Sony DSC-P150 Cybershot Digital Camera [7.2Mp 3x Optical]

In terms of operating speed and convenience there is even less contest. The P150 wins by a large margin.

I have not had any problems with flash shots and certainly not half shots being blurry. Probably anyone having this problem should claim warranty-covered check and repair.

The real-time histogram is a fantastic feature, especially coupled with the full shutter speed adjustability in M mode. However, the P mode has a serious problem. It would warn you of possible problem of hand instability whilst sticking to the aperture setting even when a wider aperture can be set to cause a shutter speed increase, thus helping to solve this problem. And in P mode you cannot shift the program. So P mode is less useful in this regard whilst some of the other scene-type modes are difficult to get to. I often end up having to turn to M mode. For this no fifth star from me.

However, the Sony has surpassed all expectations - it produces excellent metering, exposure and colour vibrancy straight out of the box - without tweaking or indepth knowledge of photography. All you basically need to do is choose the right mode with the handy scroll-wheel, compose your picture and shoot! Simple experimentation yields even more impressive results.

The lens lives up to its billing, 5-7MP shots crystal clear and enormous. Powerup is phenomenally rapid (quoted as 1.3sec), ready to snap as quickly as you can lift the camera up to your eye - excellent for capturing special moments (eg young children!). Shutter lag is negligible. Battery stamina is phenomenal - I filled a 256MB and a 64MB card without a single recharge (with zoom, flash and frequent on-off and reviewing photos). Design is ultra-portable, and construction is solid.

It is the 3rd digital camera I have owned, and the best by a surprising margin. I would highly recommend this to anyone requiring up to 7MP size photos, it is worth the extra 50 quid over the P100 (which is identical in all other ways; my father owns one) Definitely a BIG camera in a tiny body! You will not get better at this remarkable price bracket.

My advice: get a BIG memory stick (256-512MB) as you will find it hard to stop snapping... it is THAT good!