How do you keep track of your inventory

[hjoseph7]

<p>After a while, you sort of lose track of all the doo-dads and accessories you purchased to supposedly make your life easier, or improve your photography. How do you keep track of all that stuff ? I have some stuff I purchased years ago and forgot I even had, other stuff I can't even find. </p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>The best way to track ones inventory - short of creating a complex relational database - is with ones camera!</p>

 

[keith selmes]

<p>I'm OK until I tidy up!</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>They are all in the house somewhere!</p>

[david_henderson]

<ul>

<li>By keeping all photography related items in one room, my office. If its not there I've lost it</li>

<li>By having each system in a "ready to go" bag which means that certain items like filters, cable releases, spirit levels, plates and allen keys for tripods etc are duplicated so I never have to think "where did I put?" </li>

<li>By having probably fewer "bits" than most people to start with. </li>

</ul>

[steve_levine]

<p>A four drawer file cabinet. It keeps the dust out, and I always know where things are.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>What Steve Smith said...</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I wrote out a list but then, damn me, I put it down somewhere and now I can't find it. It's probably in one of my camera bags - but I can't think which one.</p>

[kevin_delson]

<p>If I can't find it, I probably didn't need it anyway. ;)</p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>as Kevin said.</p>

<p>too many people buy too many gadget because its the flavor of the month, they dont rely need it but think it might get usefull one day...if you cant find your stuff it should mean because its not as important as you like to think ; )</p>

<p>In case you just like to buy all the flash adaptor and color filter out there.. just put them in a shoe box well identified in your studio or get another bag just for those gadget.</p>

[phule]

<p>I keep everything in a rolling cabinet with 4 drawers, two of which are sub-divided by foam-core into 8 compartments per drawer. Each compartment can hold a camera or some grouping of equipment (filters, cables, etc). </p>

<p>It works well. The only problem I have is when I forget to take stuff out of a camera bag. I found a polarizing filter the other day that I thought I had lost.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>I'm ordinarily a very disorganized person, but I can't remember many times in my life I couldn't find some piece of photographic equipment. As others have said, keep it all in one place, and you can't go wrong. The last thing I do after a day of photography is to put all my equipment back into its humidity-controlled enclosures. Not only do I know where it is, but it's kept dust-free and safe from fungus. Even my antique cameras are in (somewhat) humidity stabilized display cases.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I use a product called MyHomeAssets.com. It handles the problems mentioned above of losing track of lists, and being able to attach photos to the record.</p>

<p>I updated the database recently, and was astonished at how much equipment and "stuff" I had accumulated over the year. The first time I used the program, I realized I was under insured by about $20,000, and adjusted my policy accordingly. It will print out a list you can store in your car, studio, office, etc., in case your equipment is stolen or your place burns down. I think a lot of people (like me) never consider that storing a list of your stuff, at a location that might suffer a burglary or disaster, and then you'll find yourself without a list anyway.</p>

<p>It really is a very cheap way of making sure you don't get screwed by your insurance company (whether your fault or theirs). It also lets you keep track of where the equipment is at (whether home or studio, and even which room it is in).</p>

<p>There is a demo of the software you can download, I think, and you can store something like 20 or 50 items without paying for the software.</p>

[jim_j2]

<p>I have a file on my computer named "Camera Stuff," and half the time I can't find what I need in there!</p>

<p>I do have .pdf copies of all my manuals there, and often a review of the manual reminds me of that accessory I bought but can't find!</p>

<p>I would say "like Steve Smith said" but for some reason "my stuff" gets scattered from the house to the work shop to the trunk/passenger compartment of one of the vehicles. So, after I've torn all these apart looking for something . . . well . . . I guess I've lost it!</p>

[SCL]

<p>I found that occasionally I forgot exactly what had been accumulating, so I put up a list on Excel (or Lotus or any other spreadsheet program), which allowed me to group by manufacturer and have lots of cross references with full descriptions, serial numbers, etc.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>I keep a list (Excel spreadsheet with serial numbers) for insurance purposes, but I physically keep my gear in foam-padded drawers in my equipment closet. There is a place for everything, so any thing out of place is immediately evident.<br>

I have many bags, so I load a bag for a shoot and unload it when I'm done. Storing gear in bags is a great way to misplace stuff.</p>

<p><Chas></p>

[john_narsuitus]

<p>

 

<br>

 

<p>I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my equipment. Here is the info I collect:</p>

<br>

.</p>

<p>Description of Equipment</p>

<p>Serial Number</p>

<p>Category (camera, lens, filter, lighting, bag or case, etc.)<br>

 

 

<br>

Purchase Price (dollar amount, gift, swap, free)</p>

<p>Purchase Status (new, used, demo)<br>

 

 

<br>

Current Status (in use, sold, broken, lost, stolen, on loan)</p>

<p>Comments (where purchased, sold for what price, sale date, name of gift giver, how equipment is used, uses which batteries, etc.)</p>

[vick_vickery]

<p>If you can keep up with all your stuff, YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH YET! :-)</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>It's actually kinda fun to lose track of stuff. I'm so pleasantly surprised every once in a while to discover something I've entirely forgotten about.</p>

[flatulent1]

<p>I have a junque drawer dedicated to Nikon bits and pieces, one for general Canon FD stuff, one for T90-specific stuff, one for 300TL link cables, one for the link connectors, two for EOS stuff, one for EOS flash, one for New F1 accessories, one for Mamiya M645 derbis, and so on, and so on...</p>

<p>Once upon a time (okay, last year) I had <em>everything </em>cataloged all nice and neat, including a long list of bits and pieces I still wanted to find. This was completed, of course, just before the hard drive failure.</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>If you store the stuff in an attic; raccoons will go after all the shiny stuff.</p>

[pjmeade]

<p>Most of it my camera stuff is in bags and cases ready to go out shooting. The odd filter or lens gets left out, but I keep everything in one room, so it's reasonably easy to find.<br>

Unless I've taken it out of the room and forgotten where I left it.</p>

[charedan]

<p> My stuff is in multiple bags, one for my Canon gear, one for Oly gear, One for flash gear and my antique collection in drawers at home. I transfer to different size back pack what ever I think I need for one outing and place in back where it belongs when I come back.<br>

Like John Narsuitus above, I have an Excell spreadsheet that categories all that gear with Make/Model/Serial/Description/Price Paid for, from where bought and when (helps find invoice should I need warranty repair) and in which bag or drawer it belongs.<br>

All my large enough gear is identified with P-Touch labels so that one quick look identifies one lens from a similarly sized other lens. Those labels are applied to both front and back covers for lenses and on mirror box/flash cover for cameras. Flash models, battery packs and chargers get the same treatment. Filter boxes also have clear identification so ther is no fumbling in the bag. </p>

[heri_rakotomalala]

<p>I make sure all the gear i have can be carried by one person, on a day walk. You're forced to optimize your bag and you need to know what's in there. At one point, it requires selling or throwing away stuff, which is hard, but makes you focus even more.</p>