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  • BLOG

Nikon L21 Review

  • Overview
  • Alternatives
  • Nikon L21

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    Main Features

    • 8MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
    • ISO 64 - 1600
    • 38-136 mm F3.1-6.7 Zoom Lens
    • 2.50" Fixed Type Screen
    • fps continuous shooting
    • 169g. 92 x 67 x 28 mm
    CHECK PRICE
    CHECK PRICE

    Nikon L21 Overview

    First introduced in February 2010 , Nikon Coolpix L21 is a 8.0MP Small Sensor Compact camera with a 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and 3.6x zoom 38-136 mm F3.1-6.7 lens.

    Nikon L21 Review - Click for Table of Contents

    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. Sensor and Photography Features
    4. Physical Specs
    5. LCD and Viewfinder
    6. Connectivity, Storage and Battery
    7. Other Features
    8. Lens
    9. Photography Type Scores
    10. Alternatives
    11. Popular Comparisons
    12. Frequently Asked Questions
    13. Detailed Specifications

    Nikon L21 is a member of Nikon's Small Sensor Compact class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

    Nikon Small Sensor Compact Series History
    Model Release Date Sensor Max FPS Dimensions Weight
    Nikon S33
    Compare
    2015 13.0MP - 1/3.1' 4.7 fps 110 x 66 x 27mm 221g
    Nikon P340
    Compare
    2014 12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch 10.0 fps 103 x 58 x 32mm 194g
    Nikon S5300
    Compare
    2014 16.0MP - 1/2.3-inch 7.0 fps 97 x 58 x 21mm 138g
    Nikon S3600
    Compare
    2014 20.0MP - 1/2.3-inch 1.0 fps 97 x 58 x 20mm 125g
    Nikon P7800
    Compare
    2013 12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch 8.0 fps 119 x 78 x 50mm 399g

    Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side by side:
    Nikon S33 vs P340 vs S5300 vs S3600 vs P7800


    **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Nikon L21 PROs and CONs Review

    Now let's get in to more details of our Nikon L21 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

    PROs
    169g Light Body
    Report a correction

    Buy Nikon L21 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO


    CONs
    No Wireless Connection
    No Image Stabilization
    No Articulating Screen
    No External Flash Shoe
    No Full HD Video
    No Touch Screen
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No RAW Shooting
    No Face Detection Focusing
    Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
    Max Sensitivity only ISO 1.600
    Small LCD Screen ( 2.50")
    Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )
    No Manual Focusing
    No Manual Exposure
    No Environmental Sealing
    38 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
    Optical Zoom only 3.6X
    Slow Lens at Wide: f3.10
    Slow Lens at Tele: f6.70

    Report a correction


    Nikon L21 Physical Specs
    Nikon L21 weighs 169 g (0.37 lb / 5.96 oz) and has external dimensions of 92 x 67 x 28 mm (3.62 x 2.64 x 1.1″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, its weight is about average in its class. With a thickness of 28mm, it also has an average thickness.
    Weight Comparison

    Compact Cameras

    Nikon L21
    Min
    Average
    Max
    Thickness Comparison

    Compact Cameras

    Nikon L21
    Min
    Average
    Max


    In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Nikon L21, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.


    Nikon L21 Body Size Compared to a Credit card and a Battery
    Physical size of the Nikon L21 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery



    Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Nikon L21 with its main competitors:

    Nikon L21 Size Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Weight vs L21 Thickness vs L21
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon L22
    Compare
    183g 14g heavier 28mm equal thickness
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Kodak Mini
    Compare
    99g 70g lighter 18mm 10mm thinner
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Ricoh WG-6
    Compare
    246g 77g heavier 33mm 5mm thicker
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Leica M8
    Compare
    591g 422g heavier 37mm 9mm thicker
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Olympus TG-3
    Compare
    247g 78g heavier 31mm 3mm thicker
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Olympus E-600
    Compare
    515g 346g heavier 60mm 32mm thicker
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon P950
    Compare
    1005g 836g heavier 150mm 122mm thicker
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon L20
    Compare
    135g 34g lighter 29mm 1mm thicker

    Weather Sealing

    Nikon L21 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

    Nikon L21 Lens

    Nikon L21 features a 38-136 mm F3.1-6.7 3.6× zoom lens. With a focal length of only 38mm on the wide end, the camera doesn't have wide angle capability at all. On the plus side, 136mm reach on tele gives a lot of flexibility and satisfy most of your needs.

