Canon A95 vs Sony DSCW5???

[dmz19]

Besides the swival LCD and manual controls, is there something more about the CANON that I need to know to buy it over the SONY?

SONY - I like the low light ability, the 2.5" LCD, changes to the camera shown ON the LCD, fast 1 second start-up and improved battery life AA. I really want my next camera to be a Canon but haven't found anything except the swival screen to sway me?? Of course, Canon also has a negative possibility with the "error" that has been widely reported, including on the A95.

I want something fast to catch those opportunities, don't need any manual control, may replace my Minolta S414 with my choice, rarely print an 8x10 and photograph everyday stuff - family, friends, pets, vacations, etc.

Both have outstanding, positive reviews - I bought a SONY P200 but returned it because I don't need a 7MP camera. I took a few photos in 5MP and they are outstanding for my taste - much better than the Minolta. I considered others (like the SD400, Nikon CoolPix) but too small for me, as was the SONY P200. I like the many electronic features of the SONY which makes opertaing easier for me - don't have to chase down my glasses to see the mode I am changing to - shows up on the screen!
PLEASE HELP!!!!

[dmz19]

Any A95 or W5 owners out there that can assist????

[Newbie]

I got the A95 and I absolutly love it!
But if you are satisfied with the image quality of the W5 and that you do not want manual features, then I see no point for you to go with the A95...

The drawbacks of the W5... I'll presume they are the same as the W1... are that some people find it was too soft due to noise reduction program, the Memory Stick Pro costs more than the CF cards, it has very limited manual controls, specially no custom white balance and the LCD isn't easy to see in low light. But don't get me wrong, both the Canon and the Sony should be good cameras that will please you.

With that being said, feel free to have a look at my gallery.

[dmz19]

Nice pics - by the way, the SONY has 5 white balance choices - auto,daylight,cloudy,fluorescent and incandescent

Just trying to see if I am missing something by NOT buying the A95....haven't found much....

[Newbie]

As I was saying the W5 is lacking custom white balance... having many white balance mode is useful... but when they are not appropriate, custom comes in handy... I haven't bothered using white balance much yet, other than to know how it works... but I have seen some pics where auto wasn't quite perfect...

[dmz19]

So if I order the A95 and compare next to the W5 - how should I compare - similar pictures and print them....some ideas would be great!
Thanks,
Don

[Newbie]

It would actually be hard to compare side by side... One camera is better than the other in particular situations... I'd believe that both cameras would suit your needs... so if I were you, I'd go to your local dealer hold both cameras and buy the most comfortable one, the one you're the most likely to have with u the most often so that u can take as many pictures as possible.

[dimm0k]

I currently have the W1 and with that said I can't say I've had the problem of soft images, but from the images seen from others it does look a little softer when compared to other cameras. Then again I've never seen pictures of the same image comparing both cameras. I'm not sure if this "problem" has been resolved with the W5, but there was one person who said they called Sony and was told the W5 fixes it. As for the LCD the W5 has the option to change the brightness so if you had problems seeing the LCD on the W1, that should help.

It's true there's no custom white balance... not too big of a deal.

[Brenda_sheldon]

May be I did not have the correct settings....but the image I saw on the pretty good 2.5 LCD screen when I took the picture was not the same as the one it recorded...The still shots came out good though little bit washed out.. Again, I am new to digital and I am thinking of giving Pentax optio 5Si or Canon SD300 a try before I settle down for one...

Brenda

[speaklightly]

dmz19-

Please keep in mind that the Sony W-5 does have a large 2.5" LCD but it doesn't have very many pixels in it. Therefore, the image on the LCD is really not very sharp or well defined. That was my major complaint along with the continual "softness" of the digital photos.

If the choice was mine, I would opt in an instant for the Canon A-95 which is a very well priced high quality digital camera.

Sarah Joyce

[gary_hendricks]

The Canon A95 is a great camera. I've been wanting to put up a review of the Sony DSC-W5 but for now, check out my A95 review at this link (www.basic-digital-photography.com/canon-powershot-a95-review.html). :)

[dmz19]

Thanks, Gary, for the link to the review. I noticed the SONY W1 received a pretty good review as well - would you think the items you did not like in the W1 would be improved in the W5?

Trying to make my mind up has been a real challenge. I recently bought a Canon printer and if I buy the A95, I get $50 rebate - which is nice. That means I can buy the Canon for $225 and don't need to buy memory because I have plenty - The Sony is going to cost an additional $100 plus about $68 for the memory stick. From a financial perspective, is the SONY worth $168 more than the Canon??

I will ask one last question - how about the new Fuji F10 due out in April? How do you think that would compare to the Canon?

Anxious for your reply - based on that, I am buying something this weekend and going to enjoy whatever I buy!!!

[Newbie]

From a financial perspective the W5 is not worth 168$ more than the A95...

As for the F10, well it looks interesting with its ISO1600, but I presume that it won't be useable above ISO400, which would already be better than most compact digicams(maybe even all)... but you wouldn't know about that until it is reviewed... And also, a good thing about it, is its Super HDD(something like that) sensor, which finally doesn't interpolate, but that was just my opinion..

[dmz19]

I have made up my mind - looked at several comparable pics taken by both - went and held them - and I will be joining the proud owners of the CANON A95! There is NO way the SONY is worth $168 more than the Canon - DONE DEAL! Thanks to everyone for your assistance...