Camera carry in Rome

No one will take your camera for you. You will see thousands of people walking around with cameras while you are there. I would not put it in a back pack but you will be fine wearing it around your neck or across your body. I carry a 5D Mark II with several lenses and have never had problems. Don't sling it across the back of your chair while eating and don't carry it just over your shoulder and you'll be fine.

Donna

Donna, did you typically take your bag with all gear and options with you everywhere or just decide on what you think you might need and bring just the camera? Curious.
David.

I don't think your camera will be stolen from your hands. Rome is a major tourist destination. You are going to see many tourists taking with cameras. Just be be aware of your surroundings. Have been to Rome and have not have a problem. Hope you'll read Rick's Italy guide. Enjoy - Rome is a wonderful city!

Hi David. You won't have any problems. Both my hubby & I travel with Canon/Nikon DSLR's & large lenses & didn't have any problems. I use a camera backpack & it worked out well. As others have suggested, don't leave your camera bag on the back of your chair when eating at restaurants, etc. I placed mine at the base of my feet & I put my foot through one of the straps. In buses or trains, do the same. I almost always had my camera around my neck during the day while sightseeing & rarely kept it in my backpack. You will see TONS of folks with DSLR-type cameras. Have a wonderful trip & take extra memory cards because you will be taking a lot of photos!

Sharon, very good of you to point out the foot through the loop method with stuff on the ground at a cafe' or resturant. We do that also.

To the OP, this stuff will all become second nature and then you don't really think about it. It becomes part of the methodology of how you travel. Even with our outdated, and near worthless, digital cameras, we still do cross shoulder carry. They can't just lift it and run, only to find out the cameras are worth $25 and worth nothing to a fence.

The main thing is to be proactive: Identify your surroundings. Look for people that might be looking at you. Look right back at them making eye contact, which means you have marked them also. Thieves understand if you are creating a safety space and will avoid you. The tricky part is that the Italian culture is an in-your-face type of culture. So when and where the alert signals go on should always be in context to the situation. Some times, the In-Your-Face introduction is a lead to something very interesting. The Italians are also very curious about us.

Yet don't accept any free leather coats from a guy looking for directions.

David,

As the others have mentioned, you shouldn't have any problems in Rome if you follow some reasonable precautions.

I travel with a Canon 40D, which is about the same size as the 7D, and just carry it in the open (although I always have one hand holding it, as well as using the shoulder strap). If I'm going to be on the Metro or whatever, I keep it tucked under my travel Vest if possible, so it's not as obvious.

I find that it's not really practical to keep the Camera stuffed in a Backpack, as it's a big nuisance to have to take it out of the Pack each time I need to shoot a photo.

I also use the technique mentioned previously to keep the strap secured either around my foot or attached to a solid object when sitting at a Café or whatever.

Happy travels!

David, I try only to take the equipment I think I will need for the day. I would not put the camera or any equipment in a back pack. Those are easy targets for thieves. I don't carry a camera bag when I am out and about. I do have a skin that goes over my camera when not in use. Here is the link:

http://www.optechusa.com/product/detail/?PRODUCT_ID=32

These are great when on the metro or out eating as they protect the camera and offer some concealment. If you want a safety camera bag or strap you can check out:

http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&activity_id=10

Donna

If you're worried about your "nice" camera buy an inexpensive small digital camera and don't worry about it. Just get a 2GB card and shoot away.

The only thing to worry about is that you will advertise yourself as a tourist and therefore you need to be more watchful of the people around you.

I carry a Nikon DSLR around my neck for convenience and I feel it is safer than in a camera bag. I was warned by the owner of one of the restaurants where we ate not to leave the camera on the table because someone would come by and snatch it and be gone. I did as Sheron advised and looped it around my foot while eating. Just be aware of your surroundings and be cautious of anyone causing a distraction to divert your attention because some thieves work in groups.

People will know you're a tourist whether or not you carry a camera around your neck. Don't worry too much about that.

Donna

A friend I was traveling with had his nice Canon camera stolen from his backpack as we were exiting a bus in Rome. There were a lot of people exiting, there was some jostling, and in a flash his camera was gone. The lesson: your camera is a lot more secure around your neck than in a backpack.

As far as your question about seeing tourists with cameras - have you ever seen an Asian tour group?

Just be especially aware when riding buses and trains. I had someone stick their hand in my backpack when riding a bus in Perugia! Fortunately they didn't get anything. I wouldn't worry too much, so many amazing things to photograph in Italy.

Look into PacSafe products. They have bags, straps, and such that are slash and tamper resistant. Good stuff!

http://pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&activity_id=10