Help with traveling

Hey everyone,

 

I'll be traveling to France in July and would like some advice/tips on taking

pictures. Over the course of 3 weeks I'll travel to most of the major regions by

rail. I have a canon digital rebel (the older one) and a single sigma lens with

what I think is plenty of memory. I'm a bit worried about theft so can you guys

recommend some tips to protect myself? I don't have a camera bag...until now

I've used a standard school backpack. Should I get a camera bag or is a backpack

fine?

 

Thanks!

There is not much you can do to disquise a camera but you can sure disguise you bag by using your regular backpak. I sometimes put a small shoulder camera bag in it.

 

Thieves are probably attracted by large camera and lens(looks expensive). If your Sigma lens is a large zoom (you should mention exactly what it is), something like a low cost Canon 50 F1.8 would complete it : better for low light and much smaller . An F1.4 USM would add silence but cost much more.

 

I would also consider bringing a film point and shoot as backup (very cheap used these days) if the big one fails.

Thanks for the tips!

 

Francois, I have the sigma 17-70. It's a nice lens that is a little over 3 inches long (very rough estimate...haha I couldn't find a ruler) without the lens hood on. Although it extends about twice as long when fully zoomed.

 

Vin, thanks for the museum recommendation. It looks awesome! haha...there's also a major photography exhibition in Arles i'm hoping to get to.

 

Brian

Hello Brian,

I can tell a short story. I'm travelling France quite often, usually by bike what I can really recommend. France is THE bike country par ecellence and sometimes hiking. And I almost always sleep in a tent on campsites. Years ago I always worried about my camera equipment. During daytime not much of a problem, because it was in use and I always had an eye on it, but at night, when you want to go out in a bar I never liked to carry my camera bag with me. Some year I just started to leave my camera in my tent. At first I was really excited, but after I while I got more and more relaxed. Until now it was never stolen. Maybe my luck will not hold a life time, but I feel much better without worrying. If it gets stolen some day I will be p... off some time, but I'm sure I choose the right way. The only exception I would make is probably in Youth hostels or backpacker hostels in Paris and Cote d'Azur.

 

So, in general France is a safe country. Don't worry to much and enjoy one of the most beautiful countries in the world. And I would advice not only to stay in the cities. The countryside is what makes France so lovely!

 

Stefan

Hi brian,I've lived in the South-west of France for years and have never been robbed.But be careful in the Paris Metro,and on the South coast.A backpack is easy prey for a pro with a cutter.The french are all on holiday in july,so expect crowds.If you are looking for nature photos try the Pyrenees,less people than the Alpes, but a long haul from Paris.If you want boats and coastal shots it's Brittany.For totally unexploited countryside and literally no tourists go to the Massif Central,the centre of France.Paris and the South-coast are the most expensive areas,thats probably why they are the most unsafe.There is an enormous amount of scope here.Dont forget european plugs are different from American and British ones.Available for more information John

Brian, I was in France last month and learned that the best thing to do is use common sense. Your backpack is much better than a bag that screams CAMERA GEAR. If you are using the camera, keep it around your neck. If not using it, keep it in the backpack.

 

If you sit down somewhere (restaurant, cafe, etc), wrap the backpack strap around your leg. Not only does it prevent theft but it also protects those people that simply walk away and forget to pick up their own bag. Happens a lot.

 

Having extra memory cards is great but I would also suggest an extra battery. It is very inexpensive insurance.

 

Another thing to remember traveling in Europe..... Some churches, museums, and other buildings do not allow flash photography. Some do not allow any photography. Check out the rules beforehand. Like Stefan said, it's a beautiful country. Lots of photo ops. Have a great trip.

I think a camera on neck strap is easily cut off epecially in a crowded RR station when you are also carrying luggage. I think a pouch on your belt is more secure (if your camera is small enough). Have a good trip.

Some anti-theft backpacks can be found <a href="http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3">here</a>.

 

 

One gets more responses from people inspired to discuss your situation if you titled your post closer to what it actually is about, namely, Help preventing theft while traveling vs. Help with traveling.

