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Archive 2017 · Insurance

cantor
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Insurance

I'm planning on buying the Sony a7riii. Currently, I have the a6300 and don't really worry too much if it is stolen or if I break it by accident but, given the cost of the a7riii, I'm a little nervous. I'm not a professional photographer. Would any of you reccomend that I buy insurance for this camera? Has anyone made a claim and had any problems actually getting the insurance company to pay for what they said they would? Any idea what is reasonable to pay for insuring several thousand dollars worth of camera gear?

Dec 16, 2017 at 09:38 AM

Mystik
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Insurance

Just schedule it on your homeowners insurance.

Dec 16, 2017 at 10:03 AM

Faraday
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Insurance

I personally don't think it's a bad idea to buy extended warranty with protection against dropping and damage. I bought SquareTrade with my a7r2 and they were great when the LCD got delaminated. Theft is a different question and insurance is usually much more expensive than a warranty. Depends on your individual item limit on your homeowners - often that is around $2500.

Dec 16, 2017 at 11:01 AM

ahfairley
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Insurance

I would add on a “valuable items” policy to your homeowners/renters insurance. I have such a policy and it covers me even if I forget the camera in a restaurant, as well as the usual accidents. Your homeowners/renters policy will only cover theft/fire loss, likely only from/in your home, subject to the policy deductible. I have only used it once, when I dropped my camera and zoom onto a concrete floor, it paid for the repairs, no deductible, and I’m still ahead money-wise. I’m paying $135 for $10,500 of declared value for my insured gear (on top of the base homeowners policy premium). Note that my policy does not cover business use.

Edited on Dec 17, 2017 at 11:34 AM · View previous versions

Dec 16, 2017 at 11:06 AM

Abuttolph
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Insurance

Definitely talk with your insurance agent. This kind of coverage varies from state to state and probably from company to company. Our agent advised against this kind of coverage with the company that we use, but I don't know why.

My gear policy is through RAND, which you can get if you are a member of NANPA. The coverage is not inexpensive. However, I had one claim and they paid exactly as they said that they would. No issues with them at all. If you go to the NANPA website, you can find info on the photo gear insurance and a link to the insurance company and policy provisions.

Dec 16, 2017 at 11:27 AM

SoundHound
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Insurance

Yes, I paid $85 for a rider on my Fire/Hazard/Homeowners policy which covers my cameras while in my auto. My agent said that a claim would not effect on my Fire/Hazard/Homeowners insurance which is rated separately.

Dec 16, 2017 at 11:38 AM

doc4x5
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Insurance

I added a "valuable personal property" policy and insured all my camera gear. You'd be surprised how it adds up! I've had to use it only once but it was great to have then. Disaster is just a hurricane or earthquake away. And... don't forget to store a full backup of your images off site enough to be protected from said hurricane or earthquake. Happy Holidays

Dec 16, 2017 at 03:22 PM

moosehead222
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Insurance

Agree, Personal Property for sure, I just updated mine. They do not calculate it exactly like per 1,000 covered amount but I figure roughly $13-14 per 1,000. I always have a question on what to insure like tripods/balls ... (I always like my balls protected!.. I could not help that). For me, it is worth it for piece of mind.

Dec 16, 2017 at 05:21 PM

makadaka
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Insurance

moosehead222 -- I think the word you're looking for is "covered."

Dec 16, 2017 at 05:39 PM

pasblues
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Insurance

I got the square trade warranty on top of insurance. One is for drops and spills, the other for theft.

Dec 16, 2017 at 07:46 PM

Faraday
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Insurance

pasblues wrote:
I got the square trade warranty on top of insurance. One is for drops and spills, the other for theft.

Yep, SQ is a lot faster if you want your camera fixed and back to you. I think mine was under two weeks. A homeowners claim is much longer. I have Sony Pro support, which is great, but still happy to have the Square Trade for bad things that happen out of warranty.

Dec 16, 2017 at 09:49 PM

pasblues
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Insurance

elizabeth77 wrote:
Yep, SQ is a lot faster if you want your camera fixed and back to you. I think mine was under two weeks. A homeowners claim is much longer. I have Sony Pro support, which is great, but still happy to have the Square Trade for bad things that happen out of warranty.

These are two different types of claims. I don't believe that Square Trade covers loss or theft where the equipment is not recovered. That said, I don't think that my Hartford Insurance covers drops and spills.

The other thing to watch for is what type of theft insurance to get - an inland marine policy is needed for thefts that occur away from home. One of the most common places for theft is from a vehicle or on-location at a shoot.

Dec 17, 2017 at 01:24 PM

SoundHound
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Insurance

My Allstate Fire/Hazard/Homeowners policy covered up to $15K of camera gear in my car for $85/year. I see n’t know whether it matters that Allstate also has my Auto ainsurance. YMMV.

Dec 17, 2017 at 09:17 PM

nampramos
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Insurance

Make sure your home insurance actually covers expensive gear. I've had a rental car broken into and inside I had an A7S with a couple lenses, iPhone, wallet, 6x6 film camera, etc and my insurance covered everything but the camera. The reason was that it was "too expensive" and not a camera some hobbiest would use.

Since I had purchased a separate insurance only for the A7S when I bought it new from the dealer, I didn't really pursue that matter and just told them to cover everything else. Use the separate insurance to cover the camera theft part, which was a no questions asked kind of insurance and got a brand new one a week after.

It might be a good idea to check what professional wedding photographers use. Those companies might have more affordable policies if you don't use your gear for work.

In the end, it all comes to how much trouble will the insurance company give you to actually cover a claim. Might be worth paying a bit more to have a no questions asked kind of policy and just have piece of mind that you'll be covered, no matter what.

Dec 17, 2017 at 09:36 PM

Luvwine
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Insurance

Inland Marine coverage is the way to go for a non pro. It is reasonable in cost and is “all perils” coverage. It is ordinarily a rider on your homeowner’s coverage but not subject to deductibles or category limitations. Had to use it once when I dropped my camera and lens into a creek when shooting a waterfall. They paid with no hassle.

Dec 18, 2017 at 12:10 AM

pasblues
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Insurance

An insurance company that intends to cover your camera gear will require a list of the gear along with date you purchased how much it cost and the serial numbers.

Dec 19, 2017 at 03:45 AM

tsln
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Insurance

I pay an extra $20/month to State Farm for $2m in liability and $10k in gear coverage anywhere in the world without economic sanctions applied.

Dec 19, 2017 at 05:09 AM


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