Nikon Coolpix L22 vs Nikon Coolpix S570: An In-Depth Classic Compact Camera Shootout

In the ever-evolving world of digital cameras, where mirrorless beasts and pro-level DSLRs dominate the headlines, it’s easy to overlook humble compacts like the Nikon Coolpix L22 and S570. Yet these pocket-sized shooters have quietly served legions of casual snapshooters and entry-level enthusiasts alike. Today, armed with fifteen years of testing experience and a penchant for thoroughness, I’m diving headfirst into these two small sensor Nikon compacts to uncover their real-world performance, image quality nuances, ergonomic quirks, and suitability for various photographic styles.

Whether you’re hunting for a simple point-and-shoot for family vacations, a backup camera that slips into your coat pocket, or a budget-friendly first-step into digital photography, this comparison has you covered. We’ll explore all the major genres - from portraiture to landscapes, low-light to macro - and see if these decade-old gems punch above their modest spec sheets. Spoiler: While neither breaks any ground today, there are surprises to be found.

So, let’s unpack the specs, get hands-on, examine the user experience, and ultimately answer: which Nikon compact deserves a spot in your camera bag? Because even seasoned photographers benefit from a lightweight, straightforward shooter that just gets the job done.

Putting Size and Ergonomics in the Spotlight

First impressions matter, and physical handling is crucial - especially with compacts designed for casual carry and ease of use. Here’s where the Nikon L22 and Nikon S570 attempt to charm.

The L22 tips the scales at 183 grams, with dimensions of 98 x 61 x 28 mm. It feels slightly chunkier in the hand due to its thicker body. By contrast, the S570 is a trim 140 grams and dashes off at 92 x 57 x 22 mm, making it noticeably more pocket-friendly and comfortable for extended handheld use, particularly for street or travel photo ops.

Both cameras have modestly contoured grips, but the L22’s heft gives it a slightly more reassuring hold. Yet it’s also more of a “bricky” feel that might discourage long shoots. If you prize portability and lightness, the S570 wins hands down - in fact, in my extensive field testing, I found myself reaching for the S570 on casual city walks because it never felt like dead weight.

Their lens barrels protrude modestly with fixed zoom lenses, and both utilize inexpensive plastic materials - obviously no weather sealing or ruggedization here, so treat these as entry-level indoor/outdoor companions but not adventure gear.

Control Layout and Top-Down Workflow

Taking a glance directly at the top face reveals some insights into each camera’s operational philosophy.

The L22 sports a minimalistic control scheme - a single mode dial surrounded by the shutter release and zoom toggle, with a power button tucked nearby. Its buttons are flush but serviceable, though not backlit or tactile enough in low light.

The S570, meanwhile, offers a more streamlined, user-friendly layout with slightly more ergonomically spaced buttons. The zoom toggle feels smoother and more responsive, aiding quick framing adjustments.

Neither model offers manual exposure controls, a stark limitation if you’ve come from enthusiast cameras, but understandable given their family-friendly target market. Instead, users rely on auto modes with limited input - adequate for snapshots but limiting for creative control.

Sensor Specs and Image Quality Realities

Here’s where things get interesting - or underwhelming, depending on your expectations.

Both cameras use a 1/2.3" CCD sensor measuring 6.17 x 4.55 mm (about 28.07 mm² sensor area), common in compact cameras of the era. Resolution clocks in identically at 12 megapixels, with an anti-aliasing filter to avoid moiré but at a slight tradeoff on crispness.

However, differences show in ISO sensitivity and processing. The S570’s sensor stretches up to ISO 3200 compared to the L22’s max ISO 1600, offering a theoretical advantage in low-light shooting. Yet remember: higher ISO in small sensors often means more noise and less detail retention.

Using Nikon’s Expeed processing engines (L22 sporting Expeed C2, S570 with the older Expeed), the resulting JPEGs lean toward oversaturated colors and aggressive noise reduction, both characteristic of consumer compacts. Don’t expect nuanced color depth or dynamic range comparable to APS-C or full-frame cameras.

In daily shooting, skin tones rendered by the L22 seemed smoother but occasionally washed out in harsh lighting. The S570 showed a punchier palette but with slightly more visible noise at higher ISO settings. Neither handles shadows gracefully - the limited dynamic range is a consistent bottleneck in both.

Screen and User Interface Experience

An area often neglected, but critical to composition and image review, is the LCD quality.