The regular backpack will be fine; I use either a bookpack or a non-camera shoulder bag. Some people worry a great deal about their cameras being stolen, and some not at all. I am among the latter, and in 37 years of traveling around the world with expensive cameras (including many months in France) have never had anything stolen. YMMV of course.

 

Last month a very naive student in a group I was with left her purse with passport, credit cards and lots of Euros in a restaurant in France; when she realized what she had done and we went back to get the purse, she got it back unopened. Not recommended, but probably more typical than getting your bag stolen.

 

OTOH, if being paranoid about being a target for thieves makes you feel important, the anxiety may be worth it for the ego boost ;-)

I also highly recommend the Mussee D'orsay. It was almost as good as the Louvre in a lot of ways. I will second packing your camera in a shoulder camera bag and then into a backpack. I have a sling style backpack for walking around or a regular backpack that I stick a lowepro shoulder bag into and it leaves me room for a few other things (a couple of small souviniers, water bottle, map, guide book, more film, etc). I carry much more then a single lens though (4 smallish lenses), but it fits fine.

 

I am considering getting a dedicated camera sling bag from lowepro as it has the extra room and comfort that I am looking for over my shoulder bag and is almost as convenient for pulling the camera out and just shooting (instead of wearing it around my neck all the time) and also pretty easy access to my other lenses and filters without spending a great deal of time getting to them.

 

Currently when I get to where I want to shoot I pull the camera shoulder bag out of my backpack and stick it over my shoulder/neck and walk around like that (with backpack still on back). My wife sighs when I do this (she claims I look like a dork when I do it), but it is convenient.

I travel a lot in poorer regions of the world where you do NOT want to attract any attention

with some flashy equipment. When I feel that I might be exposed to an area with a high

incident of crime, I simply put by camera into a regular grocery store plastic bag (or two, to

make it a littler sturdier). Nobody ever thinks there is anything valuable in a plastic bag.

 

That said, France isn't exactly a dangerous country and theft isn't any higher than in most

other parts of the world. I've never experienced any problems with any type of equipment

anywhere in Western Europe, especially in places with lots of sight and tourists. There,

common sense is key.

Thanks for the good advice everyone! I think I'm going to have to take a trip to a camera store and see what type of bag is the most comfortable...but I'm leaning towards just using my backpack...haha i already wear it all the time at school and it saves some money that I can spend on some good food and wine.

 

Stefan, I have heard biking through France is a lot of fun and I plan to rent a bike in at least one of the wine regions. Let's hope your camera is never stolen

 

Manuel, I've never heard of doing that...I certainly would never expect anything very expensive to be in a grocery bag

 

John L., my cousin did the very same thing and she was not so lucky...I guess it's just luck of draw

 

John H., I will definitely look into those backpacks. Sorry about the confusing post title. I had initially meant to post to be a general request for advice and maybe recommendations of places to travel to...but I was also worried about camera theft and I figured this would be a good place to ask

 

Brian

Hello Brian,

 

Shortly, travelling arround Europe requires wide-angle lenses and a special camera bag that protects your photo equipment from rain, dust, shock and other.

 

A special photo camera case is not something to improvise, especially when you have to carry arround a DSLR, memory cards, rechargeable battery and surely one or two zoom lenses ... Secondary, it keeps your camera arround your body, meaning it is more difficult to be stolen or lost somewhere.

 

You should search a model like LOWEPRO "Topload Zoom 2" that is one of the most useful photo case when you are travelling, it has 2 or 3 safety attaching positions, it is a very good material worthing the price.

 

Lens speaking, choose between SIGMA/for Canon 17-35mm F2.8-4 DG Aspherical EX HSM or TAMRON/for Canon 17-50mm 2.8 AF XR DI II.

 

 

Have fun.

 

 

J.A.

Thieves watch for opportunities, not brand names. Anything easily stolen will be stolen, regardless of value. After all, how much does the thief have invested?

 

I have known several people whose cameras or musical instruments were stolen when they set them down and failed to pay attention. Traveling with a group adds little but a false sense of security - your friends will not watch your gear the way you should be watching it.

