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Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison

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Nikon L120

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon L120
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Nikon 1 J3

14 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J3
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Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Nikon cameras cameras with different body types: Nikon L120, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Nikon 1 J3, which was introduced in November 2013 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 14.0MP 1-inch sensor. As you can see, L120 is 2 years older than 1 J3. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon L120 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-09
  • 14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 25-525 mm F3.1-5.8 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 431g. 110 x 77 x 78 mm
  • Replaced Nikon Coolpix L110 Compare

Nikon 1 J3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-11-30
  • 14MP - 1-inch CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 15 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1200fps High-Speed Video
  • 201g. 101 x 61 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J2 Compare

Nikon 1 J3 was replaced by Nikon 1 J4. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon Coolpix L120

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L120 over Nikon 1 J3
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Battery Life
330 shots vs 220 shots 110 more frames with a single charge
Flash Coverage
6.0m vs 5.0m 1m longer range


Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Nikon Coolpix L120
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Number of Focus Points
135 vs 9 126 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
15.0fps vs 1.0fps 14 fps faster
Weight
201 g vs 431 g 230 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area
8.20µm2 vs 2.01µm2 307% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Nikon 1 J3
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 921k dots High resolution screens
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Nikon 1 J3
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe
No vs No Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon L120 has external dimensions of 110 x 77 x 78 mm (4.33 x 3.03 x 3.07″) and weighs 431 g (0.95 lb / 15.20 oz) (including batteries). Nikon 1 J3 has external dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14″) and weighs 201 g (0.44 lb / 7.09 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3. Nikon 1 J3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 9mm narrower, 16mm shorter and 49mm thinner than Nikon L120. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon L120 has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J3 doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1 J3, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3.
Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J3 is significantly lighter (230g ) than the Nikon L120 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 1 J3, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix L120 nor Nikon 1 J3 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 have 14.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon L120's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Nikon 1 J3's sensor is 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ).

Since Nikon 1 J3's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon L120.

Below you can see the L120 and 1 J3 sensor size comparison.

Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon 1 J3 has a 4.1x Larger sensor area than Nikon L120. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon L120 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 for Portrait Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
525 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80
Read the details
Fast Continuous Shooting: 15.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
41 Cross Type Focus sensors
135 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Compact Body
21.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
431g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details
201g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 for Landscape Photography

POOR
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon L120 vs Nikon 1 J3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon L120 and Nikon 1 J3 scores compare:

Nikon L120
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #216 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #792 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon 1 J3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #96 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #417 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J3 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon L120 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon L120
Nikon L120
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Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J3
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Nikon 1 J3 vs Nikon L120 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix L120 Nikon 1 J3
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2011-02-09 2013-11-30
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1-inch
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area 28.07mm2 116.16mm2
Megapixels 14 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 4320 x 3240 4608 x 3072
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 80 ISO 160 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 135
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Nikon 1
Lens Focal Range 25-525 mm (21×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.1-5.8 no lens
Macro Focus Range 1cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.00 m 5.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/60s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 15.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Video Formats Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 431g 201g
Dimensions 110 x 77 x 78mm 101 x 61 x 29mm
Battery Life 330 shots 220 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 52
DxO Color Depth not tested 20.4
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 420
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