Both cameras are decidedly slim on manual controls, the T900 especially, to the point where it lacks even the ability to take a custom white balance. Both cameras have slightly problematic control schemes. While the Canon's is well designed, it's hampered by small buttons that are flush with the body. The Sony T900, on the other hand, uses an almost entirely touch-screen based control system that we found slow and inaccurate. In the Sony's favor is that it has an incredibly high-res, 920,000-dot widescreen LCD, and maintains its sleek profile by having a non-extending lens. However, the small lens also means it has high image distortion.
In general, the testing slightly favored the Sony T900, but with a few key discrepancies. The Sony had more accurate color, a better stabilization system, faster burst rate, and higher video sharpness. However, the Canon had much lower noise, superior resolution (with significantly lower distortion), and more accurate color. We did prefer using the Canon, as it avoided the rather frustrating touch-based system of the Sony.
Sony T900 Reviews
Sony W270 vs Sony T900 – In this review of the Cyber-shot DSC-T900, Joshua Goldman says:
Photo quality for the T900 is a bit tricky. The results are roughly the same as the AU$529 Cyber-shot DSC-W290, which was very good for its price. The T900 is AU$170 more, though, so the expectation is there that the photos should be better and they aren't. (The extra money no doubt went into the better LCD and miniaturisation of everything.)
In DigitalCameraInfo's Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 comparison, Tim Barribeau wrote:
In terms of performance, the Sony has a noticeable advantage in a few places. Its color was a touch more accurate, it had sharper images, a much better stabilization system, faster burst rates, and higher-quality videos. In the Nikon's favor are significantly lower noise levels and much lower distortion.
Reading InfoSyncWorld's Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 Review, you'll find statements on the image quality differences between the two cameras.
We're not sure if the Cyber-shot DSC-T900's ultra-slim profile played a hand in the way the chips were configured, but the Cyber-shot DSC-W230's image performance rose far above.
… and …
Colors here seem slightly flat and we can detect tiny traces of fringing, but noise is very low compared to what we would have run into with the Cyber-shot DSC-T900.
Conclusion: It seems like you'd get better images from the Cybershot DSC-W230 than from the Cyber-shot DSC-T900.
Digital compact cameras with 720p HD video – Nice summary piece by CNET Australia, which lists the following 720p HD-capable cameras:
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
- Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
- Canon Powershot SD780 IS Digital ELPH / Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 / DMC-TZ7
- Olympus PEN E-P1
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
The article has links to more comprehensive reviews for each camera.