DSLRUsers.com

Yesterday I was taking pictures of boulders in a river, when I slipped my D100 mounted on a tripod hurdled through the air and smashing on a boulder. My 24-120mm VR lens then proceeded into the river with the metal lens mount from the camera. So now I have two extra desk weights and insurance to claim. Do you have any suggestions on how I should claim (yes I am covered for accidental) for this insurance and would I be able to replace these objects for a D70 and a 17-55mm DX lens.

Bummer loosing the VR mate!

The kit lens is a nice piece of glass and I promise the d70 will not dissapoint!

Hi Muzza,
Welcome to the D70 Forum!
Sorry to hear that you have had an accident with your D100, I think your case is straightful with any insurance Company and they'll pay you the full amount of your damaged gear for new replacement if they are written off, if not then a repair is their choice.

They'll have an accessor to contact and collect your gears for inspection and accessing, prior to hand over the damaged gear, I strongly recommend you taking a photo of them for your reference same as recording all the serial number.

I don't know when did you buy the D100 with 24-120 VR lens but I expect should be around $4k-5K at that time, coz the cheapest price right now in Australia for both items are still over $4K.

Normally, Insurance Company will pay you the full insured amount minus the excess if applicable.

Then the D70 will be a very nice replacement instead of.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Sorry to hear about this addition to your paperweight collection.

If you have replacement insurance, then the insurer is liable to indemnify you for the replacement (or replacement cost) of the goods insured under your policy.

Looking at rough dollar amounts, a D100 body retails for around Au$2600 while a 24-120 VR might be had for, say, Au$1100, meaning that your claim would be for Au$3700, less any deductible.

Depending upon how you approach the insurer, and how accommodating they might be, you might be inclined to press for a cash settlement of that value. Then you can buy the D70 with the kit lens, plus a replacement 24-120VR, and still have around 700 to play with. Or get the kit + 12-24 DX.

A more likely scenario might be that the insurer has an acount with a camera store, such as Ted's, and will arrange a deal with the store to replace your gear. Regardless, you're entitled to claim the value
of the loss that you have sufferred; if you're prepared to negotiate for a cheaper and lesser featured* camera such as the D70, then you should also be able to get some form of differential settlement.

My reference to the D70 being a "lesser featured" camera ... bear in mind the plastic vs metal construction, absence of a vertical shutter grip, absence of MLU facility, and so on.

You will need to argue that you're prepared to help them out with a lower final settlement value, but not to your total disadvantage. Be prepared to negotiate ...

And have fun!