Nikon L21 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Lets look more closely at the Nikon L21 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Nikon and Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the L21 (1/2.3") and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") use different sensor sizing.

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The L21 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the XZ-2 iHS and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summation of how the L21 matches up vs the XZ-2 iHS with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon Coolpix L21 & Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The entire galleries are viewable at Nikon L21 Gallery & Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Nikon L21 offers outer dimensions of 92mm x 67mm x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 169 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Contrast the Nikon L21 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the L21 compared to the XZ-2 iHS.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the L21 and XZ-2 iHS is 93 and 85 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing specifications. The graphic underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the L21 and XZ-2 iHS.

Plainly, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The L21 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will result in extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The older L21 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.