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Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Comparison

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Nikon S9100

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

Nikon S9100
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Nikon S31

10 MP | 1/2.9″ (4.96 x 3.72 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon S31
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Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Nikon cameras cameras with different body types: Nikon S9100, which was introduced in July 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Nikon S31, which was introduced in June 2013 is a Waterproof camera with a 10.0MP 1/2.9-inch sensor. There is 23 months difference between S9100 and S31 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger S31, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon S9100 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-07-19
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 25-450 mm F3.5-5.9 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 214g. 105 x 62 x 35 mm

Nikon S31 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-06-21
  • 10MP - 1/2.9-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 29-87 mm Zoom Lens
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • Unknown continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 185g. 105 x 65 x 42 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Nikon S9100 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix S9300. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix S9300 vs Nikon Coolpix S9100
Nikon Coolpix S9300 vs Nikon Coolpix S31

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S9100 over Nikon Coolpix S31
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
3.200 vs 1.600 100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
270 shots vs 260 shots 10 more frames with a single charge
Focal Length - Wide
25mm vs 29mm 4 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele
450mm vs 87mm 363 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
18× vs 3× more flexible focal coverage
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S31 over Nikon Coolpix S9100
Weight
185 g vs 214 g 29 g lighter
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Max Aperture - Wide
vs 3.50 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
vs 5.90 faster lens at tele

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Nikon Coolpix S31
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Nikon Coolpix S31
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
RAW Support
No vs No Lower image quality
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" Small display
Manual Exposure
No vs No No manual exposure control
Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31: 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 S9100 and Nikon S31 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon S9100 has external dimensions of 105 x 62 x 35 mm (4.13 x 2.44 x 1.38″) and weighs 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz) (including batteries). Nikon S31 has external dimensions of 105 x 65 x 42 mm (4.13 x 2.56 x 1.65″) and weighs 185 g (0.41 lb / 6.53 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31. Nikon S9100 has the same height with Nikon S31. On the other hand, with a width of 62mm, it is 3 narrower and also with a thickness of 35mm, it is 7mm thinner than Nikon S31.

Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31.

Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31.
Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.

Weight Comparison

Waterproof Cameras

S9100
S31
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Waterproof Cameras

S9100
S31
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon S9100's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon S31's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31: Sensor Comparison

Nikon S9100 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Nikon S31 has a 10.0MP 1/2.9-inch (4.96 x 3.72 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the S9100 and S31 sensor size comparison.

Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon S9100 has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Nikon S31. 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 S9100 vs Nikon S31 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon S9100 features a 25-450 mm F3.5-5.9 18× zoom lens whereas Nikon S31 features a 29-87 mm 3× zoom lens.

Nikon S9100 has 4mm wider coverage than the Nikon S31. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f, Nikon S31 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Nikon S9100 has 363mm longer reach than the Nikon S31. However, with a max aperture of f, Nikon S31 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

S9100
S31
Widest - Ricoh WG-M1
Average
Telezoom

Compact Cameras

S9100
S31
Longest - Canon SX520 HS
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

S9100
S31
Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

S9100
S31
Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6
Average
What types of Photography are Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon S9100 and Nikon S31 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 S9100 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon S31 for Portrait Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus 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 Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Small 1/2.9″ (4.96 x 3.72 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
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

Nikon S9100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon S31 for Street Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Small Body
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f
29 mm - Not so Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.9″ (4.96 x 3.72 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon S31 for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
450 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 270 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details
Environmental Sealings
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
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
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 260 shots
87 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon S31 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Compact Body
214g
18.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Compact Body
185g
Environmental Sealings
Small 1/2.9″ (4.96 x 3.72 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Body Thickness 42mm
3.0X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon S31 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Manual Focus Mode
25 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 Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Environmental Sealings
29 mm - Not so Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.9″ (4.96 x 3.72 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Nikon S9100 vs Nikon S31: 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 S9100 and Nikon S31, 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 S9100 and Nikon S31 scores compare:

Nikon S9100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #174 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #727 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon S31
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #348 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1005 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon S9100 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon S31 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon S9100
Nikon S9100
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Nikon S31
Nikon S31
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Nikon S31 vs Nikon S9100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix S9100 Nikon Coolpix S31
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2011-07-19 2013-06-21
Body Type Compact Compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CCD
Size 1/2.3-inch 1/2.9-inch
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 4.96 x 3.72 mm
Area 28.07mm2 18.45mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 1,600 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 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 25-450 mm (18×) 29-87 mm (3×)
Max Aperture F3.5-5.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 4cm n/a
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 2.7"
Resolution 921k dots 230k 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 Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 4.00 m n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps n/a
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 214g 185g
Dimensions 105 x 62 x 35mm 105 x 65 x 42mm
Battery Life 270 shots 260 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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