Camera insurance: what are people doing?

[ymc226]

This has been on my mind for quite some time. I usually carry only one, maybe two cameras with me when I travel. Usually no extra lenses. I've always worried about theft, loss or damage while on vacation so am finally going to have a blanket insurance for an overall average amount but not an exact amount as I have many more cameras and lenses at home and vary the equipment I take along.

My blanket policy for the amount of coverage I asked for is very reasonable so I added it to my homeowners policy.

If I were to insure my entire collection, the amount would be 10 times more.

For those that insure their equipment (non-pros) how much coverage do you buy?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I am insured with Allstate (home and car) and they have a generous policy. My cameras and lenses are part of my home insurance and they're covered up to $2000 (IIRC) each. If they were robbed or lost while traveling, I must submit a police report to get them replaced or get the funds. That's what I recall after speaking with the insurance representative years ago, about adding my cameras and my wife's jewelry to our home insurance.

 

[RichC]

I've added the more pricey items of my camera stuff to my household insurance too, as named extras: the insurers wanted a list of items, but not the serial Nos. Although not a requirement, I've listed the serial Nos. and taken photos of said pricey items and stashed these away safely, to avoid any arguing if I need to make a claim.

All told, I think the total is about £5000 ($7000), most of that for my Nikon D800E (£3000, $5000). The policy is "new for old", so if I lost my Nikon I'd end up with the current equivalent model (D810, or D850 soon).

I can't recall how much this increased the cost of my insurance, but it was significantly cheaper than dedicated camera insurance, and covers my needs - loss, damage or theft in or out of the house.

 

[Kent]

I have a photo insurance that covers my most valuable items which are on a list with serial numbers registered at the insurance company.