Photographer Recovers $9K Stolen Camera & Equipment Thanks to GadgetTrak
I wasn't sure how many photographers were aware of this. I have no affiliations with the software, but heard about this about a year ago. Each time a picture is taken, the serial number of the camera is embedded in the metadata. If any images from the stolen camera are posted online, this tracks them by analysing the metadata. I think it's only $10 to register a camera and search. Photographer Recovers $9K Stolen Camera & Equipment Thanks to GadgetTrak
At one time Smugmug only had EXIF on the originals. However, now it's also contained on the display copies in all sizes, assuming it was present when uploaded of course.
At one time Smugmug only had EXIF on the originals. However, now it's also contained on the display copies in all sizes, assuming it was present when uploaded of course.
SM doesn't display all the EXIF data. Like the serial number-it is there (as long as it was embedded at the time of upload). That GadgetTrak tool must be a real PITA for image hosting sites to deal with. Assuming it's gotta open every file it scans.
Also depends on your gallery settings being set to allow bots to find your stuff I'd guess.
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
Not sure what happened to my earlier post on this thread.....
I tried the free search of my camera's serial number, and came up with nothing. I have images posted on Flickr and 500px, and it finds neither. Not sure this is yet worth $10
SM doesn't display all the EXIF data. Like the serial number-it is there (as long as it was embedded at the time of upload).
I just checked, and you're right that Smugmug images don't contain all the EXIF data. The serial number is stripped from display copies, but it's there in the Original size.
Also depends on your gallery settings being set to allow bots to find your stuff I'd guess.
I think you mean the thief's gallery settings. If I'm understanding how this tool works, your gallery settings are irrelevant if your equipment is stolen. What I believe the tool does is scan the internet looking for images with your serial number. You already know that the images in your gallery were taken with your camera.
Anyway, I'm guessing it's common for hosting sites to prune or trip EXIF info which makes this tool a longshot whether it can really find your gear.
I just checked, and you're right that Smugmug images don't contain all the EXIF data. The serial number is stripped from display copies, but it's there in the Original size.
I think you mean the thief's gallery settings. If I'm understanding how this tool works, your gallery settings are irrelevant if your equipment is stolen. What I believe the tool does is scan the internet looking for images with your serial number. You already know that the images in your gallery were taken with your camera.
Anyway, I'm guessing it's common for hosting sites to prune or trip EXIF info which makes this tool a longshot whether it can really find your gear.
It's really both although I do mean the thief's. If I'm understanding correctly, the tool has already crawled at least some hosting services and created some database of serial numbers. Presumably to make searching easier/faster.
This tool really is a crap shoot at finding your stuff. One because there's no guarantee EXIF is in the images once the camera is stolen and because it's not likely the site has (or will) scan even major image hosting sites-can you imagine them looking through Getty Images?
I'm still curious about the resources required to extract the EXIF. Which is to say I think a tool like this would likely be blocked once found running.
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
I'm still curious about the resources required to extract the EXIF. Which is to say I think a tool like this would likely be blocked once found running.
The only work the hosting site needs to perform is to serve the image bits, which is the same as if someone viewed the image in a browser. The EXIF extraction happens on the client end. So the tool would be no worse for a hosting site than say Tineye or Google image search indexing.
I just tried this with the SN from my 50D, and it pulled up photos from Flicker--just not my photos. So I checked the exif of the photos it found. They were taken with a 20D that has the same SN as my 50D. Odd. I wouldn't have thought that Canon would repeat SNs across models, but apparently they do, or at least did in the case of these two models. Not worth it for me, obviously.
Talking Dog
To my way of thinking this service is kinda like a talking dog. The remarkable thing is NOT that it doesn't talk very well, but that it talks at all. C'mon, people. This is a tool, that for a measly $10.00 MIGHT find the scumbag who stole your stuff. It might not, but $10.00 for a chance that it might? Seems pretty worthwhile to me. If my stuff gets nicked, I'm using this after a few months. If I come up empty, well I was already empty.
