The bag goes everywhere with you — the car, the studio, the client's front step for five minutes while you grab another lens from the boot. That's usually all it takes. You turn around and it's gone, along with a body, two lenses, and a hard drive of someone's wedding you hadn't backed up yet.
Why camera gear claims are so often a fight
Camera equipment is expensive, portable, and constantly moving between locations — which makes it one of the most commonly stolen items for anyone who shoots professionally or seriously. It's also one of the most disputed types of claim, because insurers want specifics: body and lens serial numbers, purchase dates, and proof the gear was actually yours and actually working.
For working photographers and videographers, it's not just a loss — it's lost income while you wait on a payout to replace kit you need for the next job.
What makes a claim go smoothly
- A photo of every body, lens and major accessory, including the serial number
- Purchase receipts or invoices, especially for anything bought secondhand
- A rough current value for your full kit, so you know your cover is actually adequate
- A record kept somewhere other than the same bag as the gear
Where My Asset Mate comes in
My Asset Mate's Electronics & Technology category — free to use, no trial needed — is where your camera gear belongs. Log each body and lens with a photo, the serial number, and what you paid, all kept safely on your phone, and in the cloud too if you choose.
If a bag gets stolen or a card gets confiscated at a shoot gone wrong, you've got a proper record ready for the insurer, not a guess.
Worth doing once, properly, so the next time you're relying on a rental kit isn't also the first time you find out what your cover actually pays out.