Dahveed Loc: Minneapolis

My wife was born and raised in Lima, Peru. We're planning a trip there in November 2019. This will be my first time in country. She is adamant that I do not bring my Canon 6DII along. She's sure my camera gear will be a target for thieves. What have other readers of this thread experienced?

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Think thieves dont discriminate. A ratty old small backpack would be a start. I have
good cases by would not use them in a lot of countries. Take the camera you want
you only live one life.

JohnM Loc: Springfield, Illinois

be aware no matter where you go but I sure would talk to my Insurer before I went?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Check your insurance coverage, update as needed before you go.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

B & H have came and camera bag straps with a steel cable in them so they can't cut your strap and run. I put them on last time Im went to some parts of Europe (In Spain and Italy)

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

If it were me, my last choice for a travel camera would be a DSLR. For starters, nobody likes having them pointed at them! DSLRs might be good for shooting sharp mountains and buildings, but for a tourist to get the story of the people and culture, not so much. Consider getting one of the pocket sized, easy to secure high quality cameras on the market now.

In any case, one of the nice things about cameras is that they are so easy to replace. The image files, not so much. At the very least, get enough SD cards so you can keep them in a secure place when they have images on them.

Mama Bear984 Loc: Langley, BC Canada

Totally agree with your wife.
Packsafe make backpacks that can’t be slashed & the same for a camera strap.
I have the Spiderpro belt system it keeps it on my body & has a latch system that you have to release to get it off the belt.
But you are a target there for sure. Unless you are going to have it on your body all the time I’d leave anything good at home.
Maybe this is the time to buy a small pocket type camera. There are a few out there that are good.
Having insurance is great but it doesn’t help you when the camera is gone to record your trip.
I have a college that travels to South America for business every few years. Everytime he leaves his hotel room someone went through it. After the 1st trip he takes nothing, even the computer stays home.
So take what you will from this, but I love my camera & to loose it I would be heart broken.

pbcbob Loc: Delray Beach, FL

From my experience there are more thieves in the USA than anywhere. Crack heads and other addicts will steal from their own grandmother.

Silversleuth Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

Cameras are prime targets for thieves anywhere. Here in San Francisco, tourists and resident photographers have been assaulted, mugged, and even murdered for their camera gear. A small concealable camera and vigilant situational awareness make for safer travel photography.
Looking forward to seeing your images after the trip.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

"Maybe this is the time to buy a small pocket type camera. There are a few out there that are good." That's what I said!

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Hi Dahveed, have a read of this thread 'Camera gear security in Peru'.
www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-576424-1.html

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Chain the camera and/or camera bag to your belt. A thief may still be able to grab it, but certainly won't run off with it.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I have traveled to Latin America every year over the past ten years. Two of those trips were to Peru, both were solo trips of almost 4 weeks. One was a tour of Southern Peru, the other a tour of Northern Peru. I have taken my best DSLR every time and have not regretted it. Once in a busy bus station in Ecuador, my backpack was sliced open, and I lost a battery and a battery charger. So bad things can happen. You always can encounter a pickpocket, anywhere.

One question is how you travel. If you do a guided tour you should not have any problems because tours generally only go to touristy areas, and you always are surrounded by 20 other people. Which is why I prefer to travel solo. If you travel on public buses (as I have done all over Peru) you just have to watch your camera bag. Putting it up in the luggage rack or on the floor underneath your seat can be risky--so check out what kind of a bus it is. Buses that do not make many stops generally are safer. For long distances you can book a seat in a first class compartment--which is great if you travel overnight. There the safety level generally is high. In more modest buses that stop everywhere you just need to keep your camera bag on your lap.

Then there is a question of where you go. Most parts of the country are very safe. I stayed in may places--Arequipa, Puno, Cusco, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas, Chiclayo, Trujillo, etc--and never had a problem. Downtown Lima is fine, as are the Barranco and Miraflores districts; same with the area around the Larco Museum. On my second trip, I stayed in Huaycán for a few days because my son worked there--this is one of the poorest slums in Lima. This a place where your DSLR stays in a safe place, as does your watch, your wallet, etc.

One hint is to bring a second camera--a small point and shoot camera for outings where you don't want to take a DSLR--like a busy market. I actually used it in Huaycán (just carried it in my pocket) and took some amazing shots. I knew that I was taking a risk and was prepared to lose my camera, but the images are priceless.

After my backpack was sliced in Ecuador, I rethought my strategy of how I carried my camera. I now use a Lowepro sling bag. It has two advantages. First, it does not look like a camera bag. Second I can easily carry it up front--I even can hold it in crowded spaces. I can take my camera in an out without losing visual contact with my environment. So I can continuously monitor my surroundings--something you need to do. With the backpack, I had to take it off my back, put it down somewhere (often the ground), bend down, open the zipper, take out my camera, then everything in reverse--you can see how you become vulnerable in a moment like that. I probably would bring a zoom lens rather than several primes--just to minimize your need of changing lenses and being distracted by it.

In areas with lots of tourists you may have opportunistic pickpockets. So securing your valuables is important. I carry my passport, cash reserves, credit cards and exposed memory cards in a pouch underneath my clothing, with a string around my neck. Do not carry a fanny pack--someone cuts the strap, and it is gone. I carry my wallet in my front pocket. Bring a bunch of memory cards and change it every other day. So if your camera gets ripped off you do not lose all your pictures.

So take your DSLR, take reasonable precautions, and enjoy your trip. Peru is an amazing country worthy of a great camera.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

Thieves are everywhere, in all countries. We had a friend in Germany, who placed his back pack in the overhead bin on the train. He lost, camera, passport, money, photos and I don't know what else. In Germany, on the train, one will notice that everyone places baggage at their feet, not in the overhead bins. While we were in Saxony, (2015-16) that part of the country was not yet overrun with refugees so the danger was not great. We blended in with the population so were not obvious targets. I carried a relatively small Olympus E620 DSLR, which did not attract a lot of attention. I never felt threatened.

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

Take her advice!!!