I would not recommend flashing an expensive camera in the South Bronx, particularly around Mott Haven, any of those underground stations. The elevated lines are almost all fine, particularly in broad daylight, and the 1 and 6 are probably the calmest of all, with the 2, 4, and 5 behind that. As others have said, East New York/Brownsville is definitely not an ideal tourism spot, but at this point in NYC, almost everywhere is safe during the daytime. I think your wife's point is generally right – thieves do tend to profile based on age, clothing, etc. – but the risks are not anywhere near what they used to be.