SONY Cyber-shot vs Panasonic

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Cyber_Shot_DSC_W5/4505-6501_7-31292846.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_LZ2K/4505-6501_7-31289094.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Cyber_Shot_DSC_W7/4505-6501_7-31292847.html

Here are some reviews from C Net. I bought the W5 last summer, and I love it. The W7 came out a little later. Basically it is the same camera, but has 7 megapixels instead of five. A few months after I got my W5, my husband got the W7, for practically the same price that I paid.

I like C Net's reviews because you can see the reviews from both the standpoint of a professional reviewer, and consumers.

Here's the review of the Finepix:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Fujifilm_FinePix_F10/4505-6501_7-31289404.html

thanks, Phoenix. Now I have a question for you - have you any opinion on these three when shooting in low0light situations?

Have you also had a look at
http://www.steves-digicams.com/cameras_dig5.html
and
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

I read a lot of these reviews before I bought my W12 (black W1) early in 2005.

regards
Martin

I can offer you two perspectives: I am an avid amateur photographer and a good friend of mine an artist who painted from digital photos and took pictures of his finished works.

First, I've worked with both Sony and Panasonic products in digital forms. From my experience, I would recommend Panasonic over Sony, especially if you are thinking about user friendliness of the product as well as the quality of your pictures. In general, Panasonic cameras have the Leica lens that just cannot be beat, even with the Carl Zeiss on Sony. The color depth and accuracy is far more natural. In terms of specifics, I have used Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T1, which is a different type of camera than what you are looking at, as well as Panasonic DMC-LC40, DMC-FX7, and finally, LZ2, which is one of your options. LZ2 is in a class of its own because it has a 6x zoom for its medium body, unlike other point-and-shoot cameras. I found that the zoom, however, was not as reliable as I expected, even with the Image Stabilization system. LZ2 performed decently in low light situations (natural).

As for my friend, he worked with Nikon Coolpix 800 (really old swivel design - don't think they make it anymore) and really liked it. One of the things he appreciated was not only its low light performance, but the swivel design itself that made it much easier to hold it steadily (unless you plan on using a tripod). He was looking into getting a new Pentax (can't remember which model) that also had a swivel design. He took photos of subjects with the Nikon and also took photos of his paintings and submitted those images to competitions, successfully.

Currently, I am using a Casio Exilim EX-Z110, which is a good compact camera but not sure if this would be good for your purpose. I traded in my Panasonic LZ2 for this because I wasn't impressed enough with the 6x zoom enough and preferred to have a more compact one. This does not mean, however, I don't like the Panasonic because the images are still far more superior for artistic purposes (I still have my LC40).

Hope this is helpful!