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Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37
Canon PowerShot A3400 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
Portability
93
Imaging
31
Features
11
Overall
23

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Key Specs

Canon A3400 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 126g - 94 x 56 x 21mm
  • Released February 2012
Nikon L21
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-136mm (F3.1-6.7) lens
  • 169g - 92 x 67 x 28mm
  • Announced February 2010
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Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Canon A3400 IS and Nikon L21, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Nikon. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A3400 IS (16MP) and L21 (8MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The A3400 IS was released 2 years after the L21 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the A3400 IS grades against the L21 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon A3400 IS over the Nikon L21

 A3400 IS L21 
AnnouncedFebruary 2012February 2010Newer by 25 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Canon A3400 IS

 L21 A3400 IS 

Common features in the Canon A3400 IS and Nikon L21

 A3400 IS L21 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon A3400 IS has outer measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 21mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Nikon L21 has dimensions of 92mm x 67mm x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 169 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Canon A3400 IS and Nikon L21 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the A3400 IS vs the L21.

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A3400 IS and L21 is 96 and 93 respectively.

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The pic here should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A3400 IS and L21.

All in all, each of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Canon A3400 IS to offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher A3400 IS will have an edge in sensor tech.

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 sensor size comparison

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A3400 IS Portrait photography details
Nikon L21 Portrait photography details
34
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features face detection focus
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
18
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (8MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Canon A3400 IS Street photography highlights
Nikon L21 Street photography highlights
67
image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus via touch
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
46
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon A3400 IS
Sports photography with Nikon L21
38
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (180 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
15
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A3400 IS
Travel photography with Nikon L21
68
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
supports focus via touch
good megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (180 per charge)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f2.8)
50
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A3400 IS Landscape photography features
Nikon L21 Landscape photography features
41
quite wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
bad battery power (180 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
21
lack of manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
manual mode not possible
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3400 IS Vlogging highlights
Nikon L21 Vlogging highlights
34
quite wide (28mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
21
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Canon A3400 IS vs Nikon L21 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3400 IS and Nikon L21
 Canon PowerShot A3400 ISNikon Coolpix L21
General Information
Brand Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot A3400 IS Nikon Coolpix L21
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-02-07 2010-02-03
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Expeed C2
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 8MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) 38-136mm (3.6x)
Max aperture f/2.8-6.9 f/3.1-6.7
Macro focus range 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video data format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 126 gr (0.28 lb) 169 gr (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 56 x 21mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 180 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NB-11L 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $230 $180