Canon S100 vs Nikon L840

Below is a complete overview of the Canon S100 versus Nikon L840, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Canon and Nikon. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the S100 (12MP) and L840 (16MP) and the S100 (1/1.7") and L840 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The S100 was unveiled 4 years prior to the L840 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Canon S100 being a Compact camera and the Nikon L840 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the S100 scores vs the L840 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot S100 and Nikon Coolpix L840. The full galleries are available at Canon S100 Gallery and Nikon L840 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Canon S100 offers external measurements of 99mm x 60mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) and the Nikon L840 has proportions of 114mm x 89mm x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") having a weight of 538 grams (1.19 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon S100 versus Nikon L840 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the S100 and the L840.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S100 and L840 is 93 and 67 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the S100 and L840.

Clearly, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S100 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Nikon L840 will give greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older S100 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.