# PENTAX Ranked #1 in Buyer Satisfaction



## Jaemie (Jul 5, 2012)

*PENTAX ranked highest in online DSLR buyer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates*



> The study measures satisfaction with DSLR cameras across five factors (listed in order of importance): 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 ranks highest in online buyer satisfaction with a score of 899 (on a 1,000-point scale), followed closely by Nikon (891) and Canon (888). Pentax performs particularly well in durability and reliability; variety of features; ease of operation; and shutter speed/lag time, while Canon performs well in the picture quality factor.



I've been pining for a K-5 for some time. This makes the decision even easier.


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## Solarflare (Jul 5, 2012)

I would say that 899 vs 891 vs 888, of 1000, doesnt sound like there are huge differences. This is very likely well inside the margin of error.


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## Jaemie (Jul 5, 2012)

Solarflare said:


> I would say that 899 vs 891 vs 888, of 1000, doesnt sound like there are huge differences. This is very likely well inside the margin of error.



JD Power is well respected. It seems reasonable to assume they calculate significance appropriately, although I have no idea as to their methodology.

********

Here is an interactive table with a breakdown of the results: Power Circle Ratings - Compare Products & Services | J.D. Power


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## fjrabon (Jul 5, 2012)

The flaw with all customer satisfaction surveys is that a lot of self selection goes into the process.  Like, for instance Apple _kills_ everybody in customer satisfaction.  But if you poll only those that are buying their first Apple product, the figure drops substantially in comparison to how other companies perform in that measure.  You can make the argument that Apple products score so well in customer satisfaction because people want to be satisfied with them.  (not that I totally buy that as a complete explanation, but I think it's probably at least part of the puzzle).  

Really, I've only ever found customer satisfaction surveys to be useful for extreme differences.  For instance, I have a pretty good idea that Canon, Nikon and Pentax are generally better camera systems than Panasonic dSLRs (though I do love my Lumix LX5) from that survey.  But then again, I didn't need JD Power to tell me that either.


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## Dillard (Jul 5, 2012)

Solarflare said:


> I would say that 899 vs 891 vs 888, of 1000, doesnt sound like there are huge differences. This is very likely well inside the margin of error.




I agree. An 11 point spread out of 1000 isn't enough to sway my opinions and thoughts. Especially when dealing with a customer satisfaction survey.


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## sovietdoc (Jul 6, 2012)

I never take into account consumer surveys when I buy gear.  Individual reviews that I can openly read on the web, yes.

And despite all the negative reviews of 5D III that turned up on April 28th on Amazon, I still got mine.  Figured, those must be Nikon trolls.  Same is happening now with the 1D X.  Nobody has even seen the camera and yet people already post up bad reviews. LOL


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## pixmedic (Jul 6, 2012)

sovietdoc said:


> I never take into account consumer surveys when I buy gear.  Individual reviews that I can openly read on the web, yes.
> 
> And despite all the negative reviews of 5D III that turned up on April 28th on Amazon, I still got mine.  Figured, those must be Nikon trolls.  Same is happening now with the 1D X.  Nobody has even seen the camera yet and yet people already most up bad reviews. LOL



LOL...Nikon trolls.  I know some people get pretty serious about brand loyalty, but enough to post false reviews? Seems like that would be bad for people trying to make a legitimate comparison between products.  I love my Nikon...and will gladly stick with Nikon, but not enough to talk crap about another well proven product.  

+1 for using the term "Nikon Troll" tho    :mrgreen:


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## jake337 (Jul 6, 2012)

Pretty easy to get good customer rating with like a hundred customers....


Just messing around of course!


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## sovietdoc (Jul 6, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> LOL...Nikon trolls.  I know some people get pretty serious about brand loyalty, but enough to post false reviews? Seems like that would be bad for people trying to make a legitimate comparison between products.  I love my Nikon...and will gladly stick with Nikon, but not enough to talk crap about another well proven product.
> 
> +1 for using the term "Nikon Troll" tho    :mrgreen:



Well I shoot with Canon but I am not at all "loyal" to the brand.  There were particular reasons I got the gear I got.  If Nikon had what I wanted, I'd use them in a heartbeat.  
I think they have some outstanding pieces of kit in their collection but they are overcharging the $#!+ out of their customers.  Oh and forget about "release dates"  If the release date is set to "January 1st", what they mean is January 1st two years from now.

