Why do some people feel the need to use non-recognisable camera bags?

Naboo32

Naboo32

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There may be an obvious answer to this question :|; it's just that I've read a lot of posts here over the last few months, where people have expressed a preference for "non-camera-bag-like" camera bags :thinking:.

Is this purely because of security issues? If so, what kind? Do 'togs in Britain regulalry get mugged in the streets for their kit :( (if so, where ;)?), or is it more to do with theft from cars :|?

I'm curious because I expect to be moving back to England (after 7 years away) next year and am now wondering what sort of a country it's become :shrug:.

Of course, it may just be that some people feel that photography is a bit nerdy and not cool, hence the need for a different looking bag, but I'm really curious to hear people's opinions on the pros and cons of walking around with a recognisable photography bag on their backs/shoulders :).

So, has anyone here actually had equipment stolen from their person - I have a morbid need to know ;)?
 
Personally, I carry one of three different bags: -

1) Lowepro 300W, which has most of my stuff in it. I only use this if I am going out for a long trip that would last a few days. It can take most of all that I need, plus my 13 MacBook laptop.

2) & 3) are a couple of Porsche backpacks that I have (different sizes). They are very versatile, I use them for going out, for hiking, for going to classes, and even if I am just going out for dinner. They are just as elegant as they are practical.

As for the mugging bit, never had that problem with that. Only a few odd racial issues, but nothing too serious.
 
I go into London & Birmingham a fair amount for work so I carry my laptop and camera.
I would rather not make it obvious that I have 2 bits of expensive kit on me so I have a lowepro 250 backpack.
 
My fiancee had a post on here like that... and it was purely out of being fashion concious... and lets face it camera bags are not really fashionable... we are going a cruise and she just was looking for something that would be a little less obvious camera bag... and something more fashion bag like... but not for any sinister reason... purely a fashion concious girl!

M
 
markelliot said:
My fiancee had a post on here like that... and it was purely out of being fashion concious... and lets face it camera bags are not really fashionable... we are going a cruise and she just was looking for something that would be a little less obvious camera bag... and something more fashion bag like... but not for any sinister reason... purely a fashion concious girl!

M
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I agree. I'd like to find a nice leather (or even canvas) bag that looks smart.
I think it's probably a girl thing. Although, if we're away for the day and end up in the pub it's best not to advertise that you have a bag full of kit.
 
All of Porsche Design, LV, and Montblanc do some spiffy stuff! Very practical, very fashion-trendy, and comes with a lifetime guarantee for quality.
 
not everyone only travels in the UK :)
 
I use a Canon bag, not just because it came free, If its going to walk, the label won't stop it. It's upto the people around to make the right choice.
I reckon theres more good than bad, its just that the good won't fight fot it.
Happy days!
 
I see lots of people choosing lowepro bags to be 'low-key' but as soon as I see one I wonder what camera its holding.
 
Interesting replies so far, thank you all :)!

It sounds like I may be being a bit paranoid, but unlike Wail (according to his signature ;)) I do intend to "tip-toe silently through life, only to arrive safely at death".

Hope that puts my original post into perspective :D.
 
I would want a non camera bag purely for aesthetics, never even realised lowepro was low key :D
I often have my camera on my shoulder either aswell as or instead of the bag so subtlety in a security sense isn't that important. - I'm in cornwall/devon though so a bit different from the dodgy bits north of the tamar
 
I suspect you'll see a lot of changes, Briton isn't the country it once was, some inner city areas are pretty dodgy these days (some always were I know) street crime is on the up and with the recession going to get worse. Walking around with a bag that shouts "steal me I'm worth a lot" probably isn't a really good idea anywhere. Wayne
 
cressers said:
not everyone only travels in the UK :)
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That's the main reason here.

It is hard enough avoiding looking like a tourist when in a foreign land, but carrying obvious photo gear is a bit of a give away.

In many countries tourists are a target for scammers and thieves.
 
My Crumpler Loyal Chap doesn't necessarily look like a camera bag and I spent a lot of time trekking the streets of Glasgow at night doing live music photography, and then going home on the night bus myself. I didn't want it to look as if I were carrying a lot of expensive kit so that was the most ambiguous one I could find for the job at hand.
 
swanseamale47 said:
I suspect you'll see a lot of changes, Briton isn't the country it once was, some inner city areas are pretty dodgy these days (some always were I know) street crime is on the up and with the recession going to get worse. Walking around with a bag that shouts "steal me I'm worth a lot" probably isn't a really good idea anywhere. Wayne
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I currently live in Oldham. I don't have a lot of spare daylight time as I commute to West Yorkshire and back everyday, and the GF is about to give birth so my weekends are spent looking after her. The only time I have therefore I can't go far, however, the very first time I went out with my kit to try and capture some of the local scenes I was approached by a local "hoody" type character. I was busy setting up my gear on the tripod, in the middle of a local waste ground. I saw him out of the corner of my eye walking along one of the paths that criss crossed the area. He saw me and immediately diverted towards me. As he came closer, he started to ask me some question - I think he was asking me directions, which immediately rang alarm bells as previously he seemed quite determined in his direction and didnt appear to be lost, also I think I had seen him about before. He came closer still and I stood up straight, at which point he stopped in his tracks and did a runner. He was obviously scoping me up for a possible mugging and had he been with others of his ilk I have no doubt I would have been minus one camera and associated gear. I now dare not take my camera out locally, as the "youths" around Oldham are everywhere, hanging about in gangs and generally harrassing people as they do.

