Here is a little video to get us started.

Photographer Fail

I have mine insured through business insurance but it seems expensive and I am debating not having it anymore.  I heard once that you should only buy insurance if you cannot afford to replace the item insured.  I could probably afford to replace something if I dropped it or it got stolen, unless everyone got stolen / burned/ damaged at once - then I would have a problem.

I've had my stuff insured for more than a year now. Couldn't do without it, I'm much more relaxed about leaving stuff in a hotel room or such.
What do you consider expensive? I pay 1.5% per year and it coveres a lot.

I also have my equipment insured. It feels better when I'm travelling to have an insurance and leave my stuff in Hotel rooms just like Opla said.  I have my camera and lenses insured, but also my computers and lighting equipment.

I used to insure my gear through a State Farm personal articles policy.  They allow you to make up to 5k/year with it, but anything over that it is not considered personal articles anymore.  I exceeded the limit and dropped the coverage. 

I haven't gotten new coverage because the cost seems prohibitive, and since I could afford to replace it and don't travel much with it I figure I am okay for now. 

To be honest, I am adding and subtracting gear so often that it was driving the insurance agent nuts anyway. 

I wish I COULD get it insured ...
I can easily have all my stuff insured as long as I do NOT use it professionally.  But I do use it professionally, and then there doesn't seem to be any company around that has a policy that fits my case.  
I checked with several other professional photographers, and none of them had insurance.
There are plenty of foreign companies of course, but I prefer a local one, especially in case of dispute/legal issues.

As for hotel rooms, I do not need extra insurance, since the small print in the fire/theft policy for my house states that "my house" is everywhere I live, hotels included.  So when my hotel room is robbed, I can claim the theft from my fire/theft policy at home.  
May-be you could all have a look in your fire/theft policy to check if hotel rooms are included ?

So what's left is :  getting robbed in the streets, theft out of the car (I NEVER leave anything in my car) and my own clumsiness (dropping stuff or tripping over my own tripod).

I think the real benefits are in the 3rd party liability coverage in case someone trips on your tripod leg or something

yeah, i agree with this, or if one of your images of a model are used inappropriately and you are sued.  ... like Perseus said.

You do ask some good questions Leaf!

I used to have insurance, primarily for travel purposes, but any policy worth having (in the UK) has become ludicrously expensive.

I insure via a company in the UK. The cost is not ludicrously expensive. I pay less than 300 GBP PA for more than 10K GBP  of equipment - and appx half of that away from the risk address at anytime and internationally and 2,000,000 GBP liability.

Liability is very important. If you drop your camera on someone's head.

This is really timely for me, as I've spent the last few days looking for insurance. I thought I was covered under a rider on our homeowner's policy, but after several weeks of back and forth between our agent and the underwriter, they decided they don't want to cover me now that I'm "professional".

There's a photo discussion group that offers "low cost" liability & property coverage as one of the benefits of joining for $25/yr. But after joining I discovered the coverage may not be as desirable as I thought. (For example, they state that "theft is covered only with evidence of a break-in and a police report". What if I'm mugged? What if someone grabs it from me and runs? What if it's left in a hotel room and a maid steals it? Etc.)

So I'm probably going to go with one of the names I've seen mentioned a lot in my searches, Hill & Usher. Looks like it will cost 3.5% just for property coverage. Not a bargain at all, but as someone else said, I'm just not that comfortable walking around uninsured.

Since I have revenues from my camera, my insurance company told me that my home ins. did not cover my gear.

But they also told me that I could add 5000$ worth of gear for 39$ (CDN) a year...Which is quite affordable.

Few months ago, I bought a 5DMKII so I wanted to upgrade my coverage, it ended up that going from 5000$ to 10000$ would cost me 150$ more.  But they offered me to cover my gear up to 10000$ when in my house and up to 5000$ when out of my house for 9$ more, so I'm covered in that way for a total of 48$.

It does NOT cover any accidental damage (dropping or such); it covers damages if caused by a fire or such in my house; it also cover (5000$) while i'm out, anywhere.

So maybe you can try to deal some kind of arrangement based on your habits.

Claude

I always have travel insurance that covers the value of my camera - have claimed for damaged and stolen camera equipment without any problems, so I think its worthwhile. The real hassle for me is in replacing anything if I'm somewhere out of the way - like Colombia where I am at the moment. So far no problems here though fortunately.

Here in bosnia, If go to insurance company, and say I want to insure my camera, they would look me like I am crazy, at least. People here do not insure their homes, and they insure their cars (only because they are obligated to).