John :
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
of course, given the way this works, its more like hiring a private detective vs buying insurance. Since there is no tag or watermark, there is nothing to do to your images prior to theft. So, you can safely save the URL, and if or when your camera is stolen, you can simply pay your $10, and search for your camera.
I don't see this as any kind of alternative to insurance. I carry a $1000 deductible anyway. I would do this just for the chance to catch the a-hole. :gun2
John :
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Comments
I wasn't sure how many photographers were aware of this. I have no affiliations with the software, but heard about this about a year ago. Each time a picture is taken, the serial number of the camera is embedded in the metadata. If any images from the stolen camera are posted online, this tracks them by analysing the metadata. I think it's only $10 to register a camera and search.
Photographer Recovers $9K Stolen Camera & Equipment Thanks to GadgetTrak
Professional photographer John Heller experienced the unthinkable while on assignment for Getty Images. His prized possession, a Nikon D3 camera was stolen from him at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It seemed the camera with lenses valued at over $9,000 was gone forever; gone that is, until just a few months ago when he did a search for his camera on GadgetTrak’s Camera Serial Search. Heller entered the serial number of his stolen camera and found an exact match with several images that were recently posted to Flickr.
http://www.gadgettrak.com/blog/2011/08/24/photographer-recovers-9k-stolen-camera-equipment-thanks-to-gadgettrak/
Thanks for the merge mods. Great refresher.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
but soon they say.....soon a very relative term and means very different amounts in terms of time to all....
like Smugmug..soon could mean a few minutes or lots of years... ROFLMAO
Basking in the shadows of yesterday's triumphs'.
Nope. Depends on embedded EXIF.
My Website index | My Blog
I think it's only from the generated images and not from the original.
My Website index | My Blog
That's correct.
But if you have info turned on, you can probably use the smugmug.images.getEXIF call to get it if you really wanted to.
Maybe not.
Link to my Smugmug site
SM doesn't display all the EXIF data. Like the serial number-it is there (as long as it was embedded at the time of upload). That GadgetTrak tool must be a real PITA for image hosting sites to deal with. Assuming it's gotta open every file it scans.
Also depends on your gallery settings being set to allow bots to find your stuff I'd guess.
I tried the free search of my camera's serial number, and came up with nothing. I have images posted on Flickr and 500px, and it finds neither. Not sure this is yet worth $10
I think you mean the thief's gallery settings. If I'm understanding how this tool works, your gallery settings are irrelevant if your equipment is stolen. What I believe the tool does is scan the internet looking for images with your serial number. You already know that the images in your gallery were taken with your camera.
Anyway, I'm guessing it's common for hosting sites to prune or trip EXIF info which makes this tool a longshot whether it can really find your gear.
Link to my Smugmug site
It's really both although I do mean the thief's. If I'm understanding correctly, the tool has already crawled at least some hosting services and created some database of serial numbers. Presumably to make searching easier/faster.
This tool really is a crap shoot at finding your stuff. One because there's no guarantee EXIF is in the images once the camera is stolen and because it's not likely the site has (or will) scan even major image hosting sites-can you imagine them looking through Getty Images?
I'm still curious about the resources required to extract the EXIF. Which is to say I think a tool like this would likely be blocked once found running.
Link to my Smugmug site
To my way of thinking this service is kinda like a talking dog. The remarkable thing is NOT that it doesn't talk very well, but that it talks at all. C'mon, people. This is a tool, that for a measly $10.00 MIGHT find the scumbag who stole your stuff. It might not, but $10.00 for a chance that it might? Seems pretty worthwhile to me. If my stuff gets nicked, I'm using this after a few months. If I come up empty, well I was already empty.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
But you're right in that a $10 investment that returns $9000 worth of gear is a good thing. Just don't expect too many good stories like that.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.