Camera insurance

What are my camera insurance options?

You can get camera insurance in one of two ways:

Contents insurance

Contents insurance can look after all the belongings kept at your home, including your camera. If you've got a really expensive camera and you regularly take it out of your home, you can add portable contents insurance to your existing policy.

Specialist camera insurance

There are some insurers who specialise in covering cameras and other photography equipment, which are usually aimed at professional photographers. These policies can cover you for theft, accidental damage and breakdown after your warranty expires.

What does camera insurance cover?

Here's a breakdown of what's included in a contents insurance or specialist camera insurance policy and what you can add on (remember, you'll need to pay a little extra for add-ons).

Automatically covered

• Theft. For example, if someone breaks into your home and steals your camera.
• Water damage (escape of liquid). For example, if a burst pipe leads damages some of your belongings, such as your camera.
• A weather event. For example, if a storm or bushfire results in damage to your belongings, including your camera.

Add-ons

• Accidental damage. Some contents insurance policies will only offer accidental damage cover as an add-on.
• Portable contents cover. This add-on ensures that you're covered when you take the camera out of your home.
• Valuable contents cover. Many contents policies will only insure you up to a certain amount for individual items – often around $2,000. If your camera is worth more than the specified limit, the valuable contents add-on lets you increase it.

Camera insurance traps to avoid

Here are some things to watch out for when taking out a camera insurance policy:

• Sub-limits that are too low. Even if you have $30,000 worth of cover with your contents policy, your limit on camera equipment could be much lower. Check your policy to make sure your camera sub-limit is enough to cover all your equipment. If not, consider adding valuable contents insurance.
• Not being covered outside the home. Most contents policies don't automatically cover your equipment outside the home. If you often take your camera out, you should add portable contents insurance to your policy or buy a specialist camera policy that includes it.
• Not having enough cover when travelling. Portable contents insurance add-ons can protect your camera when you take it out of the country.
• Not being able to choose your repairer. Some insurers have their own network of repairers they like to use and they won't let you choose who repairs your camera if it's broken. If you have a repair shop you trust, then you'll want to find a policy that lets you choose your own repairer.

Can I get camera insurance for travellers?

Yes, most portable contents insurance policies will cover you when you're travelling in Australia or New Zealand. Some can protect you when you are travelling outside of those two countries – however they often come with limitations. For example, your policy might limit your total overseas claim for all items to $10,000 whereas in Australia, you'd be covered for $10,000 per item.

Others might cover you for the full amount while travelling, but only for trips up to a certain length like 30 days.

If your portable contents insurance or camera insurance policy doesn't provide enough cover for your overseas trip, you may want to take out travel insurance for the duration of your trip. Most travel insurance policies include cover for personal belongings like cameras.

How to get your camera insured

Here are the steps you need to take if you want to get your camera and equipment insured:

Figure out how much everything is worth.

Dig out all your old receipts and work out how much all your equipment is worth. Write down the value of each individual item as well as the total value of everything.

Review any existing contents insurance.

If you currently have contents insurance, look at your policy documents and see if there are any sub-limits on how much you can claim for camera equipment. Also see how much your policy will pay for any one individual item.

Decide what additional cover you need.

If your contents insurance doesn't provide enough cover, you need to decide if you want to add extensions to your existing policy or to go with a speciality camera insurer instead.

Shop around.

Insurers can vary widely in how they treat cameras. For instance, some contents insurance policies don't have sub-limits for cameras at all, while others will limit your camera claims to $2,000. Of course, this will also have an effect on the price you pay for the policy, so be sure to judge the price based on how well the policy meets your needs.

List your camera and equipment on the policy.

When you insure high-value items, you usually have to list them all out separately on your policy along with their value. You may even have to provide receipts to prove how much they are worth.

Frequently asked questions about camera insurance

• Can I get camera insurance if I already have contents insurance?

  Yes, if you already have contents insurance, your camera is covered at home, up to a specified amount (this will be listed on your policy, but it's often around $2,000).

  If you want to be covered outside as well, all you need to do is add portable contents insurance to your policy. You can also increase the amount your camera is covered for by adding valuable contents insurance.

• What type of insurance do you need as a photographer?

  If you're a professional photographer, you need business insurance. This is different from contents or specialist camera insurance because it covers you for public liability insurance and professional indemnity in addition to protecting your equipment.

• Is is worth getting camera insurance?

  It's probably only worth getting specialist camera insurance if you have an expensive camera that would be costly for you to replace or repair. Contents insurance, on the other hand, can cost as little as $23 a month and can protect your camera and all the belongings at your home – so might be better value.

• Should I insure my camera through the camera store?

  Some retail shops will offer a form of protection called extended care. This is essentially just an extension of the warranty, where you'll be covered if your camera malfunctions outside of your warranty period but within the extended care period.

  In many cases, extended care is unnecessary, especially since it doesn't protect you if someone steals your camera or you accidentally damage it.