[PENFRED]

Yesterday I was hiking with kids. Of course with K1 and FA 43 mounted, FA 28 in my pocket. Should't have taken K1 for hiking, but I was till within the honeymoon with the new camera and light was dim in the trees. Austin had a lot of rain recently and I didn’t realize how slippery the trail was…Or should I blame Nike for their hiking shoe does not work well enough when gets wet.. Anyway, camera flew away from my hand and hit somewhere ~2 feet away. Don’t know what it hit, but the camera was found in mud. I was hoping the the mud could protect the gear but apparently it hit something else before landing. Right shoulder was cracked, top prism cover was broken and the bottom cover had bad damage as well. The LCD screen was scattered, of course, but I have to say, the entire articulation mechanism survived the impact test. Despite the broken glass, the rest parts are still fine.
The camera was powered on when it happened. I turned it off immediately and wiped the mud and water off. But I didn’t check if the screen was still on when I picked it up.
Went back home, before cleaning myself, I put the camera in the zip bag with a lot of silica gel dryer. I saw no water in the camera actually. And hoped everything was just cosmetic damage.
This morning I tried to power it on, sad enough, nothing happened. Now I put it back to the bag with new silica gel and hope a miracle could happen…
Both lenses are fine. And I am fine, just a little pain on the butt. So at least it wasn’t the worst thing could happen.

got that right! I'm still dealing with a dislocated shoulder from a ski accident two months ago.

Sorry for your fall; hope the K1 comes back to life.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

That is great! anyone here in US heard any insurance like this? I will switch to tonight!

The cost to add my approximately $5000 worth of camera gear to my homeowners policy in Indiana was $53/year. According to my agent, it covers "almost anything that would happen" and there is no deductible. My home insurance is through Western Reserve Group. Thankfully I have not had to use it, and probably wouldn't unless something really bad happened.

I posted more detailed information in the following thread, and others also contributed, so you may want to check it out:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/303777-get-...ce-policy.html

It should be noted that I only use my cameras for personal use and do not shoot for profit. Otherwise, it might require some kind of business insurance policy instead of just adding it onto my home-owner's. The warranty is also transferable, which can help you get a better price when selling your old gear.


And in regards to after-market warranties, I had a very good experience with Mack Camera warranties when a home theater projector a few years ago.

It took a few weeks, but without much drama they cut me a check for the full replacement price for a new projector. It's funny because I only paid $300 used for the projector on eBay with a known issue, and I transferred the Mack Warranty to my name. I then reported the issue to Mack, and after I sent the projector to their service center, they deemed the issue too expensive to repair. So they sent me a check for $1000 to buy the new equivalent model. I was very impressed.

Here's a link to a Mack Camera 3-warranty for cameras up to $2000:

http://www.amazon.com/Mack-Diamond-Warranty-Certificate-1311/dp/B002BTMKUQ

It looks like it covers accidental damage, and even includes a couple free sensor cleanings. It specifically mentions that impact, sand/grit, and liquid damage are covered. Not bad for $129, if they live up to it.



Oh, and something else I just thought of is the protection that some credit cards offer. Did you buy your camera with a credit card? If so, then they might offer some kind of complimentary warranty/accident coverage.

Here is the coverage provided by my Amazon Visa Rewards card from Chase Bank. Note the part I bolded:

Per "Chase Card Services" on 03-20-2013 23:01:14 through the Secure Message Center: "Upon review, I see that your card provide purchase security and extended protection. It Protects many of the
new retail purchases of personal property" including -- "Purchase Security will replace, repair or fully reimburse
you up to a maximum of $10,000 per consumer product and
$50,000 per cardholder for eligible items purchased
entirely with your credit card for the first 90 days from
the date of purchase in the event of loss,
theft, damage or fire.
"Extended Protection doubles the time period of the
original manufacturer's written U.S. warranty up to one
full year on warranties of three years or less up to a
maximum of $10,000 per consumer product.
Additional terms and conditions must be met in order to be
eligible for this benefit. Please call the Benefit
Administrator at 1-800-874-7702
for further details or to file a claim.

[grahame]

According to my agent, it covers "almost anything that would happen"

My homeowners insurance provides some protection also. but after I asked them for more details, I realized it covers only events that damages camera and lens as part of house, such as flood or fire, or thief. But it does not cover accidents like drop or mis-operation.
You might want to double check with your agent, and I will do same just in case there is any misunderstanding.
But I forgot if I bought this protection. Maybe not, since I remember the protection wasn't very helpful for accidents. I will check my policy and will call the agent to clarify the coverage policy.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

My homeowners insurance provides some protection also. but after I asked them for more details, I realized it covers only events that damages camera and lens as part of house, such as flood or fire, or thief. But it does not cover accidents like drop or mis-operation.
You might want to double check with your agent, and I will do same just in case there is any misunderstanding.
But I forgot if I bought this protection. Maybe not, since I remember the protection wasn't very helpful for accidents. I will check my policy and will call the agent to clarify the coverage policy.

Just to be clear, this is an extra rider I paid for on top of my regular home owner insurance. Otherwise, it would probably be similar to your coverage. I went over the coverage in detail with my agent, so unless she was just lying to me, I should be good.

[monochrome]

Some time ago I bought a pristine K50/1.2. Upon opening the package and removing the over-taped bubble wrap, my precious lens flew out of my hand, bumped the edge of my desk, dropped on my foot and rolled under a table.

I picked it up and willed my heart to slow down, and discovered to my dismay that the focus helicoid had a perceptible hitch . . .

which Eric repaired for $100. In his repair Invoice returned with the camera he described it as, Repaired Imapct mark on helicoid.

I know t isn't a K-1 - but I sort understand how you feel.

[djseeram]

Sorry to hear that. Just a thought, try powering it up from a battery grip or an external supply if you have one.

[Andr3w]

Can we see photos of the camera? I am curious.

[grahame]

Can we see photos of the camera? I am curious.

It doesn't look that bad. cracked right shoulder, but all the button and dials are fine, shoulder screen is fine; scratches on top, broken back screen, and some small cracks and scratches on the bottom cover near battery cell. At first I thought I just need a new LCD screen...

[pathdoc]

I know t isn't a K-1

In terms of "My Precious", it's probably the next nearest thing, and to break it straight out of the box would have been awful. Good thing your foot was there!

[normhead]

My condolences, but it's something that is a possibility for me at least 5 or 6 times a year. Once this month I've fallen banging the camera with no ill effects. You just had really bad luck.

It is amazing what people will do to be first at something.

[grahame]

It is amazing what people will do to be first at something.

Haha, you are right. After I confirmed I can walk, I ran to the camera and cleaned it, before I can check myself :-)

[Gimbal]

It’s frightening though that you got both a cracked LCD and a cracked top.

The fist impact with the ground/rock could possible result in a cracked LCD or a cracked top, I can understand that. But the secondary tumbling shouldn’t do that much damage.

The top is only plastic though (is it not?), that might be a weak spot.

[grahame]

t’s frightening though that you got both a cracked LCD and a cracked top.

The LCD screen was extended and tilted in a strange way when I recovered it back, so I am not sure what happened exactly. And the bottom cover has small cracks close the corner, near battery cell cover.
There were some rocks nearby, maybe the camera was bounced back and forth between two rocks before rested in mud. I don't know. Camera flew out off my hand so the impact might be quite strong. -- I am not blaming pentax's build quality. K1's body is strong. Cracks a small, most are scratches. The plastic plate (how should I call it?) under the screen and the hinges are still fine and work smoothly.
Poor baby!

[Quicksand]

Mack Camera Warranty
And in regards to after-market warranties, I had a very good experience with Mack Camera warranties when a home theater projector a few years ago. It took a few weeks, but without much drama they cut me a check for the full replacement price for a new projector. It's funny because I only paid $300 used for the projector on eBay with a known issue, and I transferred the Mack Warranty to my name. I then reported the issue to Mack, and after I sent the projector to their service center, they deemed the issue too expensive to repair. So they sent me a check for $1000 to buy the new equivalent model. I was very impressed.

Here's a link to a Mack Camera 3-warranty for cameras up to $2000:

http://www.amazon.com/Mack-Diamond-Warranty-Certificate-1311/dp/B002BTMKUQ

It looks like it covers accidental damage, and even includes a couple free sensor cleanings. It specifically mentions that impact, sand/grit, and liquid damage are covered. Not bad for $129, if they live up to it.

I had a good experience with Mack also.

Back in like 2009-10 I dropped my K20d -- actually, I was testing out a homebrew sling strap arrangement that didn't hold together, and the camera dropped from waist height onto concrete. Haha, oops.

Anyway, I ended up with a split bottom plate. The camera seemed to work fine. I sent it in under the Mack coverage and it came back fixed, not only the bottom plate replaced, but with a replaced circuit board and recalibrated AF. I guess I broke more than I realized!

[nabee2002]

If you purchased the k1 with a credit card you may have purchase protection plan. Check w your credit card company.

Credit Cards That Offer Purchase Protection | Bankrate.com