Difference Between Nikon Coolpix S8100 and S9100

Nikon Coolpix S8100 vs S9100

Just a few months after Nikon released the Coolpix S8100, they also released the Coolpix S9100. The two are pretty similar to each other and the latter seems to be more of an update to the latter. The primary difference between the Nikon Coolpix S8100 and the S9100 is in their zoom capabilities. While the S8100 manages a respectable 10X zoom factor, the S9100 enhances it much farther to 18X. All this is achieved optically and no image detail is lost in the process. You can simply get closer shots with the S9100 than with the S8100.

The second feature that is lacking in the Coolpix S8100 is shutter priority. This feature is present in the S9100 and it lets the user pick for how long the shutter remains open and the camera decides how large to open the aperture in order to let sufficient amount of light in. The main use of shutter priority is in capturing fast moving objects while avoiding blurring. You can also choose to choose a slow shutter speed if you want to intentionally achieve blurry effects. The Coolpix S8100 automatically sets the shutter speed and the user cannot set it.

There are also minor updates to the S9100 that make it better than the S8100. One is the inclusion of the latest SD card standard, the SDXC. SDXC memory cards start from 32GB and higher. The S8100 can only take SD and SDHC memory cards. It’s not really that major right now as SDXC cards are not yet that common. But they would inevitably become the standard. Then there’s the issue of battery life. Both the S8100 and S9100 use the same EN-EL12 battery. But the S9100 is able to get up to 270 pictures per charge, compared to just 210 for the S8100; of course, your mileage may vary.

The S9100 is a significant upgrade over the S8100 for people to choose it over the latter. But the differences are not enough to justify getting it when you already own the S8100 as the S8100 can already do 90 percent of what the S9100 can do.

Summary:

1. The Coolpix S8100 has lesser zoom capabilities than the S9100
2. The Coolpix S8100 doesn’t have shutter priority while the S9100 does
3. The Coolpix S8100 doesn’t take SDXC cards while the S9100 does
4. The Coolpix S8100 takes fewer pictures per charge than the S9100

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