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Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N 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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Sony NEX-5N

16 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony NEX-5N
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Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N 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 Sony NEX-5N, which was introduced in October 2011 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is only 8 months difference between L120 and NEX-5N so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

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 Sony NEX-5N 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

Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-10-03
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 269g. 111 x 59 x 38 mm
  • Replaced Sony Alpha NEX-5 Compare

Sony NEX-5N was replaced by Sony Alpha NEX-5R. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha NEX-5R vs Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-5R vs Nikon Coolpix L120

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L120 over Sony Alpha NEX-5N
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


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha NEX-5N over Nikon Coolpix L120
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 14 MP 14% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 6.400 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 9 16 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 1.0fps 9 fps faster
Battery Life
460 shots vs 330 shots 130 more frames with a single charge
Weight
269 g vs 431 g 162 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 6.0m 6m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
22.77µm2 vs 2.01µm2 1032% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 920k dots High resolution screens
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix L120 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N: 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 Sony NEX-5N 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). Sony NEX-5N has external dimensions of 111 x 59 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.32 x 1.5″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N. Sony NEX-5N is 18mm shorter and 40mm thinner than Nikon L120 but it is also 1mm wider. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon L120 has a built-in lens but Sony NEX-5N doesn't. Once you put a lens on NEX-5N, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N.

Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N.
Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony NEX-5N is significantly lighter (162g ) 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 NEX-5N, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix L120 nor Sony Alpha NEX-5N 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 Sony NEX-5N's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Sony NEX-5N features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Nikon L120 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to NEX-5N.
Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N: 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, Sony NEX-5N has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Below you can see the L120 and NEX-5N sensor size comparison.

Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N Cameras


As seen above, Sony NEX-5N has a 13.0x 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 Sony NEX-5N Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L120 and Sony NEX-5N 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

Sony NEX-5N 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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-5N for Street Photography

GOOD
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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony NEX-5N 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: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony NEX-5N 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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
269g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Nikon L120 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony NEX-5N 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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon L120 vs Sony NEX-5N: 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 Sony NEX-5N, 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 Sony NEX-5N 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
Sony NEX-5N
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #61 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #301 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony NEX-5N 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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Sony NEX-5N
Sony NEX-5N
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Sony NEX-5N vs Nikon L120 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix L120 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2011-02-09 2011-10-03
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.4 x 15.6 mm
Area 28.07mm2 365.04mm2
Megapixels 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 25,600 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 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony E
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 Tilting
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 920k 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 12.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 10.0 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 AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 431g 269g
Dimensions 110 x 77 x 78mm 111 x 59 x 38mm
Battery Life 330 shots 460 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 77
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.7
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1079
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