The Story of the Lost 500PF

[acnomad]

Wow, the year ends with a nice story for once.
Thanks
Glad it all worked out.
With my luck, I would have walked back with lens in hand to find all my other luggage stolen
gary

I was dragging everything along the whole time. Made for a better workout.

It came home with the Barrel crawl "re-installed"

100% restoration!

at the Narita Airport upon arrival, I found a travel wallet complete with passport, credit cards and cash in it. I turned it in to the teller at the bank. Hopefully the owner was able to retrieve it.

Lucky for everyone, people like you and the woman who found my bag are in the world.

 

[acnomad]

What a great outcome to a stressful tale, Andy! I would not be surprised if she "pays it forward".

Indeed - that would be a great outcome!

 

[jbailey930]

Wow, what an eventful day for you and the lens! So glad it worked out.

Reminds me of a trip I took with my future wife in 1990 to St Thomas. I had my trusty Nikon FE with me throughout the trip capturing great photos. One night after dinner and cab ride back to the hotel, I left the camera in the cab! Between the time with the love of my life and fantastic dinner, I forgot about the camera. I panicked, called the cab company and the driver returned to the hotel with my FE! I gave him the $25 I had in my pocket and thanked him profusely. Had to cash in Amex money order checks later for cash.

 

[acnomad]

I panicked, called the cab company and the driver returned to the hotel with my FE! I gave him the $25 I had in my pocket and thanked him profusely. Had to cash in Amex money order checks later for cash.

Wonderful that you got your FE back, and just as importantly, the images that were probably on the roll of film in it!

And I fondly remember countersigning those fancy traveler's "cheques." I can still see Karl Malden pitching, "Don't leave home without them."

 

[acnomad]

I awoke this morning delighted to be in possession of the 500PF, so with the moon setting over Sacramento, I got out before dawn for this:

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

 

[rick_reno]

You are very lucky. Happy you got it back.

 

[acnomad]

And now - about that camera insurance..... LOL! The first couple of trips to Africa, I actually put my 500/f4 and other lenses in a Pelican case and checked it!!!!! The last few years I've been successful taking ALL my gear on the plane in 2 hand carry items.

In the year or so since this near-loss, I’ve carried my gear on a couple hundred more short trips without losing it. But as I think and plan my longer trip to Alaska, the idea of insuring it seems worth revisiting…

 

[Pa]

I remember reading this when you posted it, and rereading it today reminded me of a similar experience I had three years ago in a European airport, and I'm not sure which it was...maybe Rome.

In going through the security check I was required to pull my MacBook Pro out of my camera backpack as well as all the paraphernalia from my pockets, etc, and I got a little flustered.

When I got to the gate where my flight was to board I reached for my computer, and it wasn't there! I immediately realized that I had not picked it up from the conveyer belt when it came out of the scanner.

I did a similar mad dash back to the security line, going the wrong way against traffic, ignoring glares of disapproval. When I got there there had been a shift change and all of the personnel were different from when I went through. It took persistence, but it was finally found. Unsurprisingly, I had to enter my logon password to prove it was mine.

 

[GonzoBernelli]

Security doesn't just happen, it is premeditated...

 

[Terri French]

I am just now seeing this thread for the first time. It is reminding me that I need to update the list of items that are on my insurance policy!! I have sold some and bought others since I last updated it. Glad you got your lens back, Andy!!