2012 Digital SLR Camera Online Buyer Report Results
Consumers continue to grow more trusting of the Internet to handle their big-ticket purchases, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR) Online Buyer ReportSM. The report reveals high levels of purchase satisfaction among online buyers of DSLR cameras, and--perhaps more significantly--a sharp increase in average expenditure.
The report's primary purpose is to measure satisfaction with DSLR camera purchases among verified online buyers. Five factors went into the overall measurement: picture quality (including picture clarity, sharpness and color); durability and reliability (including damage resistance, battery life and sturdiness); variety of features (including zoom, image stabilization and low light settings); ease of operation; and shutter speed/lag time (overall speed of the camera, including shutter lag time).
Pentax receives the highest score of all brands included in the report with a score of 899 on a 1,000-point scale. Nikon scored 891, and Canon scored 888. Pentax receives high scores in several operational categories, while Canon is the leading scorer for picture quality. Despite a shift in DSLR camera buyer demographics, overall satisfaction remains stable (888 in 2012 compared with 887 in 2011).
Two changes in the 2012 report, compared with 2011, appear to be particularly significant. First, online purchasers of DSLR cameras spent an average of 10% more this year: $1,291 compared with $1,175 in 2011. This could indicate a greater comfort level with buying expensive items online instead of from a brick-and-mortar retailer.
The report also indicates that Pentax is gaining a larger share of consumers who consider themselves professional or semi-professional photographers--a shift away from Pentax's traditional base of more casual users.
Despite a shift in DSLR camera buyer demographics, overall satisfaction remains stable (888 in 2012 compared with 887 in 2011).
PowerReviews, a social commerce network recently acquired by Bazaarvoice, collected the data for the report. The 2012 Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera Online Buyer Report is based on responses provided to J.D. Power and Associates through PowerReviews from more than 8,100 verified buyers who purchased a DSLR camera online. The study was fielded from May 2011 through April 2012.
The report's primary purpose is to measure satisfaction with DSLR camera purchases among verified online buyers. Five factors went into the overall measurement: picture quality (including picture clarity, sharpness and color); durability and reliability (including damage resistance, battery life and sturdiness); variety of features (including zoom, image stabilization and low light settings); ease of operation; and shutter speed/lag time (overall speed of the camera, including shutter lag time).
Pentax receives the highest score of all brands included in the report with a score of 899 on a 1,000-point scale. Nikon scored 891, and Canon scored 888. Pentax receives high scores in several operational categories, while Canon is the leading scorer for picture quality. Despite a shift in DSLR camera buyer demographics, overall satisfaction remains stable (888 in 2012 compared with 887 in 2011).
Two changes in the 2012 report, compared with 2011, appear to be particularly significant. First, online purchasers of DSLR cameras spent an average of 10% more this year: $1,291 compared with $1,175 in 2011. This could indicate a greater comfort level with buying expensive items online instead of from a brick-and-mortar retailer.
The report also indicates that Pentax is gaining a larger share of consumers who consider themselves professional or semi-professional photographers--a shift away from Pentax's traditional base of more casual users.
Despite a shift in DSLR camera buyer demographics, overall satisfaction remains stable (888 in 2012 compared with 887 in 2011).
PowerReviews, a social commerce network recently acquired by Bazaarvoice, collected the data for the report. The 2012 Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera Online Buyer Report is based on responses provided to J.D. Power and Associates through PowerReviews from more than 8,100 verified buyers who purchased a DSLR camera online. The study was fielded from May 2011 through April 2012.