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Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
37
Overall
40
Nikon Coolpix S9500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Nikon S9500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-550mm (F) lens
  • 205g - 110 x 60 x 31mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Earlier Model is Nikon S9300
  • Successor is Nikon S9700
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
  • Launched January 2012
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Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Following is a thorough review of the Nikon S9500 and Panasonic S2, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the S9500 (18MP) and S2 (14MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S9500 was launched 13 months after the S2 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the S9500 scores against the S2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon S9500 over the Panasonic S2

 S9500 S2 
LaunchedJanuary 2013January 2012More modern by 13 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution614k230kSharper screen (+384k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Nikon S9500

 S2 S9500 

Common features in the Nikon S9500 and Panasonic S2

 S9500 S2 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Nikon S9500 provides exterior dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Panasonic S2 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

See the Nikon S9500 and Panasonic S2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the S9500 versus the S2.

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S9500 and S2 is 92 and 96 respectively.

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes merely by reviewing technical specs. The picture below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the S9500 and S2.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Nikon S9500 to offer you more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger S9500 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon S9500 Portrait photography information
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography information
31
decent MP (18 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon S9500
Street photography with Panasonic S2
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (205 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (112 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Nikon S9500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Sports photography camera
42
amazing zoom range (25-550mm 22.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (230 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
good battery life (280 shots)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon S9500 Travel photography factors
Panasonic S2 Travel photography factors
71
lighter than competition (205g)
decent MP (18MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (550mm)
fast max aperture (f)
no Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (230 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
good battery life (280 shots)
lighter than competition (112 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon S9500 Landscape photography features
Panasonic S2 Landscape photography features
46
reasonably wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
no manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
terrible battery life (230 shots)
no Timelapse recording
41
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
good battery life (280 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon S9500
Vlogging with Panasonic S2
36
reasonably wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (205g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone socket
32
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than competition (112g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone jack
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Nikon S9500 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon S9500 and Panasonic S2
 Nikon Coolpix S9500Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Company Nikon Panasonic
Model type Nikon Coolpix S9500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-01-29 2012-01-09
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.16 x 4.62mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4896 x 3672 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 99 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-550mm (22.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 614k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech OLED monitor TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 8s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1500s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 7.5fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 3.30 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 205 gr (0.45 lbs) 112 gr (0.25 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 60 x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 230 pictures 280 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL12 -
Self timer - Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $230 $109