Nikon, Sony, Canon: 123 in JD Power Survey for DSLRs

[JimC]

I noticed this over on Thom Hogan's site at http://www.bythom.com/

The latest JD Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Survey for DSLR models now shows Nikon leading, with Sony in the number 2 spot and Canon in the number 3 spot.

That's interesting, since Sony only has one DSLR right now, the Sony Alpha 100, a.k.a., DSLR-A100. Of course, this survey was completed before the recently announced Sony Alpha 700.

They ask a lot of questions about image quality related things including AF speed, low light performance and more. Here are some links to the survey results:

Press Release:
http://www.jdpower.com/press-release...spx?id=2007153

Of course, there are a lot of variables involved in this kind of thing. It looks like the results were based on a scale up to 1000. Nikon scored 822, Sony was at 793, and Canon was at 780 in the DSLR category.

So, the differences are not as far apart as the graphics would lead you to believe and the type of camera user responding to these types of surveys is also going to be a big factor.

Canon was first in the premium category for non-DSLR models with their SD series. Fuji was first in the point and shoot category with their F series, and Casio was first in the Ultra Slim category.

[BillDrew]

In general, I am suspicious of surveys that do not have technical information avialable; in particular - how the sample was selected. I have no idea how a good sample for this kind of issue could be selected.m Did they stand about in a store that specialized in Nikon equipment?

The next big question is, "how big is the sample?". Four people with Nikons, one with a Sony, and three with Canon dSLRs?

Followed by, "What was the response rate?". Was the response rate different for folks with different cameras? Perhaps Sony users responded better because they have been surveyed less often.

How long was the questionare? Folks will start doing strange things with the answers if there are lots of questions, e.g., favorite hobby: Ice fishing in Honolulu, age: 97, Occupation: airline pilot.

[mtclimber]

However, the J.D. Power survey is very important for the message it conveys to the public. Sony declared publically that they would get "their" share of the DSLR market, and slowly but surely, step by step they are doing just that.

Sarah Joyce