Nikon D80 vs Canon G12 Comparison

Camera to replace

Change

Nikon D80

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Change

Canon G12

10 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) CCD Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Nikon D80 vs Canon G12 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D80, which was introduced in September 2006 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Canon G12, which was introduced in January 2011 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 10.0MP 1/1.7-inch sensor. As you can see, D80 is 5 years older than G12. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

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 D80 and Canon G12 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D80 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-09-23

10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)

Nikon F Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

668g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm

Replaced Nikon D70 Compare

Canon G12 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-01-19

10MP - 1/1.7-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

28-140 mm F2.8-4.5 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.8" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (tunnel) viewfinder

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

401g. 112 x 76 x 48 mm

Replaced Canon PowerShot G11 Compare

Nikon D80 was replaced by Nikon D90. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D90 vs Nikon D80
Nikon D90 vs Canon PowerShot G12

Canon G12 was replaced by Canon PowerShot G15. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot G15 vs Canon PowerShot G12
Canon PowerShot G15 vs Nikon D80

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D80 and Canon G12 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D80 over Canon PowerShot G12

Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Flash Coverage	13.0m vs 7.0m	6m longer range
Color Depth	22.1 vs 20.4	higher color depth
Low Light ISO	524 vs 161	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	37.14µm² vs 4.16µm²	792% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot G12 over Nikon D80

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	3.200 vs 1.600	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	2.8" vs 2.5"	0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	461k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Weight	401 g vs 668 g	267 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Nikon D80 and Canon PowerShot G12

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Nikon D80 and Canon PowerShot G12

Max Resolution	10 MP vs 10 MP	Less details and smaller prints
LCD Screen Size	2.5" vs 2.8"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 461k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Nikon D80 vs Canon G12: 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 D80 and Canon G12 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D80 has external dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03″) and weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) (including batteries). Canon G12 has external dimensions of 112 x 76 x 48 mm (4.41 x 2.99 x 1.89″) and weighs 401 g (0.88 lb / 14.14 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D80 and Canon G12. Canon G12 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 20mm narrower, 27mm shorter and 29mm thinner than Nikon D80. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon G12 has a built-in lens but Nikon D80 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D80, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon G12 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D80 and Canon G12.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon G12 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon G12 is significantly lighter (267g ) than the Nikon D80 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 D80, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D80 nor Canon PowerShot G12 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 DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon G12's 2.8" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D80's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Canon G12 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. On the other hand, Nikon D80 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G12.

Nikon D80 vs Canon G12: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon D80 and Canon G12 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon D80's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) and Canon G12's sensor is 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ).

Since Nikon D80's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Canon G12.

Below you can see the D80 and G12 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon G12 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 9.0x Larger sensor area than Canon G12. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Nikon D80 and Canon G12 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D80 has scored 61, 14 points higher than G12.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Nikon D80	61	22.1 bits	11.2 Evs	524 ISO
Canon G12	47	20.4 bits	11.2 Evs	161 ISO

What types of Photography are Nikon D80 and Canon G12 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D80 and Canon G12 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 D80 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G12 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G12 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon G12 for Sports Photography

POOR

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
140 mm Tele Lens
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G12 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
668g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Compact Body
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
401g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon G12 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D80 vs Canon G12: 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 D80 and Canon G12, 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 D80 and Canon G12 scores compare:

Nikon D80

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #612 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon G12

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #29 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #400 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon G12 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D80. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that G12 trails behind the D80: Imaging
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Nikon D80. If not, we recommend the Canon G12.

Canon G12 vs Nikon D80 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon D80	Canon PowerShot G12
Brand	Nikon	Canon
Announced	2006-09-23	2011-01-19
Body Type	Mid-size SLR	Compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	APS-C	1/1.7-inch
Dimensions	23.6 x 15.8 mm	7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area	372.88mm²	41.52mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	3872 x 2592	3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	3200 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	n/a	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	28-140 mm (5×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F2.8-4.5
Macro Focus Range	no lens	1cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	2.5"	2.8"
Resolution	230k dots	461k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.64x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	13.00 m	7.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	1280 x 720
Video Formats	n/a	H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	668g	401g
Dimensions	132 x 103 x 77mm	112 x 76 x 48mm
Battery Life	n/a	370 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	61	47
DxO Color Depth	22.1	20.4
DxO Dynamic Range	11.2	11.2
DxO Low Light ISO	524	161
	Report a correction	Report a correction