Both Nikon L19 and Nikon L21 have 8.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon L19's sensor is 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) and Nikon L21's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ).
Since Nikon L21'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 L19.
Below you can see the L19 and L21 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L19 and Nikon L21 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon L21 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Nikon L19. 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.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon L19
or the
Nikon L21 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1/2.5-inch versus 1/2.3-inch),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
