Sony DSC H3 vs Canon SX 100 IS

I am a relative beginner who needs portability and cost-effectiveness badly enough to be debating between these two cameras instead of a full D-SLR (though I do miss traditional ring-adjusted manual focus). Use will be predominantly for landscapes (city, countryside, bodies of water), including macro shots like plant and water reflective detail, and action shots like animals in motion, at very variable lighting. I know the on-paper specs but am not skilled at translating that information in to image quality. To me, the long range of the flash, the 9-point auto-focus, and the availability of tele and wide conversion lenses and filters on the Sony look attractive, and the broader range of manual focus (vs presets), the a/s priorities (which I'm not very good with yet) and the stronger digital zoom (4x vs 2x) on the Canon look attractive. My old point-and-shoot was a Sony, so I already have batteries and a memory stick. Image clarity/detail/sharpness, and color accuracy are very important to me. My questions:

How does the Canon lens compare with the Zeiss?

Is the construction of one camera significantly more sturdy than the other?

Will the Super-Steady or the OIS offer better hand-shake blur reduction?

How does the DIGIC III compare with Sony's processor?

Any other advice would be appreciated as well.

Thank you!

Canon lenses will compete pretty good with Zeiss. Optical IS is much better in keeping the image steady as opposed to a digital IS option. The DIGIC III processor is the same used in their DSLRs so you're good to go there. Don't even consider digital zoom when comparing cameras. That's a marketing ploy. When you change the focal length of a zoom lens, the subject is magnified. Optical zoom replicates the zoom of a 35mm camera. Digital zoom takes a portion of the image's data and displays it at full size, producing a magnification of the original image, similar to the effect of using a telephoto lens. However, the process is different from the magnification produced using the camera's optical zoom, and the stronger the digital zoom, the more the image will degrade.

Ordinarily, I would argue against using SONY because of the proprietary memory stick, etc. But since you've already invested in this, it would seem more sense for you to stay with the SONY option. I doubt that any edge would be more than slight to justify reinvesting in what you already have.

Finally, when trying to make a final call, it may just come down to what camera feels good in your hand. Go to a local camera store and check both out side by side, holding them, feeling their center of gravity, the balance. How it sits in your hand. That usually sells me one way or the other.

Hi Talia

I've bought Sony H3 on 22-Sept, after it's announced about 1 month. With more 1000pcs i taken during last time, i highly appriciate H3, quality is very good!
Yesterday i tested SX100IS, LCD's good too, more depth than H3 in colour, more functions and plenty of options. Can say that Canon has good technology and especially in pictures quality, very true and excellent
But, don't forget contruction of camera! You aloso know that design of camera's body very important, can you take a good sence, can you concentrate to object, can you have good spirit (comfortable) when you shooting??? It's depending on camera body which you hold!!!

In this side, Canon SX's bad! Design of buttons on this not so good, it make more difficult for you when you hold, you take and you adjust modes, it's narrow!!!
More futher, perfoming speed of SX is slow, how can you fetch a nice moment???

Hence, if you said you're beginer, let me tell you let use H3, you have more confident when you take a trip and take a view!
For your questions, let me say:

1> How does the Canon lens compare with the Zeiss?
=> Carl Zeiss is the best qualtity, it manby equivalent to LEICA

2> Is the construction of one camera significantly more sturdy than the other?
=> I said,please test it directly

3> Will the Super-Steady or the OIS offer better hand-shake blur reduction?
=> Really OIS of Canon is better Super-Steady Shot

4> How does the DIGIC III compare with Sony's processor?
Digic III is good, but you can not assume it's used in D-SLR camera, not so complete.
Further, almost of Cameras (Canon, Nikon...) use Sony's processor


Hope you enjoy!!!

Mr. Hai Nam

I very concise review, Hai. Although I disagree that Canon and Nikon's optics aren't on par with Leica, I believe they are. I'm not saying that Leica isn't a good lens, absolutely it is, but here's a reason why pros use either Canon or Nikon ... it's the glass.

And then there's Sony's obsession with proprietary technology. Don't get me started there. Still, your review of the H3 is excellent!