After reading D800 and D4 reviews I am pretty positive that there are lots of Canon trolls too.

What it probably is; those are the same people trolling Canon and Nikon because they got a Pentax.


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## unpopular (Jul 6, 2012)

Pentax users just don't know any better.


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## Jaemie (Jul 6, 2012)

jake337 said:


> Pretty easy to get good customer rating with like a hundred customers...



In this case, it was "more than 8,100 verified buyers who purchased a DSLR camera."


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## fjrabon (Jul 6, 2012)

Jaemie said:


> jake337 said:
> 
> 
> > Pretty easy to get good customer rating with like a hundred customers...
> ...



I'm sure he was mostly making a joke, but the 8,100 was the total people for all brands.  It didn't give the breakdown for how many used each individual camera brand, that I can find anywhere.  Considering Pentax's market share of dSLR's, if the sample was roughly representative of the overall market, it probably was only a few hundred pentax shooters in the survey.


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## pixmedic (Jul 6, 2012)

I dont remember much from statistics class back in college, sooo...out of 8100 people surveyed,  If Nikon and Canon had fairly close amounts of people, given close shares of the market, and Pentax had a much smaller user base to survey from, what does the outcome of the survey really mean?


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## fjrabon (Jul 6, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> I dont remember much from statistics class back in college, sooo...out of 8100 people surveyed,  If Nikon and Canon had fairly close amounts of people, given close shares of the market, and Pentax had a much smaller user base to survey from, what does the outcome of the survey really mean?



Not very much.  It's especially meaningless since we are left to guess at the sample sizes for each individual brand.  

It's even more compounded, because consumer satisfaction survey's are inherently non-representative to begin with.


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## Jaemie (Jul 6, 2012)

Well, at the very least we know the Pentax buyer is a happy individual.


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## aboudd (Jul 8, 2012)

The K5 is a great little camera and produces fine files. I had an equipment failure with my MF digital on a recent trip to Iceland and had to live with my backup camera - the K5 and only two lenses (25MM Zeiss and 50-135) for two weeks. Although the files are smaller the results are wonderful. You can see them all on my web site: adweckphoto.com, go to the galleries link and then Globe-Trotting, you'll find the Iceland photos, all but one shot with the K5. I'll post one here as an example.

Consumer satisfaction surveys may or may not be valid and the small point spread doesn't really mean much, especially if this is an initial satisfaction survey. The long term surveys are more valid. That said, the Pentax K-5 does offer robust build and good ergonomics. I have issues with some of the controls, but for the most part the K-5 is a satisfactory camera.


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## rexbobcat (Jul 8, 2012)

I think it also has to do with the the prominence of the brand as well. I mean, how many average consumers just go out and buy a Pentax? I assume that most of Pentax's customers are people who have done research and decided that Pentax best suits their needs, instead of every grandma, stay-at-home-mom, and college who would rather go to Walmart and pick out that big Nikon that's so expensive so it MUST take better pictures.

I've NEVER walked into ANY store that sells Pentax DSLRs. I'm sure big camera stores do, but no store in my city carries anything Pentax.


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## sovietdoc (Jul 9, 2012)

The problem is this:  people who buy Pentax are effectively saying "I Don't want a Canon, I don't want a Nikon and I don't even want Sony"

Now that's like saying "I don't want a Ferrari, I don't want a Porsche, I want a Toyota" Hmm wtf?

That's kinda crazy if you ask me.


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## Jaemie (Jul 9, 2012)

sovietdoc said:


> The problem is this:  people who buy Pentax are effectively saying "I Don't want a Canon, I don't want a Nikon and I don't even want Sony"
> 
> Now that's like saying "I don't want a Ferrari, I don't want a Porsche, I want a Toyota" Hmm wtf?
> 
> That's kinda crazy if you ask me.



Not in my case. I own a Canon and it's a fine camera. Now, I want a Pentax because of certain unique features and abilities unavailable on Canon or Nikon, either at similar or at any price.

