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Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
93
Imaging
32
Features
11
Overall
23
Nikon Coolpix L21 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III 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
  • Released February 2010
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Succeeded the Sony A7 II
  • Later Model is Sony A7 IV
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Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Here, we are contrasting the Nikon L21 and Sony A7 III, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Nikon and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the L21 (8MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the L21 (1/2.3") and A7 III (Full frame) boast totally different sensor size.

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The L21 was revealed 9 years earlier than the A7 III and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Nikon L21 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the L21 matches up against the A7 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L21 over the Sony A7 III

 L21 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Nikon L21

 A7 III L21 
ReleasedFebruary 2018February 2010More recent by 98 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Nikon L21 and Sony A7 III

 L21 A7 III 
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Nikon L21 comes with 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) and the Sony A7 III has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Compare the Nikon L21 and Sony A7 III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the L21 compared to the A7 III.

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the L21 and A7 III is 93 and 63 respectively.

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The graphic below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the L21 and A7 III.

As you can tell, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The L21 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A7 III will give you extra detail because of its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos way more aggressively. The older L21 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Portrait photography camera
19
manual focus not available
no manual mode
can't use external flash
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
84
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon L21
Street photography with Sony A7 III
46
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW files
has touch focus
environment proofing
very good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L21 Sports photography info
Sony A7 III Sports photography info
16
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
87
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
good battery pack (610 per charge)
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Travel photography camera
50
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (8MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
73
good battery pack (610 CIPA)
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L21 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Landscape photography camera
22
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
85
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
good battery pack (610 CIPA)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L21 Vlogging advice
Sony A7 III Vlogging advice
21
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have external mic support
36
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external mic port
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Nikon L21 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L21 and Sony A7 III
 Nikon Coolpix L21Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model Nikon Coolpix L21 Sony Alpha A7 III
Class Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Released 2010-02-03 2018-02-27
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed C2 Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 693
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 38-136mm (3.6x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-6.7 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
WB 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) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 169 gr (0.37 pounds) 650 gr (1.43 pounds)
Physical dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm (3.6" x 2.6" x 1.1") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 3730
Other
Battery life - 610 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Dual
Price at release $180 $1,998