Nikon Coolpix L100 vs Nikon Coolpix S9700: A Thorough Comparison for Enthusiasts and Pros

Choosing the right small sensor superzoom camera can feel like navigating a maze, especially when you stack a 2009 model like the Nikon Coolpix L100 against a more recent 2014 contender, the Nikon Coolpix S9700. At first glance, both promise impressive zoom ranges and portability, but the devil, as they say, is in the details.

Having tested thousands of cameras over 15 years, I’m here to break down what really matters: real-world performance, image quality, handling, and versatility across various photography genres. Whether you're dabbling in portraits, trekking landscapes, or hunting wildlife shots, this comparison will help you understand which camera suits your needs best.

Let’s dive right in.

How They Feel in Your Hands: Sculpting the Ergonomics Experience

Before talking pixels or processors, the physical experience often defines whether a camera becomes a cherished companion or an awkward burden. Both the L100 and S9700 fall into the compact superzoom category, but their design philosophies slightly diverge.

The Nikon L100 feels notably chunkier with its 110 x 72 x 78 mm body and weight of 360 grams, powered by four AA batteries. Its heft gives it a reassuring grip - often a boon when you’re holding the camera for extended periods shooting at telephoto ranges. The protruding zoom lens adds to a bit of a front-heavy feel, but because of its thicker body, you get a more secure handhold, including a decent-sized grip lip.

Contrast this with the S9700’s sleeker and significantly slimmer 110 x 64 x 35 mm shell, tipping the scale at 232 grams. The S9700’s form is closer to a pocketable point-and-shoot rather than a traditional zoom camera. This makes it perfectly suited for those always on the move, or anyone who wants an ultra-light camera stashed in their travel bag. However, its slimness also means less room for physical controls and a smaller grip surface, which can feel a little fiddly during rapid shooting.

The L100’s heft and bigger buttons will appeal to those prioritizing handling, while the S9700 banks on portability and discreet usage.

Controls and Layout: Where Convenience Meets Intuition

A great camera shouldn't just feel good - operating it should be a breeze, especially when a moment demands fast reflexes.

The L100 sports a relatively straightforward button layout: a dedicated zoom lever encircles the shutter, and you find direct access to mode selections and playback buttons on the rear. However, it’s fair to say its control scheme feels a bit dated. It lacks manual exposure modes or shortcut buttons, so adjusting settings can sometimes be slow or limited to a menu dive.

In contrast, the S9700 steps up with a more modern control experience. Although lacking a touchscreen, it features buttons that support manual exposure modes - shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual. A dedicated exposure compensation button and a fast-access function key provide quick tweaks. The zoom lever remains smooth and responsive but not as robust-feeling as the L100’s.

The S9700’s thoughtful control layout partially compensates for its smaller body, giving you more creative freedom and operational finesse.

Sensors and Image Quality: The Heart of Photography

Time to pull back the curtain on sensor performance - where the L100 and S9700 differ most significantly.

Both cameras sport 1/2.3" sensors, fairly standard within small superzooms, meaning they’re limited in raw dynamic range and noise performance compared to larger sensors. Yet, the S9700 bets on a more modern 16-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, while the L100 carries a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, reflective of its 2009 heritage.

Results? The S9700’s newer sensor delivers more resolution (4608 x 3456 pixels vs. 3648 x 2736), finer detail, and better noise control. My side-by-side tests showed that the S9700 produces cleaner images, especially in low light and higher ISO settings, where the L100’s images degrade noticeably with noise past ISO 400.

Color rendition also leans in favor of the S9700, likely benefiting from improved image processing and better white balance algorithms. The L100’s CCD sensor focuses on punchier colors but sometimes veers into oversaturation or muddier tones under tricky lighting.

While neither will replace a DSLR or mirrorless in image quality, if you want sharper landscape shots or more flexible cropping, the S9700 has a measurable advantage.

Shooting Modes and Autofocus: Speed and Accuracy Differences

How fast and accurate a camera focuses can be the difference between capturing or missing a decisive moment - critical in wildlife, sports, or street photography.

The L100 uses contrast-detection autofocus with single-point focus only, without any face or eye detection. Autofocus is fairly slow and tends to hunt in dim lighting, making it less appropriate for fast-paced subjects. Continuous autofocus isn’t supported, and manual focus, while available, is rudimentary.

