Digital Home Thoughts: Nikon Rumors Compares Nikon S8100 with Canon S95 in One-sided Fight

"I am very particular when it comes to small (pocketable) cameras and I wanted to find out how good (or bad) the top of the line Coolpix S8100 really is. I ignored the P7000 because it is in a different category - I wanted to see what a "real" point and shoot Nikon camera is all about. A natural choice for my comparison was the Canon S95 which is the top of the line compact camera currently offered by Canon. I know this is not fair fight since the Canon S95 can shoot RAW, has manual mode and costs $100 more."

Not fair indeed - NikonRumors.com has decided to pit a S8100 against the S95, a camera designed for more serious use (the sensor on the S95 is already better on paper). I think stating the outcome is unnecessary, but the statement on Nikon needing to put out something more serious than their recent (or last seven years) compact cameras is quite a bit more debatable. Given the squeeze between phones with cameras and mirrorless large sensor compacts, as well as the competitors (Panasonic, Canon, Samsung, Olympus), I wonder if there is still space in the market for another entrant. There is only brand-name recognition for Nikon to rely on as an advantage here, as there will be little system compatibility with the F-mount system.

Nikon also has to take some of the blame here in getting into this situation in the first place. They are now far behind in the game with Panasonic's LX series on its 4th iteration, and even when attempting to compete, the P7000's execution left quite a bit to be desired. What is frustrating is that Nikon can do it. See the D3 and D300 launch as proof that Nikon can do it at a higher level.

If you are still interested in the S8100, here's another review.