To compare noise levels under real-life conditions we shot this scene with the Canon Powershot A2100 IS, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W270 / W290 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25 wthin a few moments of each other using each of their ISO settings. The lenses were set to approximate the same field of view.

The above shot was taken with the A2100 in program mode with the lens zoomed out to its widest equivalent of 36mm. The exposure was 0.4s at f3.2. The crops are taken from an area just to the left and above the centre.

As you'd expect, noise becomes more apparent as the ISO increases, but there's little to choose between the A2100's 80 and 100 ISO settings. There's evidence of lost detail in the 200 ISO shot – look at the vertical lines in the Pew panels – and the edge of the stone column is slightly less well defined, but overall image quality is still very good.

At 400 ISO the A2100's Digic 4 processor, in our opinion, gets the balance between noise reduction and detail retension just right: there's some visible noise, but image detail is still good with no noticeable softening.

Compared with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W270 / W290 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25, the A2100 comes out clearly ahead, with the Sony showing consistent slight under-exposure and softer details across the range and the Lumix DMC-FS25 starting soft, them becoming very granular at the higher ISO settings.

Canon Powershot A2100 IS		Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W270 / W290		Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25
80 ISO		80 ISO		80 ISO
100 ISO		100 ISO		100 ISO
200 ISO		200 ISO		200 ISO
400 ISO		400 ISO		400 ISO
800 ISO		800 ISO		800 ISO
1600 ISO		1600 ISO		1600 ISO
3200 ISO not tested		3200 ISO		3200 ISO not tested