John - Pa. wrote:
This was not a rigorous controlled comparison. I had the Canon shot
and as I was working with it I said, 'Hey, let's see what the Sony can
do too'.

The lighting was natural from the window on an overcast day but the
time was close enough that it shouldn't have made any difference. I
didn't use a tripod, and the Sony , but not the Canon, has its version
of "Image Stabilization", so that could have been a difference.

In these models, the Canon actually has a significantly larger sensor,
and I guess that my main surprise was that the larger sensor didn't
produce a clearly better image, which I would have expected.
JD

Your observations agree well with the images shown for these two cameras
on Steves Digicams.
http://steves-digicams.com/
For each camera, look at the Red Brick Building under "Sample Pictures"
Check the resolution by reading the number on the Trash Receptacle and
on the Street Sign.
The resolution and color depth are MUCH better for the Sony than for the
Canon.
Bob Williams