 

The most effective deterrent you have is constant vigilance and situational awareness.

I've been to 50 countries over the last 35 years and NEVER took a camera bag - bulky AND

visible.

 

I had my bag picked once, 35 years ago, in Madrid - they watched me buy a bracelet and

saw where I put my wallet. It felt like a fish taking bait from a hook. I've never had a

problem since then - but I watch "newbie" tourists do incredibly silly things all the time.

 

When I took an SLR and multiple lenses, I used a waist pack which I customized with

home-made foam inserts and lens cases. By shifting the pack around to the front, I could

get to my gear without it having to be around my neck all the time.

 

An easy way to "lock" a waist pack is to buy a 25 cent metal key ring at the hardware store,

thread it through the zipper tab and then loop it over the end of the waist strap. This is a

particularly good solution in places where pickpockets congregate, like crowded trains/

train stations, tourist areas, etc. I've never been fond of backpacks in such situations.

Some rectanglar key rings have little slides on them so you can open and close them even

if there is no strap to put them over, but there is something to attach to - it doesn't need

to be overly secure, just something that makes it harder for someone to get into your bag

when you're distracted.

 

For places where you can't use flash, consider a tiny tripod like the Gorillapod

www.joby.com.

 

Putting your camera on the floor and setting the timer is a great way to photograph

decorative ceilings.

 

Make sure your charger works on European current and get the right adapter plug for

French sockets. DEFINITELY take an additional set of batteries.

 

I would not be overly concerned about camera theft - but I would realize that having

things stolen when you're overseas is a real drag so consider

 

- photocopying your passport and/or scanning it and emailing it to your on-line email

account.

- writing down your credit/debit/ATM card numbers (or photocopy the cards) and the

emergency numbers in case of theft.

- putting your passport, plane tickets, credit cards etc. in a money belt that you keep

hidden.

- use a pouch around your neck or something similiar for things you'll need on a given

day.

- putting things into the hotel safe if you plan to go out drinking. You can always carry a

photocopy of your passport, if you want identification.

- be aware of the type of hotel you're staying at - things can be stolen from your room, so

lock your bag if you've got reason to be concerned.

- Leave your regular wallet and all the papers and cards in it at home - one less thing to

have stolen. Take only the keys you absolutely need.

- be leery of other scams, like the one in Rome where someone asks for information and

the "police" "bust" him - and try to get your credit card info and PIN.

 

Don't worry too much, but be careful the way you would in any large city anywhere on

earth.

Another problem with traveling abroad with a fancy camera is that it puts a big red "Tourist" sign on your front and back for pick pocketers. So your camera may be safe but your wallet might not be. I am exhibit A. Here's what happened to me.

 

Several summers ago I was in Brussels, a block off the main square in the middle of the afternoon with tons of people all around. I was carrying my camera and towing my carry-on, so obviously a tourist. Two guys were kind of play wrestling on the busy sidewalk in front of me and when I walked by them, one of them brushed against me and the other pushed against the two of us. They apologized for brushing against them. I didn't feel anything odd, but suspected that it wasn't accidental so when I reached for my wallet in my back pocket, sure enough it was gone. As soon as they saw me reach for my back pocket, both of them took off in different directions. I yelled for someone to stop them and ran after one of them (didn't know which one had my wallet) for a block or two but then didn't want to lose my carry on luggage as well.

 

The point of all this is just to say that these guys are professionals and they look for a tourist coming down the street. They weren't following me, so it took them only a few seconds to decide that I was the mark. And they picked my wallet so clean and fast, I didn't feel a thing. I immediately went to the police station, they let me call VISA who immediately canceled my card but in that 30 minute period, they managed to 'spend' $80 on the card.

 

I don't think there is much you can do about not looking like a tourist, but now I carry all my valuables in my front pocket.

Just as a matter of interest for Brian and anyone else coming to France.This is one of the most, if not the most expensive country in the world for photo equipement,so make sure that you have everything before coming.

Thanks for tips everyone!