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Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Portability
93
Imaging
31
Features
11
Overall
23
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
44
Overall
41

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS 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
Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2014
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Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Nikon L21 and Olympus TG-850 iHS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by competitors Nikon and Olympus. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The L21 was unveiled 5 years prior to the TG-850 iHS and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short view of how the L21 matches up vs the TG-850 iHS in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 L21 TG-850 iHS 

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Nikon L21

 TG-850 iHS L21 
RevealedJanuary 2014February 2010Fresher by 48 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Nikon L21 and Olympus TG-850 iHS

 L21 TG-850 iHS 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Nikon L21 provides external dimensions 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 Olympus TG-850 iHS has proportions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Examine the Nikon L21 and Olympus TG-850 iHS in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the L21 compared to the TG-850 iHS.

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the L21 and TG-850 iHS is 93 and 91 respectively.

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS top view buttons comparison

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor sizing just by reading technical specs. The graphic here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the L21 and TG-850 iHS.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus TG-850 iHS to deliver more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older L21 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS sensor size comparison

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L21 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography highlights
18
no manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
34
decent MP (16MP)
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Street photography camera
46
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
69
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Sports photography camera
15
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
50
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
includes tracking focus
environment sealing
great battery (330 CIPA)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Travel photography camera
50
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
72
great battery (330 CIPA)
environment sealing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (21mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
21
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
49
really wide (21mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
environment sealing
great battery (330 per charge)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L21 Vlogging information
Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging information
21
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have external mic port
33
really wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
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Nikon L21 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L21 and Olympus TG-850 iHS
 Nikon Coolpix L21Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
General Information
Company Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon Coolpix L21 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
Class Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Revealed 2010-02-03 2014-01-29
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed C2 TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 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 -
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4616 x 3464
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 64 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-136mm (3.6x) 21-105mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 1/2 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Yes
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 169g (0.37 lb) 218g (0.48 lb)
Physical dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 330 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA LI-50B
Self timer Yes Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $180 $250