    Wide Coverage

    Compact Cameras

    L21
    Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS
    Average
    Telezoom

    Compact Cameras

    L21
    Longest - Canon SX520 HS
    Average

    With a max aperture of f3.10 at 38mm, we can not consider this lens fast on wide end, and it is slow at the tele end with its max aperture of f6.70.

    Max Aperture at Wide

    Compact Cameras

    L21
    Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6
    Average
    Max Aperture at Tele

    Compact Cameras

    L21
    Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV
    Average

    Nikon L21 Sensor and Photography Features

    Nikon L21 has a 8.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. L21 has a native ISO range of 64 - 1600 but unfortunately, Nikon L21 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider or in the same price range.

    Nikon L21 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. GoPro Hero9 Black with its 23.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Nikon L21 vs GoPro Hero9 Black or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

    Let's look at how the size of the Nikon L21's 1/2.3-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

    Nikon L21 Sensor Size Comparison
    Comparison image of Nikon L21 Sensor Size with other standard sensors



    Nikon L21 LCD

    Nikon L21 has a Fixed Type 2.50-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. At only 2.50", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.



    Nikon L21 back view and LCD

    Unfortunately Nikon Coolpix L21 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best Compact Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.


    L21 doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare) or Nikon Coolpix P7800 (Compare).
    Alternatively, check here the list of all Compact cameras with viewfinder..

    Nikon L21 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

    Nikon L21 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

    Nikon L21 Features Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Max Video Battery Life Wi-fi Bluetooth NFC
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon L22
    Compare
    640 x 480 shots No No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Kodak Mini
    Compare
    640 x 480 shots No No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Ricoh WG-6
    Compare
    3840 x 2160 340shots No No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Leica M8
    Compare
    None 550shots No No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Olympus TG-3
    Compare
    1920 x 1080 330shots Yes No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Olympus E-600
    Compare
    None 500shots No No No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon P950
    Compare
    3840 x 2160 290shots Yes Yes No
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Camera Nikon L20
    Compare
    640 x 480 shots No No No

    Nikon L21 Other Features

    Max Shutter speed

    Nikon L21 can shoot continuously at max speed of and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.

    Flash

    Unfortunately L21 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

    Focusing

    Nikon L21 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system.

    What type of Photography is Nikon L21 Good for?
    In this section, we review and score Nikon L21 in 5 different photography areas.

    Nikon L21 for Portrait Photography

    Nikon L21 has a score of 10 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theL21.
    Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
    Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
    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 of how we scored Nikon L21 for Portrait Photography

    Nikon L21 for Street Photography

    Nikon L21 has a score of 28 for Street Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Street We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list and consider these alternatives over theL21.
    Live-view
    Small Body
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No Manual Focus Mode
    No Image Stabilization
    38 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
    No RAW shooting capability
    Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor

    Read the details of how we scored Nikon L21 for Street Photography

    Nikon L21 for Sports Photography

    Nikon L21 has a score of 13 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theL21.
    Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
    136 mm Tele Lens
    Environmental Sealings
    Focus Points
    Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
    No Manual Exposure Mode
    No Manual Focus Mode
    No Built-in Viewfinder
    No External Flash Shoe
    No Image Stabilization
    Slow Lens at Tele: f6.70
    No RAW shooting capability

    Read the details of how we scored Nikon L21 for Sports Photography

    Nikon L21 for Daily Photography

    Nikon L21 has a score of 37 for Daily Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Daily We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list and consider these alternatives over theL21.
    Compact Body
    169g
    3.6X Optical Zoom
    Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
    No RAW shooting capability

    Read the details of how we scored Nikon L21 for Daily Photography

    Nikon L21 for Landscape Photography

    Nikon L21 has a score of 13 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theL21.
    No Manual Exposure Mode
    No Manual Focus Mode
    38 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
    No RAW shooting capability
    Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
    Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
    No Environmental Sealings

    Read the details of how we scored Nikon L21 for Landscape Photography
    Nikon L21 Alternatives
    In this section, we analyse how Nikon L21 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.
    Read a more detailed analysis of Nikon L21 alternatives.

