Nikon Coolpix
L120
 vs
Nikon Coolpix
P500

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon Coolpix L810 vs Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P500

85
"doubles up as an effective video camera thanks to its excellent video mode."
photographyblog.com | talking about the P500's video-quality
"This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether."
photographyblog.com | talking about the P500's image-stabilization

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix P500

Zoom
 Great zoom
36x
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
23 mm
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Nikon Coolpix L120

66
Runner-up

Nikon Coolpix L120
"The camera is also equipped with two image stabilization functions. By incorporating both an image sensor shift vibration reduction (VR) mechanism and electronic VR, the L120 is able to minimize the effects of camera shake than can otherwise lead to image degrading blur, which makes shooting at the maximum telephoto zoom position and under lower light conditions more manageable."
digitalreview.ca | talking about the L120's image-stabilization
"The Nikon L120 incorporates a 14 megapixel sensor with Nikon's EXPEED C2 image processing technology – delivering fast response times and natural colour reproduction."
digitalreview.ca | talking about the L120's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix L120

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 110x77x78 mm
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Thickness
 Thin
3.1"
Weight
 Light-weight
406 g

differences

Advantages of the Nikon L120
Aperture Wider aperture f/3.1 vs f/3.5
Help
 At its widest zoom, the L120's lens captures marginally more light (0.4 f-stops)
Size Smaller 110x77x78 mm vs 116x84x103 mm
Help
 More than 30% smaller
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Thickness Thinner 3.1" vs 4.1"
Help
 More than 20% thinner
Weight Lighter 406 g vs 481 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $179.99 vs $299.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $120 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Nikon Coolpix L120 Learn more about
the Nikon L120

Advantages of the Nikon P500
Zoom Much more zoom 36x vs 21x
Help
 Around 3x more zoom
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 240 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
Wide angle Better wide angle 23 mm vs 25 mm
Help
 Around 10% better wide angle
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 Around 14.5x faster continuous shooting
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The P500's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Nikon Coolpix P500 Learn more about
the Nikon P500
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent super zooms, and ignoring price

Nikon Coolpix L120 Nikon Coolpix L120
66 vs 85
Explain scores
Nikon Coolpix P500 Nikon Coolpix P500
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon Coolpix P500.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution Very high resolution screens Help
920k dots
Zoom Great zoom Help
L120:21x
P500:36x
Wide angle Good wide angle Help
L120:25 mm
P500:23 mm
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
Thickness Quite thick Help
L120:3.1"
P500:4.1"
Weight Heavy Help
L120:406 g
P500:481 g
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Size Large Help
L120:110x77x78 mm
P500:116x84x103 mm
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons

Compared to recent super zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
External flash No external flash support Help
Less expandable
Longest exposure Short max exposure time Help
8 seconds
Supports RAW No RAW support Help
Less editing fidelity
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400
Zoom Has much more zoom
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix L810

Nikon Coolpix L810

Super zoom

$250 - $265
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Coolpix L810 vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the Coolpix L810 vs the Coolpix P500
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299 - $335
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
High-speed framerate Records even higher-speed movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the Coolpix P500
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$420
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
External flash Supports an external flash
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Coolpix P500
Fujifilm FinePix S4000

Fujifilm FinePix S4000

Super zoom

$215
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the FinePix S4000 vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the FinePix S4000 vs the Coolpix P500
Kodak Easyshare Z990 MAX

Kodak Easyshare Z990 MAX

Super zoom
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Easyshare Z990 MAX vs the Coolpix L120
Compare the Easyshare Z990 MAX vs the Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix L120 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix S3300

Fujifilm FinePix S3300

Super zoom

$272
Zoom More zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Size Larger
Compare the FinePix S3300 vs the Coolpix L120
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Travel zoom

$136 - $179
Size Smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the PowerShot SX150 IS vs the Coolpix L120
Fujifilm FinePix S2950

Fujifilm FinePix S2950

Super zoom

$150 - $159
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the FinePix S2950 vs the Coolpix L120
Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Travel zoom

$130 - $245
Size Smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the PowerShot SX130 IS vs the Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix P500 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Super zoom

$438 - $500
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Battery life Much longer battery life
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Size Much larger
Compare the FinePix HS30 EXR vs the Coolpix P500
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Super zoom

$409
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Battery life Much longer battery life
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX100v vs the Coolpix P500
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Super zoom

$399
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V vs the Coolpix P500

appearance

Nikon Coolpix L120 Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix L120 Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix L120 Nikon Coolpix P500

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Arunabh (9:52 AM, April 25, 2012)
good comparision..thanks...