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To compare real-life performance we shot this scene with the Canon IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220, within a few moments of each other using their best quality JPEG settings, lowest ISO sensitivities and default processing options.

The lenses on each camera were set to approximate the same field of view and each was set to Program or Auto mode with manual ISO override.

The above image was taken with the Canon IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS set to 80 ISO. The lens was set to 6.2mm and the metering selected an exposure of 1/100th of a second at f8. The original 3648 x 2736 pixel image measured 2.7MB. The four crops are taken from the areas marked with the red squares and presented below at 100%.

The overall image quality from the IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS is good for a compact in this price range. The subject is quite challenging with low early morning Autumn light casting lots of shadows but the Canon has done a good job with the exposure and there’s no clipping of the highlights or shadows. The white balance is accurate and colours are rich, yet natural looking.

The IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS crops reveal that image detail is generally good in the central area of the frame. Fine detail, like the aerial on the chimney and roof tiles in the third crop and the balcony rails in the fourth crop are sharp and clearly defined with none of the tell tale signs of over processing.

At the edges of the frame the picture’s not quite so rosy. Take a look at the second crop with the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself isn’t a problem, it was a slightly hazy day and the IXUS / ELPH has done really well to get as much detail as it has. But look at the chimneys and windows in the foreground and you’ll see they’re not as sharp as those in the more central crops. There’s also evidence of slight chromatic aberration resulting in purple fringing which is more pronounced at the edges of the frame.

Compared with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220 the Canon IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS produces unquestionably better pictures. The Cyber-shot DSC-W220 crops taken at the minimum 100 ISO setting are visibly noisier. Doubtless this is largely due to the extra 2 megapixels packed into the Cyber-shot DSC-W220’s 12 megapixel sensor. The Cyber-shot DSC-W220 also suffers from the same edge-resolving issues as the Canon IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS, but to a much greater degree.

Now head over to our Canon IXUS 95 IS / SD1200 IS Noise results to see how it compares in terms of high sensitivities.