    Popular Comparisons of Nikon L21

    Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Nikon L21 amongst Camera Decision readers.

    Nikon L22
    Nikon L22
    Compare
    Kodak Mini
    Kodak Mini
    Compare
    Ricoh WG-6
    Ricoh WG-6
    Compare
    Leica M8
    Leica M8
    Compare
    Olympus TG-3
    Olympus TG-3
    Compare
    Olympus E-600
    Olympus E-600
    Compare
    Nikon P950
    Nikon P950
    Compare
    Nikon L20
    Nikon L20
    Compare

    Nikon L21 Alternatives in Cameras

    It would also be interesting to compare Nikon L21 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Nikon L21's price range.

    Nikon L21 Conclusion and Scores

    Currently, Nikon L21 has an Overall Score of 24/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Nikon Coolpix L21 is ranked #613 out of 631 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #1216 out of 1244 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

    #1216 out of 1244 in Top Ranking Cameras
    #613 out of 631 in Top Ranking Compact Cameras
    #255 out of 262 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Compact Cameras
    #722 out of 740 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Sensor Cameras
    #289 out of 536 in Lightest Compact Cameras with Small Sensor sensor(169g)
    #895 out of 917 in Top Ranking Cameras with Fixed Type Screen

    Main Scores
    Imaging
    Features
    Value for Money
    Portability
    Overall Score
    Check our Smart Finder Tool to filter, sort and compare all digital cameras.

    Frequently Asked Questions about Nikon L21
    Does the Nikon L21 have Image Stabilization?
    Does the Nikon L21 have RAW support?
    Does the Nikon L21 have Weather Sealing?
    Does the Nikon L21 have built-in GPS?
    What is the Max ISO of Nikon L21?
    What is the Sensor Size of Nikon L21?
    is the Nikon L21 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
    Does the Nikon L21 have Touch Screen?
    Does the Nikon L21 have built-in Wireless?
    What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Nikon L21?
    What is the Weight of Nikon L21?
    What are the Dimensions of Nikon L21?
    Nikon Coolpix L21 Detailed Specifications

    General
    Brand Nikon
    Model Nikon Coolpix L21
    Announced 2010-02-03
    Body Type Compact
    Lens
    Manual Focus
    Lens Mount fixed lens
    Lens Focal Range 38-136 mm (3.6×)
    Max Aperture F3.1-6.7
    Macro Focus Range 5cm
    Screen
    Screen Type Fixed Type
    Screen Size 2.50"
    Screen Resolution 230k dots
    Live View
    Touch Screen
    Viewfinder
    Viewfinder None
    Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Coverage n/a
    Viewfinder Magnification n/a
    Photography Features
    Min Shutter Speed 8s
    Max Mechanical Shutter Speed 1/2000s
    Continuous Shooting n/a
    Shutter Priority
    Aperture Priority
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Exposure Compensation n/a
    Custom White Balance
    Image Stabilization
    Built-in Flash
    Flash Range n/a
    Max Flash Sync s
    Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro
    External Flash
    AE Bracketing
    WB Bracketing
    Exposure Modes
    Multi-Segment
    Average
    Spot
    Partial
    AF-Area
    Center Weighted
    DxO Sensor Scores
    DxO Overall Score not tested
    DxO Color Depth not tested
    DxO Dynamic Range not tested
    DxO Low Light ISO not tested
    Report a correction

    Sensor
    Sensor Type CCD
    Sensor Size 1/2.3-inch
    Sensor Dimensions 6.08 x 4.56 mm
    Sensor Area 27.72mm2
    Sensor Resolution 8 megapixels
    Max Image Resolution 3648 x 2736
    Max Native ISO 1,600
    Min Native ISO 64
    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
    Video Features
    Video Resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
    Max Video Resolution 640 x 480
    Video Formats Motion JPEG
    Microphone Port
    Headphone Port
    Connectivity
    Wireless Connectivity None
    HDMI
    USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
    Physical
    Environmental Sealing
    Water Proof
    Dust Proof
    Shock Proof
    Crush Proof
    Freeze Proof
    Weight 169g
    Physical Dimensions 92 x 67 x 28mm
    Battery Model 2 x AA
    Other Features
    Self Timer Yes
    Timelapse Recording
    GPS None
    Storage Type SD/SDHC, Internal
    Storage Slots 1


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