The car brand comment made me smile, though! I've had two new BMWs and both were wonderfully-engineered cars with amazing features, but now I own a 12-year old used Kia Rio (manual, no AC, no power anything). It performs remarkable well and has been perfectly reliable and in the year I've had it. Of course, I'd love another BMW, but I have nothing bad to say about the Kia. I think the Ferrari-Porsche-Toyota comparison is, perhaps, a little exaggerated. Hehehe...


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## nmoody (Jul 9, 2012)

sovietdoc said:


> The problem is this:  people who buy Pentax are effectively saying "I Don't want a Canon, I don't want a Nikon and I don't even want Sony"
> 
> Now that's like saying "I don't want a Ferrari, I don't want a Porsche, I want a Toyota" Hmm wtf?
> 
> That's kinda crazy if you ask me.



Now now dont give Sony that much credit =)


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## rexbobcat (Jul 10, 2012)

Jaemie said:


> sovietdoc said:
> 
> 
> > The problem is this:  people who buy Pentax are effectively saying "I Don't want a Canon, I don't want a Nikon and I don't even want Sony"
> ...



What does Pentax do differenty? I've heard that they use a different "type" of sensor (I think?) that has different results than either Canon's or Sony's. It's not Bayer but something else....That might have been Sigma though. I don't remember.


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## Jaemie (Jul 10, 2012)

rexbobcat said:


> What does Pentax do differenty? I've heard that they use a different "type" of sensor (I think?) that has different results than either Canon's or Sony's. It's not Bayer but something else....That might have been Sigma though. I don't remember.



hmm... I don't know how different it is, but it is highly rated. The K-5 APS-C 16.3MP sensor scores very well against, and by some measures better than, the sensors in the Canon 7D and Nikon D7000. DxOMark - Compare cameras side by side

But I'm mostly interested in the K-5's in-body image stabilization feature, and the wealth of used, inexpensive lenses available - all of which instantly benefit from image stabilization. Sony also offers in-body image stabilization, but I'm not into the electronic viewfinder; I've tried it and it's nice to have a lot of information visible, but I just prefer an analog instrument.


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## sovietdoc (Jul 10, 2012)

> I want a Pentax because of certain unique features and abilities unavailable on Canon or Nikon



Such as...



> Now now dont give Sony that much credit =)



HAH I was expecting this reply..


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## The Barbarian (Jul 16, 2012)

Mostly, people buy Pentax, because they're cheapskates and don't want to pay extra for the prestige of owning a Canon or a Nikon.   As long as you can get more quality for less money with Pentax, they'll continue to do it.

When I shot film, I used Nikons almost exclusively.   But somehow, I really liked the *stDS.   And I've been buying Pentax ever since.   And happy with it.


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## BobSaget (Nov 16, 2012)

noooo way! come on. If your going to relate camera brands to cars I think a better comparison would be honda= nikon, toyota = canon, mazda= pentax. Think about the build quality and the performance of these cameras. The relation is much closer.


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## The_Traveler (Nov 16, 2012)

this kind of satisfaction survey is silly because so much hinges on the weighting of individual questions.


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## pez (Nov 18, 2012)

While it is true such surveys don't mean a whole lot, Pentax products are very fine. I completely understand why most professionals use Nikon and that other one... oh yeah, Canon- because the already vast customer base allows for a more comprehensive variety of useful pro accessories for every day photo business. Canikons are great, and their lenses and 3rd party support are first rate. For the mere amateur photography enthusiast, however, the playing field is far more evened out in spite of all the the Ford/Chevy posturing. I've been using Pentax products forever, starting with the K1000, ME Super and MX, but have observed many a friend sink big $$$ into other systems, only to eventually lose interest and sell everything off or worse, let it all mildew in a box somewhere. Whatever system you buy into, the satisfaction you get from your craft and art transcends the tools you use to create it. And Pentax gear isn't exactly cheap, either. The lenses range from good to superb, plus all of them will function on the latest bodies, with in-camera SR. I remain "brand loyal" not only because it's for the most part well-designed equipment targeted at enthusiasts like me, but I gotta enjoy the occasional comment like "Pentax? Really? I thought they went out of business decades ago!" Hahaha, not yet, anyway...


