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Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57 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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Sony A57

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A57
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Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57 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 Sony A57, which was introduced in September 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 14 months difference between S9100 and A57 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger A57, especially in sensor tech.

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 S9100 and Sony A57 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
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 10.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 214g. 105 x 62 x 35 mm

Sony A57 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-09-13
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 16000 ( expands to 25600)
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 618g. 132 x 98 x 81 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A55 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 Sony SLT-A57

Sony A57 was replaced by Sony SLT-A58. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony SLT-A58 vs Sony SLT-A57
Sony SLT-A58 vs Nikon Coolpix S9100

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix S9100 over Sony SLT-A57
Internal Storage
71 MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Weight
214 g vs 618 g 404 g lighter
CHECK S9100 PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A57 over Nikon Coolpix S9100
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
16.000 vs 3.200 400% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
15 vs 9 6 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 10.0fps 2 fps faster
Battery Life
550 shots vs 270 shots 280 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Flash Coverage
10.0m vs 4.0m 6m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
22.87µm2 vs 2.34µm2 877% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
CHECK A57 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Sony SLT-A57
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 921k dots High resolution screens
Max Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 12.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Sony SLT-A57
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57: 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 Sony A57 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). Sony A57 has external dimensions of 132 x 98 x 81 mm (5.2 x 3.86 x 3.19″) and weighs 618 g (1.36 lb / 21.80 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon S9100 and Sony A57. Nikon S9100 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 27mm narrower, 36mm shorter and 46mm thinner than Sony A57. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon S9100 has a built-in lens but Sony A57 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A57, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon S9100 and Sony A57.
Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 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 (404g ) than the Sony A57 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 A57, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix S9100 nor Sony SLT-A57 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 S9100 and Sony A57's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Sony A57 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon S9100's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to A57.
Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57: 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, Sony A57 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the S9100 and A57 sensor size comparison.

Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A57 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.

What types of Photography are Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon S9100 and Sony A57 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

Sony A57 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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony A57 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 550 shots
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
618g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Nikon S9100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A57 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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon S9100 vs Sony A57: 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 Sony A57, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Sony A57 scores compare:

Nikon S9100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #175 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #773 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Sony A57
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #10 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #178 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Sony A57 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, Sony A57 is the better camera overall.

Nikon S9100
Nikon S9100
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Sony A57
Sony A57
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Sony A57 vs Nikon S9100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix S9100 Sony SLT-A57
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2011-07-19 2012-09-13
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 28.07mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 16,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 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 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
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 Fully Articulated
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 4.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 214g 618g
Dimensions 105 x 62 x 35mm 132 x 98 x 81mm
Battery Life 270 shots 550 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 75
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.4
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 785
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