Gun safes are the way to go. For what you'll pay, you'll have enough room to hold all your equipment (in the bags, if you want) and they are fire-rated for high tempratures to prevent ammunition from cooking off in a fire. They're also heavier than elephant and very secure.
Go to a local county fair or gun show and you'll get a good deal.
Lord Fluff wrote:
Don't you guys have insurance? If so, why worry?
....because all the insurance in the world can not replace images that were stolen or destroyed by fire. Yes, you can keep the original RAW files on some online server for a fee, but I personally don't trust any company no matter how large, famous, or safe they claim to be. I keep back up files on several DVD's in my safe. I know that I can tell a B&G in 10 years from now that I can provide them with a copy of an image of some long lost guest of theirs without having to worry about some online storage company going bankrupt or attacked by a virus, etc.
There is also vintage and sentimental equipment that can not be replaced. I know that if my old F3 and FM2 got stolen I could replace them fairly easily, but those two cameras in particular were with me when I first started shooting as a pro over 20 years ago.
I see professional insurance as benificial only if you have to screw up and have to pay for the wedding yourself. As far as replacement cost for equipment, I don't want to have to haggle with some adjuster regarding the current replacement value of my D1X vs. what he thinks I should get for it...
Ok guys, one thing thought, those fire safe's your buying make no promise about security.
The reason I mention this is because at work we recently bough a $150 small safe from a very reputable company (one that should know a lot better!). With a little disassembly we found that simply by hitting it on top and turning the open handle at exactly the right time it would pop open, even when bolted to the wall. I'm not joking, the mechanism was a complete joke even though from the outside it looked like a really good a tough safe.
Be careful that what you buy is going to do the job that you want. For extra protection, always pop the screws in it and have a quick look to make sure it works right
snegron wrote:
....because all the insurance in the world can not replace images that were stolen or destroyed by fire. Yes, you can keep the original RAW files on some online server for a fee, but I personally don't trust any company no matter how large, famous, or safe they claim to be. I keep back up files on several DVD's in my safe. I know that I can tell a B&G in 10 years from now that I can provide them with a copy of an image of some long lost guest of theirs without having to worry about some online storage company going bankrupt or attacked by a virus, etc.
There is also vintage and sentimental equipment that can not be replaced. I know that if my old F3 and FM2 got stolen I could replace them fairly easily, but those two cameras in particular were with me when I first started shooting as a pro over 20 years ago.
I see professional insurance as benificial only if you have to screw up and have to pay for the wedding yourself. As far as replacement cost for equipment, I don't want to have to haggle with some adjuster regarding the current replacement value of my D1X vs. what he thinks I should get for it......Show more →
Not an issue for me as I store all my images on disks in at least two different locations. Don't count on those DVD-R discs playing in 10 years time either - they might do but......
I believe having a safe is better then not having one at all. The one I got does the job. It might not be crack proof, but hey, atleast it's fire resistant and provides the minimum amount of security I need. It's a solid locked closet giving me the false sense of security I want.
Unfortunetly, I don't have aspirations to match Fort Knox, that's where insurance DOES come in.