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## GnipGnop (Dec 10, 2012)

sovietdoc said:


> > I want a Pentax because of certain unique features and abilities unavailable on Canon or Nikon
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The weather sealing in Pentax's K-5 and K-30 are equal to the weather sealing you get in a 1D series Canon or similar Nikon.
The sensor Pentax uses in the K-5 is the same as the D7000, yet the Pentax manages to get more dynamic range out of the sensor. In fact, it has more dynamic range than the Canon 5d MKII as base ISO.
The new Pentax K-5ii can autofocus in -3EV.
You also have access to the excellent prime lenses Pentax makes (the limited), as well as over 25 million legacy lenses and their pro series DA* lenses.
The K5 is also rated as the top APS-C sensor. 

If you don't know what you're talking about, please stop feeding people with misinformation.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Dec 10, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> this kind of satisfaction survey is silly because so much hinges on the weighting of individual questions.



+1

And the fact Pentax has so few customers compared to the big 2...their customers are Pentax "loyalists"


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## rexbobcat (Dec 10, 2012)

GnipGnop said:
			
		

> The weather sealing in Pentax's K-5 and K-30 are equal to the weather sealing you get in a 1D series Canon or similar Nikon.
> The sensor Pentax uses in the K-5 is the same as the D7000, yet the Pentax manages to get more dynamic range out of the sensor. In fact, it has more dynamic range than the Canon 5d MKII as base ISO.
> The new Pentax K-5ii can autofocus in -3EV.
> You also have access to the excellent prime lenses Pentax makes (the limited), as well as over 25 million legacy lenses and their pro series DA* lenses.
> ...



Is somebody thing through buyer's remorse, trying to justify the purchase maybe?  jk


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## GnipGnop (Dec 10, 2012)

Not in the slightest. Those are just the facts. I have a Canon S90 and love it. If you read closely, I wasn't knocking Canikons at all. Why people feel so compelled to stick up for their preferred camera system by spouting things like Rex and others write is beyond me (unless Canon/Nikon is paying them).


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## Utahphotog (Dec 21, 2012)

rexbobcat said:


> GnipGnop said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Certainly no buyer's remorse here. I've owned a string of Canon bodies including the 5D2. When I moved to digital medium format I sold my Canon gear. I bought a K5 as a backup to a 645D. The K5 has better dynamic range than the 5D2 or any of the present Canon bodies for that matter,  built in interval timers (Canons don't), internal image stabilization (Canon's don't), optional GPS tracking for night sky photography (no other brand). So, when you glibly poke fun at Pentax, you should have your facts straight.


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## Mully (Dec 21, 2012)

Jaemie said:


> Well, at the very least we know the Pentax buyer is a happy individual.



I am glad you are happy!!  Me I could care less about a poll ....just use the equipment


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## nanhi (Mar 25, 2013)

Jaemie said:


> Well, at the very least we know the Pentax buyer is a happy individual.



Basically I am a Leica User - with Leicas in the family since 1937. As a kid used Rolleiflex TLRs, my own Yashica 635 TLR (120 roll film + 35 mm cassette), owned some of these SLRs at one point in time or the other - Nikon, Pentax, Pentacon & Minolta.
This January while in Toronto saw a Pentax K-5 with the Pentax 18-135 WR Lens for CAD 1108 (CAD almost equals USD) with Henry's. My son bought it for me. What an awesome camera & lens - blows away all the Nikons and Canons.
I have attached a recent photo taken with this combo. 
This camera and lens has the best weather sealing in an all metal body - see US Army experiment in Afghanistan. And it is also the smallest in size.
Regards. Bipin - from that far away enchanting land.


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## otherprof (Mar 25, 2013)

I agree with Fjrabon about self-selection, but with a spin. I think you also have to take into account the expectations and prior experience of the raters. I would assume more professionals are choosing Nikon and Canon, and their expectations may be higher. They may be annoyed with what they consider slow focusing, or even slightly off auto focusing, where someone coming from a point and shoot might not notice a problem. I remember being puzzled by occasional Consumer Reports auto ratings. Sometimes a Dodge would rate higher in performance than a BMW, for example. A friend explained to me that for people who buy Dodges (I had one at the time) if it starts when you turn it on and stops when you step on the brake, there is no problem. But for people who know BMW's, if the engine goes roooooooooom instead of ruuuuuuuuuuum, it needs a tuneup. That being said, the Pentax may still be the better performer.


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