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Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20

Portability
89
Imaging
46
Features
51
Overall
48
Canon PowerShot SX720 HS front
 
Nikon Coolpix L20 front
Portability
94
Imaging
32
Features
17
Overall
26

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Key Specs

Canon SX720 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20.3MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-960mm (F3.3-6.9) lens
  • 270g - 110 x 64 x 36mm
  • Revealed February 2016
  • Old Model is Canon SX710 HS
  • Later Model is Canon SX730 HS
Nikon L20
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-136mm (F3.1-6.7) lens
  • 135g - 97 x 61 x 29mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Canon and Nikon. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the SX720 HS (20.3MP) and L20 (10MP) but they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SX720 HS was brought out 7 years later than the L20 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a short summary of how the SX720 HS grades vs the L20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX720 HS over the Nikon L20

 SX720 HS L20 
LaunchedFebruary 2016February 2009More recent by 86 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon L20 over the Canon SX720 HS

 L20 SX720 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX720 HS and Nikon L20

 SX720 HS L20 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon SX720 HS has got physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 270 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Nikon L20 has measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the SX720 HS vs the L20.

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX720 HS and L20 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by researching technical specs. The visual below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX720 HS and L20.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Canon SX720 HS to render extra detail having its extra 10.3MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern SX720 HS is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 sensor size comparison

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX720 HS
Portrait photography with Nikon L20
47
manual focus
decent megapixels (20.3 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
19
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Street photography details
Nikon L20 Street photography details
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (270g)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
54
lighter than competitors in class (135 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Sports photography details
Nikon L20 Sports photography details
48
long zoom range (24-960mm 40.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20.3 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
low frames per second (5.9 fps)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery (250 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
16
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Travel photography details
Nikon L20 Travel photography details
67
lighter than others in class (270 grams)
decent megapixels (20.3MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (960mm)
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery (250 CIPA)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
55
lighter than competitors in class (135g)
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX720 HS as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon L20 as a Landscape photography camera
50
manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20.3MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery (250 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
26
screen is a good size (3 inches)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX720 HS as a Vlogging camera
Nikon L20 as a Vlogging camera
34
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (270g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone port
24
lighter than competitors in class (135 grams)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
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Canon SX720 HS vs Nikon L20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX720 HS and Nikon L20
 Canon PowerShot SX720 HSNikon Coolpix L20
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Nikon Coolpix L20
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2016-02-18 2009-02-03
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor DIGIC 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20.3 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 3200 1600
Min native ISO 80 64
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-960mm (40.0x) 38-136mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture f/3.3-6.9 f/3.1-6.7
Macro focus range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 922 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.9 frames per sec -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow, Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 270 grams (0.60 pounds) 135 grams (0.30 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") 97 x 61 x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" 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 250 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NB-13L 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $379 $120