G5 Stolen, what should I replace it with, maybe selling some accessories

Update: See my last post - the airlines came through!!


As the title states, I was recently traveling and the airlines made me check my bookbag (which included my G5 and cell phone). Some low life decided to steal the G5 and phone. I am currently arguing with the airline over compensation since these items were removed while the bag was in thier custody, however they have a "don't call us, we'll call you policy." This also was a work-related trip, so if the airline doesn't pull through, I may get reimbursed from the office, and if that doesn't work, the third plan is to use my renters' insurance policy.

So I have decided that I am going to replace the G5 with another advanced digital rather than another DSLR. I liked having the G5 when I didn't feel like lugging the 20D and lenses around. I'm having difficulty deciding what to replace it with. Ideally, another G5 would b the best, but I am a little apprehensive about buying used electronics. Is anyone selling new G6's anymore (with the impending discontinuation looming)? Would the S3 IS be a suitable replacement? The things that bother me about the S3 IS are the sensor size is smaller than the G-series, it takes different memory cards and batteries, and none of my G5 equipment can be reused.

I may have some equipment for sale (the conversion lens adapter, wide angle lens, telephoto lens, and ewa-marine underwater bag) shortly.

Why not look at the new(er) G6?
It will take the accessories of the G5 (ok, you might need a new adapter, but the lenses etc. should be ok).

And do not check a bag containing your camera the next time , no matter what they tell you. If you have to, take out the camera and take it on the plane.

Best regards,
Andy

Andythaler wrote:
Why not look at the new(er) G6?
It will take the accessories of the G5 (ok, you might need a new adapter, but the lenses etc. should be ok).

And do not check a bag containing your camera the next time , no matter what they tell you. If you have to, take out the camera and take it on the plane.

Best regards,
Andy

I would, but the G6's are impossible to find here. None of my local retailers carry them (all out of stock), and BH Photo does not have G6s for sale anymore.

Yeah, I know. The fact of the matter is that I was traveling from a small airport (on a small plane) where there was no overhead storage. So they curb checked the bag at the small airport and said I would have no problem retrieving the bag at the gate of next connection. Well, I got there and my bookbag was not on the luggage cart in the people mover. I told the NWA baggage handler that my bag was not there, and he says, "Yeah, I know, it was a red bookbag, there's no green tag on it. Our policy is that you have to check it straight through to BWI." I argued with him (obviously not forcefully enough) and was told that even though I could id the bag and contents without opening the bag that they could not go back and get it, it needed to be checked. I have always been of the mind that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but in this case I probably should have said that I was going to sue them and the airline if I did not get my bag back. To me this sounds likel it was a textbook case of my bag being marked. My argument is that I never intended to check the bag, the airline would not let me retrieve it, and therefore should be liable for the contents stolen from the bag. I would never intentially check a camera, a cell phone, or other expensive items. It was either that bookbag or my laptop, which I new would have been either damaged or stolen in the small plane luggage compartment.

keh.com should have some used G5/6's and pro1's if you dont mind used. Also, if you really want a new one, i saw a brand new pro1 and G5 in one of those overly priced electronics stores in the mall, you might look at one of those if one is around your area. I was shocked that they really were trying to get away with selling a new G5 as top of the line to people. i asked the price on the pro1 out of curiosity ($550 or something) and the salesman had no idea they were even discontinued.

actually i checked and keh doesnt have anything good right now. but if your not in a terrible hurry check in a few days or a week, they tend to move stock pretty quickly and get new stuff

That's too bad.
Over here in Europe, if you are on a small plane and have to kerb check a bag (directly at the plane), it would be marked 'delivery at aircraft' and wait for you outside the plane when you get out of the plane. I would not have suspected anything bad in that situation either, and have put up my laptop that way several times.

Best regards,
Andy

Thats to bad about your camera but there are alot of thieves that check bagage and go thur and get what they want.
I hope you cancelled your cell phone!

Try this link I have ordered from there service is great.

http://www.jr.com


Sonya

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that.

I know the feeling. My A95 was stolen a few months back. Even though I did end up upgrading to the 350D, it's an awful feeling. Good luck with the airline and getting reimbursed.

Thanks for the tip, I wasn't aware of Keh, but it looks like a great resource that I am going to add to my favorites. It also makes me wonder if I should replace my G5 with an additional SLR body, like an XT or 10D.

Your experience has been my experience 99% of the time that I have traveled and there is not enough overhead space for my extra carry-on. This is why I suspect that I may have been marked - the baggage handler may have seen my backpack, unzipped it, saw the camera and cell and thought "Jackpot!" I know this stuff probably happens on a daily basis, but I would never do such a thing to someone else and it is discouraging that this occurance is all too common. When I was a kid and travelling internationally, someone stole a checked bag full of my Transformer toys.

Cancelling the cell phone was the first thing I did when I got home. Cingular makes it easy to report the phone stolen or lost. I called the next morning to see if anyone had tried to use the phone. Their customer service was actually quite exemplary and they checked - no one had taken any of my minutes or text messages. They also said that only a moron would actually use my phone because it is very easy to track. What they do instead with GSM phones is remove the SIM card, sell the phone and it gets brought back to a cell phone service provider, and a new account is put on to the phone either by the thief who got the phone for free or by an unsuspecting consumer that bought a stolen phone for a cheaper price. I actually ended up getting an upgrade a few months early and a brand new Razr, so at least that is one decent thing to come out of this.

THe feeling is quite rotten. What I think is worse is that so far the Northwest has been very uncooperative. I think they must have done a study to determine how bad they can let their customer service be before they start losing customers. Unfortunately, they have a lock on travel to Minnesota and other destinations that I travel to on a regular basis.

Thanks everyone for the kind words and suggestions so far.

btw there was a G5 on the B&H used department today. dont know if its still there.

Sorry to hear that.

I had this urge selling my G6 before. But I read a lot of people buying used G series cameras even they already have a DSLR. I ended up keeping it.

--sophie

Just to give everyone an update: I received a check in the mail from the airlines (minus depreciation) for my stolen G5 yesterday, plus a large amount of bonus miles were placed into my frequent flyer account. They agreed that my circumstance was unique and fell outside of the limits of the "No reimbursement for electronics on checked baggage policy." SO now my only question is what do I replace the G5 with: the G7 or the S3 IS?

your best bet would probably be to goto a camera store and play around with the cameras. if you don't mind used, as u stated, u can try looking for a G6 or a pro1.

**took them long enough to send you the check! but glad it all worked out in the end**

I would consider eBay and getting a G6 rather than moving into the G7 which doesn't have the flip screen, something I've always found very useful. There are some near new G6's available at "buy now" prices of $529 to $549 and a near mint currently at $309 (reserve not met).

To save yourself a lot of time on eBay do an advanced search on the canon g6 and put in a minimum price of 200. This will narrow down the list from over 600 items to 17.

John

I'd second the eBay idea too, I bought my G6 from eBay.co.uk last year (or this year, who knows...) and as long as you're careful with the buyer you choose there should be no problems. Good luck with it!

Paul.