Appy Loc: Flint Hills (Ks)

I learned the hard way to always take the camera with you instead of leaving it in a parked vehicle...especially at trailhead lot in wilderness area.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Like everyone else, I bring my cameras with me and don't leave them in the car permanently. I have a backpack/messenger bag combo that I will put on the floor so that it is (hopefully) out of sight. When I take a road trip, I put my camera in a hard sided cooler so that the cameras are easily available and I just zip it up when I make a stop (say for lunch). No one seems to want to steal a hard sided cooler.

Photocraig

Sad to say, my Honda CRV was broken into 100 yards from the old most of my camera gear was inside a normal use backpack--not a camera or Photo-specific camera bag. They left a $600 carbon fiber tripod/Ball head combo, so they weren't photo gear scavengers. I parked under a street light in the parking lot of a fine dining restaurant. Trust me, you'd go there, without question.

I now don't take my camera gear with me, or carry it everywhere. I certainly never leave it in the car. My best strategy is a 24mm pancake lens on a APS-C DSLR. It its under my coat or sits in my lap and still delivers high quality photos. It gets to go almost everywhere.

My 2 generation-old phone still shoots 8 MPIX. Great for snapshots and scouting. It DOES go everywhere.
C

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

I would never leave my camera in my car. Worst case scenario - it could get stolen.

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

When I travel in a car I put the camera in a styrofoam cooler that was used to ship meat from Omaha Steaks. It protects the camera if for some reason it get knocked around. And it is easy to grab it if I need it. I never leave it in my car unattended.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

Nikon Cool Pix S9600 in the car in decent weather. If too hot or too cold it goes inside like I do.

A. T.

Leaving any camera in your vehicle is an o pop en invitation for burglary.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Although some camera gear is water-resistant and good from -14 to +105 F, that never means it’s a good idea to subject it to frequent temperature extremes, especially in a car. Winter temps can fall to the ambient outside temp, and summer in a car can be 140-160 F, hot enough to melt some adhesives, separate some lubricants, damage lithium batteries, and cause lens elements to get out of registration.

To the OP: I don’t risk that with my gear.

I was a trainer for a large school portrait company. We had hundreds of photographers load and unload gear from their cars every day, just to avoid extreme weather swings. Those who didn’t follow the rules occasionally had equipment fail when hundreds of kids were dressed for their portraits — not good!

Frozen glass exposed to air fogs almost instantly. Some lenses crack or shatter if extreme temps cause their innards to swell. Frozen flash capacitors have been known to fail with a bang.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

I think your comment was cut off somehow. Where was your gear stolen?

When I'm out playing shows with the band I'll have my backpack with all my camera gear in the backseat of my truck and I never worry about it. We usually play from Downtown Mobile to Downtown Pensacola and Pcola Beach. Maybe I'm just lucky.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Julie, I think you have the answer. Don't leave your camera in the car, but have it handy to take with you when you go somewhere in your car.

10MPlayer Loc: California

Smartphones are good for a lot. Not so good for shooting wildlife. I find I can do a lot with mine. I wouldn't leave my DSLR in the car in the exceedingly hot northern CA summer. I don't think the heat would affect the electronics but the plastic could get hot enough to melt if left in the direct sun inside a car.

GrannyAnnie

👍👍

Silverrails

I see nothing wrong with having your Camera in your Car. Just do not leave it there for extended periods of time in Extreme Tempetures.

Extreme Hot or Cold may have a Negative affect on your Camera and Lens.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Julie, I live in Castle Rock, Colorado and these are my recommendations. From the thief point of view, never leave anything of value in a car. If you take a camera with you in a car, take it with you when you leave the car. Some thieves will "pop" the trunk with a crowbar to see if there is anything in it. As far as temperature, especially in Colorado on a hot day, it only takes about an hour on a 80° or warmer day to kill a pet or child in a car. I remember a test done in the film days with certified thermocouples. They tested a white car and a black car at the same time. The day got up to 86°. The white car reached a peak of 147° while the black car went over 160° for an hour and a half (the meters they brought that day only went to 160°). This is why pets and children get killed being left in a closed car on days that don't seem that hot. Do you want to subject your camera to what you would not expose your pet or child to? I encourage you to take your camera with you wherever you go. But be aware of the potential "price" you will pay due to thief or heat if you should decide to leave your camera in the car.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

I carry my M50 when I leave the house if I'm not going shopping. I like to take short trips aroundd parks once or twice a week and different hours,