Clicky

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Nikon Coolpix L20 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
25
Overall
32

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Key Specs

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
  • Released February 2009
Sony W620
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 116g - 98 x 56 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2012
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Overview

In this article, we will be looking at the Nikon L20 and Sony W620, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by brands Nikon and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the L20 (10MP) and W620 (14MP) but they use the same exact sensor size (1/2.3").

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The L20 was revealed 3 years earlier than the W620 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the L20 scores vs the W620 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

        

Reasons to pick Nikon L20 over the Sony W620

 L20 W620 
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony W620 over the Nikon L20

 W620 L20 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012February 2009More modern by 35 months

Common features in the Nikon L20 and Sony W620

 L20 W620 
Focus manually No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Nikon L20 comes with physical measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony W620 has specifications of 98mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 116 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Nikon L20 and Sony W620 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the L20 vs the W620.

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the L20 and W620 is 94 and 96 respectively.

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the L20 and W620.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Sony W620 to provide more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged L20 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 sensor size comparison

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L20 Portrait photography highlights
Sony W620 Portrait photography highlights
19
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
33
good MP (14 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Nikon L20 as a Street photography camera
Sony W620 as a Street photography camera
54
lighter than competition in class (135g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
56
lighter than competition (116 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon L20
Sports photography with Sony W620
16
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
32
good MP (14 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Nikon L20 Travel photography advice
Sony W620 Travel photography advice
55
lighter than competition in class (135 grams)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
68
lighter than competition (116g)
good MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Nikon L20 Landscape photography features
Sony W620 Landscape photography features
27
good sized screen (3")
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
33
decently wide (28mm)
good MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L20 Vlogging highlights
Sony W620 Vlogging highlights
24
lighter than competition in class (135g)
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic support
30
decently wide (28mm)
includes face detection focusing
lighter than competition (116g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
Photography Glossary

Nikon L20 vs Sony W620 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L20 and Sony W620
 Nikon Coolpix L20Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Sony
Model Nikon Coolpix L20 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2009-02-03 2012-01-10
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 38-136mm (3.6x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/3.2-6.5
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - Clear Photo TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 3.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow, Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 135 grams (0.30 lbs) 116 grams (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 97 x 61 x 29mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") 98 x 56 x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 220 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NP-BN
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, microSD/micro SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail cost $120 $102