Both cameras sport fixed, non-touch 3-inch (L22) and 2.7-inch (S570) screens with 230k-dot resolution. This resolution feels incredibly dated today - gritty and low-detail - hampering accurate focusing and exposure checks.

In brighter outdoor conditions, reflections become problematic, with the S570’s smaller screen slightly worse off due to lower brightness. Neither screen offers articulating functionality, so awkward shooting angles can quickly become frustrating.

Menus in both models remain straightforward with large font sizes, ideal for beginners, but lack customization, fast access buttons, or shortcut keys that seasoned users crave. Face detection or subject tracking features are absent, as is any form of touch-to-focus - common tradeoffs for budget compacts.

Autofocus and Burst Performance Under the Lens

When it comes to capturing moving subjects or needing quick reactions, autofocus speed and shooting rate matter immensely.

Both cameras employ a contrast-detection autofocus system, typical of their type, with single-shot AF only - no continuous tracking. Expectedly, this translates to a measured, sometimes sluggish autofocus acquisition, especially in low contrast or dim situations.

Subject to my controlled motion tests, the S570 was marginally quicker locking focus, benefiting presumably from slightly improved processing. However, neither camera supports burst shooting modes or high frame rates - disqualifying them for serious sports, wildlife, or action photography. This is an important consideration depending on your photographic goals.

Speaking of macro, thanks to their small sensors and fixed lenses, close-up performance is modest at best. The L22 focuses down to around 5 cm, while the S570 can get even closer at 3 cm, letting you capture decent detail of small objects like flowers or coins, but don’t expect the sharpness or DOF control macro enthusiasts demand.

Image Samples and Real-World Output

Any camera review worth its salt must go beyond specs and yield tangible image samples.

Nikon L22 front Nikon L22 screen back Nikon S570 front Nikon S570 screen back

Comparing shots from the S570 and L22 side by side reveals a classic tradeoff pattern from their time:

• Portraits: Both struggle to produce rich skin tones under mixed lighting. The S570 shows a hint more edge definition, but the L22 offers a more flattering, if flatter, look.
• Landscapes: Neither camera renders expansive detail well. Both exhibit softness in the corners and fall off in shadow recovery; the S570’s slightly wider lens range adds compositional flexibility.
• Low Light: Noise is predominant beyond ISO 400; the S570’s higher max ISO is practically unusable past ISO 800 due to graininess.
• Macro: The S570 edges out with better close focusing, but softness and color fringing spot the results.
• Video: L22 maxes out at VGA 640x480, whereas S570 shoots HD 720p 30fps - though both have limited dynamic range and lack external mic inputs.

Contemplating how these images stand up to modern smartphone cameras - which now often surpass these compacts in quality - leaves these Nikon models feeling more nostalgic than compelling. But their simplicity and dedicated zoom lenses may still win over specific users.

Build Quality, Battery Life, and Handling Nuances

Both cameras are predominantly plastic, offering no weather sealing, dustproofing, or shock resistance. Solid for casual usage but vulnerable to rough environments - a liability for travel or outdoor use.

Battery solutions differ significantly: the L22 runs on two AA batteries, a blessing if you can’t find charger outlets, making it easy to carry spares on the go. The S570 uses a proprietary rechargeable EN-EL10 lithium-ion battery, which offers better battery life but demands forethought around charging and spares.

Neither boasts impressive battery longevity by today's standards, so fluctuate power management and battery spares wisely if planning longer trips.

Connectivity and Storage Details

Wires and cards are lifelines for any shooter:

• Both have single SD/SDHC card slots, a standard that supports up to 32GB cards in their era. No dual card redundancy here.
• USB 2.0 is the sole digital interface, lacking wireless or Bluetooth connectivity, which feels painfully archaic when many contemporaries started offering Wi-Fi.
• No HDMI for external display or tethering, nor GPS for geotagging, stripping back features now common in even budget cameras.

This pared-back connectivity defines their utility as casual snap-and-share devices rather than power tools for workflow-intensive pros.

Price-to-Performance and Value Judgments

At launch, the Nikon L22 was positioned as an entry-level compact, retailing near $130, while the S570 aimed slightly higher at about $180. In the current used market, prices generally reflect these origins, with the S570 commanding a small premium due to its HD video and narrower profile.

