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Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200 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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Samsung NX200

20 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Samsung NX200
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Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two 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 Samsung NX200, which was introduced in February 2012 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 13 months difference between L120 and NX200 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger NX200, especially in sensor tech.

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 Samsung NX200 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

Samsung NX200 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-02-28
  • 20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 223g. 117 x 63 x 36 mm
  • Replaced Samsung NX100 Compare

Samsung NX200 was replaced by Samsung NX210. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Samsung NX210 vs Samsung NX200
Samsung NX210 vs Nikon Coolpix L120

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L120 over Samsung NX200
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 614k dots 50% higher resolution screen


Reasons to choose Samsung NX200 over Nikon Coolpix L120
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 14 MP 42% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
15 vs 9 6 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 1.0fps 6 fps faster
Weight
223 g vs 431 g 208 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area
18.48µm2 vs 2.01µm2 819% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Samsung NX200
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Samsung NX200
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200: 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 Samsung NX200 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). Samsung NX200 has external dimensions of 117 x 63 x 36 mm (4.61 x 2.48 x 1.42″) and weighs 223 g (0.49 lb / 7.87 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200. Samsung NX200 is 14mm shorter and 42mm thinner than Nikon L120 but it is also 7mm wider. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon L120 has a built-in lens but Samsung NX200 doesn't. Once you put a lens on NX200, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200.
Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Samsung NX200 is significantly lighter (208g ) 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 NX200, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix L120 nor Samsung NX200 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 Samsung NX200'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 Samsung NX200: Sensor Comparison

Nikon L120 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Samsung NX200 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Samsung NX200's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon L120's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the L120 and NX200 sensor size comparison.

Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200 Cameras


As seen above, Samsung NX200 has a 13.1x 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 Samsung NX200 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L120 and Samsung NX200 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

Samsung NX200 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Street Photography

GOOD

Samsung NX200 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Sports Photography

POOR

Samsung NX200 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: 7.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
15 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Samsung NX200 for Daily Photography

GOOD
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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
223g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Samsung NX200 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon L120 vs Samsung NX200: 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 Samsung NX200, 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 Samsung NX200 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
Samsung NX200
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #87 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #380 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Samsung NX200 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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Samsung NX200
Samsung NX200
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Samsung NX200 vs Nikon L120 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix L120 Samsung NX200
Brand Nikon Samsung
Announced 2011-02-09 2012-02-28
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area 28.07mm2 368.95mm2
Megapixels 14 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 4320 x 3240 5472 x 3648
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 80 ISO 100 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 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Samsung NX
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 614k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.00 m no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 7.0 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 None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 431g 223g
Dimensions 110 x 77 x 78mm 117 x 63 x 36mm
Battery Life 330 shots 330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 69
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 618
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