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Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS

Portability
93
Imaging
31
Features
11
Overall
23
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
 
Pentax WG-3 GPS front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
43
Overall
41

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS 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
  • Launched February 2010
Pentax WG-3 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 238g - 125 x 64 x 33mm
  • Announced July 2013
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Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by companies Nikon and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and WG-3 GPS (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The L21 was unveiled 4 years before the WG-3 GPS and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the L21 scores versus the WG-3 GPS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Pentax WG-3 GPS

 L21 WG-3 GPS 

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 GPS over the Nikon L21

 WG-3 GPS L21 
AnnouncedJuly 2013February 2010More recent by 42 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Nikon L21 and Pentax WG-3 GPS

 L21 WG-3 GPS 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon L21 has outside measurements 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 Pentax WG-3 GPS has specifications of 125mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 238 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the L21 vs the WG-3 GPS.

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the L21 and WG-3 GPS is 93 and 90 respectively.

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS top view buttons comparison

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The graphic here will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the L21 and WG-3 GPS.

Plainly, the two cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Pentax WG-3 GPS to provide greater detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older L21 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS sensor size comparison

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L21 Portrait photography info
Pentax WG-3 GPS Portrait photography info
18
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
MP count low (8MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
41
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
comes with face detect autofocus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Nikon L21 Street photography details
Pentax WG-3 GPS Street photography details
46
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
more heavy than competition (238g)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L21 Sports photography features
Pentax WG-3 GPS Sports photography features
15
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery (240 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L21 Travel photography info
Pentax WG-3 GPS Travel photography info
50
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
MP count low (8MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
69
environment proofing
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery (240 shots)
more heavy than competition (238 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax WG-3 GPS as a Landscape photography camera
21
manual focus not available
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
54
manual focus
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
terrible battery (240 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L21 Vlogging features
Pentax WG-3 GPS Vlogging features
21
wide angle not the best (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of mic support
34
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
more heavy than competition (238 grams)
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Nikon L21 vs Pentax WG-3 GPS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L21 and Pentax WG-3 GPS
 Nikon Coolpix L21Pentax WG-3 GPS
General Information
Company Nikon Pentax
Model type Nikon Coolpix L21 Pentax WG-3 GPS
Category Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Launched 2010-02-03 2013-07-19
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed C2 -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-136mm (3.6x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-6.7 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing distance 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 3.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 169 grams (0.37 lb) 238 grams (0.52 lb)
Physical dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") 125 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3")
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 - 240 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA D-LI92
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $180 $350