Hi All,

Thanks for all the reviews.
Anyone knows which one is better in terms of battery? SX100 with 2500mah or DSC h3 with the NP G1, the typical battery

-Rohit

I just bought the H3 and i'm very satisfied! ictures are guite good! But the imagestabilation are really bad! It don't work like at Canon S3 IS. And movie mode was bad too coz I couldn't use zoom while recording film! :'( But the quality was good! Zoom is fast and silence but flash is very noizy!? But to normal using people this camera is really good! :D

The H3 and SX100 IS are really nice. SX100 IS seems to have better image quality by an almost inscrutable margin except for noise and noise reduction. For low light these two are pretty crappy, but the SX100 is better. In terms of build they're both about the same, H3 is retro while SX is blocky. About DIGIC and Bionz - they are both used in DSLRs, and it's just marketing - but the H3 is faster. The SX is SLOW! in flash photography - a 4-5 second wait! For image stabilization, none will really buy you clean images at slower speeds at 10X, but they're about the same. Canon's IS is a little better, since it's older. They're both decent, but you will want to have fast shutter speed/tripod at 7x beyond. About lenses, the Canon lenses are decent, while Carl Zeiss' lenses are very good on Leica models, but not as high-grade on lower-end Sonys. Still they're quite good - just keep in mind they will have noticeable distortion shooting straight lines etc. About battery - NiMHs are more convenient (AA) but Sony's lasts long. Keep in mind the Sony takes 3 hours to charge!

Now I'm used my H3 really much and it's really good! It's much faster than Canon (if you use flas it's really super fast!). So I say: Buy Sony H3!! And the battery (stamina) is pretty good too... so I can take 300photos with only one load... The load time is under 3hour's..

Thanks Kili and Chingy

Hi Experts,

I am thinking of buying SONY H9 or Cannon SX100 or Cannon S5 or SONY H3.
Please advice which one willbeb better in all aspects.

Regards
Alok

Hi! Sony H9 Is like piece of shit! Pictures are awful over 100ISO, But H3 is good and it is really fast with flas(What Canon is not) Canon S5 is good too, but it is really big and heavy. It's you're choice what you want, but don't buy H9! With Canon S5 you cant use zoom while you're taking video, but with SX100 and H3 you can't. If somebody want's test photos with H3 I can send them with e-mail! :)

Hi everyone, I am contemplating on buying either a Sony DSC H3 or a Canon s5 is. I`ve got my hands on several digital cameras- and I can say I liked Canon`s performance better. In terms of shifting to a level higher from the usual digicams, can I get your thoughts on which camera is better? Which camera can make better pictures, more handy to use and has faster/better image for moving objects? I appreciate your help! Thanks!

Like I said I think Sony is faster! And sony you can take whole memory stic full only with one button push! So you can take several pictures only one button. So if you take photos like Bird photos I think that H3 is better for that! :D So read other comments ^

Hi my guys! It's glad to meet you here! So, the discussing is rather more, let's take some views on pictures that took by cameras above! (^_^)

Let me show some image took by Sony DSC H3 on 2 months ago (about Nov or Dec/2007)
as link:

1> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/nambk_upload/DSC00370-1.jpg
2> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/nambk_upload/anh_20_10_2007/DSC01554.jpg
3> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/nambk_upload/anh_20_10_2007/DSC01723.jpg

Dear Experts,
Thanks for ur reply.But still I am confuse.In some of the site,Canon S5 is ranked as No. 1.
DSC P-41 since 4 years and not satified with the outcome though I have not taken any hard copy till now but I consulted with some of the Studio photographers and they told that the print out of all canon is really good in all aspects than Sony?Is it true?
In some of the review also it has been mentioned that canon is good in Picture quality.But Sony has faster outcome and good in softcopy.

Actually I need the following
1.Good Features
2.Good Quality Print out.
3.Low time for taking the photo.
4.High in optical Zoom
5.Long Lasting
6.Light and Good Look with Good quality.
7.A camera with which I will happy to hold for another 5 years....

I am a frequent flyer from ome country to other and in the coming days i will be there in Uk for a 1 year or so.
and in that light we need a good flash light also.

So keeping all this in view,please suggest the best among Sony(H3,H9) and Canon(SX100,S5)

Thanks in Advance
Alok

Dear Experts,
Thanks for ur reply.But still I am confuse.In some of the site,Canon S5 is ranked as No. 1.
DSC P-41 since 4 years and not satified with the outcome though I have not taken any hard copy till now but I consulted with some of the Studio photographers and they told that the print out of all canon is really good in all aspects than Sony?Is it true?
In some of the review also it has been mentioned that canon is good in Picture quality.But Sony has faster outcome and good in softcopy.

Actually I need the following
1.Good Features
2.Good Quality Print out.
3.Low time for taking the photo.
4.High in optical Zoom
5.Long Lasting
6.Light and Good Look with Good quality.
7.A camera with which I will happy to hold for another 5 years....

I am a frequent flyer from ome country to other and in the coming days i will be there in Uk for a 1 year or so.
and in that light we need a good flash light also.

So keeping all this in view,please suggest the best among Sony(H3,H9) and Canon(SX100,S5)

Thanks in Advance
Alok

Dear experts, what can you say about panasonic's new TZ5 model compared to canon's sx100? Is it worth to buy TZ5 over sx100? what i need is a camera that is compact, very good image quality, and can both perform good in low-light and daylight... If you have other suggestions please let me know...