Sony DSC W200...Is it worth the price?

[sony_cb]

Ive been a fan of sony for awhile now and Its a shame that the w-series do not come with manual controls so when i found out that the w200 actually does, i was ready to dole out $399 for it but the question is, is it worth it? my main concern is its' ability to take indoor photos and unusual lighting.
are there better cameras out there for less? an 8mp camera should do the job just the same.

[griptape]

The Fuji F50 will do better for your needs.

[Wirraway]

The Sony DSC-W200 has just been reviewed at Steve's Digicams:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_...sony_w200.html

"The W200 is equipped with a versatile sensitivity range of ISO 100 - 3200, enabling hand-held photography in lighting conditions that would otherwise require the use of a tripod or flash. Noise is almost nonexistent at ISO speeds of 200 or less, and even ISO 400 and 800 look pretty good. Once you reach ISO 1600 and 3200, noise is quite noticeable throughout the image, however at these settings images are still usable as long as you are not making prints larger than your typical 4x6-inch."

I use the previous W100 (also manual settings) and find it quite good at ISO400 and useable images at ISO800 when using noise reduction software.

DSC-W100 image at ISO800 (Handheld) Thailand night street scene.