BIG THEFT: Steve Parish, Wildlife Photographer/Australia

[Poisson Du Jour]

This is a terrible, terrible blow for accomplished Australian wildlife photographer Steve Parish. First hit by floods that wiped out his publishing business, then (absent-mindedly?) leaving a couple of hundred thousand dollars' worth of camera stuff in his car, on the street overnight, which was then stolen (and incredibly, not insured) .

Story on ABC News.

[hdeyong]

That's a crying shame. Sure, it was a mistake to leave equipment like that in a car overnight, and not have it insured, but it being a mistake won't make him feel any less regretful. I feel really sorry for him.

[munz6869]

Poor guy!!!

[OddE]

Ouch. And to think how upset I was after my F4 got stolen a few years ago - that was $500 or so of camera+lens which I used for a hobby, not to make a living off of.

I hope against hope his kit turns up again - a lot of the stuff is likely to be quite difficult to turn over, so keeping an eye on the auction sites and letting any major 2nd hand resellers have a list of the kit and S/Ns (if recorded!) may well produce a clue. I just hope it is not junked once whoever took it realizes that there's all sorts of equipment in the loot which doesn't even look remotely digital...

[Poisson Du Jour]

Many people here on APUG have suffered theft. I had most of my equipment (two EOS bodies, three lenses, flash and camera bag) stolen on Boxing Day 2003. Nowhere near $200,000, but it was very sentimental, and that's what hurts most.

I think there was a Hassy H3 and most of the Hassy system lenses in the theft (he also has a keen analogue interest in cine). I cannot get my head around why anybody would leave such a massive amount of top-shelf equipment in a car on the street overnight. The revelation that nothing was insured is just too horrible for me to contemplate: it must be hell for the man who has criss-crossed Australia with a monster load of glass and metal. I think trying to pass off a Hasselblad H3 and uber-expensive system lenses as "unwanted gifts" at Cash Converters will be the downfall of the thieves.

[TheFlyingCamera]

It would just take one clever individual to toss it in a bag, hop a cheap flight to Bangkok, and sell it there, even at a deep discount, to more than recoup the cost of the plane ticket. And in a foreign country, it'd be more likely to pass it off as not stolen.

[Poisson Du Jour]

It would just take one clever individual to toss it in a bag, hop a cheap flight to Bangkok, and sell it there, even at a deep discount, to more than recoup the cost of the plane ticket. And in a foreign country, it'd be more likely to pass it off as not stolen.

Yes, and in Thailand, those not clued up with the real deal of cameras would happily think the various cameras and lenses were good quality fakes.
Getting the kitty past the inquisitive eyes and noses of Customs here in Australia would be the first hurdle.

[cliveh]

To them it is only the value in money. If someone stole my M2 I would be heart broken. Even if the insurance payed for another one, it would not be the same.

[Felinik]

Thieves are amongst the worst scum on the planet, no matter if it's banks, insurance companies, or simple crooks stealing bicycles or breaking into cars!!

I hope the scum gets caught soon and that he get's his gear back asap!

[lxdude]

Thieves are amongst the worst scum on the planet, no matter if it's banks, insurance companies, or simple crooks stealing bicycles or breaking into cars!!

I hope the scum gets caught soon and that he get's his gear back asap!

My sentiments exactly.