Clicky

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Canon PowerShot SD940 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S6400 front
Portability
94
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Key Specs

Canon SD940 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 120g - 89 x 55 x 20mm
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Digital IXUS 120 IS
Nikon S6400
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 58 x 27mm
  • Announced August 2012
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Canon SD940 IS and Nikon S6400, both Ultracompact cameras by companies Canon and Nikon. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SD940 IS (12MP) and S6400 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SD940 IS was released 4 years prior to the S6400 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Ultracompact).

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the SD940 IS grades vs the S6400 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon SD940 IS over the Nikon S6400

 SD940 IS S6400 

Reasons to pick Nikon S6400 over the Canon SD940 IS

 S6400 SD940 IS 
AnnouncedAugust 2012August 2009Fresher by 36 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon SD940 IS and Nikon S6400

 SD940 IS S6400 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SD940 IS has got exterior dimensions of 89mm x 55mm x 20mm (3.5" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Nikon S6400 has measurements of 95mm x 58mm x 27mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SD940 IS and Nikon S6400 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the SD940 IS compared to the S6400.

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SD940 IS and S6400 is 96 and 94 respectively.

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 top view buttons comparison

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SD940 IS and S6400.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Nikon S6400 to provide extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The older SD940 IS will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 sensor size comparison

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Portrait photography advice
Nikon S6400 Portrait photography advice
21
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
34
megapixel count decent (16MP)
comes with face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Street photography features
Nikon S6400 Street photography features
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
55
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
more heavy than others (150g)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Sports photography advice
Nikon S6400 Sports photography advice
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (160 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Travel photography advice
Nikon S6400 Travel photography advice
58
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
63
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery (160 shots)
more heavy than others (150g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.1)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Landscape photography features
Nikon S6400 Landscape photography features
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
41
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
not so great battery (160 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SD940 IS Vlogging factors
Nikon S6400 Vlogging factors
29
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone support
33
rather wide (25mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
more heavy than others (150 grams)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Canon SD940 IS vs Nikon S6400 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD940 IS and Nikon S6400
 Canon PowerShot SD940 ISNikon Coolpix S6400
General Information
Make Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SD940 IS Nikon Coolpix S6400
Also called Digital IXUS 120 IS -
Type Ultracompact Ultracompact
Introduced 2009-08-19 2012-08-22
Physical type Ultracompact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 Expeed C2
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus range 3cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1500 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120g (0.26 pounds) 150g (0.33 pounds)
Physical dimensions 89 x 55 x 20mm (3.5" x 2.2" x 0.8") 95 x 58 x 27mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 160 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model NB-4L EN-EL19
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes (10 or 2 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $299 $500