Sony W150 or Canon SD870IS or other?

[daveandgeorge]

I have just purchased the Sony W150 but am now having doubts after doing a more thorough search of forums and reviews. I am able to return this camera and swap for another....so what are your thoughts?
I was also concerned about pics at low light on the sony. I like taking shots of the city at night and the review pic was average compared to the canon. The movie feature also appears to be better on the canon. But I like how easy the sony is to use, the smile shutter and that the optical zoom is 5x.

My preferences are as follows:

Budget
$250 - $400US

Size
Compact. Easily fits in my handbag. Not too bulky.

Features
8+megapixels
Optical zoom 3-5X

Image quality
8+/10

Do you care for manual controls?
Not really, but some could be handy.

General Usage
What will you generally use the camera for?
Parties, landscapes, travel pics - going to New York for New Years!, kids/babies
Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Yes - but rarely. Likely A3 at most.
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes, I suppose - parties, night/twilight landscapes
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
The occasional rugby game or kitesurfing pic.

Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
None
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Sony W150, Canon SD870IS and maybe a Panansonic Lumix

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Image stabilisation, and I like the wide angle lens also

Thank you

[KCook]

Err, how have your shots of the city at night with the W150 actually turned out for you?

Kelly Cook

[daveandgeorge]

The city photos at night are appalling! I tried lots of different settings but was very disappointed. I am going to take it back tomorrow and try the Canon. But any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[AndyfromVA]

Jeff's review noted that the W150 was not great at night scenes:
Like the DSC-W130 I just reviewed, the W150 is no great shakes at night scenes like the one you see above. There's no manual control over shutter speed, so you're stuck with the twilight portrait mode. Combine the 2 second maximum shutter speed with a slow lens, and you just don't bring in enough light to do this shot justice. While the photo is on the soft side, purple fringing is not a problem.

If good night scenes are important to you, consider a camera with manual controls. The only small cameras I know with manual controls are the the Panasonic LZ8, LZ10 and FX500.

[KCook]

Fair enough. The Panasonic LX2 price is now down around the mid-$300 range. f/2.8 lens and up to 60 seconds exposure. Expect to apply your own noise reduction, etc, with your editor.

Kelly