Marking a Camera With Your Identification

[Chaparral]

I found a digital camera the other day and was able to find the owner from wedding some photos. It was an expensive camera, but what camera isn't these days!
As I sorted through the photos trying to identify an owner, I had an idea: I marked’ my camera with a photo of my name and phone number that I leave in the memory cards.
You can either photograph a ident card or copy a photo of an ident card to the memory card in your camera through it's connection to your PC.
It’s not foolproof, a dishonest person would keep a found camera no matter how it was identified, but if a finder downloads your photos, your owners name is right there.
I scratch engraved the case on my 35mm and may try that with the digital too - carefully! A friend suggested an ident tag attached to the neck strap rings.

 

[TrainNut]

I guess it's my lack of faith in humanity that disappoints me. I've lost many items but most recently, a couple of cell phones with information in them that would have made it easy to track me down. No such luck. In fact, after calling the phone company and pulling up the call records, turns out somebody had found one of them and was using it. If I were ever to lose my camera, even if I had a pre addressed pre paid envelope attached to it, I would never expect to see it again. If per chance I do lose anything else, I hope you are the one that finds it! Well done valiant one. Clever detective work.

 

[60103]

Back when I was using film, I would take out a page with my ID on it and photo that for those initial shots as the film winds through the camera to position 1. I figured that might help if the rolls were mixed in processing.

 

[N Gauger]

I like the idea of a "tag" attached somewhere... The problem with engraving is if you ever want to sell it (to upgrade0 it would lesson the value of the camera.....

Writing on the flash card is a great idea You could even put a small piece of paper with info on it in the battery compartment of the phone, or wrap it around one of the batteries in the camera (If possible).

But like TrainNut said - It's more likely you won't see it again... But it's great that you went to the trouble to return it.. That was really a great thing - especially, due to the pictures of a wedding, that meant so much to someone..

 

[ezdays]

I don't know about you, but every few weeks someone looking for a charitable donations or wanting me to join or subscribe to something, sends me a bunch of address labels. Stick on of those somewhere on the camera. If they're honest folks, that's all you'll need. If the label gets worn, you've got a few hundred more to replace it with.:mrgreen: