PracticalPhotograPhy.com 71Know Your StuffDo I need to take out
camera insurance?
Who still uses those big
cameras that look like
a type of old-fashioned
accordion, and why?
Peter Nowak, HalifaxKirk says: Large-format cameras
are indeed still used, but not by
many people these days. Digital
photography is just too convenient,
allowingyouto shootmoreframes,
re viewimagesin thefieldand
pr ocessyourshotswithout
needinga darkroom.So,why
wouldanyonerevertback?Film
re actsto lightin a differentway
th andigitalandgivesdifferent
re sults– someartistsswearby
th is traditionaltextureandfeel.
Inadditionto usingfilm,thelarger
fo rmathasbenefitsof its own.
Peoplemaintainthatthequality
ofimageyougetfromusinga
muchbiggerslideis hardto beat.
Large-formatcamerasshooton a
sl idemeasuring4x5in– nearly 15
ti mesthesizeof a 35mmsensor- al lowingmuchmoredetailin
la rgeprints.Othersjustenjoy
th e processof
cr eating
im ageswith
large-format
cameras,
and feel
they’reworth
thetime
andeffort
in volved
in using
th em.
Why do peoplestill use large-format cameras?Why always shoot in colour?
All the advice I seesaysnever
to shoot in black & white.
Why is that?
David Gregory, Kingston uponHullAdam says: There’s nothing
in herently wrong with shootingin
bl ack & white. In fact, you’lloftenget
fa r better mono results if youhead
out with the intention of shooting
specifically for black & white.Theonly issueto consideris thatshooting
in black& whitepermanentlydiscards
th e colourdata,andthisis whyit’s
not advisableto shootin thisway.
It ’s farbettertoshootin RAWsoyou
re tainthecompletefile withall its
colourdataintact,readyforapplying
a bl ack& whiteconversionin the
editingprocess.It givesyoumuch
morecreativecontroloverthefinal
lo okof yourimage.I’ve recently received a new
camera as a gift. It’s quite
expensive and I’m nervous
about taking it out. Do I need camera
insurance for it?
Marian Petit, LondonKirk says: Photography is a wonderful
but expensive hobby, and cameras aren’t
cheap. insurance is a great way to give
yourself some peace of mind should the
unthinkable happen, but it does come
with a price-tag. Whether it’s worthwhile
taking out camera insurance or not will
vary from person to person. it will depend
on your circumstances and the total value
of your gear. a useful way to think about it
is how badly and how quickly do you need
your camera replaced following a theft or
damage. For amateurs, it may not be vital
to have a camera replaced immediately if
it’s broken or stolen.
consider, too, if your setup would be
prohibitively expensive to replace yourself- if not, insurance may be an unnecessary
expense. on the other hand, if youhave
a lot of expensive gear or can’t standto
be without your camera for any extended
period of time, then it’s probably worth
considering insurance.
For professional photographers,the
answer is almost always going tobe yes
to the option of insurance. the costof
to p level cameras and lenses can makeit
di fficult to replace kit straight aftera theft
or accident, and being without kitcan
re nder a pro unable to work.
What to look for
the first step is to make sure thecover
will insure the entire cost of yourgear.
look for accidental damage andtheft
cover in a policy. it’s worth alsolooking
fo r worldwide cover if you travel.
Some insurers also add public liability
insurance into their packages whichis
a must if you’re shooting professionally.
always check the small print.R awpixel.comv elyc h kogR
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