Nikon S6100 vs Leica X Vario Comparison

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Nikon S6100

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

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Leica X Vario

16 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon S6100 vs Leica X Vario Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Compact cameras from Nikon and Leica. Nikon S6100 was introduced to market in February 2011 and Leica X Vario was launched in June 2013. As you can see, S6100 is 2 years older than X Vario. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Both cameras have 16.0MP sensors but Nikon S6100's sensor is 1/2.3-inch sized whereas Leica X Vario has a APS-C sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon S6100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-02-09

16MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

28-196 mm F3.7-5.6 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

175g. 98 x 58 x 27 mm

Leica X Vario Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-06-11

16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 12500

28-70 mm F3.5-6.4 Zoom Lens

3" Fixed Type Screen

5 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

680g. 133 x 73 x 95 mm

Replaced Leica X2 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S6100 over Leica X Vario

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Weight	175 g vs 680 g	505 g lighter
Focal Length - Tele	196mm vs 70mm	126 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	7× vs 2.5×	more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Tele	5.60 vs 6.40	faster lens at tele

Reasons to choose Leica X Vario over Nikon Coolpix S6100

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	12.500 vs 3.200	290% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	11 vs 9	2 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	920k dots vs 460k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	5.0fps vs 1.0fps	4 fps faster
Battery Life	450 shots vs 210 shots	240 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Max Aperture - Wide	3.50 vs 3.70	faster lens at wide
Sensor Pixel Area	23.13µm² vs 1.76µm²	1214% 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 S6100 and Leica X Vario

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Manual Focusing	Yes vs Yes	both have manual focusing modes

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix S6100 and Leica X Vario

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

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Nikon S6100 vs Leica X Vario: 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 S6100 and Leica X Vario side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon S6100 has external dimensions of 98 x 58 x 27 mm (3.86 x 2.28 x 1.06″) and weighs 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz) (including batteries). Leica X Vario has external dimensions of 133 x 73 x 95 mm (5.24 x 2.87 x 3.74″) and weighs 680 g (1.50 lb / 23.99 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario. Nikon S6100 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 35mm narrower, 15mm shorter and 68mm thinner than Leica X Vario.

Comparison image of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario.

Comparison image of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon S6100 is significantly lighter (505g ) than the Leica X Vario which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix S6100 nor Leica X Vario 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 S6100 and Leica X Vario'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 S6100 vs Leica X Vario: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario have 16.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon S6100's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Leica X Vario's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ).

Since Leica X Vario'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 S6100.

Below you can see the S6100 and X Vario sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario Cameras

As seen above, Leica X Vario has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon S6100. 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 S6100 vs Leica X Vario Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon S6100 features a 28-196 mm F3.7-5.6 7× zoom lens whereas Leica X Vario features a 28-70 mm F3.5-6.4 2.5× zoom lens.

Both cameras have a wide angle coverage of 28mm. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.50, Leica X Vario is faster than Nikon S6100 at this focal length. On the tele end, Nikon S6100 has 126mm longer reach than the Leica X Vario. At f5.60, it is also faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

S6100

X Vario

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon S6100 and Leica X Vario 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 S6100 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Leica X Vario for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
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 Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon S6100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Leica X Vario for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Slow Lens at Wide: f3.70
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon S6100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Leica X Vario for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
196 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 210 shots
Read the details

RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
11 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
70 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon S6100 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X Vario for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
175g
7.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Compact Body
680g
Body Thickness 95mm
2.5X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Nikon S6100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica X Vario for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Manual Focus Mode
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S6100 vs Leica X Vario: 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 S6100 and Leica X Vario, 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 S6100 and Leica X Vario scores compare:

Nikon S6100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #184 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #749 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Leica X Vario

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #41 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #378 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Leica X Vario is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon S6100 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon S6100. Otherwise, Leica X Vario is the better camera overall.

Leica X Vario vs Nikon S6100 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Coolpix S6100	Leica X Vario
Brand	Nikon	Leica
Announced	2011-02-09	2013-06-11
Body Type	Compact	Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	APS-C
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area	28.07mm²	372.88mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4928 x 3272
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	12,500 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	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	28-196 mm (7×)	28-70 mm (2.5×)
Max Aperture	F3.7-5.6	F3.5-6.4
Macro Focus Range	3cm	n/a
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	460k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.50 m	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	1.0 fps	5.0 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	MPEG-4, Motion JPEG	MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	175g	680g
Dimensions	98 x 58 x 27mm	133 x 73 x 95mm
Battery Life	210 shots	450 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	78
DxO Color Depth	not tested	23.4
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.7
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	1320
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