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Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25

Portability
93
Imaging
32
Features
11
Overall
23
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25 front
Portability
93
Imaging
40
Features
43
Overall
41

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Key Specs

Nikon L21
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-136mm (F3.1-6.7) lens
  • 169g - 92 x 67 x 28mm
  • Released February 2010
Panasonic ZS25
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 193g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ35
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS20
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS30
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Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Nikon and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and ZS25 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The L21 was manufactured 3 years before the ZS25 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the L21 grades vs the ZS25 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Panasonic ZS25

 L21 ZS25 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS25 over the Nikon L21

 ZS25 L21 
IntroducedJanuary 2013February 2010Fresher by 35 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Nikon L21 and Panasonic ZS25

 L21 ZS25 
Focus manually No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Nikon L21 comes with exterior measurements of 92mm x 67mm x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 169 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS25 has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the L21 vs the ZS25.

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the L21 and ZS25 is 93 and 93 respectively.

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through a spec sheet. The visual below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the L21 and ZS25.

Clearly, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Panasonic ZS25 to give more detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older L21 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 sensor size comparison

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon L21
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS25
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
32
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon L21
Street photography with Panasonic ZS25
46
fixed screen
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
66
image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch focus
lighter than competition (193g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L21 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS25 Sports photography advice
16
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
45
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200s)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (260 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS25 as a Travel photography camera
50
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
69
lighter than competition (193g)
supports touch focus
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery (260 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L21 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic ZS25 Landscape photography advice
22
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
43
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
not so great battery (260 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L21 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS25 Vlogging details
21
wide angle not the best (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone support
34
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (193g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
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Nikon L21 vs Panasonic ZS25 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L21 and Panasonic ZS25
 Nikon Coolpix L21Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Coolpix L21 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ35
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2010-02-03 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Expeed C2 -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 38-136mm (3.6x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 15 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1200 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 169 gr (0.37 lb) 193 gr (0.43 lb)
Physical dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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 - 260 images
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $180 $300