Nikon L20 vs Nikon S9700

Here, we are evaluating the Nikon L20 and Nikon S9700, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Nikon. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the L20 (10MP) and S9700 (16MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The L20 was announced 6 years before the S9700 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the L20 matches up against the S9700 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon Coolpix L20 & Nikon Coolpix S9700. The whole galleries are provided at Nikon L20 Gallery & Nikon S9700 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Nikon L20 comes with external dimensions of 97mm x 61mm x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Nikon S9700 has measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 232 grams (0.51 lbs).

See the Nikon L20 and Nikon S9700 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the L20 and the S9700.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the L20 and S9700 is 94 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specs. The photograph below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the L20 and S9700.

All in all, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You can anticipate the Nikon S9700 to deliver more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older L20 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.