Clicky

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100

Portability
93
Imaging
31
Features
11
Overall
23
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
 
Nikon Coolpix S100 front
Portability
94
Imaging
38
Features
40
Overall
38

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Key Specs

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
  • Revealed February 2010
Nikon S100
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-4.8) lens
  • 175g - 99 x 65 x 18mm
  • Revealed August 2011
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Overview

Lets look closer at the Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100, both Small Sensor Compact cameras and both of them are offered by Nikon. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and S100 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The L21 was released 18 months prior to the S100 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the L21 grades against the S100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

        

Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Nikon S100

 L21 S100 

Reasons to pick Nikon S100 over the Nikon L21

 S100 L21 
RevealedAugust 2011February 2010Fresher by 18 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3.5"2.5"Bigger screen (+1")
Screen resolution820k230kClearer screen (+590k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon L21 and Nikon S100

 L21 S100 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon L21 has got exterior measurements of 92mm x 67mm x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") having a weight of 169 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Nikon S100 has specifications of 99mm x 65mm x 18mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 0.7") with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the L21 compared to the S100.

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the L21 and S100 is 93 and 94 respectively.

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the L21 and S100.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Nikon S100 to result in extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older L21 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 sensor size comparison

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L21 Portrait photography advice
Nikon S100 Portrait photography advice
18
no manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
MP count low (8MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
39
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Nikon L21 Street photography details
Nikon S100 Street photography details
46
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
62
image stabilization (Optical)
has focus via touch
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Nikon L21 Sports photography details
Nikon S100 Sports photography details
15
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
37
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (150 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Nikon L21 Travel photography info
Nikon S100 Travel photography info
50
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
MP count low (8 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
65
has focus via touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery pack (150 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon L21
Landscape photography with Nikon S100
21
no manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.5")
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse mode
45
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
big screen (3.5")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
low battery pack (150 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L21 Vlogging advice
Nikon S100 Vlogging advice
21
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of mic port
35
reasonably wide (28mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone socket
Photography Glossary

Nikon L21 vs Nikon S100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L21 and Nikon S100
 Nikon Coolpix L21Nikon Coolpix S100
General Information
Company Nikon Nikon
Model type Nikon Coolpix L21 Nikon Coolpix S100
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-02-03 2011-08-24
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed C2 Expeed C2
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 64 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-136mm (3.6x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/3.9-4.8
Macro focusing distance 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3.5"
Screen resolution 230k dots 820k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - Organic LED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 8 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720p (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 169 gr (0.37 pounds) 175 gr (0.39 pounds)
Dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") 99 x 65 x 18mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 150 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA EN-EL12
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $180 $240