tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

My camera equipment is covered under a Personal Articles policy with State Farm. The premium was inexpensive and it also covers drops. Well worth looking into.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

My equipment is covered by my home owners policy but when you report the loss, they ask you how long you've owned it and then when you tell them they take the value of the equipment and deduct 10% for each year you've had it. So if you have a $8000 lens (like I have) and it's replacement value today is $4500, and you've owned it for 6 years, they take the $4500 less 60% of that for $1800 payout. But the deal is that if you replace it within one year of your claim, send them the receipt, they will pay the rest of the claim. So if I did purchase one from B&H or from eBay and it did cost me up to the average value of $4500 they will send another check for $2700 - in essence paying you the entire current value of that lens of $4500. If the item is still currently being sold as a current product, they use the retail price from most stores. So if you had a $10,000 lens and it's 2 years old and they still make and sell them for that price, then they use that price and deduct the 20% because of the time you've owned it and will reimburse that if you replace it within a year of your claim.

rdarlington43 Loc: Charlotte, NC

As others have said I would start with your homeowners policy. Ask about the type of policy you have. When I was with Travelers I had to insure them with a "Personal Articles Floater". I believe that a "marine" homeowners or rider has a much broader coverage than a standard policy. Now that I am with Liberty Mutual that additional policy is not needed. Still have the items listed but they have the broader coverage.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

Yes, I have a Personal Articles Policy from State Farm. The letter they sent said something about "market price" which I take to mean what the item would sell for used on eBay. My agent found the language just as confusing as I did.

CJ2

I use Auto-Owners for car, home, etc. - and all essentials equipment is listed for what I paid with serial #s, etc. on a rider and I get full replacement value - in most cases I call B&H or another Retailer and they send a new replacement right away and Auto owners pays my listed price on the rider plus shipping. Hasn't happened much, but when it did, it really saved my whatever! I also use them for home and auto and will not tell you the price when I had a flood in my home from an overflow but it covered everything.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Use State Farm!

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I have done that for years and it is quite affordable although I had to furnish a list of equipment, model and serial numbers for the rider. And it needs to be kept current.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Also check your auto insurance. The comprehensive coverage may include the equipment, even if it is not in the car at the time of loss or damage.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I have a different take. Had State Farm for 30 years. Couple years ago hole in 2nd floor bathroom tub flooded kitchen. Had one claim in home all these years. The SF agent was awful. Took months to get repairs payed for. I just got bough to cover the money I fronted.
Lost D800 stolen on eBay UPS and SF wanted no part of it.
Don’t use home car home insurers for camera gear. I had riders don’t trust big insurers. They have become profit only bizs. I do some commercial work so took NEXT insurance for gear and liability.
Take pix all equipment and serial numbers on gear put in cloud. Have invoices for big stuff. Good luck

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

I have a renter's policy that covers replacement value domestic or international and the only requirement is that I do not ear 70+% of my income from photography.

Travelers Insurance.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Yes. It's $100/yr

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

That's only for unscheduled equipment, and not replacement value. That kind of policy is way cheaper, but, as you point out, they will depreciate the value over time.

jstampa

For personal property, not commercial use I just added USAA. They have a personal property policy. It's cheap. It is 0 deductible, it covers if I break something and it covers any kind of loss worldwide. Meaning it covers theft or any disappearance including loss. I covered almost $30K worth of equipment. Between tripod, monopod 5DMK4 and EOS R plus numerous lenses the total is about $30K. Total annual policy cost is $327.00. They also gave me a little more then a $250.00 discount off of my auto policy because I added this policy. I'm basically paying $75.00. All I had to do was send a picture of everything. It was the simplest policy I ever bought. Now I need to downsize my equipment and lower the coverage amount. I'm kinda a hoarder. I keep upgrading my equipment and tell myself "oh, if I sell this I can pay for that". The problem is I never sell it. This policy can also cover guns, art, jewelry and several other things. It is super cheap. I have not added the other items yet. I will add a few more items. I just wanted the policy in place before I took a trip that was planned last month. If you have not served but have family members that have you can use USAA. This is NOT part of a homeowners policy or anything. It's simply called a "personal property policy"

stevefrankel

I have used USAA for years and they are terrific. They paid full replacement cost when my Sony RX10-M4 was stolen by a weak thief in St. Petersburg and didn't raise my rates. They have the caveat that the camera cannot be used for commercial use, but unless you are actually on a professional assignment, they will pay the claim quickly.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

You need to have some other kind of policy with USAA like auto or homeowner's in order to get the personal property policy.