No Sig, Dallas Dude, Ice Pack:
Spot on, all of you. I do hope this thread is read by insurance/reinsurance people. Digital cameras should be standard issue for any crew responsible for expensive equipment.
As for "held harmless agreements", they should be banished or at the very least capped at the airline's deductible.
The guiding principle for any insured party is, according to the Lloyds Agency manual I pretty much kept in my hip pocket for 20 years or so, to act as if uninsured. An on-the-spot photograph or two is worth much more than a thousand words.
And to anyone who questions the hip pocket, I have always worn baggy pants.