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Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32
Canon PowerShot SD980 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S9500 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
37
Overall
40

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Key Specs

Canon SD980 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 100 x 53 x 23mm
  • Released August 2009
  • Alternate Name is Digital IXUS 200 IS
Nikon S9500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-550mm (F) lens
  • 205g - 110 x 60 x 31mm
  • Released January 2013
  • Replaced the Nikon S9300
  • Updated by Nikon S9700
Photography Glossary

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Overview

Below is a extensive assessment of the Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Canon and Nikon. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SD980 IS (12MP) and S9500 (18MP) but they feature the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SD980 IS was brought out 4 years before the S9500 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the SD980 IS scores vs the S9500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SD980 IS over the Nikon S9500

 SD980 IS S9500 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Nikon S9500 over the Canon SD980 IS

 S9500 SD980 IS 
ReleasedJanuary 2013August 2009More recent by 41 months
Screen resolution614k230kCrisper screen (+384k dot)

Common features in the Canon SD980 IS and Nikon S9500

 SD980 IS S9500 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SD980 IS comes with outer measurements of 100mm x 53mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Nikon S9500 has sizing of 110mm x 60mm x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs).

Check the Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the SD980 IS versus the S9500.

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD980 IS and S9500 is 95 and 92 respectively.

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 top view buttons comparison

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SD980 IS and S9500.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should expect the Nikon S9500 to render more detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older SD980 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 sensor size comparison

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Portrait photography info
Nikon S9500 Portrait photography info
21
manual focus not available
no external flash support
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
31
MP count decent (18MP)
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SD980 IS as a Street photography camera
Nikon S9500 as a Street photography camera
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (205 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Sports photography features
Nikon S9500 Sports photography features
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
42
excellent zoom range (25-550mm 22.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
low battery life (230 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SD980 IS
Travel photography with Nikon S9500
58
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse function
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
71
lighter than average in class (205 grams)
MP count decent (18MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
long zoom (550mm)
very good max aperture (f)
no Timelapse recording
low battery life (230 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Landscape photography information
Nikon S9500 Landscape photography information
38
decently wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
46
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
low battery life (230 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SD980 IS as a Vlogging camera
Nikon S9500 as a Vlogging camera
31
decently wide (24mm)
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
36
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (205 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone port
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Canon SD980 IS vs Nikon S9500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD980 IS and Nikon S9500
 Canon PowerShot SD980 ISNikon Coolpix S9500
General Information
Make Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SD980 IS Nikon Coolpix S9500
Other name Digital IXUS 200 IS -
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2009-08-19 2013-01-29
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 99
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 25-550mm (22.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 614 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/3000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 7.5 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.50 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 150 gr (0.33 lbs) 205 gr (0.45 lbs)
Dimensions 100 x 53 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") 110 x 60 x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 230 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6L EN-EL12
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) -
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price - $230