Camera Disasters – Part 1

We aim to document digital camera disasters, as well as giving you advice on how to avoid them in the first place and what you can do to prepare for when things do go wrong.

Cameras are one of those gadgets designed to go far and wide with you wherever you go. This association with adventure and travel, perhaps more than any other piece of personal technology, means they’re more likely to be destroyed in terrible and inhuman ways, as well as being lost and stolen.

There’s an intangible human side to camera ownership that should not be underestimated as well. The loss of a holiday’s worth of pictures is probably at least as valuable to most people as the cost of replacing the hardware itself. Of course, replacement cost isn’t exactly a laughing matter, as some digital cameras cost as much as cars; this also means they’re a common target of theft.

A UK insurance firm recently published the results of a study that revealed just how fragile cameras are in the hands of their human owners. If they were alive, they’d be a protected species.

One in ten of camera owners has fallen over whilst taking a shot and what’s worse, a significant portion of them fall into water. For people, falling into the water can be dangerous, while for most cameras it’s a death sentence. Next time you’re balancing awkwardly on something to get a perfect shot, remember the risk.

Dropping cameras on hard surfaces accounts for nearly a quarter of all claims, so consider utilising a sturdy strap and make sure you put it in its case when it’s not being used. As human beings we come across a lot of hard surfaces, so I can’t really suggest that you avoid them altogether. Just bear in mind that you have to be extra careful when you field of vision is narrowed, as when trying to take that once in a lifetime shot.

According to the study, 3% of cases involved cameras that had been run over by a car – think about that – 3%! What people are thinking that causes them to place their cameras in the road in the path of a car they’re about to drive, I’ll never know. One report in the study told of a man who thought he’d placed his camera in the back of the family car at the start of a long trip and heard a pop as he left his driveway. He thought he had burst a tire, but it turned out he had run over his favourite and most expensive camera. I’ll let him off for being so candid.

I guess it’s ok if you have a camera like this.

Theft should be a serious consideration for anyone who takes their equipment travelling – and that’s a lot of people. Around 600,000 laptops are estimated to be stolen each year at US airports, and I can’t imagine the figure for cameras being much lower. There have recently been several cases reported of airport staff being charged with the theft of digital cameras. People in positions of trust can often be less trustworthy than we would like or expect. Travelling is a very stressful time for a lot of people, as we’re outside of a our normal everyday routines and familiarities. These factors make us vulnerable so we should be on our guard and take out insurance before you travel.

Even Hollywood stars are not immune to camera thieves and the anguish that camera theft can bring. While attending the Cannes Film Festival in France to promote the film,