Canon Powershot
S100
 vs
Canon PowerShot
A3100 IS

Updated (September, 2011): Compare the Canon Powershot S100 vs Canon PowerShot A3300 IS

Canon Powershot S100

100

Reasons to buy the Canon Powershot S100

Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.0
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 24fps
Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
24 mm
Size
 Really small
Compact 99x60x28 mm
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
True resolution
 High true resolution
12 MP
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

45

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

Size
 Really small
Compact 97x58x28 mm
Thickness
 Thin
1.1"
Weight
 Light-weight
165 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon S100
Wide angle Much better wide angle 24 mm vs 35 mm
Help
 More than 30% better wide angle
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.8" 7.5x5.5mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
 Around 50% larger sensor
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 24fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video but at a lower frame rate
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/2.7
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S100's lens captures slightly more light (0.9 f-stops)
True resolution Much higher true resolution 12 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 240 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The S100's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/2000s vs 1/1600s
Help
 20% faster max shutter speed
Canon Powershot S100 Learn more about
the Canon S100

Advantages of the Canon A3100 IS
Weight Lighter 165 g vs 198 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Lowest price Much cheaper $157.99 vs $371.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $214 cheaper (2.4x less)
Size Slightly smaller 97x58x28 mm vs 99x60x28 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 390 ms vs 571 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when taking photos
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS Learn more about
the Canon A3100 IS
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent compacts, and ignoring price

Canon Powershot S100 Canon Powershot S100
100 vs 45
Explain scores
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS Canon PowerShot A3100 IS
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon Powershot S100. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a compact.

advice

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1
votes
by calihoffman last month
Canon S100 vs Canon SX230 HS

Beginner photographer - going to Europe and want a good travel camera. But I also want a camera ...

One person recommends the Canon S100:

" The S100 has a faster lens and has much better light sensitivity (ISO). So it will function muc..."
3
votes
by David-Friedman this month
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I'm an experienced 35mm SLR photographer This is for travel, landscapes, buildings, family I...

12 people recommend the Canon S100:

" The best bang for the bucks ever. This camera win on all of your criteria, no questions asked. Y..."

" First, these two cameras are generally classified under two different categories. Canon S100 ..."

" Great quality, RAW shooting, Fast lens... enough?"
12 people recommend the Panasonic DMC-ZS10:

" I just ordered the ZS10 from Amazon  <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KKZ0HO/ref=oh_details_..."

" I just recently bought the Canon S100, after having used a Lumix DMC-LX5 for around 2 years.  I'..."

" Better zoom, higher mega pixle sensor..."
0
votes
by Luke-Pettett 3 days ago
Canon S100 vs Olympus XZ-1

Experienced photographer. Will be using on manual, and shooting raw. If anyone can tell me if th...
0
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by saad-khalid last week
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by paulbulger 3 days ago
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Beginner,  looking for small camera for vacations, general point-and-shoot use etc. Not looking ...

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
S100:f/2.0
A3100 IS:f/2.7
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
3 cm
Thickness Quite thick Help
1.1"
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Zoom Poor zoom Help
S100:5x
A3100 IS:4x

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$319 - $330
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the Powershot S100
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon ELPH 300 HS

Canon ELPH 300 HS

Compact

$146 - $179
Size Is significantly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Continuous shooting Doesn't shoot as fast continuously
Aperture Has a significantly narrower aperture
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the Powershot S100
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the PowerShot A3100 IS

Canon Powershot S100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$340 - $389
Sensor size Larger sensor
Weight Slightly lighter
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the Powershot S100
Nikon Coolpix P310

Nikon Coolpix P310

Pro digicam

$300 - $315
Focus points Many more focus points
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the Coolpix P310 vs the Powershot S100
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Battery life Much longer battery life
Size Much larger
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Powershot S100
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$325
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Battery life Much longer battery life
Size Much larger
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Powershot S100
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Size Much larger
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the XZ-1 vs the Powershot S100

Canon PowerShot A3100 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot A2200

Canon PowerShot A2200

Compact

$147
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot A2200 vs the PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon ELPH 100 HS

Canon ELPH 100 HS

Compact

$109 - $189
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
True resolution Slightly lower true resolution
Compare the ELPH 100 HS vs the PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon PowerShot A3200 IS

Canon PowerShot A3200 IS

Compact

$122 - $207
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot A3200 IS vs the PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon PowerShot A3300 IS

Canon PowerShot A3300 IS

Compact

$129
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Shutter lag Much more shutter lag
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot A3300 IS vs the PowerShot A3100 IS
Nikon Coolpix L24

Nikon Coolpix L24

Compact

$60
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Lowest price Cheaper
Aperture Narrower aperture
Wide angle Worse wide angle
Compare the Coolpix L24 vs the PowerShot A3100 IS

appearance

Canon Powershot S100 Canon PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon Powershot S100 Canon PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon Powershot S100 Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

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