Heart Attack Time-Almost!

[ktmrider2]

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As I get older I wonder at the wisdom of having an expensive digital camera like the MP240 or M10.  I do a lot of travel and last week I  tossed the MP240 into the tank bag of my motorcycle for a ride through the mountains.  I thought I remembered unpacking it when I got home.  Well, a couple days later I noticed it was not in the cabinet where it normally lives and I could not remember the last time I had used it (except for this trip through the mountains).    To say I panicked is a bit of an understatement. 

 

Now at 65 I admit to not being as sharp as I was at 20 but who is?  And I admit to having similar things happen over the last couple years but none of them involved a $6000 camera.  Most of them involved a set of keys or perhaps a book etc.

 

Well, a panicked search of the house and immediate environs failed to produce the camera.  I thought I might have left it at the lunch stop but could not get them to answer the phone.  Finally, the camera turned up in the trunk of my wife's motorcycle (not the one I had ridden through the mountains) which I had ridden a few days after my trip to the mountains.  I honestly do not remember putting the camera in there.  I was going to ride to a local tourist destination and take a few photos but I never made it to the tourist destination so never took the camera out of the trunk.

 

So, has anything similar happened to others on this forum or am I unique.  I suspect most Leica user's are in their prime like I consider myself to be.  Perhaps I should find a memory enhancing pill?  And since I did not have a heart attack, I must have a pretty good ticker.

Edited August 21, 2018 by ktmrider2

[Jeff S]

I’d be more concerned riding a motorcycle without full confidence in my mental and physical skills. Losing a camera is minor by comparison.... and insurance can always fix that.

 

I gave up riding in my retirement. But still enjoy making pics and prints. And no, I haven’t yet lost any camera gear, but carry full replacement insurance.

 

Jeff

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[JohnnySeven]

Once a few years ago I left a camera bag containing my M6 body, M8 body and  4 lenses  in the back on my jeep with the top down overnight at King and Parliament St's in Toronto, (at the time it was considered a "bad part of town"). I didn't realize what I had done until I waltzed out  at 10am the next morning and saw the bag sitting undisturbed in the jeep in full view and reach of anybody walking by.  My stomach did about 5 flips and I realized how lucky I was to still have my gear.  These things happen...

Edited August 21, 2018 by JohnnySeven

[ktmrider2]

Yes, these things happen.  Several years ago I left a Leica in the bar of the hotel after a few brews.  Luckily, it was still there the next morning.  It was a small, isolated roadhouse while hiking the West Highland Way.  The receptionist looked at me with a knowing smile and said something about it being an expensive camera as she handed it to me.

 

And honestly I would rather go out quickly from a motorcycle accident then linger in assisted living with dementia.  Since I made my living as a Marine combat pilot and later a pilot in federal law enforcement, a sudden violent end has always been an accepted part of my life.

Edited August 21, 2018 by ktmrider2

[Jeff S]

I’d be more concerned with severe or permanent injury than a quick end. But that’s just me. We each make choices.

 

Jeff

[Exodies]

Forgetting is not the only problem with memory. I have clear and detailed memories of things I know didn’t happen, and not only in old age.

[darylgo]

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A friend left his Nikon FTn many times at various places including trails, restaurants etc. The camera always made it home. Later, his F100 with 70-200 did the same. 25+ years, maybe ten occurances with only one loss. His cameras didn't do as well with falls into rivers and 50 feet down a cliff with him attached. He survived all the adventures even if his cameras didn't. A surgeon by trade, a mind like a steel trap, except for his camera.

[lanetomlane]

We live in the UK but as we visit Seattle so often (I'm in aviation) we leave a car over there. A couple of years ago my wife couldn't find her Fuji camera, we searched the house from top to bottom without luck. We had had replacement windows fitted and "her in doors" was convinced that the workmen must have taken it. (Would anyone take a Fuji when there was an M10, Monochrom, SL, plus Nikon outfit in the offering?) Anyway, she finally decided to replace the Fuji with a Leica T. Cut a long story short, we were in the States earlier this year and when we parked up in Yellowstone she decided to put her handbag under the car seat, but it wouldn't go; because yes, that's where the Fuji was. It must have been there for over two years.

Only positive was that she now uses a Leica and so doesn't have to hide her head in shame when we go to the various Leica meetings.

[jto555]

A few years ago I worked in a photo agency. One of my colleagues was rushing to a job. He stopped at the boot (trunk for our US friends) to put the camera bag and tripod in to it. When he got to the job he oppened the boot to find just the tripod and no camera bag. It was still sitting in the carpark at the office. Luckly enough he was able to borrow a camera from another photographer to do the shoot. At the time he was in his early thirties. He agged a lot that day! So being 65 and forgetful, no worries. It can happen anyone at any age.

[ktmrider2]

Thanks for the encouragement.  Of course, I don't remember other objects I may have misplaced but none of them were a $6000+ camera/lens.  I am leaving in a couple weeks for Scotland and an 80 mile hike around Loch Ness.  When my daughter and I did the West Highland Way four years ago, I left the M9 in the bar of one of the roadhouses after having a few beers after a 19 mile day.  Luckily, it was still in the bar the next morning.  

 

I am really going to concentrate on not doing something similar with the MP240.  I think the lens mix will be 25/50/135.

