Canon vs. Sony...or vs. Others?

[slundy]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.

300-400 (w/accessories)
Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Doesn't matter


Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
6-7

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

I'd prefer Ultra Zoom


* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
10

Do you care for manual controls?
Yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Pictures of my upcoming daughter, and my two dogs when they are playing.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Most likely

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Hate=HP

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

Sony Cybershot DSC-H5
Canon PowerShot S3 IS

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)

Image Stabilization



I've been on the fence over these two until I came to this site. It seems to say the Canon is better than the Sony but when talking with a local photo guy he's telling me that the Sony would take better pics in low-light (like in my daughters bedroom).

Baby is due March 29th so I need this camera quick....

at Buttfly Photo the prices are almost the same (the Sony uses Media Duo memory, more $$) with the accessory kits.

Sony = 443.90 w/shipping
Canon = 401.95 w/shipping

This is going to be one of the last cameras I'm going to buy for awhile...I hope..maybe a small point and shoot for my wife when she's out and about with the baby....

[LR Max]

Look at the Panasonic Lumix series, expecially the new FZ8 (or whatever, it has a *8* in the name). A buddy of mine has the previous year model and it is pretty freakin' sweet. Small and fairly capable for general purpose use. Fairly versitile as a multi-purpose camera.

Looking at the new FZ8, I think it'll be even more awesome.

[slundy]

Look at the Panasonic Lumix series, expecially the new FZ8 (or whatever, it has a *8* in the name). A buddy of mine has the previous year model and it is pretty freakin' sweet. Small and fairly capable for general purpose use. Fairly versitile as a multi-purpose camera.

Looking at the new FZ8, I think it'll be even more awesome.


I was just reading about that one as well....ugh...now I've got 3 to decide between...

Is there that noticable of a shutter lag between the sony and canon as it's stated on a few sites?

I'm not an expert, but I also know that the sony takes better pictures at a higher iso setting...still researching if I would ever up the iso from "Auto" ....:(

[slundy]

Looked up some shots from the panasonic compared to the canon and the canon was a lot better...so now I'm back to either the canon or the sony...

[bascom]

Where are the sample shots you saw where the Canon was a lot better? Can you give us URL's?