Nikon S4100 vs Canon 1200D Comparison

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Nikon S4100

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

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Canon 1200D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon S4100 vs Canon 1200D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon S4100, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Ultracompact camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Canon 1200D, which was introduced in February 2014 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 18.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, S4100 is 3 years older than 1200D. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

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 Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon S4100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-02-09

14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

26-130 mm F3.2-6.5 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

g. 95 x 57 x 20 mm

Canon 1200D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-02-12

18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

480g. 130 x 100 x 78 mm

Also known as EOS Rebel T5 / EOS Kiss X70

Replaced Canon EOS 1100D Compare

Canon 1200D was replaced by Canon EOS Rebel T6. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS Rebel T6 vs Canon EOS 1200D (EOS Rebel T5 / EOS Kiss X70)
Canon EOS Rebel T6 vs Nikon Coolpix S4100

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S4100 over Canon EOS 1200D

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Weight	g vs 480 g	480 g lighter

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 1200D over Nikon Coolpix S4100

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
Max Sensor Resolution	18 MP vs 14 MP	28% more pixels
Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/2000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Battery Life	500 shots vs 190 shots	310 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Flash Coverage	9.2m vs 4.5m	4.7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	18.54µm² vs 2.01µm²	822% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix S4100 and Canon EOS 1200D

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix S4100 and Canon EOS 1200D

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 460k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

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Nikon S4100 vs Canon 1200D: 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 S4100 and Canon 1200D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon S4100 has external dimensions of 95 x 57 x 20 mm (3.74 x 2.24 x 0.79″) and weighs (including batteries). Canon 1200D has external dimensions of 130 x 100 x 78 mm (5.12 x 3.94 x 3.07″) and weighs 480 g (1.06 lb / 16.93 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D. Nikon S4100 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 35mm narrower, 43mm shorter and 58mm thinner than Canon 1200D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon S4100 has a built-in lens but Canon 1200D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1200D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D.

Comparison image of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon S4100 is 480g lighter than the Canon 1200D but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 1200D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix S4100 nor Canon EOS 1200D (EOS Rebel T5 / EOS Kiss X70) 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 S4100 and Canon 1200D'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 S4100 vs Canon 1200D: Sensor Comparison

Nikon S4100 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Canon 1200D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Below you can see the S4100 and 1200D sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D Cameras

As seen above, Canon 1200D has a 11.8x Larger sensor area than Nikon S4100. 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 Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon S4100 and Canon 1200D 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 S4100 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon 1200D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
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
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon S4100 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 1200D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
26 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 (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon S4100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Canon 1200D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
130 mm Tele Lens
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: 190 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon S4100 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 1200D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
Body Thickness 20mm
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
480g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details

Nikon S4100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon 1200D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
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 (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S4100 vs Canon 1200D: 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 S4100 and Canon 1200D, 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 S4100 and Canon 1200D scores compare:

Nikon S4100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #47 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #908 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon 1200D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #49 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #355 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon 1200D is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon S4100 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Canon 1200D vs Nikon S4100 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Coolpix S4100	Canon EOS 1200D
Brand	Nikon	Canon
Announced	2011-02-09	2014-02-12
Body Type	Ultracompact	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	APS-C
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area	28.07mm²	332.27mm²
Megapixels	14 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	4320 x 3240	5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 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	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Canon EF/EF-S
Lens Focal Range	26-130 mm (5×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.2-6.5	no lens
Macro Focus Range	10cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.5x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.50 m	9.20 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	1.0 fps	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	n/a	480g
Dimensions	95 x 57 x 20mm	130 x 100 x 78mm
Battery Life	190 shots	500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	63
DxO Color Depth	not tested	21.9
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	11.3
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	724
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