Canon PowerShot
S1 IS
 vs
Nikon
D5100

Nikon D5100

100
Winner

Nikon D5100
"Sophisticated AF system for the price"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's auto-focus
"On the whole the D5100's movies are look great, with smooth motion and impressively low noise in dim light."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5100

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
80.0
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Placeholder

36

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S1 IS

Size
 Really small
Standard size 111x78x66 mm
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Weight
 Light-weight
469 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon S1 IS
Image stabilization Image stabilization Lens vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Size Smaller 111x78x66 mm vs 127x96x78 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Thickness Thinner 2.6" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Lighter 469 g vs 560 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Placeholder Learn more about
the Canon S1 IS

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 1.5"
Help
 2x larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 114k dots
Help
 More than 8x higher resolution screen
True resolution Much higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 3.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 5x more detail in your photos
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Sensor size Much larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.6mm vs 1/3.6" 5.3x4.0mm
Help
 More than 17.5x larger sensor
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 400 ISO
Help
 The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 4 f-stops better
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4 fps vs 1.7 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentamirror vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Longest exposure Longer exposures 30s vs 15s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Placeholder Canon PowerShot S1 IS
36 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a super zoom with a entry-level DSLR.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
S1 IS:Digital
D5100:Pentamirror
Thickness Quite thick Help
S1 IS:2.6"
D5100:3.1"
Weight Heavy Help
S1 IS:469 g
D5100:560 g
Size Large Help
S1 IS:111x78x66 mm
D5100:127x96x78 mm

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the PowerShot S1 IS
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100

Canon PowerShot S1 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix S9100

Nikon Coolpix S9100

Travel zoom

$237 - $289
Screen size Much larger screen
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Coolpix S9100 vs the PowerShot S1 IS
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Travel zoom

$136 - $179
Screen size Much larger screen
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PowerShot SX150 IS vs the PowerShot S1 IS
Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Super zoom
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Wide angle Better wide angle
Size Slightly larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the PowerShot S2 IS vs the PowerShot S1 IS
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$420
Screen size Much larger screen
Zoom Much more zoom
Size Significantly larger
Thickness Significantly thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the PowerShot S1 IS
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PowerShot S1 IS

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Weight Lighter
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Size Slightly smaller
Weight Slightly lighter
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Movie format Lower resolution movies
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D7000 vs the D5100
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Size Smaller
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5100

appearance

Placeholder Nikon D5100
Nikon D5100
Nikon D5100

discussion

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