Yes, Britain is a very different place to what it was. No doubt not all areas are so bad, and I cannot wait to move away from Oldham later this year, you have good and bad areas virtually everywhere but I have never seen it so bad.

BTW I use a Lowerpro Magnum AW at the moment as its nice and big, but I may be buying something else in the near future as I've managed to fill it to bursting already! The camera bag issue is niggling me as I can't seem to find one that really fits me and my kit perfectly, there always seems to be a compromise somewhere or other. I don't like the backpack types as I have a bad back and they make it worse. Unfortunately I seem incapable of just carrying the kit I might need on any given day, I HAVE to carry all my gear!

Ste
 
There is not much you can do to when you take the camera OUT the bag. A digital SLR is just that. A theif doesn't know the difference between a 1ds and a 1000d, or a red ring means kerching :)

So make sure you are insured, try not to put all your eggs in one basket.

In general where you are and how you act will see you good....dont go to areas where you feel unsafe.

Have to say I have travelled a lot, and the place I feel most unsafe is the UK.

Sad but true.
 
cressers said:
There is not much you can do to when you take the camera OUT the bag. A digital SLR is just that. A theif doesn't know the difference between a 1ds and a 1000d, or a red ring means kerching :)

So make sure you are insured, try not to put all your eggs in one basket.

In general where you are and how you act will see you good....dont go to areas where you feel unsafe.

Have to say I have travelled a lot, and the place I feel most unsafe is the UK.

Sad but true.
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Have you been to Mombasa in Kenya never been so scared in my life.
 
From what I've heard, you ain't seen nothing until you've been into the places around Africa.

People don't go out at night for fear of being shot, and the police are so corrupt you daren't say anything in their presence - if you go to jail, you get your family to bail you out with the hour or you're a gonner to HIV.
 
Also, I have a Centon BP-500 jessops jobbie. Does the trick wonderfully.

I'm a fairly broad, 5'11" male 18 year old with a big chest.
People generally don't give me trouble - if only they knew that I was a big girl inside :D
 
I use a lowepro and a Tamrac while in the UK but when abroad (recently went to Prague) I use a home made Converse messenger bag with a Crumpler Pretty Boy XXXL pocket to just blend in. If I'm less worried about it being stolen I can concentrate on the photography and not the bag.
 
someone can try to mug me for my kit but ive been mugged for less and they havnt got anything before so i can guarantee they wont be getting my kit, even though it is insured...

Before i joined here another forum had a thread with lots of americans talking security of their kit... i was surprised by how many said they carried knives with them and in some instences small handguns...:shake:
 
I think the main thing really is to make sure you are insured, it's never nice getting mugged or stuff stolen, but if you are insured at least you can give up your possesions without risking your self.

Talking about Africa, i went to the townships in Cape Town with a friend who happens to be a local and a former resident of the Khayelitsha township. I was doing a piece for an independent South African magazine back in the UK. Whilst there we got mugged at knife point by a chappy with an attitude, he got my camera and tripod (only my Canon 30D, luckily left my 5D back at my friends house!). After the event we went to the local pub to drown are sorrows and calm our nerves. We told the woman behind the bar what happened, she was annoyed, but not too suprised. Then this guy appeared out of no where and asked us what we photographing and why, when i said that i was doing a piece on heart of south african townships, trying to show that the majority of the residents just want to get on and enjoy what they can of life. He pondered for a bit, then said "wait here". Half an hour later i had my camera and tripod back, plus 5 rand in cash as an apology, which i used to buy this guy a drink.

I have been to many African countries and shot in some pretty bad places, the one thing i have learned is that most of the time if you get mugged, let go of the goods and 95% of the time you won't get hurt. The UK at preasent feels much more volatile, i have known some one get beaten up after handing over their phone to muggers. It's kind of violence for violence sake, which is what scares me more.
 
Dom_Cabarete said:
someone can try to mug me for my kit but ive been mugged for less and they havnt got anything before so i can guarantee they wont be getting my kit, even though it is insured...
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This may be if theres only 1 or 2 of them. What do you do when theres a dozen of them and they ALL have knives and attitude? I've been stabbed twice and I can tell you, it aint fun. With those sorts of odds against, it doesnt matter if you're big. They know they will win and you will just be laying there with your insides on the outside.
 
daz103 said:
I think the main thing really is to make sure you are insured, it's never nice getting mugged or stuff stolen, but if you are insured at least you can give up your possesions without risking your self.

