HELP: Canon S3IS vs S5IS vs Sony DSC-H7 vs DSC-H9

Satan

Satan

Adept
I'm stuck. I've been reading tonnes of reviews about these cameras. I've heard conflicting stories from people who own these cameras and now that it is decision time... I'm stumped.

I know there are a lot of S3IS fans here, but i'd love it if you guys could help me arrive at a decision.

I checked out the Sony DSC-H7 which a friend of mine owns and I really liked it. This same friend also owns the S3IS but he seems to be completely in favor of the H7. His main reasoning is that it's really fast in capturing images... a true point and shoot as he said.

My criteria

1) Easy to use without needing a PHd. I don't mind a masters degree though ;) Basically, I'm not afraid of the complex options, but i'd like something that can give me the best photos with minmal tweaking.

2) Kick a$$ photo quality with no or very little noise in the photos

Hope you guys don't mind helping out as this been asked several times although not contrasting the above models. I appreciate it.

Cheers
 
The Canon S5IS and the Sony DSC-H9 are similarly priced on Sify at around 20k... so yeah, my budget tips off the scale at the very same price. Don't plan on going any higher.
 
Have used the S3IS and really like it. Some friends of mine extensively tested both the S3IS and H5 and it came down to personal preference - some like Canon's output and colours, while others like the Sony's. One found it unacceptable that Sony used proprietary (and expensive) memory sticks. All of them thought canon was more user-friendly. Also, canon's video recording is far better. I would suggest just buy the one which you are comfortable handling (since you have access to both), since there doesn't seem to be much difference in terms of photo quality.
 
Its true that if you already own a S3, the upgrade to S5 is not advisable. However if you plan on a fresh purchase, I would suggest go for the S5 as there is no point looking back to the S3 and your budget already covers that.

And I am not saying that S5 is the best of the lot, it depends on how well you master it. Even the S3 would beat the S5 if you knew how to manipulate the settings, i own a S3 and till now I have not been able to learn all the settings. So its a matter of personal preference.
 
I am also thinking about getting a H7 or H9. But think H7 will do since there is diff only in LCD screen size (2.5/3.00). But have been using Canon SLRs (film) over several years and so have a soft corner for Canon. So would like to have opinion of those who have used both. Or else will go for EOS D40 when it becomes available here.
 
For any one who wants a megazoom point n shoot with some manual settings, check out the recently released Canon sx100 too :hap2:

Looks great as per specs. Waiting for reviews ;)
 
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