Clicky

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100

Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
24
Overall
30
Canon PowerShot SD970 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S6100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
38
Features
39
Overall
38

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Key Specs

Canon SD970 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 37-185mm (F3.2-5.7) lens
  • 160g - 96 x 57 x 26mm
  • Introduced February 2009
  • Additionally Known as Digital IXUS 990 IS
Nikon S6100
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-196mm (F3.7-5.6) lens
  • 175g - 98 x 58 x 27mm
  • Announced February 2011
Photography Glossary

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Overview

In this article, we will be matching up the Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by brands Canon and Nikon. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the SD970 IS (12MP) and S6100 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The SD970 IS was manufactured 24 months before the S6100 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the SD970 IS scores vs the S6100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

        

Reasons to pick Canon SD970 IS over the Nikon S6100

 SD970 IS S6100 
Screen resolution461k460kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon S6100 over the Canon SD970 IS

 S6100 SD970 IS 
AnnouncedFebruary 2011February 2009Fresher by 24 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon SD970 IS and Nikon S6100

 SD970 IS S6100 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon SD970 IS enjoys outer measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Nikon S6100 has dimensions of 98mm x 58mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the SD970 IS and the S6100.

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD970 IS and S6100 is 94 and 93 respectively.

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 top view buttons comparison

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing simply by checking out specifications. The visual here may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SD970 IS and S6100.

To sum up, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can expect the Nikon S6100 to produce more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots far more aggressively. The older SD970 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 sensor size comparison

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Portrait photography factors
Nikon S6100 Portrait photography factors
26
offers face detect focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
39
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports face detection focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Street photography features
Nikon S6100 Street photography features
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus via touch
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Sports photography information
Nikon S6100 Sports photography information
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
37
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery life (210 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Travel photography features
Nikon S6100 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
64
offers focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
low battery life (210 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.7)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Landscape photography highlights
Nikon S6100 Landscape photography highlights
32
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
lack of manual mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
45
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.7)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery life (210 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon SD970 IS
Vlogging with Nikon S6100
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have microphone support
32
pretty wide (28mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
slow max aperture (f3.7)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Canon SD970 IS vs Nikon S6100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD970 IS and Nikon S6100
 Canon PowerShot SD970 ISNikon Coolpix S6100
General Information
Brand Canon Nikon
Model type Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Nikon Coolpix S6100
Also Known as Digital IXUS 990 IS -
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2009-02-18 2011-02-09
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Expeed C2
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-185mm (5.0x) 28-196mm (7.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.2-5.7 f/3.7-5.6
Macro focusing range 2cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 461 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT touchscreen LCD with Anti-reflection coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 4.50 m
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720p (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 160 grams (0.35 lbs) 175 grams (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") 98 x 58 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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 - 210 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-5L EN-EL12
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD /MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch price - $195