Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010 Comparison

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Nikon L31

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus FE-5010

12 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing L31 and FE-5010, two Compact cameras from Nikon and Olympus. Nikon Coolpix L31 is a Ultracompact class camera and Olympus FE-5010 is a Small Sensor Compact class camera.

Nikon L31 was introduced to the market in January 2015 and Olympus FE-5010 was launched in January 2009. As you can see, FE-5010 is 6 years older than L31. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon L31 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2015-01-14

16MP - 1/2.3' CMOS Sensor

ISO 80 - 1600

26-130 mm F3.2-6.5 Zoom Lens

2.70" Fixed Type Screen

fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

160g. 96 x 59 x 29 mm

Olympus FE-5010 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-01-07

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 64 - 1600

36-180 mm F3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.70" Fixed Type Screen

fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

130g. 96 x 57 x 21 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L31 over Olympus FE-5010

Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution	16 MP vs 12 MP	33% more pixels
Focal Length - Wide	26mm vs 36mm	10 mm wider coverage
Max Aperture - Wide	3.20 vs 3.50	faster lens at wide
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480	Higher Resolution Video
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

CHECK L31 PRICE

Reasons to choose Olympus FE-5010 over Nikon Coolpix L31

In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Weight	130 g vs 160 g	30 g lighter
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Focal Length - Tele	180mm vs 130mm	50 mm longer tele reach
Max Aperture - Tele	5.60 vs 6.50	faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage	4.0m vs 3.6m	0.4m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	2.35µm2 vs 1.76µm2	33% larger pixel area

CHECK FE-5010 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix L31 and Olympus FE-5010

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix L31 and Olympus FE-5010

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	Screen tilts or Flips out independently, perfect for both stills and video
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
RAW Support	No vs No	Lower image quality
LCD Screen Size	2.70" vs 2.70"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Manual Focusing	No vs No	No manual focusing modes

Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon L31 has external dimensions of 96 x 59 x 29 mm (3.78 x 2.32 x 1.14″) and weighs 160 g (0.35 lb / 5.64 oz) (including batteries). Olympus FE-5010 has external dimensions of 96 x 57 x 21 mm (3.78 x 2.24 x 0.83″) and weighs 130 g (0.29 lb / 4.59 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Nikon L31 and the Olympus FE-5010.

Comparison image of the Nikon L31 and the Olympus FE-5010 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus FE-5010 is significantly lighter (30g ) than the Nikon L31 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather-sealed body of the FE-5010, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to the L31.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 2.70 inches.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010: Sensor Comparison

Nikon L31 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3' (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus FE-5010 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the L31 and FE-5010 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 Cameras

Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.

Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon L31 features a 26-130 mm F3.2-6.5 5× zoom lens whereas Olympus FE-5010 features a 36-180 mm F3.5-5.6 5× zoom lens.

Nikon L31 has 10mm wider coverage than the Olympus FE-5010. At f3.20, it is also faster at widest end. On the tele end, Olympus FE-5010 has 50mm longer reach than the Nikon L31. At f5.60, it is also faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

L31

FE-5010

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L31 and Olympus FE-5010 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 L31 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus FE-5010 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
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

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 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

Nikon L31 for Street Photography

POOR

Olympus FE-5010 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

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

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
36 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon L31 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus FE-5010 for Sports Photography

POOR

Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
130 mm Tele Lens
No Image Stabilization
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
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 200 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
180 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
Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon L31 for Daily Photography

POOR

Olympus FE-5010 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
160g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Compact Body
130g
Body Thickness 21mm
Environmental Sealings
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Nikon L31 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus FE-5010 for Landscape Photography

POOR

26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
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

Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
36 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon L31 vs Olympus FE-5010: 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 L31 and Olympus FE-5010, 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 L31 and Olympus FE-5010 scores compare:

Nikon L31

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #105 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #1132 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Olympus FE-5010

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #385 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1096 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Olympus FE-5010 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon L31. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that FE-5010 trails behind the L31: Imaging
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Nikon L31. If not, we recommend the Olympus FE-5010.

Olympus FE-5010 vs Nikon L31 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Coolpix L31	Olympus FE-5010
Brand	Nikon	Olympus
Announced	2015-01-14	2009-01-07
Body Type	Ultracompact	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	1/2.3'	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.08 x 4.56 mm
Area	28.07mm²	27.72mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	3968 x 2976
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	64 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	n/a	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	26-130 mm (5×)	36-180 mm (5×)
Max Aperture	F3.2-6.5	F3.5-5.6
Macro Focus Range	10cm	3cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.70"	2.70"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Digital only	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	3.60 m	4.00 m
External Flash
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	640 x 480
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	160g	130g
Dimensions	96 x 59 x 29mm	96 x 57 x 21mm
Battery Life	200 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction