Nikon D3S vs Nikon Coolpix S9500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D3S and the Nikon Coolpix S9500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon D3S was introduced in February 2010 and Nikon Coolpix S9500 was introduced in January 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D3S over Nikon Coolpix S9500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix S9500 over Nikon D3S.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon D3S and Nikon Coolpix S9500 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 921k dot and 614k dot resolutions respectively.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.70x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon Coolpix S9500.

Nikon D3S features a 12.1 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36.0 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 860.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Nikon Coolpix S9500 features a 18.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.16 x 4.62 mm and a total area of 21.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 1,600.

Nikon Coolpix S9500 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Nikon D3S is equipped with EXPEED processor and can take pictures up to 4256 x 2832 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3552 x 2832, 3552 x 2368, 3184 x 2128, 2784 x 1848, 2656 x 1776, 2128 x 1416, 2080 x 1384, 1776 x 1416, 1776 x 1184, 1392 x 920 with 5:4, 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon Coolpix S9500 can take pictures up to 4896 x 3672 resolution.

Nikon Coolpix S9500 has an image stabilization.

Built-in GPS on Nikon Coolpix S9500

Nikon Coolpix S9500 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Coolpix S9500

Nikon Coolpix S9500 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D3S comes with EN-EL4a battery pack with battery life of 4200 shots and Nikon Coolpix S9500 comes with EN-EL12 battery pack with battery life of 230 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D3S has Dual CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA) card slots. Nikon Coolpix S9500 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D3S has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D3S, and up to 1/1500 sec on Nikon Coolpix S9500. Nikon D3S can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps. Nikon Coolpix S9500 can shoot continuously up to 7.5 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D3S ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon D3S and ±2 range on Nikon Coolpix S9500. You can also do exposure lock and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D3S and exposure bracketing on Nikon Coolpix S9500.

Flash

Nikon Coolpix S9500 has a built-in flash. Nikon D3S has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Nikon D3S.

Nikon D3S body has dimensions of 160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.18 x 3.46") and Nikon Coolpix S9500 body has dimensions of 110 x 60 x 31 mm (4.33 x 2.36 x 1.22"). Nikon D3S weighs 1240 g (2.73 lb / 43.74 oz) and Nikon Coolpix S9500 weighs 205 g (0.45 lb / 7.23 oz).

Nikon D3S

Nikon Coolpix S9500

160 mm

157 mm

110 mm

60 mm

157 mm

60 mm

88 mm

31 mm