Camera Insurance in the UK

[Pewari]

Just bought a Canon 400D and as it's my first "proper" camera I don't think I should be relying on the household insurance to cover it. The only problem is, I'm not really sure what I should be looking for or who the good insurers are, can anyone recommend anyone?

One thing that concerns me after looking at a few places online is that the terms and conditions imply that if you're not physically holding the camera then it needs to be locked away (with locks being to BS standard - basically inside a house!) whereas I can think of many times where that just isn't practical (for one thing, on a tripod then turning round for a moment to get a different lens out of the bag, etc - if it got nicked at that point would it not be covered?)

I also go camping a fair amount in the summer - it's one of the few times I get to try my hand at landscapes - how would the insurance cope with us being in a tent or camper, not having left the camera unattended, but obviously not holding it or being awake! I notice you can get unattended vehicle cover included, but to me, locking it in the boot of the car at all moments I'm not actually taking pictures while camping is going to stifle photographing opportunities and is actually (in reality) less secure.

Am I just misreading the policies? Any thoughts/recommends?

[chrisgarrett]

Unhelpfully I have tried and failed to find good uk insurance. One friend recommended a company but when I looked into it further they wouldn't insure the equipment out of the country. On another forum someone recommended www.pavilioninsurance.com but I wasn't sure if they got a commission from the link. Would love to know if anyone has a company they know and trust. Insurance is one if those things where you dont know how good a deal is until you try to claim ...

[Pewari]

Well, in the end we phoned our contents insurer, and while not specific camera insurance we've now got insurance on any individual item out the home up to £1500 - accidental damage and loss (whether by theft or whatever - as long as reasonable precautions taken, i.e. don't leave it in the middle of the high street unattended). Included unattended vehicles (which many of the policies we looked at charged you extra for) and came to an extra £15pa. Cheapest quote elsewhere with a specialist company was around £30.

So does look like adding a bolt on to an existing home contents policy might be the way to go if you're just a hobbyist...