Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900
94 Imaging
35 Features
14 Overall
26


88 Imaging
40 Features
60 Overall
48
Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 35-140mm (F2.7-5.6) lens
- 165g - 97 x 58 x 28mm
- Launched January 2010
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-750mm (F3.7-6.4) lens
- 289g - 112 x 66 x 40mm
- Released February 2015
- Superseded the Nikon S9700

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Overview
Let's look closer at the Canon A3100 IS and Nikon S9900, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Canon and Nikon. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the A3100 IS (12MP) and S9900 (16MP) but both cameras have the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

The A3100 IS was introduced 6 years earlier than the S9900 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).
Before delving into a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the A3100 IS matches up against the S9900 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot A3100 IS & Nikon Coolpix S9900. The whole galleries are available at Canon A3100 IS Gallery & Nikon S9900 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon A3100 IS over the Nikon S9900
A3100 IS | S9900 |
---|
Reasons to pick Nikon S9900 over the Canon A3100 IS
S9900 | A3100 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | February 2015 | ![]() | January 2010 | Fresher by 62 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+691k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Canon A3100 IS and Nikon S9900
A3100 IS | S9900 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | No manual focusing | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly screen |
Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon A3100 IS comes with external dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Nikon S9900 has proportions of 112mm x 66mm x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 289 grams (0.64 lbs).
Check the Canon A3100 IS and Nikon S9900 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the A3100 IS compared to the S9900.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A3100 IS and S9900 is 94 and 88 respectively.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing just by researching a spec sheet. The photograph below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the A3100 IS and S9900.
Clearly, both cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You can expect the Nikon S9900 to render more detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A3100 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Nikon S9900 Specifications
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS | Nikon Coolpix S9900 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Nikon |
Model type | Canon PowerShot A3100 IS | Nikon Coolpix S9900 |
Class | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2010-01-05 | 2015-02-10 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 4:3 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 35-140mm (4.0x) | 25-750mm (30.0x) |
Maximal aperture | f/2.7-5.6 | f/3.7-6.4 |
Macro focusing distance | 3cm | 1cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 230 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 15 seconds | 8 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/1600 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 6.00 m (at Auto ISO) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync | - |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
Maximum video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 165g (0.36 lbs) | 289g (0.64 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 97 x 58 x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") | 112 x 66 x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 life | - | 300 photographs |
Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | NB-8L | EN-EL19 |
Self timer | Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 10 secs) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch cost | $159 | $300 |