- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Nikon Coolpix S9100
- 12 MP
- 18x f/3.5
- 1/2.5" CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released February, 2011
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)Whilst that much is standard, less so is a screen resolution that again betters what one might expect at 921k dots, so visibility is clear with it.
Conclusion Check out the Nikon Coolpix S9100
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Nikon Coolpix S9100
12 MP
1/2.5"
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)The Nikon Coolpix S9100 is a new travel-zoom compact camera sporting a whopping 18x zoom lens with a focal range of 25-450mm.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 18 MP    | 20 MP |
Coolpix S9100 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)Other key features of the slim S9100 include a 12 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high resolution 921k dot 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p high-definition movies with stereo sound, sensor-shift Vibration Reduction, a shooting mode dial and a fast auto-focus system.
Coolpix S9100 by c|net (Apr, 2011)The camera also has 60fps and 120fps bursts; the former captures up to 25 images at a resolution of 2 megapixels, and the latter grabs up to 50 1-megapixel frames at a press of the shutter release.
sensor size
Coolpix S9100 by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)At ISO800 there's a subtle softening of overall detail which has again kept any instance of image noise at bay - but this really is nit picking as viewing the full frame you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference at all between this and the lower settingsISO 1600.
Coolpix S9100 by c|net (Apr, 2011)There's a Fixed Range Auto option that will limit you to ISO 160-400, which is nice since, again, this is where the S9100 performs best.
wide angle lens
Coolpix S9100 by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)It boasts a wide angle 25mm to 450mm in 35mm film terms, which offers plenty of scope for capturing natural landscapes and candid portraiture into the bargain.
Coolpix S9100 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)The Nikon Coolpix S9100 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 4cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle.
aperture size
Coolpix S9100 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)The S9100's maximum lens aperture is a modest f/3.5 though.
Coolpix S9100 by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)Maximum lens aperture is a so-so f/3.5, so not especially bright, but clearly compromises had to be made somewhere to pack in that enormous focal length range.
zoom range
| 0x | 14x   | 20x |
Coolpix S9100 by Michael (Mar, 2011)The long zoom is great, but even with image stabilizing enabled you will need a steady hand for clear shots at higher zoom levels.
Coolpix S9100 by A.-Kozubov (Dec, 2012)For everyday use, I would go with 3x zoom, may be up to 5x zoom, as the picture quality for smaller zoom can be expected to be better, in some cases much better.
body size
105 x 62 x 35 mm
141 x 86 x 142 mm
105 x 59 x 28 mm
Coolpix S9100 by L.-Schnitzler (Dec, 2011)Overall, this is a very easy camera to use and if you are looking for something that will fit nicely in a handbag, this is definitely the most compact camera I've ever had.
Coolpix S9100 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)Build wise the camera feels up to Nikon's usual high construction standards when gripped in the palm, at once solid yet manageably lightweight with it and feeling like it will withstand the odd knock (as long as it's not directly to the lens).
Performance Real world tests of Nikon Coolpix S9100
battery life
270 photos
360 photos
200 photos
Coolpix S9100 by c|net (Apr, 2011)The S9100 is powered by a lithium ion rechargeable pack that is rated for 270 shots; this was supported in testing, but keep in mind that using the zoom a lot or the movie and burst-shooting modes will kill battery life faster.
Coolpix S9100 by Dale-Thorn (Mar, 2011)Battery life with the S9100 is rated about average for a pocket camera, which I find is good enough for about three hours of use in the local parks, shooting 100 to 300 photos.
max continuous shooting
Coolpix S9100 by Yogi-Moore--YogiM (Apr, 2011)The Burst modes are very flexible, either 5 full-res 4000x3000 shots max at 10fps, or up to 24 full-res shots at about 2 shots per second (nearly perfect for longer sports sequences).
