In mourning

[kgill]

didnt check to make sure my lowepro microtrekker was zipped up on friday.
my d200 with brand new 24-70mm lens tumbled onto the desk then the floor. a straight 10 acrobatic performance. broke (bent with a crack through) the filter ring below the threads and the auto focus doesn't work. there also seems to be a piece of plastic from around the lens inside that broke off, which may be what's keeping the autofocus from working well. the camera was fine. the lens took the whole shock of the fall. the pictures are still fine, just need to help the autofocus a bit with the focus ring. the lens went into the hospital this morning. no prognosis is expected for at least two weeks.

luckily the lens is brand new so the repair is covered up to $1000 on credit card, or 100% replacement value with insurance with no deductible-- which is what I will opt for since it covers much more than the insurance. i added a separate rider to my insurance this morning that covers *all* of my equipment from ANYTHING right down to the l-bracket...

word to the wise-- if you don't have insurance on your stuff, get it. it's very very cheap compared to what can happen by accident, theft, or whatever. (mine is $14 per $1000, with no deductible).

And if you have a lowepro backback that doesn't have the velcro guard holding the camera in like the tamrac, either make one yourself, or ALWAYS WITHOUT FAIL NEVER GET DISTRACTED BE SURE YOU CHECK THAT THE BACK PACK IS ZIPPED UP.


:-((((((((((

 

[spalding12]

ooooooooooooo
i am very sorry to hear that
i'm sure a lot of us have done something.... or, almost done something similar
good luck
try to have a better day...
thanks for the reminder about insurance


take care

 

[kiwi]

Yikes, don't you HATE that

 

[kgill]

haha i still couldn't sleep over the weekend til i talked to the insurance company this morning, but i wasn't TOO sick because I knew it was covered.
and to think, i didn't even need to have my camera with me that day and debated whether I should take it with me. i can't even remember why i even opened the backpack.

 

[sam821]

Sorry to hear that. But fortunately for you, you will have it back in no time!

 

[Scorpio1]

I can only imagine how you must felt for those first few seconds. Insurance is a must on equipment wheter you're a working pro or a hobbyist such as myself.

Good luck with everything.

 

[Wrxified]

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Gotta be a sickening feeling. I guess it could have been worse. Imagine if it would have hit your toe. With the weight of a 24-70 and D200 you most likely would have had a broken toe and broken lens.

 

[C2020]

OUCH, my stomach did knots reading your post. I dropped my Sigma 18-50mm this weekend and kicked myself for pulling on the bag too fast with out checking if it was secure. Where did you get your insurance, is it basic homeowners? Will they really cover clutzes like me who drop things a lot?

Hope your new lens arrives quickly.

 

[JustinD]

Brutal. Sorry to hear about that. My 105 macro dropped from my unzipped backpack while hiking up Yellow mountain in China and I had a hard time continuing the hike knowing that my main lens was busted.

 

[TedB]

That's awful. Don't feel too bad, I've also forgotten to zip up a backpack going thru the Smithsonian security check....2 "uninsured" lenses took their last tumble.....:frown:

I haven't forgotten to double check a zipper since.

Ted

 

[Tpsfoto]

My worst nightmare was when I was shooting a wedding & medium format....Place my camera with flash & bracket on the roof off my car....to get something from the trunk.....you know the rest ....drove off.....after a mile of straight driving I made a right & the camera went left.....picked up all the pieces.....put it back together & it all worked....even sent it in to fix & they said there was nothing wrong ....except for a scrape on the flash.....they made them great back in the early 80's.

Glad to here you have the insurance & will be back before you know it!

 

[Uncle Frank]

I'm sorry to hear you busted your brand new zoom, K, but delighted your losses are covered.

Backpacks are dangerous. I had a couple of lenses tumble out from my MiniTrekker when I moved it in my studio. Fortunately, it was from a low height and I had hoods on each of them, so there was no damage.

 

[gd1418]

Eeeks, very sorry to hear the damage, but since insured will not be of much damage on the pocket. Reminds me of my photography days way back in '81. Had a Yashica Rangefinder and while taking it out of the bag, just slipped out of hand and landed on a sharp edged rock, lens first. The sound of the glass breaking nearly stopped my heart. The lens was totally damaged and the camera was a total write off. Was heartbroken for many many days..

 

[Cool_Change]

I had my laptop come out of my bag while foing through security at an airport.... I had just taken 2 months of shooting all on the laptop and no other backup, luckily I just had a small ding on the plastic but data remained... a nervous wait nevertheless.
I am glad nothing worse happened for you.
Take Care

 

[LotsaShots]

C2020, insurance for camera equipment can be purchased as a rider on your homeowner's policy. With State Farm, it's called a Personal Articles Policy. Mine includes my jewelry, my expensive road bikes and my camera equipment.

I assume that if you do not own your home, and thus lack homeowner's insurance, you can purchase it outright, much like you can purchase renters insurance for your belongings.

 

[wind_walker]

K -

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the backpack. I recently picked up my Lowepro, with ALL my camera gear in it, slung in onto my shoulder by one strap, picked up my 300 2.8 in its case, and picked up my Gitzo. Could barely get the front door open - then out to my car. When I put all the equipment in the car, I found that my lowepro was COMPLETELY unzipped. Scared the crap out of me - and a miracle that everything I owned wasn’t on the concrete driveway. I now make a special point to check my gear before I go out. I’m not familiar with the tamrac velcro, I’ll check that out. Thanks for the insurance reminders - I need to check and make sure my rider is enough to cover it all.

Good luck with your equipment.

 

[Jonathan]

whew, the insurance is the best part of your post. Thanks for the tip/reminder. I'm making a call today. None of my gear is insured

I remember one time about 20 years ago seeing a very nice Nikon body sink to the bottom of a river when a canoe upset:frown::redface:

 

[CrystallP]

Glad to hear that everything is working out. I learned the hard way that you should only use one zipper on the micro or mini trekker. That way, you are forced to pull the zipper completely around the backpack to secure your gear and nothing slips out. I used to use both zippers, but forgot to zip one up and my gear bounced onto the sofa... I was lucky that time, but I learned my lesson.

 

[italy74]

Ossègnur, Kristina !!! (milanese moaning, more or less meaning OMG..)

I've just read what happened to you and I really understand you. Once I was in Bologna and I took the camera from the bag. Guess what? The camera strap was turned around my 50 F/1.4 that was projected in the middle of the stone road before I could even notice that.. Fortunately only a little crack on the aperture ring but what a frightening moment I spent while seeing my 50 rolling in the air and then bumping in the middle of the road...

the little crack, just on the left of the serial number

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

What I never understood, if one of the inner blades had somehow shifted from its path..
However, I never noticed bad pictures

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[C2020]

C2020, insurance for camera equipment can be purchased as a rider on your homeowner's policy. With State Farm, it's called a Personal Articles Policy. Mine includes my jewelry, my expensive road bikes and my camera equipment.

Thanks LotsaShots for the information. I'm going to contact them for a quote.