Camera Insurance

[YorkieBen]

As I am buying more expensive equipment I want to look at getting insurance for accidental damage/theft for my camera equipment when I am out and about.

Has anyone got any experience of any particular companies etc who offer this service?

[Whiternoise]

I would say the best bet is to go to whoever does your contents insurance at the moment and ask them if they'll do cover for outside the home. You're likely to get a better rate, as simply an add-on to your current plan. It pays to shop around though, so by all means check the major insurance companies. There are a few deals on the web and a few dedicated camera insurance companies, but as to their reliability it's not very clear. ephotozine has this to offer though: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Camera-Insurance-1

Some insurers, like the student favourite Endsleigh, offer cheap add-ons that cover for things like cameras and laptops when outside the covered property - so i assume it's the same for other insurance companies. Accidental damage cover is going to be quite expensive - though if you have a few thousand quids worth of gear you might not want to risk it. Your current contents insurance might even cover you for theft whilst your outside your house (although not abroad) so it's worth checking.

The type of policy you get is going to depend on what sort of pictures you take too. If you do wedding shoots for instance, that could be considered commercial photography and your normal insurance policy might not apply.

http://photo.net/learn/insurance

[mehmeh]

If your gear is soley for personel use and all modern stuff that can easily be replaced. Easist thing is to whack it onto your contents insurance like suggested. Goes on most polcies as "personel possessions" and theres sometimes a single item value limit. so make sure the insurance your getting will cover you. No point paying extra to cover a £3000 body with a limit of £1000 per item.

If your using it professionally though or have older or more specialised gear thats not easily replaced, it is worthwhile going with a specialist company. For example I have a beast of a Metz flashgun probably as old as me and no valuer at the average insurance company would have a clue about a like for like replacement, infact I wouldnt want a like for like anyway, I'd want what it would cost to replace it. Specialist companies will also sometimes offer hire stuff if your gear is pinched or in for repair.

Can't for the life of me remember who my policy is with atm (will let you know tomorrow when I'm awake), but to give you an idea...

2x Nikon D300
Metz flash (with an agreed value)
Nikon SB800
Nikkor 18-70mm
Nikkor 70-210mm AF-I (with an agreed value)
Bigma 50-500mm
Nikkor 300mm F4 (with an agreed value)
Sigma 10-30mm
Couple of Tripods, Monopod, extra batteries, CF cards, grip, TC's for the 300F/4, etc
Also a Fuji S5600fd and Lumix compact cause it seemed to make sense while I was insuring the proper gear.

Freelance/semi professional and personel use. £140'ish/year if memory serves. Will dig out my cover note tommorrow and let ya know who I'm with. Never had any issues, but then never needed to claim lol. Were about the cheapest I found for the cover I wanted and same for my oldman who has gear with them including some tasty blad and Mayima Meduim Format stuff *drools*

HTH

[brammers]

Strong reccomendation for photoguard - they've been great to me. Just make sure you set your values right when you file your schedule.