What do you all use to insure your camera and gear? Experiences with Athos Insurance, Front Row?

[Moon McCartney]

Hi all,

I'm looking to start a discussion on getting insurance for your camera and gear in the U.S.. Not necessarily production insurance, but I guess that can be a part of the chat as well. The last post on this topic seems to be from 4+ years ago.

If you have a 16MM Arri/Aaton, lenses, tripod, accessories, etc - you're looking at $15K value on the low end. Depending on your specific gear and if you have a production company/more gear, can be $50k-$100K plus. It's important to protect our valuable gear in case shit happens. 

I'm looking to get a policy on my recently acquired SR2, lenses, Sacthler tripod, and other accessories. What company do you all use? Athos Insurance seems to be a popular one. Any experiences with them?

And how do you determine the value of your gear? Market/eBay price? Price you purchased? I'd probably list out everything I want insured and it'll be in the range of $15k-$25K. 

Any general tips, stories, or recommendations for gear insurance? Thanks in advance, this forum has been a great resource to me. 😁

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

Don't have insurance. Know nothing about the company. But the questions you asked should be directed towards the insurance company. They pay the claim...not the forum. If you can't get your questions answered, that tells you something about the company.

Usually, you schedule your items for a stated value to be insured. Or they may just give you a depreciated value determined by their adjuster. 

Good luck with figuring it all out!

<><><><>

Redd Foxx Collection

DDTJRAC

Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photograph

[Victoria Sagady]

Athos is great. Have my whole kit insured with them year round.  
 

For value they want you to enter what it would cost to replace with new or used gear. 

Edited July 10, 2024 by Victoria Sagady

[Moon McCartney]

Hi @Victoria Sagady, thank you for the reply. I’ve heard mixed things about Athos. 
 

One, that their quotes are high, even referred to as “predatory pricing”. And second, have you ever had to file a claim for your gear? If so, how was the payout process? I’ve heard people had a hard time and dealing with 90 day payout periods. 

[Robin Phillips]

I have them but I've never had to file a claim. happy to hear recommendations for other companies if anyone has them

[Tobias Deml]

We put together a list of 6 vendors that specifically do camera rental insurance and are experienced in that field - it's essential that you check with the broker/underwriter that they understand this industry. Hope this is helpful: https://www.camerarentalsnyc.com/pricing_insurance/

[Moon McCartney]

Hoping to get some more insight here on who you use for gear insurance 🙂

Please share your experiences