Security marking question

realspeed

realspeed

Suspended / Banned
Messages
8,827
Name
Bazza
Edit My Images
No
Has anyone put security marking on their camera equipment?

If so I would be interested in which product they used or method. For example etching -UV pens -labels.

Thanks for any replies in advance.

Maybe TP could bulk buy UV pens/etching hand hald machines if enough members were interested in purchasing one or two. One for the mods to consider I think
 
The local police provided smart water to tag our equipment.
 
Kev

Very interested. Did you have to go to the police station after making appointment or did they come to your house.
 
realspeed said:
Kev

Very interested. Did you have to go to the police station after making appointment or did they come to your house.
Click to expand...

Web had a neighbourhood watch meeting, they took names and addresses down af anyone who wanted a kit. They then came round one evening, showed us how to use it and made a note of the numbers on the kit.
 
Thanks for the replies

Kev I have just rung our local police about smart water and they will ring back next week from their crime prevention unit to talk to me about it

Thanks for the tip

We don't have a neighbourhood watch here as there is only my boarding kennels and the gollf /leisure centre next door. We are right out in the countryside
 
No problems. Glad I could be of help.
 
realspeed said:
Has anyone put security marking on their camera equipment?

If so I would be interested in which product they used or method. For example etching -UV pens -labels.

Thanks for any replies in advance.

Maybe TP could bulk buy UV pens/etching hand hald machines if enough members were interested in purchasing one or two. One for the mods to consider I think
Click to expand...

I use both SmartWater and UV pens. Mostly SmartWater in one location of the equipment and UV pen on another location, never near to each other unless there is no space. By the way, most equipment have been marked twice with SmartWater, an example would be a drop of SmartWater on the hotshoe and another drop on the base of the camera.

Also suggest you take close up photos of any marks on your kit, for example, maybe your camera got this recognisable scratch from when you accidently knocked your camera against a wall, or something like that, rather than a general full view of the camera.
 
Major Eazy said:
I use both SmartWater and UV pens. Mostly SmartWater in one location of the equipment and UV pen on another location, never near to each other unless there is no space. By the way, most equipment have been marked twice with SmartWater, an example would be a drop of SmartWater on the hotshoe and another drop on the base of the camera.

Also suggest you take close up photos of any marks on your kit, for example, maybe your camera got this recognisable scratch from when you accidently knocked your camera against a wall, or something like that, rather than a general full view of the camera.
Click to expand...
:thumbs:

This is excellent advice and particularly advisable for items of jewellery that is often very difficult to describe.

Andy
 
Keebsuk said:
:thumbs:

This is excellent advice and particularly advisable for items of jewellery that is often very difficult to describe.

Andy
Click to expand...

Thanks, but acutally my idea wasn't for "difficult to describe" items (although you are welcome to use close up for this purpose), it was to combat easy to describe items.

Anyone can Google for photos of say a Nikon or a Canon and look at the pictures carefully, remember every lines, every shape, then if they steal my own Nikon, and if they're stopped, they can hope to describe the item easily (from memory), even if they didn't have the camera for a long time, to make it sounds like it is theirs.

The trick is to have your own photos showing any damage marks on your items or any customised items. (Say if this model was released with a triangle eye-ring for the camera strap, but you chose to change to say D-ring) any photos of the model downloaded from Google would show it in its standard look and factory fresh, but your photos would show the camera as it looks now. The idea is for the police to match the stolen camera to your photos and know it is yours.

The officer (or insurance person) would say something like: "Hang on! Major Eazy's photos do show that chipped corner and that worn out rubber grip, plus his photos shows the camera with white lettering, same as the camera we have here, whereabouts you failed to mention the damaged parts 'your' camera picked up over the years, plus your photo looks too new and got sliver lettering. Did you by any chance download that picture off Google?"

Somewhat similar to those movies where a person in an attempt to prove he(or she) do know the other person, would describe the birthmark or tatto that is not seen easily by others.

But yes, close up photos can be useful for hard to describe parts of your item.
 
Last edited:
Timely reminder, need to do this for a lens and couple of other personal items.
 
I'm going to stick my head out and be different.

I don't think there's any point in marking equipment like cameras and lenses with these security products.

Fact is, things like SmartWater only work if the equipment comes into the hands of the police and they have reason to believe it might have been stolen. But in that situation there's a very easy means of identifying the kit - it has a serial number.
 
Well no phone call so far from the police, but that is not unusual around here for no response or too late to do anything. All I can say from personal experience is one has to wonder why we have a police force, No doubt in built up areas they are very very good but those covering my area DON'T
 
StewartR said:
I'm going to stick my head out and be different.

I don't think there's any point in marking equipment like cameras and lenses with these security products.

Fact is, things like SmartWater only work if the equipment comes into the hands of the police and they have reason to believe it might have been stolen. But in that situation there's a very easy means of identifying the kit - it has a serial number.
Click to expand...

I agree, but it is better than nothing, even if there is a small chances of UV marking or SmartWater being used to prove the kit is not theirs and the kit gets returned to me, a small chance is better than a zero chance, so even thought I know it would be like that.

Beside, serial numbers can get worn out or filed away, better make a list of kit, serial number, photos of kit, and kit is marked with UV pen, and SmartWater.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top