Nikon P300 vs Canon S100 Comparison

Camera to replace

Change

Nikon P300

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Change

Canon S100

12 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) CMOS Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Nikon P300 vs Canon S100 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing P300 and S100, two Small Sensor Compact cameras from Nikon and Canon. Both cameras have 12.0MP sensors but Nikon P300's sensor is 1/2.3-inch sized whereas Canon S100 has a 1/1.7-inch sensor. Nikon P300 was introduced to market in May 2011 and Canon S100 was launched in December 2011. There is only 7 months difference between P300 and S100 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P300 and Canon S100 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P300 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-05-31

12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 3200

24-100 mm F1.8-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

7 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

120fps High-Speed Video

189g. 103 x 58 x 32 mm

Canon S100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-12-22

12MP - 1/1.7-inch CMOS Sensor

ISO 80 - 6400

24-120 mm F2.0-5.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

240fps High-Speed Video

Built-in GPS

198g. 99 x 60 x 28 mm

Replaced Canon PowerShot S95 Compare

Nikon P300 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P310. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Nikon Coolpix P300
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Canon PowerShot S100

Canon S100 was replaced by Canon PowerShot S110. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot S110 vs Canon PowerShot S100
Canon PowerShot S110 vs Nikon Coolpix P300

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P300 and Canon S100 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P300 over Canon PowerShot S100

LCD Screen Resolution	922k dots vs 461k dots	99% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	7.0fps vs 2.0fps	5 fps faster
Battery Life	240 shots vs 200 shots	40 more frames with a single charge
Weight	189 g vs 198 g	9 g lighter
Max Aperture - Wide	1.80 vs 2.00	faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 5.90	faster lens at tele

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot S100 over Nikon Coolpix P300

GPS	BuiltIn vs None	track your location
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
Focal Length - Tele	120mm vs 100mm	20 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	5× vs 4.2×	more flexible focal coverage
Flash Coverage	7.0m vs 6.5m	0.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	3.46µm² vs 2.34µm²	47% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Canon PowerShot S100

Image Stabilization	Optical vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Manual Exposure	Yes vs Yes	better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide	24mm vs 24mm	Very good wide angle coverage

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Canon PowerShot S100

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

New4

Nikon P300 vs Canon S100: 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 Nikon P300 and Canon S100 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P300 has external dimensions of 103 x 58 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.28 x 1.26″) and weighs 189 g (0.42 lb / 6.67 oz) (including batteries). Canon S100 has external dimensions of 99 x 60 x 28 mm (3.9 x 2.36 x 1.1″) and weighs 198 g (0.44 lb / 6.98 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon S100. Canon S100 is 4mm narrower and 4mm thinner than Nikon P300 but it is also 2mm taller.

Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon S100 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon S100.

Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon S100 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon S100.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon S100 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon P300 is 9g lighter than the Canon S100 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P300 nor Canon PowerShot S100 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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P300 and Canon S100's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Nikon P300 vs Canon S100: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon P300 and Canon S100 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon P300's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Canon S100's sensor is 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ).

Since Canon S100's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon P300.

Below you can see the P300 and S100 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon S100 Cameras

As seen above, Canon S100 has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Nikon P300. 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.

Nikon P300 vs Canon S100 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon P300 features a 24-100 mm F1.8-4.9 4.2× zoom lens whereas Canon S100 features a 24-120 mm F2.0-5.9 5× zoom lens.

Both cameras have a wide angle coverage of 24mm. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f1.80, Nikon P300 is faster than Canon S100 at this focal length. On the tele end, Canon S100 has 20mm longer telezoom reach than the Nikon P300. However, with a max aperture of f4.90, Nikon P300 is faster at widest end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

P300

S100

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Nikon P300 and Canon S100 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P300 and Canon S100 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.

Nikon P300 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon S100 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
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
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon S100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.80
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

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.00
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Sports Photography

POOR

Canon S100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 240 shots
100 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
120 mm Tele Lens
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 200 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon S100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
189g
4.2X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

RAW shooting capability
Compact Body
198g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon S100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Manual Exposure Mode
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Built-in GPS
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P300 vs Canon S100: 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 Nikon P300 and Canon S100, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Nikon P300 and Canon S100 scores compare:

Nikon P300

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #177 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #732 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon S100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #54 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #475 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon S100 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon P300 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon S100 vs Nikon P300 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Coolpix P300	Canon PowerShot S100
Brand	Nikon	Canon
Announced	2011-05-31	2011-12-22
Body Type	Compact	Compact
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	1/1.7-inch
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area	28.07mm²	41.52mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4000 x 3000	4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	160 ISO	80 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	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	24-100 mm (4.2×)	24-120 mm (5×)
Max Aperture	F1.8-4.9	F2.0-5.9
Macro Focus Range	3cm	3cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	922k dots	461k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	6.50 m	7.00 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	7.0 fps	2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264, Motion JPEG	H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	189g	198g
Dimensions	103 x 58 x 32mm	99 x 60 x 28mm
Battery Life	240 shots	200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	50
DxO Color Depth	not tested	20.7
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	11.6
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	153
	Report a correction	Report a correction