Just to share my own preference, as I think Nicole explanations pretty much covered the nuances of ISO and noise. Looks to me also that you have a very good appreciation of the relationship among a small sensor,ISO, and noise.
I am using both a DSLR and a compact, both of which are Canon. On my compact I seldom go beyond ISO 100, at most 200 but with my DSLR I can get usable images even at higher ISO settings. So I shoot mostly using the base ISO of my camera. Where flash is necessary and allowed, I use flash. But when I want to capture the mood of the lighting (no flash), I use the largest lens opening I have and only adjust ISO if the setting is still not enough to take the shot. Just like what you use, I enjoy a small advantage on shutter speeds as I use mostly IS lenses only. To me, I don't use AV or TV to compensate. I use AV when I want to control depth of field and TV to stop action or create motion. Hope this addresses your point.
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