Nikon Coolpix
P100
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ40

Updated (July, 2011): Compare the Nikon Coolpix P500 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Nikon Coolpix P100

67
"Good high ISO performance"
digitalcamerareview.com | talking about the P100's iso-noise
"Materials, fit, and finish are typical for the class and price point."
digitalcamerareview.com | talking about the P100's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix P100

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

60
"The manual control of FZ45 elevates the operability even higher with the incorporation of new jog dial."
dpreview.com | talking about the DMC-FZ40's button-layout
"The Sonic Speed AF in the FZ45 features its speed at the industry's fastest level. Combined with a high-speed start-up, this gives the FZ45 an industry's fastest level of response that helps to catch even the most fleeting photo opportunities."
dpreview.com | talking about the DMC-FZ40's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Nikon P100
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
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 1.8 fps
Help
 More than 5.5x faster continuous shooting
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
Zoom More zoom 26.1x vs 24x
Help
 Around 20% more zoom
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The P100's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 481 g vs 499 g
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon Coolpix P100 Learn more about
the Nikon P100

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ40
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Wide angle Better wide angle 25 mm vs 26 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
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
Size Slightly smaller 120x79x91 mm vs 114x83x99 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 8s
Help
 7.5x longer exposures
Thickness Slightly thinner 3.6" vs 3.9"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ40
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent super zooms, and ignoring price

Nikon Coolpix P100 Nikon Coolpix P100
67 vs 60
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon Coolpix P100.

advice

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by Ali-Elhami last month
Nikon P500 vs Nikon P100

i wana use it in my travels and in parties, so i do not use it in profetional ways. i travel ...

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Zoom Incredible zoom Help
P100:26.1x
DMC-FZ40:24x
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Thickness Quite thick Help
P100:3.9"
DMC-FZ40:3.6"
Weight Heavy Help
P100:481 g
DMC-FZ40:499 g
Size Large Help
P100:114x83x99 mm
DMC-FZ40:120x79x91 mm
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
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons

Compared to recent super zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
External flash No external flash support Help
Less expandable
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$300
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Aperture Has a significantly narrower aperture
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$180 - $229
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Size Is slightly smaller
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Zoom Has slightly less zoom
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380
Zoom Has much more zoom
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$499 - $500
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
3D Captures 3D images
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$420
Zoom Has much more zoom
External flash Supports an external flash
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix L810

Nikon Coolpix L810

Super zoom

$250 - $265
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Coolpix L810 vs the Coolpix P100
Compare the Coolpix L810 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40

Nikon Coolpix P100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

Super zoom

$355
Image stabilization Better image stabilization
Size Slightly smaller
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 vs the Coolpix P100
Placeholder

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P150

Compact
Size Much smaller
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
Screen size Much smaller screen
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-P150 vs the Coolpix P100
Nikon Coolpix P90

Nikon Coolpix P90

Super zoom
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Image stabilization Better image stabilization
Movie format Lower resolution movies
High-speed framerate Doesn't record high-speed movies
Compare the Coolpix P90 vs the Coolpix P100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Super zoom

$370 - $426
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ48 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$611
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Slightly larger
Lowest price Significantly more expensive
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Leica V-Lux 2

Leica V-Lux 2

Super zoom

$1,101
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor
Lowest price Much more expensive
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Compare the V-Lux 2 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299 - $335
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Size Much larger
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40

appearance

Nikon Coolpix P100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix P100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix P100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

discussion

Showing 5 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:52 PM, April 25, 2011)
Have you seen our comparison of the P100 and the P500? The P500 has the edge over the P100. I am only guessing, but I think the price increase is because major retailers are no longer selling the FZ4, which only leaves the smaller retailers on Amazon who charge more.
 
Contact Sgg (4:26 AM, April 23, 2011)
Is P100 better than P500 also? and why is there a steep price increase on FZ40/100..it was $300 few months back,now shows $500+
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:21 PM, March 17, 2011)
The Nikon P100 is one of the best super zooms cameras out right now. You can check out other similar super zooms cameras but you will see that the P100 is the the best.
 
Websitewithevilinside (9:28 PM, March 16, 2011)
I rely need a camera.. bt i can only select one of them... I dont want to regreat later... so plz anybody suggest me the best one.. or somthin else around this budget...!!! plz!
 
eggbox (5:08 AM, December 01, 2010)
Wonderful review/comparison of the two cameras, looks like the Nikon has it this time!