Leica C vs Nikon S8000

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Leica C and Nikon S8000, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by rivals Leica and Nikon. The resolution of the C (12MP) and the S8000 (14MP) is pretty close but the C (1/1.7") and S8000 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The C was revealed 3 years later than the S8000 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the C grades against the S8000 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Leica C and Nikon Coolpix S8000. The full galleries are viewable at Leica C Gallery and Nikon S8000 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Leica C offers external measurements of 103mm x 63mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 195 grams (0.43 lbs) and the Nikon S8000 has sizing of 103mm x 57mm x 27mm (4.1" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 183 grams (0.40 lbs).

Examine the Leica C and Nikon S8000 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the C versus the S8000.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the C and S8000 is 92 and 93 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through specs. The visual here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the C and S8000.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The C using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Nikon S8000 will render more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The fresher C is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.