Nikon S30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Nikon S30 and Sigma DP3 Merrill, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Nikon and Sigma. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the S30 (10MP) and DP3 Merrill (15MP) and the S30 (1/3") and DP3 Merrill (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The S30 was unveiled 11 months earlier than the DP3 Merrill so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras feature different body design with the Nikon S30 being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the S30 grades versus the DP3 Merrill in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S30 and Sigma DP3 Merrill. The full galleries are available at Nikon S30 Gallery and Sigma DP3 Merrill Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Nikon S30 has got external measurements of 102mm x 65mm x 40mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Sigma DP3 Merrill has specifications of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

See the Nikon S30 and Sigma DP3 Merrill in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the S30 against the DP3 Merrill.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S30 and DP3 Merrill is 90 and 83 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements merely by looking through specifications. The graphic underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the S30 and DP3 Merrill.

Plainly, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S30 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sigma DP3 Merrill will result in extra detail having an extra 5MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The older S30 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.