If you have $600 to spend on a camera, do NOT spend it on a small point-and-shoot. Buy a Nikon D40 or a Canon Digital Rebel XT (neither is the newest, but DSLR megapixels do not matter - see www.kenrockwell.com for why).
All point-and-shoots have terrible noise performance and their features are hard to access. Any DSLR by Nikon or Canon blows every point-and-shoot out of the water - there is no comparison.
That having been said, there is a market for tiny, good quality digicams. Look at Canon's Digital ELPH line for that, or buy an A5xx series and never look back. Canon uses real zoom lenses, not the crappy prism/transverse lens setup that Sony uses to make this kind of thing so small.
Disclaimer: I have a Nikon DSLR and a Canon ELPH. I love them both; they each have a place and are appropriately priced for what they deliver. This Sony, like so much from that brand at the moment, is NOT appropriately priced, nor does it have an appropriate niche.
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If you have $600 to spend on a camera, do NOT spend it on a small point-and-shoot. Buy a Nikon D40 or a Canon Digital Rebel XT (neither is the newest, but DSLR megapixels do not matter - see www.kenrockwell.com for why).
All point-and-shoots have terrible noise performance and their features are hard to access. Any DSLR by Nikon or Canon blows every point-and-shoot out of the water - there is no comparison.
That having been said, there is a market for tiny, good quality digicams. Look at Canon's Digital ELPH line for that, or buy an A5xx series and never look back. Canon uses real zoom lenses, not the crappy prism/transverse lens setup that Sony uses to make this kind of thing so small.
Here's why the camera doesn't matter, if anybody is interested (Canon A540 vs. Canon 5D): http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/150-vs-5000-dollar-camera.htm
Disclaimer: I have a Nikon DSLR and a Canon ELPH. I love them both; they each have a place and are appropriately priced for what they deliver. This Sony, like so much from that brand at the moment, is NOT appropriately priced, nor does it have an appropriate niche.