Clicky

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S6500 front
Portability
92
Imaging
40
Features
51
Overall
44

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Key Specs

Canon A3100 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F2.7-5.6) lens
  • 165g - 97 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
Nikon S6500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-300mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 95 x 58 x 26mm
  • Announced January 2013
Photography Glossary

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Canon A3100 IS versus Nikon S6500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Canon and Nikon. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the A3100 IS (12MP) and S6500 (16MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

The A3100 IS was unveiled 4 years prior to the S6500 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A3100 IS scores versus the S6500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon A3100 IS over the Nikon S6500

 A3100 IS S6500 

Reasons to pick Nikon S6500 over the Canon A3100 IS

 S6500 A3100 IS 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013January 2010More recent by 36 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon A3100 IS and Nikon S6500

 A3100 IS S6500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Canon A3100 IS provides exterior measurements of 97mm x 58mm x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Nikon S6500 has specifications of 95mm x 58mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check out the Canon A3100 IS versus Nikon S6500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the A3100 IS vs the S6500.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A3100 IS and S6500 is 94 and 92 respectively.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The graphic here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A3100 IS and S6500.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Nikon S6500 to provide extra detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A3100 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 sensor size comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Portrait photography information
Nikon S6500 Portrait photography information
21
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
44
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Street photography highlights
Nikon S6500 Street photography highlights
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (250 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Sports photography advice
Nikon S6500 Sports photography advice
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
50
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A3100 IS
Travel photography with Nikon S6500
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f2.7)
69
lighter than others in class (250g)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Landscape photography highlights
Nikon S6500 Landscape photography highlights
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f2.7)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
50
manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse recording
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Vlogging details
Nikon S6500 Vlogging details
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f2.7)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external microphone socket
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (250 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone support
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3100 IS and Nikon S6500
 Canon PowerShot A3100 ISNikon Coolpix S6500
General Information
Brand Canon Nikon
Model type Canon PowerShot A3100 IS Nikon Coolpix S6500
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-01-05 2013-01-08
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 35-140mm (4.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.7-5.6 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - AMOLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 165g (0.36 pounds) 250g (0.55 pounds)
Physical dimensions 97 x 58 x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") 95 x 58 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID NB-8L SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $159 $170