Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100
80 Imaging
39 Features
40 Overall
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93 Imaging
35 Features
36 Overall
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Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
- 341g - 104 x 70 x 80mm
- Introduced August 2012
- Renewed by Canon SX510 HS
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 160 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 30-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
- 180g - 104 x 60 x 30mm
- Released September 2010
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On this page, we will be comparing the Canon SX500 IS versus Nikon S8100, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Canon and Nikon. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the SX500 IS (16MP) and S8100 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (1/2.3").
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe SX500 IS was released 24 months after the S8100 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).
Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summation of how the SX500 IS grades versus the S8100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SX500 IS and Nikon Coolpix S8100. The complete galleries are available at Canon SX500 IS Gallery and Nikon S8100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SX500 IS over the Nikon S8100
| SX500 IS | S8100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | August 2012 | September 2010 | Newer by 24 months | |
| Manual focus | Dial accurate focusing |
Reasons to pick Nikon S8100 over the Canon SX500 IS
| S8100 | SX500 IS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 921k | 461k | Clearer screen (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Canon SX500 IS and Nikon S8100
| SX500 IS | S8100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Lack of Touch friendly screen |
Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX500 IS enjoys outer measurements of 104mm x 70mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 341 grams (0.75 lbs) and the Nikon S8100 has dimensions of 104mm x 60mm x 30mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).
Take a look at the Canon SX500 IS versus Nikon S8100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the SX500 IS against the S8100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX500 IS and S8100 is 80 and 93 respectively.
Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100 Sensor Comparison
Normally, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The picture below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SX500 IS and S8100.
As you can see, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Canon SX500 IS to give you greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The fresher SX500 IS provides an edge in sensor innovation.
Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100 Screen and ViewFinder
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Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S8100 Specifications
| Canon PowerShot SX500 IS | Nikon Coolpix S8100 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Canon | Nikon |
| Model type | Canon PowerShot SX500 IS | Nikon Coolpix S8100 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
| Introduced | 2012-08-21 | 2010-09-08 |
| Body design | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Digic 4 | Expeed C2 |
| Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 80 | 160 |
| RAW images | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection autofocus | ||
| Contract detection autofocus | ||
| Phase detection autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 1 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | 24-720mm (30.0x) | 30-300mm (10.0x) |
| Max aperture | f/3.4-5.8 | f/3.5-5.6 |
| Macro focusing distance | 1cm | 1cm |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of screen | 461 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen technology | TFT Color LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/1600 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 1.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 5.00 m | - |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | - |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/1600 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | H.264 | H.264 |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 341 gr (0.75 lbs) | 180 gr (0.40 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 104 x 70 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") | 104 x 60 x 30mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.2") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around 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 | 195 photos | 220 photos |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | NB-6L | EN-EL12 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) | Yes (10 or 2 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Price at launch | $299 | $299 |