Jimmie came up with this idea!

catalystmedia

@thetalkinghand:
LOL!!! ... LOL!!! The best post in this thread.

Joao_Brito

It's like putting your ipod/iphone in a Zune case.

Cody Jensen

@The Thinker: depends... gadgets to me are more about function than form... but a nice car is usually bought for both...

its a good idea...if form is not that important...

urbanturban666

@pvtryan2: either way... >1$ of supplies can protect a 100$ purchase... not bad, getting mugged is lame...

urbanturban666

@LorenzoEros: i read a story about a guy who tried to get rid of his amc gremlin. he parked it with the key in the ignition and the doors unlocked in a ghetto part of town. 3 days later he came back and the car was still there...

urbanturban666

@jahmaicherry: you also gotta slap on some windows me and crappy band stickers... my buddy made a cover for his new car stereo by using the crappy old one...

urbanturban666

The camera bag is step one for ugly/camouflage. No Nikon/Canon or even Lowe/Tenba logo bags. When I lived in NY I always carried my camera in an old army shoulder bag. Now I use a diaper bag (which actually is great -- lots of pockets and padding).

EricGazelle

@urbanturban666: Windows 98 or ME sticker, LOL!

@jenjen: making luggage ugly also keeps away crooks, touts and pushy airport porters...

urbanturban666

@jtimberman: dont know if that will help when they mug you at gunpoint...

urbanturban666