Nikon S8100 vs Sony HX50V

In this write-up, we are comparing the Nikon S8100 and Sony HX50V, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Nikon and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the S8100 (12MP) and HX50V (20MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The S8100 was brought out 3 years before the HX50V and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the S8100 matches up against the HX50V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S8100 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V. The entire galleries are available at Nikon S8100 Gallery & Sony HX50V Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon S8100 features outside measurements of 104mm x 60mm x 30mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs) and the Sony HX50V has specifications of 108mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 272 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check the Nikon S8100 and Sony HX50V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the S8100 versus the HX50V.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S8100 and HX50V is 93 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing simply by going over specs. The visual here will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S8100 and HX50V.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony HX50V to offer more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The older S8100 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.