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Wrapping a camera with gaffers tape


joseph_mcdonald

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I searched photo.net and didn't see the answer I was looking for.

This is not Nikon specific but I've seen threads on this before

right here in the Nikon forum.

 

When I travel to foreign countries I keep my equipment at the ready

at all times. Sometimes this means walking down extremely crowded

streets. More than once I've heard comments from strangers

like, "Nikon, good camera". I also get plenty of looks.

 

I just picked up a roll of 2" wide black gaffers tape. My question

is simple; are you folks sure this stuff won't take the silk

screened name off my F100, F4s, SB flashes etc.?

 

I saw a pic. posted here once of a Nikon that was completely wrapped

with this tape. I wrapped an old lens with it, and it will sit in a

south facing window for a week as an experiment. Can someone give me

a little assurance from personal experience that this practice is

safe?

 

Thanks very much.

 

Joe McDonald

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My experience is that any camera carried in the open around your neck in a foreign country is an open invitation to all kinds of potential theft and other problems. Why advertise yourself as a candidate for theft or something worse? When abroad I carry my camera stuff in a SMALL LL Bean fanny pack or backpack that looks nothing like a camaera bag. If the weather is cold, I might carry it under my coat or jacket. Joe Smith
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If you're really worried about theft, maybe you should use a Holga (the gaffer's tape

would come in handy). If you need to use the Nikon, I have seen pictures of Nikons

with fake name stickers on them to make them look like knock- offs, but I do not

know where to get them. You would be suprised at how different a nikon looks

without the nameplate showing. Maybe you could put scotch tape over the silk

screened logos, then tape over them with the gaffer's tape (test it out on a beater

first...).

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I got Gaffers tape on my D2h. Has not pulled off the letters. I got it on my others as well, no problem. I carry a small quantity of it wrapped around a film cansiter in my bag.

 

I got gaffers tape on my F3 and F2 same situation. I use gaffers tape on the bodies of my cameras to protect againgst scrapes and knicks on the finish.

 

I also use it on "slippery" camera parts to provide a better grip. I have had some gaffers tape bits on cameras for more than a year and it comes off fine.

 

Dont use duct tape as it will melt. Gaffers tape uses cloth and a different type of adhesive.

 

I also have it on my lenses where the main contact "drop" points are to protect against damages when of the stage or shooting pit.

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As someone who goes through cases of the stuff...

 

Gaffer's tape is wonderful stuff and one of the reasons is that it is far less likely to leave

sticky residue behind than any other tape I know. When it does, it leave the whole

adhesive layer behind in a chunk. You can take another piece of tape and pick it up. So

that's great, but only for a certain period of time. After enough time it will start to dry out.

Really old gaffers tape gets hard and stiff and when you peel it of, it will leave behind a lot

of dried up adhesive, and getting that off is no joke.

 

I doubt that it will take the logos off your camera, and it should peel off very cleanly, so if

you are going to do it for a period of a week or so, I don't think you would have a problem.

If you decide to leave it on for a long long period it could be a disaster.

 

Also be aware that there are several brands and grades of gaffers tape, and you get what

you pay for.

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I use black gaffers tape on my Nikons and Contax G2's without having any problems taking the paint off. I use it to protect the cameras from light bumps and scrapes.As said above, do not use any other tape ,like duct tape. Gaffers does not leave a residue. I also keep a few strips on the back of a camera.With my Contax G2 and the 21 mm lens I use a strip to wrap around the 21mm finder in the hot shoe.This keeps it from falling out. I also think it helps keeping the camera working in the rain. I tape the seams and they seem to stay dry better. On my medalist I use strips on the back to wrap around the 120 film that is rerolled on to 620 reels. It also works pretty good at keeping a camera and motordrive on the wing of a airplane while doing loops.

 

I too keep the camera hanging on one shoulder under a coat while I am in questionable areas, I think the black keeps the reflections down and people do not see the camera as quickly.

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I used black electrical tape when in Costa Rica last month. It stayed well put over the "Nikon" branding, even in the humdity.

 

At one point, while on a guided nature hike, the guide, no dummy to gear, had to ask me what kind of camera it was (it was a D70).

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Like Christopher says, black electrical tape works well. Gaffers tape looks too obvious to me and stands out; like you are trying to hide something. A neat electrical taping job is almost unnoticeable.

 

To remove any transferred adhesive after taking the tape off, use a drop or two of Lubriderm skin lotion on a soft cloth or paper towel and rub the lotion onto the sticky area. Wipe off with a clean dry portion of the towel. This method will not adversely affect or remove the badge letters in any way.

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>My experience is that any camera carried in the open around your

>neck in a foreign country is an open invitation to all kinds of

>potential theft and other problems. Why advertise yourself as a

>candidate for theft or something worse?

 

Remember that what's a foreign country for you is someone elses (and probably that someone is one of us...) home.

Being from a small country I know a lot of countries where carrying a camera openly is certainly NOT an open invitation to get mugged. In fact in many parts of your probable home country that chance is likely larger than in most parts of the country I live in...

 

Hiding the Nikon name on your camera won't help any, in fact it may make matters worse.

The amateur druggie couldn't care less what he steals as long as he can pawn it for a few bucks to get a shot of dope.

The pro camera thief otoh can recognise a taped camera for what it really is and will start to think there's a good reason that person is hiding something so likely there's some really expensive glass hidden in that camera bag.

 

Muggers don't care whether you have a thousand dollar Nikon SLR or a hundred dollar point and shoot. Either will give them a shot of dope and their healers won't pay significantly more for it...

 

The only way to be sure you're never mugged is to not take anything that looks like it might be worth anything anywhere and to never go alone.

A more pragmatic approach is to find out the bad parts of town and stay away from them at all times.

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Yeh, I'm not convinced about this tape stuff either. A big black camera like an F5, D2x, EOS 1V, etc., looks expensive no matter how it's tarted up or dressed down.

 

OTOH, doing this to a Leica M-series or similar profile camera might work. But true Leicaphiles prefer to beat, wear, fondle and lick the finish off their cameras. Nikon's "black" is too darned durable. They need to make it thinner and chalkier so our toys can have some patina before they simply wear out from use.

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"Yeh, I'm not convinced about this tape stuff either. A big black camera like an F5, D2x, EOS 1V, etc., looks expensive no matter how it's tarted up or dressed down."

 

Of course, Lex is right.

 

In that case, I say spray paint the bugger pink and "tag" it like a gang's territory in purple marker. Maybe stick some pre-chewed gum on it, as well. Also, scent it with sheep urine.

 

Now way anyone'd lunge for it then.

 

I dunno. I think your odds of running into a crack-fix-crazed, pro camera theif are pretty slim if you are wary of where you go. Hell, there are photojournalists operating in Iraq and Africa in the hell of famine and war, and I don't read many articles about how they come home without their camera?

 

An ounce of preparation, a little foresight, and some alertness should keep you fine. Tape couldn't hurt. Neither could the pink paint.

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  • 6 years later...

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