Camera insurance is one of the best investments you can make whether you’re an amateur or a professional photographer. Insuring what is potentially an expensive item will not only give you peace of mind, but it will be worthwhile in the long-run in case of any damages, the warranty runs out or if you become the victim of a theft.
Unfortunately, camera equipment is a high-target for thieves and it’s mainly due to the portability and high market price. Unsuspecting camera owners might not realise that they’re being stalked for their electronic equipment and all it takes is a lapse of concentration, leaving your camera bag for a few seconds or worse still, being the victim of a mugging, which will leave you without a camera, at a financial loss and possibly injured.
For the professional photographer, camera insurance is one of the first things you should think about before even buying the camera. If you’re income depends on having a working camera then you need to back up your investment and buy some insurance. What’s more, if you have a client waiting for photographs and you lose your camera or it gets stolen, then there will not only be loss of earnings but the client could want compensation for missing an important deadline.
Of course, there are a few aspects of insurance for a camera that need to be realised. There might be different policies for different types of camera, or one that can cover all camera equipment, so it’s important know what the exclusions are, terms and conditions as well as limitations that might be stipulated in the policy. Some policies might cover you for liquid damage to the camera, while others might not, so it’s a good idea to know where and when you’re using your camera if you’re covered or not, for example, during poor weather or shooting pictures at water activities.
If it’s not just insurance for your camera you need, look into a policy that can cover the other equipment that goes with it. From tripods, light metres, camera bags, lenses, film, memory cards and battery packs, there are policies that will cover all the photographic gadgets you have. As you can see camera insurance is one of the most important things to have when you own a camera, whether it’s a digital one or a mechanical one, having the peace of mind that it will be safe or replaced cannot be valued.