Canon, Nikon DSLRs offer highest customer satisfaction

[David Rasnake]

California-based research firm J.D. Power and Associates reported yesterday that consumers ranked DSLRs from Canon and Nikon highest for customer satisfaction over the past year.

On a 1000-point scale evaluating four factors (image quality, performance, ease of use, and styling), consumers gave Canon's EOS cameras and Nikon's D models highest mark. Interestingly, the two leading DSLR manufacturers ended in a dead heat, with an average satisfaction score of 823 apiece.

Canon's PowerShot G models and Panasonic's Lumix TZ cameras earned highest marks among premium compact cameras, with each manufacturer scoring a 773 out of 1000 possible points. The Fujifilm FinePix S cameras were the favorite among point-and-shoot cameras, garnering a score of 757.

A satisfaction score of 794 overall for Sony's Cyber-shot T cameras makes them the most highly rated among all fixed-lens cameras, as well as the winner in the ultracompact segment.

Drawing on responses from more than 8,000 consumers who purchased cameras between April 2007 and May 2008, the study also found that waterproofing/weatherproofing and more internal memory topped the list of features most requested by camera buyers. Ease of use also plays a significant role in how favorably photographers rate their cameras overall: consumers who found the features of their camera difficult to use rated their total satisfaction an average of 235 points lower than users who responded that their cameras were easy to use.

Finally, it comes as no surprise to us that internet product reviews remain "the most frequently cited resource" for conducting pre-purchase research.

Via PhotographyBlog.com

[Jerry Jackson]

Hmm ... lately I've been less than impressed with J.D. Powers and Associates and their "findings" about customer satisfaction.

If you check the full pdf here you'll notice that ALL the DSLR brands received close to the same score and that the margin is so slim to the point of being completely useless for judging customer satisfaction.

We're talking about the difference between a low "B-" and a mid "B-" grade.

As a former Nikon and Canon DSLR photographer I can say that both companies make great DSLRs and lenses ... but I honestly wouldn't put them head and shoulders above the competition. Heck, there are many reasons I switched to Pentax rather than sticking with Nikon or Canon.

I also find it "questionable" that Nikon and Canon get matching scores of 823 and J.D. Power gives them both five "Power Circle Ratings" and then Olympus, Pentax, and Sony (all of which scored between 798 and 803) received only two Power Circles.

We're talking about two companies that scored 82% customer satisfaction and three companies that scored 79% or 80% customer satisfaction ... yet J.D. Power says that equates to "5 out of 5" for Canon and Nikon and "2 out of 5" for everyone else.

WHAT?

80 percent is 80 percent. If this customer satisfaction ranking was accurate then EVERY DSLR manufacturer on the J.D. Power list would have received 4 out of 5 Power Circle Ratings.

This report from J.D. Power and Associates is so biased I almost want to laugh ... almost. As it stands I feel like J.D. Power is insulting my intelligence and insulting the intelligence of every consumer who trusts them to make independent rankings based on EVIDENCE.

[David Rasnake]

The margins are admittedly a little close for comfort, and touting one or two brands over the others based on such slim margins is somewhat difficult to justify. Flipping the bias on its head, though, what I found most interesting among the complete report is how low the Canon PowerShot A models rank: I don't know anyone in their right mind who would take a Kodak V camera over a PowerShot A model. Moreover, it's probably not a great idea to make final buying decisions based on this kind of data (after all, isn't the most important consideration how satisfied you'll be with the camera?).

It was interesting to note that weatherproofing is a highly requested featured. Given the poor options available with this feature in compact cameras, I'm not surprised.

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