Nikon D5 vs Canon S120

Camera to replace

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Nikon D5

21 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon S120

12 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon D5 vs Canon S120 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D5, which was introduced in January 2016 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 21.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon S120, which was introduced in November 2013 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/1.7" sensor.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Compact camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Nikon D5 is ranked #3 out of 34 Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 84 whereas Canon S120 is ranked #7 out of 262 Small Sensor Compact cameras with an overall score of 63.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D5 and Canon S120 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-01-05

21MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 102400 ( expands to 3280000)

Nikon F Mount

3.2″ Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

14.0 fps continuous shooting

3840 x 2160 video resolution

1415g. 160 x 158.5 x 92 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Nikon D4s Compare

Canon S120 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-11-26

12MP - 1/1.7" BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 80 - 12800

24-120 mm F1.8-5.7 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3″ Fixed Type Screen

12 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

240 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

217g. 100 x 59 x 29 mm

Replaced Canon PowerShot S110 Compare

Reasons to choose Nikon D5 over Canon PowerShot S120

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution	21 MP vs 12 MP	75% more pixels
Max ISO	102.400 vs 12.800	700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	153 vs 9	144 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3.2″ vs 3″	0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	2.359k dots vs 922k dots	155% higher resolution screen
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s vs 1/2000s	faster shutter speed
Continuous Shooting	14.0fps vs 12.0fps	2 fps faster
Battery Life	3780 shots vs 230 shots	3550 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth	25.1 vs 21.3	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	12.3 vs 11.9	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	2434 vs 246	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	41.25µm² vs 3.46µm²	1092% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Illuminated Buttons	Yes vs No	Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	15 points vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot S120 over Nikon D5

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Optional	Better connectivity
Built-in Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Weight	217 g vs 1415 g	1198 g lighter

Common Strengths of Nikon D5 and Canon PowerShot S120

Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting	14.0fps vs 12.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Nikon D5 and Canon PowerShot S120

Articulating Screen	No vs No	No flexible viewing angles

Nikon D5 vs Canon S120: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D5 and Canon S120. Canon S120 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 60mm narrower, 100mm shorter and 63mm thinner than Nikon D5. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon S120 has a built-in lens but Nikon D5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D5, its thickness will increase significantly.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D5 and Canon S120.

Nikon D5 vs Canon S120 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon S120 is significantly lighter (1198g ) than the Nikon D5 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 D5, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Nikon D5 vs Canon S120: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D5 has a 21.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Canon S120 has a 12.0MP 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Digic 6 processor.

Nikon D5's sensor provides 9MP more than Canon S120'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 D5 and S120 sensor size comparison.

As seen above, Nikon D5 has a 20.6x Larger sensor area than Canon S120. 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 D5 and Canon S120 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D5 and Canon S120 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 D5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon S120 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon S120 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.80
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon S120 for Sports Photography

POOR

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 14.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 3780 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Wireless Connection
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
120 mm Tele Lens
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 230 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Canon S120 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1415g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Compact Body
217g
5X Optical Zoom
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Nikon D5 for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Canon S120 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D5 vs Canon S120: 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 D5 and Canon S120, 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 D5 and Canon S120 scores compare:

Nikon D5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #2 out of 11 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #29 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Canon S120

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #13 out of 473 in Compact cameras
Ranked #269 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon D5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon S120 in all criterias except one: Portability. Canon S120 is significantly smaller than Nikon D5. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon S120. Otherwise, Nikon D5 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D5

Canon S120

Canon S120 vs Nikon D5 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon D5	Canon PowerShot S120
Brand	Nikon	Canon
Announced	2016-01-05	2013-11-26
Body Type	Large SLR	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	Full frame	1/1.7"
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area	855.62mm²	41.52mm²
Megapixels	21 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	5588 x 3712	4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity	102,400 ISO	12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	3280000 ISO	-
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 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	153	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F	fixed lens
Number of Available Lenses	302	n/a
Lens Focal Range	no lens	24-120 mm (5×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F1.8-5.7
Macro Focus Range	no lens	3cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3.2″	3″
Resolution	2,359k dots	922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	None
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.72	n/a
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	7.00 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	14.0 fps	12.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Optional	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	1415g	217g
Dimensions	160 x 158.5 x 92mm	100 x 59 x 29mm
Battery Life	3780 shots	230 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Optional	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	88	56
DxO Color Depth	25.1	21.3
DxO Dynamic Range	12.3	11.9
DxO Low Light ISO	2434	246
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