Lens warranties--worth it?

[moldovamark]

Is it worth buying a Mack warranty extension with my new Canon 18-55 f/2.8 IS USM?

[samoksner]

For clarification's sake, do you mean the 17-55 f2.8 IS USM or the 18-55 f3.5-5.6 IS?

[moldovamark]

the 17-55 f2.8 IS USM

[40Doodle]

As everyone knows an extended warranty or any insurance policy is only as good as when you need it. I used to buy those Mack warranties on camera gear and never actually made a single claim or had to use them. Now days, I just have a rider on my homeowners policy that costs less than $4/mo and covers roughly $4000 in camera gear. For me, that provides all the "peace of mind" that I need. It mostly covers things like loss (due to theft outside the home, etc), but also covers if I accidentally drop or damage the gear listed under the policy. In time, I may alter or even drop that coverage, but while my gear is relatively new it's been something I wanted to have in place.


I've just not had a piece of camera gear fail post manufacturer warranty, but I also know that there are certain products where an extended warranty might be a good idea. For example the Canon 50mm 1.4 that is sometimes plagued by motor failures. I think if a particular camera product has some history with higher potential failure, then maybe I'd get an extended warranty to cover failure.


Rick

[Mark Elberson]

Now days, I just have a rider on my homeowners policy that costs less than $4/mo and covers roughly $4000 in camera gear. For me, that provides all the "peace of mind" that I need. It mostly covers things like loss (due to theft outside the home, etc), but also covers if I accidentally drop or damage the gear listed under the policy. In time, I may alter or even drop that coverage, but while my gear is relatively new it's been something I wanted to have in place.
<p style="CLEAR: both"]

<p style="CLEAR: both"]Rick,
<p style="CLEAR: both"]I also have a rider on my home owner's policy. My insurer made me list out (with great detail) all of the gear that I wanted to be covered which is a real pain when you buy/sell/etc. Did you have to do that as well or do you just have a general $4,000 worth of coverage?

[40Doodle]

<p style="clear: both;"]Rick,
<p style="clear: both;"]I also have a rider on my home owner's policy. My insurer made me list out (with great detail) all of the gear that I wanted to be covered which is a real pain when you buy/sell/etc. Did you have to do that as well or do you just have a general $4,000 worth of coverage?
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>

Mark,


Yes, I had to do the very same thing. State Farm calls it a "Personal Articles" policy. For my camera equipment, they simply asked me to send them a letter that listed manufacturer, description of product (model#) and cost. They also automatically slightly adjust the total policy value (small $'s) each year to keep pace with rising cost of the camera equipment. It is a fairly common policy and reasonably priced. I don't have the "kitchen sink" in that policy either, just the main high dollar items that would be painful if lost or accidentally broken.


Rick