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Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2 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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Olympus E-PM2

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-PM2
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Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two 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 Olympus E-PM2, which was introduced in May 2013 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. There is 22 months difference between S9100 and E-PM2 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger E-PM2, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 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

Olympus E-PM2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-05-21
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 8 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 269g. 110 x 64 x 34 mm
  • Replaced Olympus PEN E-PM1 Compare

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 Olympus PEN E-PM2

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S9100 over Olympus PEN E-PM2
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 8.0fps 2 fps faster
Weight
214 g vs 269 g 55 g lighter


Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PM2 over Nikon Coolpix S9100
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 3.200 700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
35 vs 9 26 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
360 shots vs 270 shots 90 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
7.0m vs 4.0m 3m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
14.12µm2 vs 2.34µm2 503% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Olympus PEN E-PM2
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 8.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Olympus PEN E-PM2
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2: 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 Olympus E-PM2 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). Olympus E-PM2 has external dimensions of 110 x 64 x 34 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.34″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2. Nikon S9100 is 5mm narrower and 2mm shorter than Olympus E-PM2 but it is also 1mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon S9100 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-PM2 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PM2, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2.
Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon S9100 is significantly lighter (55g ) than the Olympus E-PM2 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 E-PM2, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix S9100 nor Olympus PEN E-PM2 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2'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 S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2: 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, Olympus E-PM2 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the S9100 and E-PM2 sensor size comparison.

Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 Cameras


As seen above, Olympus E-PM2 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Nikon S9100. 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 S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon S9100 and Olympus E-PM2 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

Olympus E-PM2 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
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
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PM2 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
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
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PM2 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
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
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PM2 for Daily Photography

GOOD
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
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
269g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PM2 for Landscape Photography

POOR
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
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S9100 vs Olympus E-PM2: 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 Olympus E-PM2, 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 Olympus E-PM2 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
Olympus E-PM2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #48 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #259 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PM2 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon S9100 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon S9100. Otherwise, Olympus E-PM2 is the better camera overall.

Nikon S9100
Nikon S9100
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Olympus E-PM2
Olympus E-PM2
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Nikon S9100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix S9100 Olympus PEN E-PM2
Brand Nikon Olympus
Announced 2011-07-19 2013-05-21
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch Four Thirds
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 28.07mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 200 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 35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens Focal Range 25-450 mm (18×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.5-5.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 4cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 4.00 m 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 8.0 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 MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 214g 269g
Dimensions 105 x 62 x 35mm 110 x 64 x 34mm
Battery Life 270 shots 360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 72
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.2
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 932
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