Camera vs phone comparison: Fujifilm FinePix F30 vs Sony Xperia Neo V

Since this week we received new phones at home, I was curious to compare the image quality of shots taken by the Sony Xperia Neo V versus my old beloved Fujifilm FinePix F30. This is no scientific comparison whatsoever, just a trio of similar shots made at the same time with the Neo V and then with the F30, taken at our patio.

All shots were done in automatic mode, and as you can see, the F30 has a tendency to get shots more exposed than the Neo V.  But if you look at the overall quality of the images (and taking into account that the F30 has 6 megapixels, while the Neo V has 5 megapixels), I would say they are perfectly comparable.

So going to my initial goal, does it make sense to consider the Neo V as a good alternative for taking pictures on the fly?, I'd say the answer is a resounding "yes", even if it has a number of limitations regarding a proper camera like the F30: besides the lack of manual controls, it has no zoom (as it uses digital zoom only). But certainly the quality of pictures is nothing to be ashamed of, and for the times when you have nothing else but your phone in your pocket, it can clearly be used for casual snapshots and for occasions when you have a good picture waiting to be taken, but no time to get your camera.