Sony vs Canon: Default Shutter Speed Makes a Difference

So you want to get a small camera to take some great pictures of the kids and around the house. What brand of camera is best for you? There is a lot of information out there about camera specs and image quality but unfortunately they all seem to miss a very obvious difference between camera brands when it comes to the point and shoot variety. And believe me, it makes a huge difference in how your pictures turn out.

The difference that no one is talking about is the shutter speed that is used when firing the flash (aka indoors). Now don't let me scare you away by using the technical term "shutter speed". This is simply the length of time that the camera let's light through the lens while taking a picture. Think of it like the amount of time the door to your house is open when it is really warm or cold outside. The longer you keep the door open, the more outside air comes in the house. Similarly when you take a picture the camera opens the shutter (door) letting in light and the longer it's open the more light comes in.

Sony cameras generally use a shutter speed of 1/40 of a second while Canon cameras will normally use 1/60 of a second. That 1/20 of a second difference can be the difference between a blurry and crisp image. I've used both brands and looked at lots of pictures and the difference is quite obvious. While both brands will create a crisp image of a subject that is sitting still, things change when trying to capture that perfect shot of a child running through your house (or even just turning his head). In cases where your subject is not still the faster shutter speed does a much better job of not blurring the subject.

I've used a Sony Cyber-shot DCS-W80 for the last two years and have ended up with blurry pictures in these instances countless times. All of the high ISOs and Image Stabilization in the world won't make you subject stop moving while your shutter is open and that's where my new Canon PowerShot SC1200is Digital Elph really comes out a winner. With the Sony I would probably only get one good indoor picture out of every five I took and with the Canon it's more like 4 out of every 5 which translates to a lot more memories captured. I've looked at dozens of pictures through on-line photo sites from other models of cameras in these brands and this key difference is consistent on all of them.

This isn't to say that the Sony isn't without it's merits. In face if my subject is stationary, I actually think the the Sony W80does the better job when using a flash. On the flip side of this shutter speed coin you see, the Sony is able to let in more natural light which makes flash pictures look more natural and not so harsh. Really it's too bad that neither camera gives you the flexibility to change this setting. Even the scene modes are no help as Sony point and shoot cameras typically don't have a sports or kids and pets scene setting (which would likely increase the shutter speed) and unless you slow your shutter speed way down (to the point where you need a tripod) the canon has no way to lower this setting.

So what brand of camera to get really should depend on what or who you will be taking the majority of your picture of. If you're taking still life images or pictures of people standing there smiling then going with Sony might be your best bet. But if your going to be taking pictures of kids playing then do yourself a favor and get a little Canon camera. You'll get a lot more clear pictures which is really the most important quality of your pictures anyway. I mean who really cares about minute differences in image quality or color if your image isn't sharp.