Summary
- The burglary occurred at 3:56 a.m.
- on August 21, 2026, at Scott’s Rochester Photo Supply.
- Two people smashed the glass entrance with garbage cans and stole equipment in under a minute.
- The published inventory includes Canon, Nikon, Sony and Tamron gear with serial numbers.
- The total value of the stolen items and property damage has not been confirmed.
- For incidents in Greece, PTTL Lost & Found Gear allows stolen equipment to be reported and searched.
- The police investigation continued without a publicly announced arrest or recovery of the equipment.
Two people used garbage cans to smash the glass entrance of Scott’s Rochester Photo Supply and, in under a minute, escaped with Canon, Nikon, Sony and Tamron cameras, lenses and mount adapters.
The burglary occurred at 3:56 a.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the store’s 1755 East Avenue location in Rochester, New York. Surveillance footage shows the first person striking the glass entrance with a garbage can, the second following with another can and both moving behind the counter as the alarm sounds. Police officers arrived at around 4 a.m. and found that the entrance had been breached and camera equipment had been stolen.
The case is particularly significant for the local photography community because the business is more than a retail store. The history of Scott’s Photo under that name dates back to 1983, while the current business moved to new ownership in 2025. According to the company’s history, it is Rochester’s last camera store and film lab, offering film processing, scanning, printing, camera repairs and image restoration. The business has not announced that its lab services were affected by the burglary.
The rapid burglary, frame by frame
In the first video, one person uses a garbage can as an improvised battering ram to break the glass. The second person follows moments later, also carrying a can. A second camera angle shows them moving directly toward the shelves behind the counter and placing boxes and equipment into the cans before leaving.
The store said the two people remained inside for less than a minute and immediately focused on the cameras. The footage establishes the speed and direction of their movements, but it does not explain how they knew the store’s layout. Police have not released evidence confirming that the location had previously been watched or that anyone provided inside information.
The published list of stolen equipment
The inventory released by Scott’s Rochester Photo Supply contains 25 entries. Ten cover Canon or Tamron RF-mount products, eight cover Nikon or Tamron Z-mount products and seven cover Sony equipment. In one case, serial number 14801 appears twice for a Tamron Z 18-300mm, with no clarification on whether this is a duplicate entry or a typographical error in the public list.
Canon and Tamron RF: Canon R10 body, serial 522034000068; Canon EOS R6 Mark II body, serial 46202200317; two Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R units, serials 6412009261 and 6412009263; Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM, serial 6722000815; Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, serial 6521002097; Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM, serial 6104000452; two Tamron RF 18-300mm lenses, serials 019555 and 019568; Tamron RF 11-20mm, serial 004597.
Nikon and Tamron Z: Nikon Zf body, serial 3004462; Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, serial 20262116; two Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapters, serials 30004812 and 30004786; Tamron Z 50-400mm Di III VC VXD, serial 11735; three Tamron Z 18-300mm entries with serials 14801, 14800 and 14801 again.
Sony: Sony a6700 with 18-135mm, serial 1457335; Sony a7 IV, serial 6380375; Sony a7S III body, serial 3431835; Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS, serial 6001138; Sony FE 50mm f/1.8, serial 8177373; Sony SEL 24-50 G, serial 6386668; Sony SEL 85mm f/1.8, serial 852113.
There is no confirmed loss estimate yet
The store said it is working with police and its insurance company to determine both the value of the stolen equipment and the damage to the entrance and the rest of the premises.
In a public statement following the incident, the business explained that it did not want to launch a GoFundMe campaign at that stage because it did not yet know how much of the loss would be covered by insurance. No confirmed total has been released in dollars and, consequently, no reliable conversion into euros can be provided. Estimates circulating without confirmation from the store, its insurer or the police do not constitute an official assessment.
The GMC Sierra and what remains unconfirmed
Material published by the store shows a black, lifted 2006 GMC Sierra that was reportedly used as the getaway vehicle. The same material states that the truck had been stolen at around 3:30 a.m. from an area near Dewey Avenue and Ling Road in the town of Greece, New York, and had been recorded travelling south on Interstate 390.