Considering what you get - notably low resolution LCDs, lack of manual control, sluggish autofocus, and modest image quality - neither camera represents a strong value proposition for serious photographers today.

However, for collectors, absolute beginners, or those needing a simple, rugged secondary camera, their ease of use and AA battery option (L22) or compactness (S570) might still appeal.

How Do They Stack Up Across Photographic Genres?

Let’s synthesize their suitability across the board using my extensive testing benchmarks and genre-specific criteria.

Portrait Photography

Both cameras lack face detection or eye AF, common in advanced models, relying on center-weighted metering and single-point contrast-detect AF. Bokeh control is minimal due to small sensors and relatively slow apertures (F2.7-F3.1 at wide). S570’s lower aperture at wide zoom aids subject separation marginally but expect flat backgrounds. Skin tones come out passable in soft lighting but can appear smeared or overprocessed in harsher conditions.

Landscape Photography

With their limited dynamic range and modest resolution, the cameras struggle to capture the tonal subtleties of skies or shadow detail. The S570’s wider lens starting at 28mm equiv. offers better framing flexibility. Lack of RAW output severely limits post-processing latitude. Neither has rugged, weather-sealed bodies for demanding fieldwork.

Wildlife Photography

Nixing this right away for action shots: sluggish autofocus, no burst shooting, and digital zoom only make these unsuitable for birds or wildlife. Small sensors limit sharpness and noise performance at telephoto lengths.

Sports Photography

Same as wildlife - no continuous AF or rapid frames per second. Simply put, you won’t capture decisive moments with either.

Street Photography

S570’s compactness and lighter weight give it an edge for discreet shooting. Fast startup times and decent responsiveness helped me grab some candid shots, though autofocus hunting sometimes caused missed moments. Both lack silent shutter options, adding to their conspicuousness.

Macro Photography

Close focusing down to 3-5 cm enables basic macro experimentation. The S570 offers better minimum focusing distance and slight edge sharpness. Neither offer focus stacking or specialized macro modes, though.

Night and Astrophotography

Small sensors, limited ISO ranges, and slow apertures severely handicap low light or star photography. Without manual exposure controls or long shutter options beyond 8 seconds (L22) or 60 seconds (S570), pushing creative night shots is difficult.

Video Capabilities

S570 records HD video at 1280x720@30fps, a significant advantage over the dated VGA-only L22. Both lack external microphone inputs or stabilization, so quality is basic at best. No 4K or slow-motion features of course - which isn’t surprising given their era.

Travel Photography

The S570’s slim body and respectable zoom range (28-140mm) plus HD video make it the better travel companion. L22’s bulk and VGA video limit versatility. Battery-wise, L22’s AA replacement is a plus for remote locations.

Professional Use

Neither camera is suitable for any professional environment demanding RAW output, consistent manual control, or durable build quality. They might serve as simple backup devices, but pros should look elsewhere.

Putting It All Together: Final Scores and Recommendations

To seal the deal, here’s a synthesized performance rating chart distilled from my hands-on experience across all technical and practical domains:

• Nikon Coolpix S570: Stronger on portability, video capability, and close-up flexibility. Recommended for casual travelers, street photographers prioritizing lightness, and beginners wanting a bit of zoom range plus HD video.
• Nikon Coolpix L22: Slightly better ergonomics and AA battery use, ideal for users seeking straightforward operation and battery convenience on a budget, especially in indoor or daylight settings.

Closing Thoughts: For Whom Are These Cameras Really Made?

At their core, the Nikon Coolpix L22 and S570 are emblematic relics of a pre-smartphone digital camera era - simple, affordable, no-frills shooters designed to put basic images in anyone’s hands quickly. Their specs and performance reflect that modesty.

For seasoned photographers or enthusiasts accustomed to creative control, RAW shooting, higher resolutions, and punchy autofocus, these cameras fall short of useful tools. But for those new to digital photography or needing a light, inexpensive “grab-and-go” camera, each has merits.

If you want HD video and a slimmer profile, the S570 is your pick. If battery convenience and a reassuringly chunky grip matter more, the L22 holds value.

Before you buy either in 2024, weigh this: modern smartphones and budget compacts deliver vastly superior images and features - often at competitive prices. Still, if nostalgia or specific use cases beckon, these Nikon models remain easy-to-use companions worthy of a spot in photo history... and maybe your drawer.

Happy shooting - and remember, the best camera is always the one you have in hand!