Nikon S31 vs Sony W800

On this page, we will be evaluating the Nikon S31 and Sony W800, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Nikon and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the S31 (10MP) and W800 (20MP) and the S31 (1/2.9") and W800 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

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The S31 was introduced 7 months before the W800 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the S31 scores against the W800 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon Coolpix S31 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800. The whole galleries are provided at Nikon S31 Gallery & Sony W800 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Nikon S31 comes with exterior dimensions of 105mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.1" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) while the Sony W800 has measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon S31 and Sony W800 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the S31 compared to the W800.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S31 and W800 is 90 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S31 and W800.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S31 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony W800 will give more detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older S31 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.