A man who had reported his own black pickup stolen told News10NBC that he recognized the vehicle from its wheels and the toolbox in the truck bed. The Rochester Police Department, however, had not publicly confirmed that it was the same vehicle. In the latest available published updates, the investigation was continuing, with no announced arrest or recovery of the camera equipment.
The store has asked anyone with relevant information to contact it at 585-442-3140 or [email protected].
Why serial numbers can make a difference
A model such as the Sony a7 IV or Canon EOS R6 Mark II may correspond to thousands of identical units. A serial number, by contrast, links a theft report to one specific camera body, lens or adapter. If any of the items appear at a used-camera dealer, repair center or online listing, the public inventory provides an immediate point of comparison.
A matching serial number does not by itself prove that a later seller knew where the item came from. It does, however, allow the store and the authorities to be notified safely, without private confrontation or unsupported conclusions.
The speed of this incident recalls the theft of nearly $100,000 in equipment from The Camera Store in Canada, covered by PTTL in 2025. In that case, the burglar also escaped with cameras and lenses in under two minutes, and the store released the serial numbers. The two cases are not connected, but they show how quickly small, high-value items can be removed from a retail space.
PTTL’s service for reporting stolen equipment
For incidents in Greece, the public PTTL Lost & Found Gear service allows users to report stolen, lost or found photography and video equipment. A report can include the brand, model, serial number, date, location, description, distinguishing marks and a photograph, making the case searchable by the wider community.
The service covers cameras, lenses, drones, lighting, monitors, flashes, gimbals, audio equipment, tripods, bags and other related gear. Reports are reviewed before publication, while the submitter’s email address and phone number are not displayed publicly. Searches can be performed using a serial number, brand, model, city, region, equipment category, incident type and case status.
PTTL Lost & Found Gear is a supplementary tool and does not replace an official police report. In the event of a theft, the first step remains notifying the Hellenic Police and providing as much identifying information as possible. It may also be useful to alert local camera stores, particularly businesses that buy or sell used equipment.
The Scott’s Rochester Photo Supply case illustrates why an organized, searchable record matters. The sooner a model and its serial number are connected to a recorded theft, the more opportunities there are to identify the item if it later appears for sale, repair or trade.
What we think
The surveillance video stands out because of the speed of the burglary, but the detailed inventory with serial numbers is more important to the possible recovery of the equipment. Publishing it quickly was a practical step that allows camera stores, technicians and used-equipment buyers to identify specific items.
For cases in Greece, PTTL Lost & Found Gear adds another public and searchable point of reference without replacing a police report. No such service can guarantee that stolen equipment will be recovered, but a properly recorded serial number is clearly more useful than a general description of a model.
At the same time, there is still no official loss estimate, police confirmation of the vehicle’s identity or announced arrest. The case requires precise reporting, without unsupported estimates of the stolen inventory’s value or assumptions about how the two people knew the premises.
Frequently asked questions
When and where did the burglary occur?
It was recorded at 3:56 a.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026, at Scott’s Rochester Photo Supply, 1755 East Avenue, Rochester, New York.
Which major camera models were stolen?
The published list includes a Canon R10, Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Nikon Zf, Sony a6700 with an 18-135mm lens, Sony a7 IV and Sony a7S III, together with Canon, Nikon, Sony and Tamron lenses and adapters.
Has the total value of the theft been announced?
No. The store is waiting for an assessment of the stolen inventory, property damage and insurance coverage. There is no confirmed total in dollars or euros.
How can stolen camera equipment be reported in Greece?
The theft should first be reported to the Hellenic Police. The equipment can then be added to PTTL Lost & Found Gear with its brand, model, serial number, location, description and other identifying information.
Have the suspects been arrested or the equipment recovered?
Based on the latest available published updates, the case remained under investigation, with no announced arrest or recovery of the stolen items.