[ibramr]

#MeToo as I am months away from 65 years old, and concerned about my equipment whereabout. I am also concerned about the possible damage to the equipment in my many hikes and walks as I pronate heavily and trip off easily. I bought camera insurance and now no longer even think about this risk. Time and peace of mind are more precious and the insurance premium is worth every penny paid.

[Guest]

Yes, these things happen.  Several years ago I left a Leica in the bar of the hotel after a few brews.  Luckily, it was still there the next morning.  It was a small, isolated roadhouse while hiking the West Highland Way.  The receptionist looked at me with a knowing smile and said something about it being an expensive camera as she handed it to me.

 

And honestly I would rather go out quickly from a motorcycle accident then linger in assisted living with dementia.  Since I made my living as a Marine combat pilot and later a pilot in federal law enforcement, a sudden violent end has always been an accepted part of my life.

 

Couple of thoughts ...

 

We tend to run on automatic as we age ... and the spatial and temporal perception is a bit less than when we were in our teens ... not to mention 20 30 and 40's. Does not mean that we have lost a lot of cognitive ability ... just

that we are not able to process and recall peripheral details in hyperspace/time. Probably why any pilot needs a checklist ... and most of us when we are planning a big event do the same. So leaving things or walking away from a bag becomes fairly common.

However a bit of planning can help ... I did a fair amount of traveling ... and learned to wrap the strap of the bag around my thigh when in a bar ... could not leave without it.

 

We all would rather go out quickly but truth be told most accidents leave one permanently disabled ... paralysis ... tube feedings ... rehab without great recovery. So the assisted living starts a decade or two early.

 

But all told ... life is short and one must find a balance between risk and reward ... which changes as our lives play themselves out.

 

Hate to admit this but I quit traveling with expensive cameras ... watches ... clothing ... in my 30's. Doing medical relief missions in W Africa convinced me that I could capture the moment with a small throwaway camera. Unbelievable 

freedom ... all I had to protect was my passport and return ticket.

Edited August 25, 2018 by docmoore

[dugby]

...  I am leaving in a couple weeks for Scotland and an 80 mile hike around Loch Ness....

 

I am really going to concentrate on not doing something similar with the MP240.  I think the lens mix will be 25/50/135.

 

Was there last year with only one lens; APO50 on my M240. 

 

Got to say that region is quite pretty,...IMHO Glencoe was the most spectacular scenery for that region.

[sblitz]

Let's flip this discussion a bit, since we have all been there. And for those who haven't, you will get there. Back to the flip -- how much value is the camera if you didn't realize it was missing until you got home? Perhaps it is too much camera or perhaps not enough camera to excite you (maybe an M4 trip back to film???? :-) ) to take pictures. Something to ponder.

[PFM]

I've been doing a lot of reshuffling around the apartment lately, trying to get the 45 years worth of accumulation down to a manageable pile.  In the process I'll stack things to get to later, and then forget what I put where when I need to find it.  Like the bag of Nikon rangefinder gear I couldn't find for two weeks.  Thought I'd left it at the last location.  After that episode I put all my camera bags on a new set of shelving bought just for that purpose.

 

So far, I've been able to keep track of the Leica gear.

 

PF

[ajayk]

Well happens all the time with me... fortunately I don’t forget them in outdoor locations but at home. Latest being a small Canon that I had bought at the time of my younger daughter’s birth ... lost some magnificent memories with it...monetary loss was not my main issue.

[JeTexas]

If you're having trouble with things like that, checklists are a huge help.

 

However, don't beat yourself up too much. My co-worker went fishing, then came back and couldn't remember where he parked his truck ... because he left his truck and trailer running on the boat ramp. Thankfully a park ranger pulled it up, parked it and had the keys. The ranger said it wasn't the first time it had happened.

[epand56]

I was about to answer your inquiry, but I forgot what I wanted to say...

[571514M3]

.....I wonder at the wisdom of having an expensive .....

 

 

Just enjoy stuff.  Go ride the motorcycle and use that camera or whatever!  

 

It's terrible how our culture and media have drilled fear of loosing everything deep into our psyche.  The real question is 'why should I worry about loosing x/y/z?'  So what that something costs a lot.  I assume we buy what we like because we like, can and value it.  Not using it makes a mockery of having stuff.  What if we loose or break it?  Does it really matter and is there not more important stuff that should be protected?  Love and caring for others is one.  

 

My vote is for using everything we have with abandon.  Choose life and live it fully in the company of, and shared with, others.  And never give up riding your motorcycle, go and learn paragliding or whatever, look forward and not back.  Here is my personal method:  the first time I use something I say something like 'that first photo taken with this lens cost [insert purchase price]'.  From then on everything is cost free and I can use the gear without regret.  

 

PS.  I assume it worked ok after finding it again?  

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[nightstreet]

Just sharing a thought.  It helps if it's a non-descript ordinary-looking bag for photography gear, maybe nobody will notice it lying around?  I have a second-hand messenger bag bought for $10 at the local Goodwill charity shop, add some foam inserts, works great.  I used to attend a photography night class, everyone's bag probably has five or ten thousand dollars worth of cameras and lenses.  Looking around the room, I thought man... there's at least a hundred thousand dollars worth of gear here.  On the other hand, I see these tourists around Europe and Asia with nice big camera bags with prominent brand names proudly displayed, if misplaced I wonder what the chances are of getting them back.