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Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Comparison

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Canon ELPH 150 IS

20 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

Canon ELPH 150 IS
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Nikon D3200

24 MP | APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3200
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Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Canon ELPH 150 IS, which was introduced in February 2014 is a Ultracompact camera with a 20.0MP 1/2.3' sensor whereas Nikon D3200, which was introduced in July 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 19 months difference between ELPH 150 IS and D3200 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger ELPH 150 IS, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon ELPH 150 IS Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-02-12
  • 20MP - 1/2.3' CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • 24-240 mm F3.0-6.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 2.70" Fixed Type Screen
  • 1.0fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 142g. 95 x 57 x 24 mm
  • Also known as IXUS 155

Nikon D3200 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-07-25
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 4.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 505g. 125 x 96 x 77 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3100 Compare

Nikon D3200 was replaced by Nikon D3300. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3300 vs Nikon D3200
Nikon D3300 vs Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS (IXUS 155)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS over Nikon D3200
In-built Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Weight
142 g vs 505 g 363 g lighter
CHECK ELPH 150 IS PRICE


Reasons to choose Nikon D3200 over Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 20 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
6.400 vs 1.600 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
4.0fps vs 1.0fps 3 fps faster
Battery Life
540 shots vs 230 shots 310 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 4.0m 8m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
14.85µm2 vs 1.41µm2 953% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
CHECK D3200 PRICE

Common Strengths of Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
Common Weaknesses of Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No Screen tilts or Flips out independently, perfect for both stills and video
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon ELPH 150 IS has external dimensions of 95 x 57 x 24 mm (3.74 x 2.24 x 0.94″) and weighs 142 g (0.31 lb / 5.01 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3200 has external dimensions of 125 x 96 x 77 mm (4.92 x 3.78 x 3.03″) and weighs 505 g (1.11 lb / 17.81 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200. Canon ELPH 150 IS is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 30mm narrower, 39mm shorter and 53mm thinner than Nikon D3200. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon ELPH 150 IS has a built-in lens but Nikon D3200 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D3200, its thickness will increase significantly.

Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200.

Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200.
Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon ELPH 150 IS is significantly lighter (363g ) than the Nikon D3200 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D3200, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS (IXUS 155) nor Nikon D3200 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3200's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon ELPH 150 IS's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200: Sensor Comparison

Canon ELPH 150 IS has a 20.0MP 1/2.3' (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4+ processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3200 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor.

Below you can see the ELPH 150 IS and D3200 sensor size comparison.

Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3200 has a 12.7x Larger sensor area than Canon ELPH 150 IS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon ELPH 150 IS for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon D3200 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon ELPH 150 IS for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3200 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon ELPH 150 IS for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon D3200 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
240 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 230 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.90
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 540 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon ELPH 150 IS for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3200 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Compact Body
142g
10.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Large Body
505g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Canon ELPH 150 IS for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon D3200 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon ELPH 150 IS vs Nikon D3200: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon ELPH 150 IS and Nikon D3200 scores compare:

Canon ELPH 150 IS
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #95 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #1099 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Nikon D3200
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #259 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Nikon D3200 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon ELPH 150 IS in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon ELPH 150 IS. Otherwise, Nikon D3200 is the better camera overall.

Canon ELPH 150 IS
Canon ELPH 150 IS
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Nikon D3200
Nikon D3200
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Nikon D3200 vs Canon ELPH 150 IS Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS Nikon D3200
Brand Canon Nikon
Announced 2014-02-12 2012-07-25
Body Type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.3' APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.2 x 15.4 mm
Area 28.07mm2 357.28mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 5152 x 3864 6016 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Nikon F
Lens Focal Range 24-240 mm (10×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.0-6.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 1cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 2.70" 3.00"
Resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 95%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Optical No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 4.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 4.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Video Formats H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 142g 505g
Dimensions 95 x 57 x 24mm 125 x 96 x 77mm
Battery Life 230 shots 540 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 81
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.2
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1131
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