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Nikon L810 vs Sony S980

Portability
74
Imaging
39
Features
38
Overall
38
Nikon Coolpix L810 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Nikon L810
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 23-585mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 430g - 111 x 76 x 83mm
  • Revealed February 2012
  • Successor is Nikon L820
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Nikon L810 versus Sony S980, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Nikon and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the L810 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The L810 was revealed 2 years later than the S980 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the L810 grades versus the S980 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L810 over the Sony S980

 L810 S980 
IntroducedFebruary 2012February 2009More recent by 36 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Nikon L810

 S980 L810 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Common features in the Nikon L810 and Sony S980

 L810 S980 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Nikon L810 provides outside measurements of 111mm x 76mm x 83mm (4.4" x 3.0" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 430 grams (0.95 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Nikon L810 versus Sony S980 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the L810 vs the S980.

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the L810 and S980 is 74 and 94 respectively.

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specs. The visual underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the L810 and S980.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Nikon L810 to produce extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The fresher L810 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L810 Portrait photography advice
Sony S980 Portrait photography advice
34
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
no manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
27
you can focus manually
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Nikon L810 as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
48
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L810 Sports photography info
Sony S980 Sports photography info
44
amazing zoom range (23-585mm 25.4 x zoom)
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
max frames per second low (1.2 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
17
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L810 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S980 as a Travel photography camera
60
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (23mm)
very long zoom (585mm)
no Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L810 Landscape photography information
Sony S980 Landscape photography information
41
relatively wide (23mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
no Timelapse function
27
you can focus manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L810 Vlogging factors
Sony S980 Vlogging factors
27
relatively wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone port
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Nikon L810 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L810 and Sony S980
 Nikon Coolpix L810Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model Nikon Coolpix L810 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-02-01 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-585mm (25.4x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-5.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.2 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow-sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 430 gr (0.95 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 76 x 83mm (4.4" x 3.0" x 3.3") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos -
Battery form AA -
Battery model 4 x AA -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $280 $300