and on

Meanwhile, I received an email from Canon customer support explaining how to overcome the problem I was having with the little red Canon. Obviously in this case the fault was entirely mine, failing to properly understand the manual. Problem resolved, I now have two cameras which appear to be working in much the same way. I went out with both taking comparative shots and I have to say that so far I think I prefer the results produced by the Canon, though it does seem to depend at what time of day I am viewing them on the PC's large screen.

This article explains something about pixels which is a bit over my head but I think it suggests that the Canon is a superior beast.

The Sony has a 30x zoom whereas the Canon's is only 20x and the Sony has an exposure compensation dial which the Canon does not, so I may find over time that the Sony does a better job on interiors and macros. But for reliability, customer services and general point-and-click exterior shots and portraits, the Canon is winning.

So for the next few days I would like your help in deciding which is producing superior quality images. All comments very gratefully received :-)

In Extras 2 & 3 the Canon is at its maximum zoom and it was a real struggle to hold it still enough.