Clicky

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Nikon Coolpix S9700 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Key Specs

Nikon S9700
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-750mm (F3.7-6.4) lens
  • 232g - 110 x 64 x 35mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Old Model is Nikon S9500
  • Refreshed by Nikon S9900
Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Nikon and Olympus. The sensor resolution of the S9700 (16MP) and the E-M1 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the S9700 (1/2.3") and E-M1 (Four Thirds) offer totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The S9700 was unveiled 4 months after the E-M1 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras feature different body design with the Nikon S9700 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summary of how the S9700 grades versus the E-M1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing
	
	

Reasons to pick Nikon S9700 over the Olympus E-M1

 S9700 E-M1 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Nikon S9700

 E-M1 S9700 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k921kSharper screen (+116k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon S9700 and Olympus E-M1

 S9700 E-M1 
RevealedFebruary 2014October 2013Similar age
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Nikon S9700 has physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 232 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Olympus E-M1 has measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check out the Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the S9700 vs the E-M1.

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the S9700 and E-M1 is 90 and 71 respectively.

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 top view buttons comparison

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The image here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S9700 and E-M1.

Clearly, both cameras come with the identical resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The S9700 contains the tinier sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field trickier.

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 sensor size comparison

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon S9700 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
37
good MP (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
71
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/320s)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW files
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon S9700
Street photography with Olympus E-M1
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (232 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
78
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus via touch
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Nikon S9700 Sports photography features
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography features
53
incredible zoom range (25-750mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Nikon S9700 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
69
lighter than competitors in class (232g)
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (750mm)
missing Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.7)
65
lighter than others in class (497g)
environment proofing
provides focus via touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Nikon S9700 Landscape photography info
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography info
45
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.7)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon S9700 Vlogging factors
Olympus E-M1 Vlogging factors
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (232g)
slow max aperture (f3.7)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic port
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Nikon S9700 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon S9700 and Olympus E-M1
 Nikon Coolpix S9700Olympus OM-D E-M1
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Olympus
Model Nikon Coolpix S9700 Olympus OM-D E-M1
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2014-02-07 2013-10-28
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePIC VII
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 99 81
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 25-750mm (30.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.7-6.4 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 107
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT LCD with anti-reflection coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes TTL auto flash with monitor preflashes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/320 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30/25p, 60/50i) 1280 x 720 (60/50/30/25/15/12.5p) 960 x 540 (30/25p) 640 x 480 (120/30/25p) 320 x 240 (240p) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 232 grams (0.51 lbs) 497 grams (1.10 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 35mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 757
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 350 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL12 BLN-1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $350 $799