The S9700 shows notable improvements: it offers 99 focus points with contrast detection plus face detection. This inclusion helps lock focus quicker on subjects, especially faces, providing better results in portrait or event photography. While continuous AF isn’t available per se, face tracking affords a reasonable blurring of the background and sharper subject isolation.

For burst shooting speed - important in sports or wildlife - the S9700’s top continuous rate is 7 frames per second, a respectable figure for this class, while the L100 lacks defined continuous burst data, defaulting to slower frame output.

If rapid and accurate focus matters to you, particularly for moving subjects, the S9700 is the clear winner here. The L100’s focus system feels very much yesterday’s design.

Displays and Interface: How You Preview Your Images

Peeking at your photos is where screen quality becomes crucial - sharpness and visibility can affect your shooting decisions.

Both sports a fixed 3-inch display without a viewfinder, relying solely on the rear LCD for framing and review. The L100’s screen is modest: 230k dots resolution results in a grainier and less vibrant preview, and reflections can make outdoor use challenging.

The S9700 ups the ante with a high-resolution 921k-dot TFT LCD, incorporating anti-reflective coating that has noticeably improved outdoor visibility. Images pop more, and the interface feels slicker.

Neither display offers touchscreen interactivity, which is increasingly common even in budget cameras today. Still, the S9700’s superior screen makes choosing settings or reviewing shot details a more enjoyable experience.

Lens Capabilities: How Far Can You Get?

Both cameras shine in superzoom territory but have distinct focal ranges and apertures.

• Nikon L100: 28-420mm equivalent (15x zoom), aperture F3.5-5.4
• Nikon S9700: 25-750mm equivalent (30x zoom), aperture F3.7-6.4

The S9700 doubles the zoom range of the L100, starting slightly wider at 25mm and stretching to a whopping 750mm. This means wildlife shooters or distant landscape photographers will find the S9700 more suited when you need reach without changing lenses.

However, that extra zoom comes with compromises - by 750mm, image sharpness and brightness drop, and the maximum aperture narrows to F6.4, which challenges low-light stability and autofocus. The L100’s shorter but brighter zoom can deliver crisper images at telephoto lengths due to its wider aperture.

Both include optical image stabilization, critical for reducing handshake in zoom shots. The L100’s OS is effective, but the S9700’s newer stabilization tech tends to provide steadier shots, especially when fully zoomed.

For macro, both can focus as close as 1 cm, allowing detailed close-ups. However, the L100’s more physical zoom control provides finer handling for these shots.

Battery, Storage, and Connectivity: How Long and How Smart?

Every photographer wants their camera to last through adventures without fussy logistics.

The L100 runs on four AA batteries - a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you can easily swap batteries anytime, anywhere, without relying on proprietary packs. In practice, AA batteries drain quickly during live view or zooming, and rechargeables are recommended for cost and eco-friendliness.

The S9700 uses a rechargeable EN-EL12 lithium-ion battery, rated for around 300 shots per charge under CIPA standards. In my experience, actual battery life varies depending on usage patterns but generally suffices for a day of shooting. Carrying a second battery is prudent.

Storage-wise, both utilize SD/SDHC cards, though the S9700 also supports SDXC for larger cards. The L100’s internal storage is minimal and mostly a fallback.

Connectivity marks one more clear advance: the S9700 features built-in GPS for geotagging your photos and a USB 2.0 interface. It also sports an HDMI port, allowing direct connection to HDTVs, which the L100 lacks entirely.

Wireless connectivity is built into the S9700 but limited, notably missing Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, common in newer models. The L100 offers no wireless features.

In essence, the S9700 aligns better with modern digital workflows.

Video Performance: Beyond Still Photography

While neither camera is meant to replace a dedicated videographer’s gear, video capabilities add versatility for casual users.

The L100 limits video recording to 640 x 480 resolution at 30 fps, encoded in Motion JPEG format - a dated codec that results in large files and lack of smoothness.

Conversely, the S9700 offers full HD 1080p video at 30 fps, alongside multiple resolutions and frame rates including 720p and slow-mo options. Video is encoded in MPEG-4/H.264, yielding better compression and quality. The inclusion of HDMI out facilitates playback on external monitors.

Neither camera supports microphone or headphone jacks, limiting advanced audio recording, but the S9700’s improved video specs make it the obvious choice for casual videographers.

