Insurance for Camera gear

[bearemt]

 Hey Guys I'm traveling to europe and I want to insure my gear any ideas

[scotty512]

i just added it to my home insurance attaching the information and the value, seemed the lowest cost

[Drizzt321]

i just added it to my home insurance attaching the information and the value, seemed the lowest cost

I've done the same, even had a claim for dropping my 5d2 recently and no problem with the claim. Just know, if you are actually making some money off of it, I would get real photographers insurance which will also cover set injury/liability and other things like that. The valuable personal property rider likely won't cover equipment if your using the equipment in commercial/paid usage.

[Wideopen]

i just added it to my home insurance attaching the information and the value, seemed the lowest cost

I've done the same, even had a claim for dropping my 5d2 recently and no problem with the claim. Just know, if you are actually making some money off of it, I would get real photographers insurance which will also cover set injury/liability and other things like that. The valuable personal property rider likely won't cover equipment if your using the equipment in commercial/paid usage.

+1 set injury/liability is a big one if youre pro

[victorwol]

I have it all insured with Farmers via Geico. About $1.6 per $100 insured. No deductible.

[Studio1930]

I have it all insured with Farmers via Geico. About $1.6 per $100 insured. No deductible.

Per what?  Month, quarter, 6 months, year?

[neuroanatomist]

I have State Farm personal articles policy, $7.60 per year per $1000 coverage (apparently less than half the cost of 'save money in 15 minutes or less with Geico' ), no deductible, full replacement, worldwide coverage for loss/damage/theft/etc.

With any of these 'personal' options (which explicitly state that the gear is not used to make money, and the policies are much cheaper than business policies), you have to be careful submitting claims.  Generally, these policies are linked to your homeowner's/renter's policy, and claims are reported to the CLUE database which tracks such things.  That database is used to determine rates and eligibility for homeowner's coverage, i.e. too many claims and your home insurance rates go up or your policy may be dropped (yes, they can do that!).   

[victorwol]

I have it all insured with Farmers via Geico. About $1.6 per $100 insured. No deductible.

Per what?  Month, quarter, 6 months, year?

Sorry, year. Non Professional, since I do not make money with it, not yet. So have it insured as personal items. I know professional might cos about an extra dollar per 100.

[victorwol]

I have State Farm personal articles policy, $7.60 per year per $1000 coverage (apparently less than half the cost of 'save money in 15 minutes or less with Geico' ), no deductible, full replacement, worldwide coverage for loss/damage/theft/etc.

With any of these 'personal' options (which explicitly state that the gear is not used to make money, and the policies are much cheaper than business policies), you have to be careful submitting claims.  Generally, these policies are linked to your homeowner's/renter's policy, and claims are reported to the CLUE database which tracks such things.  That database is used to determine rates and eligibility for homeowner's coverage, i.e. too many claims and your home insurance rates go up or your policy may be dropped (yes, they can do that!).

Have to check on that... seems to be about half what I'm paying to Farmers....

[zedarean]

I've been wondering about this myself, is it possible to insure my gear if I'm not a homeowner?

[bdunbar79]

I've been wondering about this myself, is it possible to insure my gear if I'm not a homeowner?

Of course.  You can buy insurance for anything.  The rates might be a bit higher though.

[lethalfalcon]

In the U.S. what you want is normally called an inland marine policy, which covers actual replacement cost in the event of loss/damage. Couple that with liability in case you hit someone with that giant lightbox and you're good to go for a pro. Costs are usually around $2.00 - $4.00 per $1,000 per year. Companies that specialize in photographer's insurance are effectively giving you this. I'd imagine they have something similar in Europe. Best bet would be to call your current insurance company and see what they offer, and then shop around for other rates based on what they tell you.

Personal articles policies are fine if you're a hobbyist. If you make a single dime off your services, though, you'd better get it converted, because they'll deny your claim in a heartbeat if they find out. If you're planning on making money, you're already depreciating/writing off your equipment anyway, so get a business policy and write that off, too.

[preppyak]

I have State Farm personal articles policy, $7.60 per year per $1000 coverage (apparently less than half the cost of 'save money in 15 minutes or less with Geico' ), no deductible, full replacement, worldwide coverage for loss/damage/theft/etc.

Yep, same here, though my rate was slightly higher. I think it was more like $9-10/$1000 insured, but, still dirt cheap for coverage in general. Especially taking my gear in my kayak, I know if my Pelican case leaks or if I drop it, its covered.

[cayenne]

I have State Farm personal articles policy, $7.60 per year per $1000 coverage (apparently less than half the cost of 'save money in 15 minutes or less with Geico' ), no deductible, full replacement, worldwide coverage for loss/damage/theft/etc.

With any of these 'personal' options (which explicitly state that the gear is not used to make money, and the policies are much cheaper than business policies), you have to be careful submitting claims.  Generally, these policies are linked to your homeowner's/renter's policy, and claims are reported to the CLUE database which tracks such things.  That database is used to determine rates and eligibility for homeowner's coverage, i.e. too many claims and your home insurance rates go up or your policy may be dropped (yes, they can do that!).

Are there special insurance companies..that give out 'pro' insurance polices....
Or is this available from normal insurance companies like State Farm...Geico...etc.

This type of insurance will cover drops and the like of cameras and lenses?

TIA,
cayenne

[Drizzt321]

I have State Farm personal articles policy, $7.60 per year per $1000 coverage (apparently less than half the cost of 'save money in 15 minutes or less with Geico' ), no deductible, full replacement, worldwide coverage for loss/damage/theft/etc.

With any of these 'personal' options (which explicitly state that the gear is not used to make money, and the policies are much cheaper than business policies), you have to be careful submitting claims.  Generally, these policies are linked to your homeowner's/renter's policy, and claims are reported to the CLUE database which tracks such things.  That database is used to determine rates and eligibility for homeowner's coverage, i.e. too many claims and your home insurance rates go up or your policy may be dropped (yes, they can do that!).

Are there special insurance companies..that give out 'pro' insurance polices....
Or is this available from normal insurance companies like State Farm...Geico...etc.

This type of insurance will cover drops and the like of cameras and lenses?

TIA,
cayenne

The other big thing the photo insurance will do is also give you liability coverage, not just overage for equipment. So if someone falls on your set or something, you're covered. Likewise, if something happens and you lose all the photos for someone's wedding, or something like that, you can be covered for that. Take a look at some of the photography professional organizations, they generally have some deals with various insurance companies for a discount if you're a member.