Canon PowerShot
SX230 HS
 vs
Nikon Coolpix
S9100

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS vs Nikon Coolpix S9300

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

94
"The camera's controls are a mix of good and bad"
reviews.cnet.com | talking about the SX230 HS's button-layout
"HS has good low-light photo quality for its class"
reviews.cnet.com | talking about the SX230 HS's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

GPS
 Built-in GPS
Great for travel
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/3200 of a second
Nikon Coolpix S9100

88
"a toughened shock dampening chassis"
trustedreviews.com | talking about the S9100's build-quality
"Overall though the S9100 has delivered a very respectable ISO performance"
trustedreviews.com | talking about the S9100's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix S9100

Zoom
 Great zoom
18x
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX230 HS
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Aperture Wider aperture f/3.1 vs f/3.5
Help
 At its widest zoom, the SX230 HS's lens captures marginally more light (0.4 f-stops)
Size Smaller 106x59x33 mm vs 105x62x35 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.7 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.4"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/2000s
Help
 Around 40% faster max shutter speed
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
 Almost the same
Longest exposure Longer exposures 15s vs 1s
Help
 15x longer exposures
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Learn more about
the Canon SX230 HS

Advantages of the Nikon S9100
Zoom Significantly more zoom 18x vs 14x
Help
 Around 70% more zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle 25 mm vs 28 mm
Help
 More than 10% better wide angle
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 461k dots
Help
 Around 2x higher resolution screen
Macro focus Better macro capability 4 cm vs 5 cm
Help
 Focus on subjects 20% closer to the lens
Lowest price Cheaper $179.00 vs $226.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $48 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Nikon Coolpix S9100 Learn more about
the Nikon S9100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent travel zooms, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
94 vs 88
Explain scores
Nikon Coolpix S9100 Nikon Coolpix S9100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot SX230 HS
 Canon PowerShot SX230 HS vs Nikon Coolpix S9100
NikonCoolpix S9100
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
68
48
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
46
45
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
54
39
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
51
33
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
49
41
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
50
30
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
52
34
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
67
40
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Zoom Great zoom Help
SX230 HS:14x
S9100:18x
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
SX230 HS:1080p @ 24fps
S9100:1080p @ 30fps
High-speed framerate Very high speed movies Help
240 fps
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Thickness Quite thick Help
SX230 HS:1.3"
S9100:1.4"
Weight Heavy Help
SX230 HS:215 g
S9100:214 g
Size Large Help
SX230 HS:106x59x33 mm
S9100:105x62x35 mm
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons

Compared to recent travel zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$289
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Longest exposure Slightly longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the Coolpix S9100
Nikon Coolpix S8200

Nikon Coolpix S8200

Travel zoom

$219 - $250
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Macro focus Slightly closer macro focusing
High-speed framerate Doesn't record high-speed movies
Compare the Coolpix S8200 vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the Coolpix S8200 vs the Coolpix S9100
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Travel zoom

$193 - $328
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Light sensitivity Slightly lower maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS10 vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS10 vs the Coolpix S9100
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Travel zoom

$296 - $379
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Wide angle Has a slightly narrower wide angle lens
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the Coolpix S9100
Canon ELPH 300 HS

Canon ELPH 300 HS

Compact

$149 - $235
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Size Is much smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Screen size Has a significantly smaller screen
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the Coolpix S9100
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Aperture Has a much wider aperture
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Coolpix S9100
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369 - $383
Aperture Has a much wider aperture
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot SX230 HS
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the Coolpix S9100

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS.

Nikon Coolpix S9100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon Coolpix S9100.

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Nikon Coolpix S9100
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Nikon Coolpix S9100
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Nikon Coolpix S9100

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 3 comments

Bob (3:39 PM, September 27, 2011)
I have a Nikon & very disapointed. It seems to be out of focus. Asy sugestions?
 
Erosewater6040 (11:22 PM, July 29, 2011)
The Nikon has approximately 30% more zoom, not %70.
 
Samiam (6:24 AM, April 11, 2011)
What?! How does Snapsport come up with 70% more zoom? And how do these two get even results - both 88's?
It's 14X vs 18X; It's 392mm vs 450mm; how is that 70%? The Nikon does start wider at 25mm vs 28mm for the Canon.
A friend just bought the S9100, and I played around with it for a couple hours. I can tell you the S9100 feels a lot larger in-hand and in-pocket.
Nikon included no manual controls on the S9100, very limited ISO choices (starts at 160 ugh!), no aperture priority, no shutter priority. It's like a big version of of a basic P&S for kids or something.
Before seriously considering the Nikon S9100, compare IQ between the two - no contest, Canon wins this one by a land slide.