Ecaton Posted June 1, 2011 Share #21 Posted June 1, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am going to milan next week for work and was wondering if its safe to take my M9 with me or should i just leave it at home and take the D-Lux4? You will be fine in Milan, just take the normal steps of precaution you would apply in other big cities as well. The camera gear is either in the hotel safe or with you. And with you means always! Never leave it unattended, no matter how "upscale" the place. And don't forget, body language makes a huge difference, predators instinctively indentify weak prey in herds. Enjoy your trip. As others mentioned, as you travel for business, the D-Lux4 might be just fine for the occasional shooting? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 1, 2011 Posted June 1, 2011 Hi Ecaton, Take a look here Is it safe to take M9 to Milan . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted June 1, 2011 Share #22 Posted June 1, 2011 Seeing where you live I can understand that you are feeling slightly intimidated by a city like Milan. In fact, as others have said this is not a high-risk town. Normal precautions suffice. In Italy the risk of violent robbery is actually rather low. If stuff gets stolen it is more in the range of grab and run or pinch when unattended. A compact like the DLux or a DSLR is more attractive for this kind of thing than a Leica M9, as it is not as easy to fence. If you still feel concerned take the easy way: insure the camera, make a firm resolve to hand it over meekly in the unlikely case of crime and forget all about it.The shoes some of the gentlemen you meet there will have cost more than your M9, and they still walk about fully shod. Milan is a wonderful place, full of photo opportunities and that warrants bringing the best gear you have. Enjoy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kherberos Posted June 1, 2011 Share #23 Posted June 1, 2011 I was just worried about putting myself in danger and having someone try to swipe it off of me. If you are worried about your safety, it is difficult to give you a piece of advice. All I can say is that western Europe countries are quite safe places. But there are always unlucky ones… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 1, 2011 Share #24 Posted June 1, 2011 Janan, I think you have been given sound advice. Keep your wits about you, take out insurance and enjoy yourself. The only thing I would add is don't invest in one of those camera straps with a steel cable running through it - rather let it go than be dragged down the street in a bloody pulp behind a couple of snatch-thieves on a Vespa... Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted June 1, 2011 Share #25 Posted June 1, 2011 Thank you all even those of you who are being sarcastic if you feel the question is stupid you dont have to answer the question. I have heard a few people say things about having their camera's stolen in italy thats why i asked. I am usually very careful i always have the camera on the strap and never leave in on chairs etc. I was just worried about putting myself in danger and having someone try to swipe it off of me. First, it's way more likely that the stolen cameras were actually Canikons, much more recognizable and marketable than a rangefinder Leica, which might easily pass for a vintage piece. Second, absolutely no offence meant but such thoughts are what make me wonder why one would spend those monies on a camera that she couldn't fully enjoy. In these terms a Lomo would be much better to own. Personally speaking I've been constantly concerned about the risk of a loss, not so much for the monies - albeit 2nd hand my stuff was however more expensive than mainstream japanese - but for what it took me to put it together and for the importance it has for me. But I vowed myself to never succumb to such fears and I usually take my stuff everyday wherever I go. As said, I deem this safer than leaving the gear unattended at home. If the worst happens I can still decide to fight back or not, but having it stolen at home when I'm absent would upset me even more. Cheers, Bruno Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 1, 2011 Share #26 Posted June 1, 2011 I wasn't being sarcastic with my comment. If you're worried about being mugged for your camera then your concerns should really be about yourself - presumably you will be carrying a wallet, a mobile phone etc.? There are places in the world I have no wish to vist, where I would fear for my personal safety. I'd be more worried about my personal survival than if someone wanted my possessions. Italy isn't one of those places btw! I do sometimes choose to use one of my less valuable cameras when I go somewhere, but the choice is based on the possibility of damage - music festivals for example where there's a good chance of getting stuck in a downpour of getting covered in beer! There was a thread on the forum a while back from someone who took their M to one of the festivals in Spain, the one where they throw oranges at each other, and he was asking advice about the 'sticky' controls since his camera and lens were drenched in orange juice! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted June 1, 2011 Share #27 Posted June 1, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) There was a thread on the forum a while back from someone who took their M to one of the festivals in Spain, the one where they throw oranges at each other, and he was asking advice about the 'sticky' controls since his camera and lens were drenched in orange juice! Surely that would be tomatoes, James? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 1, 2011 Share #28 Posted June 1, 2011 Surely that would be tomatoes, James? Edit, should have been Italy! Ivrea orange festival http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Oranges Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted June 1, 2011 Share #29 Posted June 1, 2011 There's an orange festival too, though lesser known, and no doubt several others. For sure we have one in Italy, dubbed "La battaglia delle arance" held during the Carnival at Ivrea battaglia arance - Cerca con Google Bruno Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted June 1, 2011 Share #30 Posted June 1, 2011 Incidentally, safety in different cities is very subjective: one of my favorite cities is Barcelona, and I stay there for as long as possible as often as I can and have never ever had any problem, but friends and colleagues often come back with scare stories of wallets disappearing (often from rucksacks carried on their backs) or cameras being taken if left unattended in restaurants. I'm afraid that their own behavior is mostly to blame. The strange thing is that the only time I assisted in catching a pickpocket was here in Stockholm, where I helped to wrestle a guy with a snatched handbag to the ground in the center of town. And right now 'professional' thieves are hard at work taking bags from unsuspecting tourists who hang them over their chairs while serving themselves buffet breakfasts in their hotel restaurants - lulled into a false sense of security by Scandinavia's reputation of unimpeachable honesty. Be careful, but most important - don't look like a victim! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kherberos Posted June 1, 2011 Share #31 Posted June 1, 2011 As a rule, let us consider that in western Europe (at least the countries I know a bit of: France, Spain, Italy and Greece) people who will try to steal you are not plundering drug addicts, or starving people, but are mainly pickpockets. Which means there is very little to no danger. The only time I was assaulted, it was 2 utterly drunk guys coming after my FM3a, in 2005 in Paris, in a isolated metro corridor. But I suspect they were just in nead of messing around. But the user of a manual camera is indeed the owner of a very effective weapon: the bottom of my FM3a was able to deal enough damage on a nose's edge, with not even a scarce mark remaining on it… You can be unlucky anywhere. But Most places in Europe are VERY safe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
horosu Posted June 1, 2011 Share #32 Posted June 1, 2011 I am going to milan next week for work and was wondering if its safe to take my M9 with me or should i just leave it at home and take the D-Lux4? I suppose it would be safest to keep it in a bank vault. But then again, you gotta choose well you bank!!! Seriously, though, I can guarantee that most of the time people would look at the M9 and consider it some sort of old film camera. I live in Romania, which some would consider a hazard ( ) , but I never considered leaving my camera at home here or anywhere else (Morocco, Egypt, etc). I bought it to use it and give me pleasure.. Horea Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
siglo Posted June 1, 2011 Share #33 Posted June 1, 2011 Thank you all even those of you who are being sarcastic if you feel the question is stupid you dont have to answer the question. I have heard a few people say things about having their camera's stolen in italy thats why i asked. I am usually very careful i always have the camera on the strap and never leave in on chairs etc. I was just worried about putting myself in danger and having someone try to swipe it off of me. I thought you were a man, but since thieves think women are easier targets, I'd be more careful if I were you. I sometimes think my big size (read fat) and long beard intimidate prospective snatchers. Also make sure you keep your camera in the safe when it's in the hotel. I stayed at the Boscolo Exedra which is one of the nicer hotels. But when I saw that their in room safe is big enough to fit a small child, I started to worry. I mean they must have been that big because they have problems with their staff stealing from guests. So I locked all my DSLR gear with the laptop in their safe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 1, 2011 Share #34 Posted June 1, 2011 Thank you all even those of you who are being sarcastic if you feel the question is stupid you dont have to answer the question. I have heard a few people say things about having their camera's stolen in italy thats why i asked. I am usually very careful i always have the camera on the strap and never leave in on chairs etc. I was just worried about putting myself in danger and having someone try to swipe it off of me. Years ago, I left the prism of my Visoflex II on a public garden chair in my town (90 Km from Milan and much more little... ) : it rested there 6 hours about before I realized my distraction and came back... clearly no one was intersted about that strange "piece of metal with some glass" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vip Posted June 1, 2011 Share #35 Posted June 1, 2011 I live in Milan since I born. I still own my Leica.......... I do not think it is different from other cities Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyb Posted June 1, 2011 Share #36 Posted June 1, 2011 Living 100 Km from the city, I've been in Milan 2 weeks ago for a visit of the Palazzo dell'Arengario. The only ones interested in my M9 was a group of Chinese tourists in Piazza del Duomo, a few of them also equipped with Leicas I take my M9 wherever I go, as I did before with my M6. Best regards, Andreas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuxBob Posted June 1, 2011 Share #37 Posted June 1, 2011 Thank you all even those of you who are being sarcastic if you feel the question is stupid you dont have to answer the question. That's me Janaan but if you are educated enough that your company is sending you to Italy and wealthy enough to afford an M9 and you are really unaware that Europe is as safe as anywhere then I am a little surprised. When I was sending people off to different parts of the World, I twice had doubts when people asked me similar questions but I sent them. It was a mistake. Milan is a very safe place but you really ought to think about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted June 1, 2011 Share #38 Posted June 1, 2011 If I felt I couldn't take my M9 on trips I wouldn't have bought it. It's more money than I would spend just to take pictures of my pets in the house. Most theft in Europe is opportunistic, and thwarting it is largely a matter of removing that opportunity. In certain other areas of the world, there's more likelihood to be robbed by someone with a weapon. Those thieves aren't connonsieurs, they'll rob first and ask questions later. It doesn't really matter how valuable the things are you're carrying, just that you're carrying something...or look like you might have money on you. Keep your wits about you in Milan and you'll be fine. My homeowners insurance covers camera equipment up to the full limit of the policy no matter where the loss occurs. It gives me a sense of comfort, not so much against theft, but things like dropping a lens on the pavement while changing lenses, or dropping the camera into a canal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhulsenbeek Posted June 1, 2011 Share #39 Posted June 1, 2011 I have been robbed twice in Europe. First time in St Petersburg, and that was by a gypsy family. Later I heard that the usaul Russian advice is in that case: run, and run. Second time was in my home town Amsterdam, outside the Central Station. Two bags on the ground, and my attention diverted: typical. I do have one of those neckstrap with a cable: just feels safe. The Leica strap feels flimsy. Plus the place where I felt safest in the last couple of years: Damascus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramosa Posted June 1, 2011 Share #40 Posted June 1, 2011 Get insurance. It doesn't cost that much--and ensures full replacement and complete piece of mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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