Carrying Camera kit round New York

[DMemory]

Visiting New York for a week in October 15. Never been before so will be visiting all the usual tourist sites and not the sort of traveller to venture too far from usual places and no late nights etc.

Would like to take my Canon 5d MkIII and some lenses but am a little concerned that may make me a target for those who would like to take the kit for their own use. Alternative is my EOS M with a couple of more discreetely sized lenses.

Having never been before to USA outside of seeing Mickey et al in Florida I really don't know what theft etc from person is like in NY.

Words of wisdom appreciated.

Dean

[Kayaker72]

Hi Dean,

Where are you from?

There are two parts of this question:

• Your comfort (both physical and psychological)
• Actual potential for theft

If you are going to worry, or if you do not want to carry around a dSLR, by all means, try something smaller. You should enjoy NYC. But in regards to actual safety, I've walked around at night by myself with my 5DIII and not had an issue or even felt threatened. Matter of fact, you will be in the company of many tourists carrying around their own cameras, a lot of which will be other dSLRs. I would recommend at least basic security such as a good case and strap.

Good Luck,
Brant

[DMemory]

From the UK. I know where and where not to carry kit over here. Having never been to NY all I have to go off is the mass media reporting of NY. No problems carrying a small secure shoulder bag etc. Is it fair to say - if it feels wrong don't go there - or is NY rampant with robbers as the media would suggest.

[Kayaker72]

Every major city has its neighborhoods where I wouldn't want to walk around with my gear exposed. But, those are not usually tourist destinations. I was last in NYC in 2013. At night I walked from the Madison Sq Garden/Penn Station area up to Time square and back along a different pathway at night. My 5DIII was either in a Lowepro toploader or at my waist with my hand on it at all times attached to me with a Blackrapid strap.

Never felt unsafe or in danger.

small-0500 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-0481 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-0436 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-0434 by kayaker72, on Flickr

Then...during the day....

small-3045 by kayaker72, on Flickr

It's actually a pretty nice place.....and I tend to like mountains......

[peety3]

Add a stop to B&H onto your list of "usual" tourist stops. It's just so different from almost any other store in so many ways.

[M_Six]

We spend a week in NYC every year. I have never had an issue carrying my gear around, especially if you're going to be in the usual touristy areas. At any given point you can look around and see a half dozen DSLRs hanging around people's necks. I bring my large backpack to get my gear to NYC, then I use a Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home bag, with the wake-the-dead-loud velcro closure, to carry gear once I'm there. No one is going to get to my gear without my knowing it. I carry it cross body, so someone would have to cut it off me to get it. I don't use neckstraps for my cameras. I prefer to keep my stuff in a bag and use wrist straps when I have my camera out.

Central Park on a nice day. You can easily spend the whole day shooting and not get half of it. There are always musicians and artists and weddings and all manner of interesting people to capture. For people watching I also love Union Square. Grand Central Terminal is worth a look as is a trip to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) Great views of the city and Central Park from there. If you go to the World Trade Center area, you can buy a $5 r/t ticket to take the subway across the river just one stop to the New Jersey side and get spectacular views of the NYC skyline, then jump back on the subway and come back over.

And as someone else mentioned, B&H is not to be missed. As a Brit, you may want to put off any major purchases you might be considering until you get to NYC. I think you'll find the savings to be substantial over what you'd pay in the UK.

[DMemory]

Thanks for the informative responses - looking forwards to the experience.

[Jeff L]

Very useful thread since we are off to NY tomorrow and I was having similar thoughts.

I'll probably take the 5DII plus 24-105 and 17-40 L lenses but am also tempted to take the little SX 50 HS. Dunno. One tip that may be less useful in NY than in St Petersburg, where it happened to me: three guys working together, one pretended to offer me a large calendar/souvenir book and held it over my DSLR, then while he gabbled away Guy no. 2 reached underneath the book thingy and detached the lens, prior to handing it to Guy 3, who would have legged it. I sensed the sudden weight loss (heavy kit has its advantages) and managed to grab it back from guy 2. They were obviously looking out for elderly tourists carrying decent kit and had their technique down to a fine art.

Anyway: thanks Dean, and have a great trip.

Jeff

Visiting New York for a week in October 15. Never been before so will be visiting all the usual tourist sites and not the sort of traveller to venture too far from usual places and no late nights etc.

Would like to take my Canon 5d MkIII and some lenses but am a little concerned that may make me a target for those who would like to take the kit for their own use. Alternative is my EOS M with a couple of more discreetely sized lenses.

Having never been before to USA outside of seeing Mickey et al in Florida I really don't know what theft etc from person is like in NY.

Words of wisdom appreciated.

Dean