Talking about Africa, i went to the townships in Cape Town with a friend who happens to be a local and a former resident of the Khayelitsha township. I was doing a piece for an independent South African magazine back in the UK. Whilst there we got mugged at knife point by a chappy with an attitude, he got my camera and tripod (only my Canon 30D, luckily left my 5D back at my friends house!). After the event we went to the local pub to drown are sorrows and calm our nerves. We told the woman behind the bar what happened, she was annoyed, but not too suprised. Then this guy appeared out of no where and asked us what we photographing and why, when i said that i was doing a piece on heart of south african townships, trying to show that the majority of the residents just want to get on and enjoy what they can of life. He pondered for a bit, then said "wait here". Half an hour later i had my camera and tripod back, plus 5 rand in cash as an apology, which i used to buy this guy a drink.

I have been to many African countries and shot in some pretty bad places, the one thing i have learned is that most of the time if you get mugged, let go of the goods and 95% of the time you won't get hurt. The UK at preasent feels much more volatile, i have known some one get beaten up after handing over their phone to muggers. It's kind of violence for violence sake, which is what scares me more.
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What a wonderfully surreal story!
I would say it shows there's some good in the world, but I don't think that's fitting :p

Yeah some people go out looking for a fight. They'll get one - the mobile phone, wallet, mp3 player, shoes, glasses, camera etc etc are all just a bonus from a 'good night out'.
 
I use a Lowepro Orion Trekker, purely because I liked the fact it looks like a normal backpack, and nothing too fancy. It fits nicely, and holds everything securely. That was my main reasoning, rather than securty.

I'm not a fan of the shoulder bags, or backpacks with 1 strap going diagonal across your chest etc.

Ste Manns said:
I currently live in Oldham. I don't have a lot of spare daylight time as I commute to West Yorkshire and back everyday, and the GF is about to give birth so my weekends are spent looking after her. The only time I have therefore I can't go far, however, the very first time I went out with my kit to try and capture some of the local scenes I was approached by a local "hoody" type character. I was busy setting up my gear on the tripod, in the middle of a local waste ground. I saw him out of the corner of my eye walking along one of the paths that criss crossed the area. He saw me and immediately diverted towards me. As he came closer, he started to ask me some question - I think he was asking me directions, which immediately rang alarm bells as previously he seemed quite determined in his direction and didnt appear to be lost, also I think I had seen him about before. He came closer still and I stood up straight, at which point he stopped in his tracks and did a runner. He was obviously scoping me up for a possible mugging and had he been with others of his ilk I have no doubt I would have been minus one camera and associated gear. I now dare not take my camera out locally, as the "youths" around Oldham are everywhere, hanging about in gangs and generally harrassing people as they do.
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Where about's in Oldham are you from fella (feel free to PM me if you dont want to put it on the boards) as I'm from Oldham myself.
 
Lummy :(!

I'm not sure that I should have come back and read the rest of these posts - sounds like Britain (England) has become just as bad as I'd imagined. Before leaving, I'd spent all of my life in Luton and believe me, UK towns don't come much worse than that (some inner-cities do, of course ;))!

Whilst I've got no intention of ever setting foot in Luton again, let alone taking photographs there, it's a shame to hear that the general wave of lawlessness seems to have spread to other parts of the UK :|.

Perhaps I should just stay in Germany - the beers great (and cheap) and people are very easy going over here. Whoops, just de-railed my own thread there :p.
 
I was walking by a canal near Milton Keynes and there were a group of youngsters on the towpath. It was about 07:00 and no-one else was about. Two of them were directly in my path and as I got closer they moved out of the way and said "Good Morning"
 
Suvv said:
I was walking by a canal near Milton Keynes and there were a group of youngsters on the towpath. It was about 07:00 and no-one else was about. Two of them were directly in my path and as I got closer they moved out of the way and said "Good Morning"
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:suspect: Are you a 6' tall busty blonde lady, 'cos otherwise that takes some believing :D.

Only joking ;), of course I know that not everyone under the age of 30 is a crack addict, but it just seems to be getting harder to feel safe anywhere in the UK these days (and probably in many other countries too).

BTW, sorry if I appear to be "slagging off" my homeland - I am planning to return there soon, but I just want to know what to expect and where to expect it :p.
 
Britain is still generally a safe country, with still a minority of trouble makers. I think the main problem with the country is that it is all unpredictable. Where as some places you go that are notorious danger sites you make allowances for that, being extra carefull. In England at the moment it is less predictable and things can happen without provocation or reason.
I have never had any trouble (touch wood) in england, apart from police, but there is a sense of uneasyness and distrust when out and about. Like suvv mentioned it is easy to be intimidated by gangs of youths, but most of the time they have no interest of stealing, hurting or attacking you. The only problem is that it doesn't seem to take much to get them thinking about it.
 
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