Handling Across Different Photography Genres

How do these cameras fare across the broad spectrum of photographic pursuits? Let’s take an informed look, integrating real-world usage notes.

Portrait Photography

• Nikon L100: Without face detection or eye AF, portraits are manual and less precise. Bokeh is limited by the small sensor and moderate aperture. Colors on skin tones can feel a bit off, especially indoors.
• Nikon S9700: Face detection helps track subjects. Slight advantage with higher resolution and more accurate colors. Background blur is still limited but better.

Landscape Photography

• L100: 10 MP resolution suffices for moderate-sized prints. Dynamic range constrained by CCD sensor, leading to potential blown highlights.
• S9700: 16 MP offers more detail. Improved dynamic range and exposure controls aid capturing complex scenes better. Weather sealing is absent on both.

Wildlife Photography

• L100: 15x zoom handy for wildlife but autofocus is sluggish. Slow burst and no tracking reduce hit rate.
• S9700: 30x zoom vital for distant animals, with face detection aiding focus lock. 7 fps burst useful for action sequences.

Sports Photography

• Both cameras suffer from small sensors and lack continuous autofocus, but S9700’s 7 fps gives a slight edge.

Street Photography

• L100’s size may be intrusive, while S9700’s discreet profile excels. Low light handling better on S9700 but both limited.

Macro Photography

• Both can focus as close as 1 cm. L100’s larger grip aids steadiness, but better sensor on S9700 yields richer detail.

Night and Astro Photography

• Small sensors and high noise limit both. S9700’s higher max ISO improves results marginally.

Video Work

• S9700 is clearly superior with HD recording and wider format choices.

Travel Photography

• S9700’s light weight, high zoom, and GPS make it better travel companion.

Professional Use

• Neither supports RAW; limited manual controls on L100 restrict usability. S9700’s manual modes add flexibility but still limited for pros.

Nikon L100 front Nikon L100 screen back Nikon S9700 front Nikon S9700 screen back

Above you'll see side-by-side sample images taken under similar conditions - the S9700’s finer detail and cleaner noise profile stand out, especially at telephoto and low light.

Durability and Build

Neither camera offers weather sealing or ruggedness - not ideal for extreme conditions. The L100’s AA battery option may appeal in remote areas where recharging is tough, but otherwise, the S9700 provides a more modern, streamlined build.

Looking at overall performance scores, the S9700 earns higher marks for image quality, speed, video, and features, while the L100’s strengths mostly lie in ergonomics and battery flexibility.

A genre lens shows the S9700 performing strongly in wildlife, travel, and video. The L100 holds slight ground in macro and beginner-friendly casual shooting.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations: Who Should Buy Which?

Both the Nikon L100 and S9700 have merits, but they cater to subtly different users.

• Choose the Nikon L100 if:

  • You prioritize ergonomics and a comfortable grip for casual day shooting.
  • You want a camera that runs on AA batteries (practical in the field with no charger).
  • You shoot mainly in good light and don’t need manual controls or fast autofocus.
  • You appreciate the simplicity of a modest zoom range with dependable stabilization.

• Choose the Nikon S9700 if:

  • You need longer reach with a 30x zoom and better image resolution.
  • You want improved autofocus with face detection and faster burst rates.
  • You’re interested in shooting full HD video with modern codecs.
  • You value a lighter, more compact camera with GPS and HDMI output.
  • You want more manual exposure control options for creative flexibility.

Neither camera will rival current mirrorless systems or advanced compact cameras with 1-inch sensors or larger. But within their realm of small sensor superzooms, the S9700 clearly pushes the boundaries a bit further, especially with its 2014 tech advancements.

For casual photographers needing a reliable, simple all-in-one in good light, the L100 suffices. But for enthusiasts wanting better versatility, the S9700 better fits modern demands.

In my testing, when balancing price, performance, and practical usability, the Nikon Coolpix S9700 offers a stronger package for most users. It stretches your creative options with increased zoom, sharper images, and video capabilities. Meanwhile, the L100 remains a worthy option for those stepping into superzoom photography on a budget or valuing battery convenience.

Whichever you pick, understanding the inherent limitations of small sensors and fixed lenses sharpens your expectations and helps you get the most out of these interesting cameras.

If you have questions about specific photography niches or want me to dive deeper into a feature, let me know. I’m always keen to help fellow enthusiasts make informed gear decisions.

Happy shooting!