J.D. Power and Associates has released the results from its 2008 Digital Camera Usage and Satisfaction Survey.

The study looked into cameras in four categories: point and shoot, premium point and shoot, ultra slim and DSLR. In each segment, four factors were measured to determine customer satisfaction: picture quality, performance, ease of operation, and appearance and styling. It also looked into user trends.

In the DSLR cameras, the Canon EOS Digital SLR and Nikon D series tied with a score of 823 out of 1,000 - the highest score out of the whole survey. The Canon camera scored particularly high ratings rom customers in picture quality, while the Nikon D series - which ranks highest for the second year in a row - got the nod in ease of operation, performance and appearance and styling.

Among premium point and shoot cameras, the Canon PowerShot G series and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ series also tied to claim the top spot, each receiving a score of 773, while the Lumix DMC-FZ series came a close second with a score of 766, receiving high ratings from customers in the performance factor.

The Fujifilm Finepix S series ranks highest in the reglar point and shoot segment with a score of 757, performing particularly well in picture quality, performance and ease of operation. A number of Kodak models followed shortly behind the Finepix S in the rankings, including the Kodak V series (739), Kodak Z series (731) and Kodak M Series (727).

Finally, in the ultra slim category, the Sony Cyber-shot T series led the pack with a score of 794, performing particularly well in all four factors. The Casio Exilim Zoom series came in second at 766 points, and the Fujifilm FinePix Z series closely just pipped and pushed to third place with 761.

When asked about features camera owners want to see in their next camera, weatherproofing was popular with owners in both point and shoot categories, while ultra slim owners want 4GB internal memory capacity and DSLR owners most desire a bit of waterproofing.

As may be expected, DSLR owners were also those who take the most photos in a month - racking up an average of 454 photos, followed by premium point and shoot owners (159), ultra slim owners (96), and casual point and shoot owners (83).

The 2008 Digital Camera Usage and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 8,000 consumers who purchased a digital camera between April 2007 and March 2008. For more information on the study, head on over to the website.

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