[Lloydy]

Many years ago when I insured all my Canon gear I was having a coversation with the agent over the phone and he told me to keep all my serial numbers as private as possible.

The reason he gave was that the insurance company had received fraudulent claims on equipment by untraceable people ( using post drop off address' ) who had gone into camera shops, noted the numbers on equipment, insured it, and shortly after had it 'stolen'.

The scam was uncovered when the company checked a bit more closely on a suspicious claim and discovered the equipment was still unsold in a shop!

12 months insurance is fairly cheap, the payout on a full kit is a lot of money.

[RBellavance]

I think the interface is also missing a "delete" function.

[Adam]

2. Could open a function that user can sorting by other users' name ?? Such as : I would like to know how many lens Adam have :P

There's a "My Serials" link in the upper-right. I won't be adding a user lookup function for privacy reasons.

For the lenses I think there needs to be a standardisation of new entries added with say xx( - xx)mm Fx.x so that they are sorted in ascending order of widest focal length. It is already getting a bit convuluted with only three pages.

That's what the default sorting goes by, and that looks kosher to me right now.

And on new listings, who supplies the image?

You do- just type in a link. It can be to an image from our lens database, or one from google.

Is there anyway to add non-Pentax brand (but still K-mount) lenses ? Or is the database meant for genuine Pentax items only ?

Let's stick to Pentax-only.

[Ole]

For the lenses I think there needs to be a standardisation of new entries added with say xx( - xx)mm Fx.x so that they are sorted in ascending order of widest focal length. It is already getting a bit convuluted with only three pages.

The default sort is by focal length. That only works as you point out if the users follow the standard pattern for inputting lens data: xx(-xx)mm Fx.x

[Ole]

A sugestion to have the lenses sorted by line up
eg-
DA page 1
FA page 2
A page 3
etc...

Because right now the lenses are all over the place and looks very messy.

We decided on a sort by focal length as the default. However, you can do a search on "Pentax-DA" for example, and only DA lenses will show (sorted by focal length).

We decided on the sort by focal length so as to make data entry less error prone when entering serial for, say, a 50mm Takumar. It is now easy to see, when you get to the 50mm section, that you'll have to be very careful and pick the right type (Auto-, Super-, SMC, Super-Multi-Coated etc.), since they will be shown next to each other.

[Ash]

I was wondering, not that it could be implemented now, whether it would have been easier to tack the serial database for each lens straight onto the lens review database entires, instead of having to re-enter all the lenses into a separate database - that way even 3rd party lenses can have entries and the lenses are already all there - just a matter of having a serial number link on each lens's review page to enter and review data.

[Adam]

I think that having a separate database is better - it's a lot easier to browse. What we could consider for the future is having a field in the lens DB that sends the data over to the serial DB.

Adam
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[Adam]

For privacy reasons, we are now hiding owner usernames from the public (guests).

[Ole]

The initial blurb used the word 'defer' theft. I thnk that was a typo and should read 'deter' theft. In any event I am not sure exactly how it does that. Does a would be burglar have any notion that the camera, lens or whatever had been included here? Do the police, camera dealers or private buyers access the database to see if an item has been registered?
James

I liked the (now corrected) typo- defer theft: Sooner or later your gear will be stolen! Well, let's hope not.

If you are offered a lens or camera at a too good price on e-bay or in a dark alley you can check the database and contact the owner via an administrator before purchasing.

[whojammyflip]

Many years ago when I insured all my Canon gear I was having a coversation with the agent over the phone and he told me to keep all my serial numbers as private as possible.

The reason he gave was that the insurance company had received fraudulent claims on equipment

+1

I have to compliment the guys running this site and say that Pentaxforums is a great place. However, this publication of unique identifiers seems potentially ill-advised. It might have been an idea to put this to a vote on the forums prior to actioning it?

PS Lloydy, had a look at your Flickr, I've been in the slate mine...the mountain marathon race that made the news in October 2008...I was there...rain was blowing up the sides of the Honister pass like it was on fire...a camera would have been great, but it would have had to have been waterproof to 10m

[Ole]

Many years ago when I insured all my Canon gear I was having a coversation with the agent over the phone and he told me to keep all my serial numbers as private as possible.

The reason he gave was that the insurance company had received fraudulent claims on equipment by untraceable people ( using post drop off address' ) who had gone into camera shops, noted the numbers on equipment, insured it, and shortly after had it 'stolen'.

The scam was uncovered when the company checked a bit more closely on a suspicious claim and discovered the equipment was still unsold in a shop!

12 months insurance is fairly cheap, the payout on a full kit is a lot of money.

I don't see the problem about fraudulent claims. What insurance company would pay out anything if you cannot produce a receipt? And even if they did - it isn't a problem for the righteous owner.

[hcc]

+1

I have to compliment the guys running this site and say that Pentaxforums is a great place. However, this publication of unique identifiers seems potentially ill-advised.

+1
I have to agree both that the initiative of the database is fantadtic, but the risks are high (in my opinion) that some individuals logged in as Forum users to access the information and use it fraudulently.

For example, I would have been more open to provide my serial numbers (body, lens) if the identity of the owner was anonymous and only accessible by the senior administrators (eg Adam, Ole). I believe that some unscrupulous individuals, logged in as members, could access a lot of info on the individual times and their owners. Presently I do prefer not to supply my serials.

I can appreciate that some may disagree but different countries, different customs ... and the Forum being international...

[Adam]

Here you guys go:

[dtra]

What about serial numbers for stolen items? I've been in the unfortunate situation of having my stuff burgled, but I did make sure I had all the serial numbers stored somewhere.

[Adam]

What about serial numbers for stolen items? I've been in the unfortunate situation of having my stuff burgled, but I did make sure I had all the serial numbers stored somewhere.

Throw em on in.

I think the interface is also missing a "delete" function.

It's there - upper-right corner of the edit page (for serials, not items). If you screw up an item, fix it, or contact a staff member.