Panasonic, Fujifilm Most Reliable Cameras Study Finds

Panasonic point-and-shoot cameras are the least likely to fail according to a study from independent warranty provider SquareTrade.

The findings are based on results of a study of failures covered by its warranty plans, and showed that Panasonic had a failure rate of just 5.3 per cent for cameras under US $300 (£195).

The next best camera to have in your backpack is one form Fujifilm which had a 6.1 per cent failure rate.

Olympus and Sony then fared equally well in the study with a fractionally higher failure rate of 6.2 per cent.

The two brands of lower-end cameras with the gretest chance of breaking down were Polaroid (11.9 per cent) and Casio (13 per cent).

SquareTrade did find that a camera’s failure rate will drop the more you fork out of your wallet.

A camera costing up to US $150 (£97) has about a 7.4 per cent chance of failing, compared to a 4 percent failure rate for cameras priced at over US $500 (£325).

Panasonic still topped the reliability ranks of higher-end models, with a failure rate of 1.9 per cent among models over the £325 price bracket.

Of these premium models, Canon posed the greatest risk of failure at 6.2 per cent.

Overall, SquareTrade predicts that 5.9 per cent of cameras will fail within the first year, with 2.4 per cent of those failures down to accidental damage.

By projecting the data over three years, 15.6 per cent of digital cameras will experience some sort of failure, whether it be accidental or by malfunction.

Considering the number of digital cameras out there, we’re actually quite impressed by the longevity of today’s devices, but then again these are gadgets that we tend to hold onto for a few years instead of upgrading every 24 months, as is the tendency with mobile phones.

The study concentrated on 60,000 digital cameras purchased since 2006.

Have you had to get your digital snapper fixed in the last few years? Leave us a comment and let us know.

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Ofcom Finds UK Broadband Speeds Misrepresented

British broadband customers still aren’t receiving what they think they pay for as mystery shopper research from Ofcom has found.

The independent regulator’s research found that 85 per cent of potential customers were given a maximum speed estimate before they signed up, but that three-quarters of them were not told that their real-life speed would be slower.

Many providers were also cagey about giving out speed details unless specifically asked, with 42 per cent of mystery shoppers having to prompt ISP sales reps for the information.

The research also found that ISPs provided very wide broadband speed figures, and even estimated completely different speeds for the same line.

Ofcom has said this may be due to the separate testing methods used by ISPs, which raises the question as to why there isn’t a standardised measure across the board.

“We will work with the internet service providers to ensure consumers receive the best quality information and amend the existing code accordingly,” said Ed Richards, Ofcom chief executive in a statement.

“We will continue to monitor and assess performance against the code in the coming months.”

Ofcom will change its code of practice within the next few months to persuade ISPs to provide more consistent and accurate information.

If the regulator is not able to reach an agreement with ISPs it has said it will consider legislation to make accurate speed disclosure mandatory.

Have you checked the speed of your broadband? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Via Ofcom

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