Hopefuly, you won't have your camera taken by a thief. Here are some things I've learned to make the camera harder for a thief to sell. First, make sure you write down the serial number in a separate place, like the box it came in, or store it in your house. That's the first thing the police will need, and if you don't have the serial number, they won't write up a police report. The serial number may be written on the outside of the box - check it when you buy the camera, and if so, don't throw the box away! It is generally also etched onto the camera, examine it carefully, it may be hidden. Unfortunately, stolen cameras rarely turn up again, so some of my hints may provide only a false sense of security.
Some cameras, such as Canon, have extra software that will not generally be stolen, because the disk is stored in a separate place, and the software is loaded on your computer, not your camera. This software allows the addition of custom start up screens, which can contain your name, phone number, and/or email address. This software, or other camera features, may also provide a place to add the "owner's name" to the camera settings, so that the owner's name is embedded in every photo taken. USE IT ! ! A thief will have to search for the options to remove all the customization - who wants to post photos to Flicker where it immediately shows the victim's name as the photo taker! Of course, if you sell the camera, you need to reset all the options to factory. Some options can only be reset using the extra software.
