Thief Steals Nearly $100,000 of Photo Gear From The Camera Store
The Camera Store (TCS), one of the largest and most popular photography retailers in Western Canada, experienced another devastating break-in early this morning, October 23.
The thief targeted high-end Nikon and Sony showcases inside the Calgary, Alberta, location, and TCS estimates the stolen gear is worth nearly $100,000 CAD, plus damages incurred during the break-in and theft.
This is not the first time The Camera Store has been burglarized. Photography retailers are common targets for thieves. PetaPixel reported a significant theft at TCS in Calgary in May 2023, when two individuals broke in at around 5 AM and stole DJI, Nikon, and Sony equipment worth over $30,000.
In this latest case, one individual broke into the store at approximately 2:50 AM local time and quickly targeted two high-end Nikon and Sony showcases inside the store’s primary retail space, which were primarily filled with Sony gear. The thief used a rolling hockey equipment bag and filled it with professional cameras and lenses before fleeing the scene. He was in and out in well under two minutes.
“Beyond the significant loss of inventory, the break-in caused extensive damage to our display cases and the building, resulting in costly repairs for our independently owned business,” The Camera Store’s Evelyn Drake, wife of PetaPixel‘s Jordan Drake, writes on The Camera Store’s blog. PetaPixel‘s Jordan Drake and Chris Nicolls got their start on YouTube while working at The Camera Store in Calgary, where they were longtime employees.
“We are devastated by this act that not only impacts our staff and customers but also our ability to serve the local photography community,” Evelyn Drake continues.
The Camera Store is offering $5,000 in-store credit toward a photo shopping spree for anyone who shares information that leads to the culprit’s conviction. Anyone with information about the robbery or who witnessed any suspicious activity around the store early this morning, October 23, is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234. Anonymous reports can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 using case number CA25462267.
Drake tells PetaPixel that there was an attempted break-in at The Camera Store in Calgary through a different entry point earlier this month, on October 7. However, it is currently unclear whether the two incidents are related.
The thief stole a wide range of high-end Sony equipment, including an RX1R III camera, Sony a9 III and a1 II bodies, many G Master lenses, and much more. A list of the stolen gear is available on The Camera Store’s blog post, including serial numbers.
Camera Gear Is a Popular Target for Thieves
Photographic equipment is a very regular target for criminals, whether stealing directly from photographers stalking film crews, or, like what happened early this morning in Calgary, breaking into camera stores.
Cameras and lenses are popular targets because they are often highly valuable, relatively easy to sell online, and, perhaps most problematic of all, challenging for photographers to secure. Unlike smartphones and computers, there are no ways to password protect cameras to deter thieves, no means of locking stolen gear down remotely, and also no way to track where equipment is, unless someone hides something like an AirTag on their camera. Until camera manufacturers do more to develop security features for camera equipment, it is likely to remain a popular target for criminals looking for quick cash.
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Image credits: The Camera Store
