Canon SX130 IS vs Nikon D3100

Below, we are looking at the Canon SX130 IS vs Nikon D3100, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Canon and Nikon. The sensor resolution of the SX130 IS (12MP) and the D3100 (14MP) is very well matched but the SX130 IS (1/2.3") and D3100 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The SX130 IS was announced 4 months prior to the D3100 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX130 IS being a Compact camera and the Nikon D3100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SX130 IS matches up against the D3100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot SX130 IS and Nikon D3100. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon SX130 IS Gallery and Nikon D3100 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX130 IS has outside dimensions of 113mm x 73mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 308 grams (0.68 lbs) and the Nikon D3100 has measurements of 124mm x 96mm x 75mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs).

Examine the Canon SX130 IS vs Nikon D3100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the SX130 IS and the D3100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX130 IS and D3100 is 85 and 68 respectively.

Normally, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The image here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SX130 IS and D3100.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SX130 IS using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Nikon D3100 will give more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos much more aggressively.