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Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
41
Overall
38
Nikon Coolpix S9100 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Nikon S9100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 214g - 105 x 62 x 35mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Refreshed by Nikon S9300
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Nikon S9100 and Panasonic S2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Nikon and Panasonic. The image resolution of the S9100 (12MP) and the S2 (14MP) is pretty comparable and they use the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The S9100 was unveiled 5 months earlier than the S2 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the S9100 matches up versus the S2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon S9100 over the Panasonic S2

 S9100 S2 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Nikon S9100

 S2 S9100 

Common features in the Nikon S9100 and Panasonic S2

 S9100 S2 
RevealedJuly 2011January 2012Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Nikon S9100 provides external measurements of 105mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Panasonic S2 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Examine the Nikon S9100 and Panasonic S2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the S9100 versus the S2.

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the S9100 and S2 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The image here will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the S9100 and S2.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic S2 to show greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon S9100 Portrait photography information
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography information
33
you can focus manually
offers face detect focusing
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
34
good megapixels (14MP)
has face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon S9100
Street photography with Panasonic S2
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (112 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Nikon S9100 Sports photography features
Panasonic S2 Sports photography features
36
incredible zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
no shutter priority
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (270 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
better than average battery power (280 shots)
slow fps (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon S9100 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Travel photography camera
61
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (450mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (270 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
71
better than average battery power (280 per charge)
lighter than others in class (112 grams)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon S9100
Landscape photography with Panasonic S2
40
you can focus manually
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
not so great battery (270 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
41
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
better than average battery power (280 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon S9100
Vlogging with Panasonic S2
34
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic socket
33
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
lighter than others in class (112g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic socket
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Nikon S9100 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon S9100 and Panasonic S2
 Nikon Coolpix S9100Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Company Nikon Panasonic
Model type Nikon Coolpix S9100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-07-19 2012-01-09
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Expeed C2 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-450mm (18.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing distance 4cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 921 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 214 gr (0.47 lbs) 112 gr (0.25 lbs)
Dimensions 105 x 62 x 35mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.4") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 270 photographs 280 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL12 -
Self timer Yes (10 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $329 $109