Sony DSC-M1: Good Video, Disappointing Pictures

Noise

The noise test consists of pictures of our studio shot taken at increasing ISO levels to show the effect on the image. The pictures were taken after resetting the camera to its factory default settings. The camera is then set to record with the highest quality option with Incandescent WB. Click on a 100% crop below to view the full-size image. All images are sRGB.

ISO 100	Click to enlarge.
ISO 200	Click to enlarge.
ISO 400	Click to enlarge.

In the crops above, we can see that the M1 doesn't produce the cleanest images in terms of noise. Although there isn't a large amount of noise at ISO 100, it is still visible. At ISO 200, there is some slight discoloration as noise becomes more prevalent. At ISO 400, the images are definitely still usable. However, there are more areas with discoloration and noticeable loss of detail. Overall, it is good that there doesn't seem to be a dramatic difference from each ISO setting to the next. However, we are still disappointed at the overall level of noise (especially at ISO 100).