Labs

When you compare the specifications, build quality and image quality to the other seven cameras in this Labs, you'd be forgiven for thinking the price above is a misprint. But the DSC-W5 really does cost less than £200, complete with its excellent Carl Zeiss lens, 5-megapixel sensor and large 2.5in LCD.

There are some niggles, though. It's one of the heaviest and bulkiest on test and comes with NiMH AA batteries rather than an InfoLithium cell; this means you can buy replacements wherever you are in the world, but you miss out on luxuries such as having an accurate indication of time remaining. Finally, there's no manual white-balance control and no Sport scene mode, despite there being seven presets on the main dial.

It's also a shame that Sony doesn't include aperture- or shutter-priority modes, but to compensate there's full manual

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control. Other features include the handy ability to adjust flash power, sharpness, saturation and contrast. Also, the VGA movie mode can be set to 30fps, offering great-quality, unlimited-length clips that can even be edited in-camera.

Power-on time is fast at 1.3 seconds, while the shot-to-shot time of three seconds is nice and quick too. There's a manual focus option, plus matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering.

Image quality, though, is the main attraction. Sony's usual oversaturation has been toned down and colours are neutral, with sensible sharpening levels at default. Chromatic aberrations are minimal, and the Carl Zeiss lens beats Canon's by providing a sharp image and not becoming soft at the edges.

Outdoors, the DSC-W5 is quick to focus and nearly always gave good exposures. Our portrait shot was a touch overexposed, but the live histogram means you can always avoid poor exposure. Indoors, the focus-assist lamp helped in dim conditions, although it still struggled on occasion. Noise was always low, though. The only disappointment was that the macro mode couldn't capture as small an area as the Canon.

Ultimately, the cons are far outweighed by the pros, making the Sony a must for your shortlist. If your priority is speed, the fast shot-to-shot time and great stills image quality make it a worthy alternative to the Canon. However, the latter's pocketability still gives it the edge in this Labs.