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
18x -
921 k dots -
HD video -
HD video -
Create slow motion video -
Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas -
Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view -
82.15%
cons
-
f/3.5 -
Feb, 2011 -
12 MP -
No automatic 3D -
3,200 ISO -
35 mm -
105 x 62 x 35 mm -
214 g -
1 s
Reviews Word on the street
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 | Rated by 22 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by L.-H.-Davis (Nov, 2011) Rated 100% by by BTideRoll (Apr, 2011) |
Lens
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 80% by by A.-Kozubov (Dec, 2012)I bought this camera not for the stellar picture quality, but for it's awesome zoom, and decent/acceptable picture quality.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 40% by by avgjoe (Mar, 2011)I am upgrading from a Sony DSC-P200 (3x zoom, 7.2 MP) which produces good pictures but has a small field of view, only a 3X zoom and only does so so in low light.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Mercedes-L.-JohnmeyerThere's actually a 'Food' setting under scene mode, but I prefer the 'Close-up' setting...makes the colors seem a bit more vivid IMO.
Zoom
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)Packing a sizeable 18x zoom into its petite chassis, though it may be crass to describe an inanimate piece of technology as sexy, that's precisely the adjective that springs to mind when prising the Nikon Coolpix S9100 from its box.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Dale-Thorn (Mar, 2011)I gave the Nikon S9100 only four stars because it's not perfect, but in fact it's a very good camera - the best pocket zoom camera I know of, and a bargain I believe at the standard price.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Dale-Thorn (Mar, 2011)So I would recommend using a tripod, or bracing the camera against a solid object when shooting videos, especially at maximum zoom.
Video
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 40% by by avgjoe (Mar, 2011)If the S9100 can't handle these basic shots there's no point testing more challenging tasks like low light, fast action or HD video.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Michael (Mar, 2011)The video from the camera plays nice and smooth on my computer when I use windows media player; but when I tried quick time the video was choppy.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by T.-Johns (Apr, 2012)To get a good camera that a novice photo taker like myself can easily take quality pictures is great.
Image quality
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Dale-Thorn (Mar, 2011)I would prefer an optical image stabilizer to the sensor-based stabilizer, I would like to have Spot Focus as an option on the menu, and I would like to have the option to adjust the amount of noise reduction, in case I wanted to do noise reduction on the computer with extra software.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)The Nikon Coolpix S9100's maximum shutter speed is 4 seconds in the Fireworks scene mode, which is not great news if you're seriously interested in night photography.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 80% by by Yogi-Moore--YogiM (Apr, 2011)PROS: the Night Landscape is the multi-shot low light implementation of the Handheld Twilight of Sony.
Screen
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 78% by by c|net (Apr, 2011)While several manufacturers have bulked up their compact megazoom offerings with GPS receivers, touch screens, 3D photo capture, and semimanual and manual shooting modes, the Nikon Coolpix S9100 is all about the lens.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by Michael (Mar, 2011)On my laptop the pictures look a bit drab or dull, but on my desk top with a high res monitor the pictures are real vivid and pleasing to the eye.
Nikon Coolpix S9100 | Rated 100% by by R.-Brown (Feb, 2012)I used the camera in bright sunlight and shot pictures as the sun was going down.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 2 | Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v Rated the best by consumers Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs Nikon Coolpix S9100 |
 | 3 | Panasonic Lumix TZ30 Has a touch screen Panasonic Lumix TZ30 vs Nikon Coolpix S9100 |
 | 4 | Nikon Coolpix S9300 3-way tie: Fast max shutter speed Coolpix S9300 vs Coolpix S9100 |
 | 5 | Canon PowerShot SX260 HS OK benchmarked shot to shot times Canon PowerShot SX260 HS vs Nikon Coolpix S9100 |
 | 6 | Nikon Coolpix S8200 Highest resolution screen S8200 vs S9100 |
 | 7 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Largest sensor Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 vs Nikon Coolpix S9100 |
 | 8 | Nikon Coolpix S9200 3-way tie: Fast max shutter speed Coolpix S9200 vs Coolpix S9100 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
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