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Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill 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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Sigma SD1 Merrill

15 MP | APS-C (24 x 16 mm) CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor

Sigma SD1 Merrill
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Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill, which was introduced in April 2012 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 15.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 14 months difference between L120 and SD1 Merrill so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger SD1 Merrill, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 1.0fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 431g. 110 x 77 x 78 mm
  • Replaced Nikon Coolpix L110 Compare

Sigma SD1 Merrill Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-04-10
  • 15MP - APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sigma SA Bayonet Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 790g. 146 x 113 x 80 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sigma SD1 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L120 over Sigma SD1 Merrill
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Internal Storage
102 MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
LCD Resolution
921k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Weight
431 g vs 790 g 359 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1280 x 720 vs None Higher Resolution Video
CHECK L120 PRICE


Reasons to choose Sigma SD1 Merrill over Nikon Coolpix L120
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Sensor Resolution
15 MP vs 14 MP 7% more pixels
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
25.00µm2 vs 2.01µm2 1143% larger pixel area
CHECK SD1 Merrill PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No Screen tilts or Flips out independently, perfect for both stills and video
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill: 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill 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). Sigma SD1 Merrill has external dimensions of 146 x 113 x 80 mm (5.75 x 4.45 x 3.15″) and weighs 790 g (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill. Nikon L120 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 36mm narrower, 36mm shorter and 2mm thinner than Sigma SD1 Merrill. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon L120 has a built-in lens but Sigma SD1 Merrill doesn't. Once you put a lens on SD1 Merrill, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill.
Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon L120 is significantly lighter (359g ) than the Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 SD1 Merrill, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of SD1 Merrill, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to L120.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill: 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, Sigma SD1 Merrill has a 15.0MP APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual True II processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Sigma SD1 Merrill's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the L120 and SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison.

Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill Cameras


As seen above, Sigma SD1 Merrill has a 13.7x 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L120 and Sigma SD1 Merrill 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

Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sigma SD1 Merrill for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
No Image Stabilization
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/s
Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
790g
Body Thickness 80mm
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon L120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill: 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill scores compare:

Nikon L120
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #218 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #836 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Sigma SD1 Merrill
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #82 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #745 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Sigma SD1 Merrill has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon L120 mainly because of its huge advantage in Image quality. In all other areas, Nikon L120 excels. It is a tough choice!
If image quality is your priority, get the Sigma SD1 Merrill.
If you are ready to compromise image quality for extra features, compactness and value, choose Nikon L120

Nikon L120
Nikon L120
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Sigma SD1 Merrill
Sigma SD1 Merrill
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Nikon L120 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix L120 Sigma SD1 Merrill
Brand Nikon Sigma
Announced 2011-02-09 2012-04-10
Body Type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS (Foveon X3)
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 24 x 16 mm
Area 28.07mm2 384.00mm2
Megapixels 14 megapixels 15 megapixels
Max Resolution 4320 x 3240 4800 x 3200
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 6,400 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 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sigma SA Bayonet
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 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 96%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.64x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.00 m no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps n/a
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720 None
Video Formats Motion JPEG n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 431g 790g
Dimensions 110 x 77 x 78mm 146 x 113 x 80mm
Battery Life 330 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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