Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX200 review

Normal photos were much better. We’re not too enamoured with the huge 18-megapixel resolution but we must admit that, in this instance, it does deliver an impressive amount of detail. Darker colours were a little noisy at ISO 100, but unlike the Panasonic SZ9, the WX200 also maintained a reasonable amount of fine detail in subtle textures such as skin and hair. The lens performed superbly right into the corners of frames – a stunning achievement considering its 10x zoom and tiny design.

Shaded skin tones reveal some noise in bright conditions, but there’s still plenty of fine detail in the fabric and bench

Compare this shot with the same view in our Panasonic SZ9 review – the Sony has captured much more detail

Focus is excellent towards the edges of frames, and there’s no hint of chromatic aberrations

Low-light shots surpassed our expectations too. Subtle details were eroded by noise reduction but indoor shots looked presentable when resized to fit a 1080p screen. Even the top ISO 3200 setting produced photos that were just about worth keeping.

Shooting in overcast weather at the full zoom extension pushes noise levels up, but noise reduction is expertly managed to retain a reasonable amount of detail

This ISO 3200 shot taken in twilight is on the right side of acceptable – an amazing achievement for such a small camera

The Canon Ixus 230 HS beats it for image quality but the WX200 wins hands down for features. We’re looking forward to testing the Canon Ixus 255 HS, which might have the best of both worlds. However, for now at least, the WX200 is our new Best Buy ultra-compact camera.