Insurance for your camera gears...

[canon23]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to know how many of you buy insurance for your camear gears? If so,

1) From whom (company)?
2) How much you pay?
3) Have you ever filed a claim (was the process painful or smooth)?
4) How much you get back on a filed claim (%)?

I started assisting w/wedding shoots and have found through the hectics and hustles of the wedding day, gears could be easily dropped. So I figured insuring them is a good item and worth the investment.

I live in he U.S (NYC) currently use:
1) 5D Mark II
2) 70-200 f/2.8 II
3) 24-105 f/4
4) 50 f/1.8 II
5) Sigma 35 f/1.4 DG

Thanks for your inputs!!!

 

[andres5d3]

i would like to know too; i am in canada...
in the usa there seems to be such thing, but not in canada
ppl did say just add it to the home insurance

 

[Vossie]

I have my stuff insured. I live in The Netherlands and have it insured at Europeesche.

Over here you have special insurances for equipments, such as photo gear, diving gear, fishing gear and other stuff that it regularly used out off the house. Home insurance over here typically does not cover damages outside (dropping or theft while on the road). Insurance rate here differ when you use equipment for hobby or for paid jobs. In the latter case the premium is higher and only a limited no of insurance comapnies offer insurance for pro use. My insurance requires a list of insured items to be provided and premium is calculated as an amount per 1000€ of insured goods. I think annual premium is something between 30-40€ per 1000€ of gear. You can pay the premium on a per month basis and can add insured goods along the year.

I have never needed to claim anything (as of yet).

If you cannot to replace your gear in case of theft or total loss damage an insurance is the way to go.

 

[Virgil Quick]

I have all of my equipment insured under my homeowner's policy. Give your agent a call and I am sure he/she will be happy to provide a quote. I really don't remember how much the premium was per $100 of coverage but I do remember thinking it was reasonable.

 

[xps]

When I travelled around the world, I took the FOTO-ASSekuranz insurance-company in Hamburg/Germany.
My EQ costed about 12.000 Euros. The insurance costed about 400€ in the year. I took it two years long, having one broken lens. And it worked well. I got it exchanged, because nearly all of the lenses inside were broken.
I think that there are a lot of insurance companies that offer such an gear-insurance.

 

[nonac]

I have all of my equipment insured under my homeowner's policy. Give your agent a call and I am sure he/she will be happy to provide a quote. I really don't remember how much the premium was per $100 of coverage but I do remember thinking it was reasonable.

I have read that if you make money, any amount of money, with your camera gear, then the homeowner policy won't work. Make sure you ask your insurance agent about this to confirm it. I have read about the necessity to have a business policy in this case which are normally referred to as "inland marine policies," strangely enough.

 

[Loswr]

I have all of my equipment insured under my homeowner's policy. Give your agent a call and I am sure he/she will be happy to provide a quote. I really don't remember how much the premium was per $100 of coverage but I do remember thinking it was reasonable.

I have read that if you make money, any amount of money, with your camera gear, then the homeowner policy won't work. Make sure you ask your insurance agent about this to confirm it. I have read about the necessity to have a business policy in this case which are normally referred to as "inland marine policies," strangely enough.

+1

Sounds like the OP gets paid for taking pics, so while usually a cheaper option, homeowners is out. I suppose some agents might sell you coverage anyway, read carefully - they would likely deny any claim.

 

[MCL]

My homeowners is around $143 annual for $10,000 coverage.

 

[jdramirez]

1) From whom (company)?
Erie insurance. we have our home owners from them.
2) How much you pay?
46 bucks a year for around for thousand in coverage. but I just added a 70-200 f2.8L is mkii and a canon 5d mkiii so my coverages are changing.
3) Have you ever filed a claim (was the process painful or smooth)?
nope, but I don't have a deductible. it only covers theft and accidental damage.
4) How much you get back on a filed claim (%)?

 

[jdramirez]

i would like to know too; i am in canada...
in the usa there seems to be such thing, but not in canada
ppl did say just add it to the home insurance

a separate policy is better. if you have a deductible, that can be a big bite. also if you have too many claims, they can drop you which would be an aggravation as well.

 

[bigmag13]

I have CNA through Hill and Usher. the site I first contacted was "http://www.packagechoice.com" I also live in NYC and I find the price reasonable. the premium is scalable to the amount of equipment I think. My gear is in the tagline and this reminds me to add my recently purchased 6D and 135L. contact them and give it a go. tell em I sent you, .

and +1 about the intent to make money. You are not covered with a home owners policy if you INTEND to make money. If you intend to make money they see it as biz and not a hobby.

 

[RGF]

I have a rider on my home owners policy, State Farm. Rough cost is $1.25 (or is $1.50) per $100. The rider is all risk so when I (stupidly) loosened the wrong knob on my pan set and the camera w/ tilt shift fell the ground, State Farm gave me $ to replace the broken lens. The body was okay. Only claim, process was very smooth, great customer service. I have had only 1 claim in 15 years.

My only complaint is that cover is 1st $. I would like to have a deductible and have lower premiums. I won't file a claim for small item, in fact I have removed all the small items from my policy. Only insure big ticket items.

 

[frumrk]

Have you looked at PPA.com (Professional Photographers of America). In the US I believe that give you up to $15,000.00 of equipment coverage with your membership... plus an Indemnification benefit (If someone tries to sue you because they don't like your pictures or your camera/memory card dies... etc). This is not the same as liability. Of course the yearly membership runs a little over $300, however there are a bunch of other benefits also (i.e. free online training, monthly magazine, Online community/resources... etc). Personally I think it's a good deal.

Good Luck!