Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980
88 Imaging
40 Features
60 Overall
48
94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-750mm (F3.7-6.4) lens
- 289g - 112 x 66 x 40mm
- Introduced February 2015
- Succeeded the Nikon S9700
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Launched February 2009
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In this article, we are looking at the Nikon S9900 versus Sony S980, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Nikon and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the S9900 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsThe S9900 was brought out 6 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).
Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the S9900 grades vs the S980 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S9900 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The entire galleries are available at Nikon S9900 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon S9900 over the Sony S980
| S9900 | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | February 2015 | February 2009 | Newer by 73 months | |
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display sizing | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
| Display resolution | 921k | 230k | Sharper display (+691k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Nikon S9900
| S980 | S9900 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | Very exact focusing |
Common features in the Nikon S9900 and Sony S980
| S9900 | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touch display | Absent Touch display |
Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Nikon S9900 provides outside measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") having a weight of 289 grams (0.64 lbs) while the Sony S980 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Look at the Nikon S9900 versus Sony S980 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the S9900 versus the S980.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the S9900 and S980 is 88 and 94 respectively.
Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, its tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by looking through technical specs. The image here may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S9900 and S980.
As you have seen, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You should expect to see the Nikon S9900 to provide you with greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer S9900 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.
Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder
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Nikon S9900 vs Sony S980 Specifications
| Nikon Coolpix S9900 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Nikon | Sony |
| Model type | Nikon Coolpix S9900 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
| Introduced | 2015-02-10 | 2009-02-17 |
| Body design | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Max native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | 25-750mm (30.0x) | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
| Max aperture | f/3.7-6.4 | f/3.3-5.2 |
| Macro focusing range | 1cm | 10cm |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Screen sizing | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 921 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 8 seconds | 2 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
| Continuous shooting speed | 7.0 frames per second | 1.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 6.00 m (at Auto ISO) | 3.50 m |
| Flash options | - | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| 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 | 289 gr (0.64 lbs) | 167 gr (0.37 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 112 x 66 x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
| 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 | 300 shots | - |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | EN-EL19 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Pricing at launch | $300 | $300 |