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, Sony NEX-7 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Sony NEX-7's sensor provides 12MP more than Nikon S9100's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the S9100 and NEX-7 sensor size comparison.
![Nikon S9100 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Sony NEX-7 Cameras
As seen above, Sony NEX-7 has a 13.1x 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.