Below, the Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 is compared to the Konica-Minolta Dimage A2. These are all 100% crops from full-resolution images taken at night using aperture priority, automatic white-balance and set ISO sensitivity. There are visible differences between the output of these two cameras which are reproducible under most conditions. Long exposures of dark scenes like this one bring out high image noise from most digital cameras.

The most noticeable difference between images from the A2 and the H5 is that white-balance is much more accurate on the Konica-Minolta A2. Upon close inspection we can see that two years of evolution has reduced the amount of visible noise. Indeed, the Sony H5 shows less noise at all ISO settings. Noise is relatively low until ISO 200. At ISO 400, there is a noticeable jump in noise and loss of detail is evident. At ISO 800, both cameras are nearly useless. The ISO 1000 crop speaks for itself. It can also be seen that, despite higher image noise, the A2 keeps more details than the Sony Cybershot DSC-H5. This seems to be the result of a better lens and less agressive noise reduction. Notice that the A2 meters slightly higher than the H5.