Nikon AW100 vs Nikon P7800

Lets look more closely at the Nikon AW100 and Nikon P7800, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Nikon. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the AW100 (16MP) and P7800 (12MP) and the AW100 (1/2.3") and P7800 (1/1.7") posses different sensor sizes.

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The AW100 was announced 3 years before the P7800 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple view of how the AW100 scores against the P7800 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon Coolpix AW100 and Nikon Coolpix P7800. The whole galleries are available at Nikon AW100 Gallery and Nikon P7800 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Nikon AW100 offers external measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 23mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 0.9") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Nikon P7800 has sizing of 119mm x 78mm x 50mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 399 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check the Nikon AW100 and Nikon P7800 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the AW100 compared to the P7800.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the AW100 and P7800 is 93 and 82 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the AW100 and P7800.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The AW100 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Nikon AW100 will deliver greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older AW100 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.