Nikon S3600 vs Sony HX80

Below, we are evaluating the Nikon S3600 vs Sony HX80, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Nikon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the S3600 (20MP) and the HX80 (18MP) is fairly well matched and they feature the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The S3600 was manufactured 3 years prior to the HX80 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the S3600 scores against the HX80 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon Coolpix S3600 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The entire galleries are provided at Nikon S3600 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Nikon S3600 provides external dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony HX80 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Nikon S3600 vs Sony HX80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the S3600 compared to the HX80.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the S3600 and HX80 is 96 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through specifications. The graphic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the S3600 and HX80.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Nikon S3600 to resolve more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older S3600 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.