Canon PowerShot
SX210 IS
 vs
Nikon Coolpix
S8100

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS vs Nikon Coolpix S9100

Nikon Coolpix S8100

68
"metal body finished in a glossy black coating"
photographyblog.com | talking about the S8100's build-quality
"The Nikon Coolpix S8100 produced images of above average quality."
photographyblog.com | talking about the S8100's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix S8100

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

60
"The 14 megapixel sensor combined with the camera's metering system offers good image quality from 80 to 200 ISO"
digitalreview.ca | talking about the SX210 IS's image-quality
"If you are looking for a sleek compact long-range zoom camera, offering solid performance and an extended feature set, while delivering pleasing images under most general conditions, we would recommend the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS as a good solution."
digitalreview.ca | talking about the SX210 IS's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

Zoom
 Great zoom
14x
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/3200 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX210 IS
Zoom More zoom 14x vs 10x
Help
 Around 2x more zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle 28 mm vs 30 mm
Help
 Around 10% better wide angle
Aperture Wider aperture f/3.1 vs f/3.5
Help
 At its widest zoom, the SX210 IS's lens captures marginally more light (0.4 f-stops)
Longest exposure Longer exposures 15s vs 4s
Help
 Around 4x longer exposures
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX210 IS

Advantages of the Nikon S8100
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
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
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 Around 14.5x faster continuous shooting
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability 1 cm vs 5 cm
Help
 Focus on subjects 5x closer to the lens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The S8100's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Size Smaller 104x60x30 mm vs 105x59x31 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $99.99 vs $293.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $194 cheaper (2.9x less)
Thickness Thinner 1.2" vs 1.3"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Weight Lighter 209 g vs 220 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/3200s
Help
 20% faster max shutter speed
Nikon Coolpix S8100 Learn more about
the Nikon S8100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent travel zooms, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Canon PowerShot SX210 IS
60 vs 68
Explain scores
Nikon Coolpix S8100 Nikon Coolpix S8100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon Coolpix S8100.

advice

Need help deciding?

Ask the community!
I am considering either the Canon SX210 IS or the Nikon S8100,
For example: Taking photos in low light or great family photos or ability to take great photos underwater

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similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
SX210 IS:Lens
S8100:Lens, Sensor shift
Fastest shutter speed Very fast max shutter speeds Help
SX210 IS:1/3200s
S8100:1/4000s
Weight Heavy Help
SX210 IS:220 g
S8100:209 g
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
Thickness Quite thick Help
SX210 IS:1.3"
S8100:1.2"
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Size Large Help
SX210 IS:105x59x31 mm
S8100:104x60x30 mm
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
SX210 IS:28 mm
S8100:30 mm

Compared to recent travel zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix S8200

Nikon Coolpix S8200

Travel zoom

$229
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix S8200 vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the Coolpix S8200 vs the Coolpix S8100
Nikon Coolpix S9100

Nikon Coolpix S9100

Travel zoom

$237 - $289
Zoom Has significantly more zoom
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Compare the Coolpix S9100 vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the Coolpix S9100 vs the Coolpix S8100
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$239 - $307
GPS Has a built-in GPS
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the Coolpix S8100
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Travel zoom

$281 - $332
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the Coolpix S8100
Canon ELPH 300 HS

Canon ELPH 300 HS

Compact

$148 - $179
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the Coolpix S8100
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Travel zoom

$136 - $179
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX150 IS vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the PowerShot SX150 IS vs the Coolpix S8100
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Aperture Has a much wider aperture
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot SX210 IS
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Coolpix S8100

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Travel zoom

$299
GPS Has a GPS
Zoom Much more zoom
Aperture Narrower aperture
Size Larger
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the PowerShot SX210 IS

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix S6200

Nikon Coolpix S6200

Travel zoom

$177 - $223
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Aperture Wider aperture
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the Coolpix S6200 vs the Coolpix S8100
Nikon Coolpix S6300

Nikon Coolpix S6300

Travel zoom

$180 - $184
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Aperture Wider aperture
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Compare the Coolpix S6300 vs the Coolpix S8100
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$180 - $229
Zoom Much more zoom
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Size Much larger
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Coolpix S8100

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Nikon Coolpix S8100
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Nikon Coolpix S8100
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Nikon Coolpix S8100

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Theswirlingsea (6:09 PM, November 15, 2010)
The Nikon is much faster and if you are using it to take pics of kids, I'd go with the Nikon any day over the Canon.