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Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Nikon Coolpix L20 front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Key Specs

Nikon L20
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-136mm (F3.1-6.7) lens
  • 135g - 97 x 61 x 29mm
  • Revealed February 2009
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Launched December 2012
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Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

Below is a extended review of the Nikon L20 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Nikon and Olympus. The image resolution of the L20 (10MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) is relatively well matched but the L20 (1/2.3") and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The L20 was unveiled 4 years prior to the XZ-2 iHS and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the L20 grades versus the XZ-2 iHS in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L20 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 L20 XZ-2 iHS 

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Nikon L20

 XZ-2 iHS L20 
LaunchedDecember 2012February 2009More recent by 47 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon L20 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 L20 XZ-2 iHS 
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Nikon L20 comes with external dimensions of 97mm x 61mm x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Look at the Nikon L20 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the L20 against the XZ-2 iHS.

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the L20 and XZ-2 iHS is 94 and 85 respectively.

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements only by looking at specifications. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the L20 and XZ-2 iHS.

To sum up, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The L20 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will resolve extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The older L20 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon L20
Portrait photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
46
you can focus manually
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Nikon L20 Street photography factors
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography factors
54
lighter than competition in class (135g)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
66
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition (346g)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L20 Sports photography information
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography information
16
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
good battery pack (340 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L20 Travel photography features
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography features
55
lighter than competition in class (135g)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
61
good battery pack (340 CIPA)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition (346 grams)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon L20
Landscape photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
27
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
55
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (340 shots)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon L20
Vlogging with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
24
lighter than competition in class (135g)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of mic socket
36
pretty wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
more heavy than competition (346 grams)
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Nikon L20 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L20 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Nikon Coolpix L20Olympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Company Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon Coolpix L20 Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-02-03 2012-12-18
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 35
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-136mm (3.6x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing range 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 4.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 135g (0.30 lbs) 346g (0.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 97 x 61 x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 49
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 216
Other
Battery life - 340 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA Li-90B
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch cost $120 $450