Canon PowerShot
G12
 vs
Nikon Coolpix
P7100

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon PowerShot G1X vs Nikon Coolpix P7100

Canon PowerShot G12

71
"Excellent build quality"
dpreview.com | talking about the G12's build-quality
"We have no hesitation in saying that the G12 is the best Canon G-series camera to date, but its original USP - as a bridge between compact cameras and DSLRs - is in danger of being eroded."
dpreview.com | talking about the G12's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G12

Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Battery life
 Great battery life
370 shots
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Nikon Coolpix P7100

60

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix P7100

Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone

differences

Advantages of the Canon G12
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Color depth Better color depth 20.4 bits vs 19.4 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
Sensor size Larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/1.8" 7.5x5.5mm
Help
 Almost the same
Overall image quality Better image quality 47.0 vs 41.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.2 EV vs 10.7 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Macro focus Better macro capability 1 cm vs 2 cm
Help
 Focus on subjects 2x closer to the lens
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 370 shots vs 350 shots
Help
 Around 10% more shots per battery charge
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2 fps vs 1.3 fps
Help
 More than 50% faster continuous shooting
Lowest price Cheaper $389.99 vs $449.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $60 cheaper (more than 10% less)
Canon PowerShot G12 Learn more about
the Canon G12

Advantages of the Nikon P7100
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 461k dots
Help
 Around 2x higher resolution screen
Screen size Larger screen 3.0" vs 2.8"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.8" vs 1.9"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Nikon Coolpix P7100 Learn more about
the Nikon P7100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot G12
71 vs 60
Explain scores
Nikon Coolpix P7100 Nikon Coolpix P7100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G12.

advice

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1
votes
by Sally-Grove last month
Canon G12 vs Nikon P7100

I need a camera to photograph my students catching my students with their eyes open, hard to get w...

One person recommends the Canon G12:

"Sally, I think you'll do equally well with either of these cameras. I'm assuming you'll be using f..."
0
votes
by Heidi-Hudson last month
Canon G12 vs Nikon P7100

I'm an amateur although I do take many photos! I would love to take a camera everywhere with me...
0
votes
by Vaibhav-Shende last month
Nikon L810 vs Nikon P7100
Me?

1. Price - US $340 or less 2. Can take portraits as well nature landscapes equally good 3. Panora...
0
votes
by Kathy-Smith last month
Canon G12 vs Olympus XZ-1

My last camera was a CANON A90. It no longer works.

One person recommends the Canon G12:

"Both cameras can shoot RAW images, but I think I would lean toward to the G12 because it is a bit ..."
2
votes
by Andy-Stone last month
Canon G12 vs Fujifilm X10

I'm looking for a camera for my partner, a wildlife officer. Any type is considered. It should...

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
G12:1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
P7100:1/1.8" 7.5x5.5mm
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
HDR Both have in-camera, most cameras like these don't Help
Combines multiple exposures
Battery life Great battery life Help
G12:370 shots
P7100:350 shots
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
G12:1 cm
P7100:2 cm
Viewfinder Both have tunnel viewfinders Help
Tunnel
Fastest shutter speed Very fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Lowest price Very expensive Help
G12:$389.99
P7100:$449.99
Weight Heavy Help
G12:401 g
P7100:395 g
Thickness Quite thick Help
G12:1.9"
P7100:1.8"
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
G12:2 fps
P7100:1.3 fps
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
28 mm
Size Large Help
G12:112x76x48 mm
P7100:114x77x45 mm
Movie format HD (720p) video Help
G12:720p @ 24fps
P7100:720p @ 30fps

Compared to recent pro digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
10 MP
Screen type No OLED screens Help
LCD
Aperture Very narrow widest aperture size Help
f/2.8

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800
Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the Coolpix P7100
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Coolpix P7100
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599
Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Coolpix P7100
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350
Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Coolpix P7100
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Coolpix P7100
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Pro digicam

$249
Weight Is slightly lighter
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Compare the Coolpix P7000 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Coolpix P7000 vs the Coolpix P7100
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Coolpix P7100

Canon PowerShot G12 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon PowerShot G12.

Nikon Coolpix P7100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon Coolpix P7100.

appearance

Canon PowerShot G12 Nikon Coolpix P7100
Canon PowerShot G12 Nikon Coolpix P7100
Canon PowerShot G12 Nikon Coolpix P7100

discussion

Showing 9 comments

Julio (4:44 PM, March 29, 2012)
I can not understand why don't speak about the 28-200 nikon zoom against the 140 from Canon. I use a Canon 5D but think this review in not fair enough.
 
Wverge (0:23 PM, February 29, 2012)
If you do a comparison of the G12 and P7100 at DPReview they give the Nikon the edge in image quality over the Canon for both JPEG and RAW.  Also, nothing was mentioned of the Nikon's superb 28-200 lens which is much better than the 28-140 of the Canon.  If you look at the Canons advantages they are minor.  The Nikons are major; higher resolution LCD screen that is larger, 60mm longer lens.  And the 30fps video is much better than 24fps.  This comparo has dropped the ball.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (4:31 PM, February 26, 2012)
You're right, we'll get our P7100 specs updated to reflect that it has an external microphone jack, thanks.
 
Saviore (6:11 AM, February 26, 2012)
I haven't shot with either (researching to buy) but I was under the impression that the 7100 has an external microphone jack.
 
Kendall (7:14 PM, February 21, 2012)
Having shot both I can say the P7100 is more durable and has better features for the working photographer needing a carry-along camera. If you are using the Canon for pro video you need to rethink your position to start with. The Nikon is just plain and simple better.
 
Normanwhk (7:11 AM, February 19, 2012)
Why all reviewvers giving points for features never point out the G12 built-in flash offers only 3 steps of power setting vs 6 steps for the 7100.I use this feature a lot in full manual and sold the G12 when i discovered this weakness.
 
Avatar for Steven Steven (11:41 PM, January 14, 2012)
P7100 is newer just because it's the "fixed" version of the old and slow P7000. Same lens, same sensor.
 
Sophomore (9:15 PM, December 19, 2011)
The G12 actually has 3200 ISO.
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_g12#Overview 
 
One800 (0:35 PM, October 15, 2011)
The G12 is much older than the P7100. If a newer G model addresses shortcomings of the G12, then it'll be a clear winner, even at a higher price. Any sense of when Canon might roll out the G13 [or G14 if the company thinks its target audience is superstitious]?