I purchased the Light L16 camera recently and was excited to do some photo tests. I decided to compare it with my iPhone 7+ and Sony RX10 IV. I’ve included a sample image from each device below. However, the iPhone 7+ really doesn’t compare to either of these cameras so I’m not going to include it in the following review.
Photo Quality
The Light L16 has great photo quality. In fact, the detail when zooming or cropping is impressive. It certainly beats the iPhone 7+ and Sony RX10 IV. Notice the difference when zooming into the photo and cropping – the Light L16 is definitely superior.
The level of detail from the Light L16 in unmistakeable. In this area the Sony RX10 IV can’t compete. That said, I’m not sure how often I’d need to zoom or crop my photos.
Dimensions
The pixel quality of the Light L16 is also higher and more impressive. It comes in at 10432 x 7824 while the Sony RX10 IV comes in at 5472 x 3648. Wow! Again the Light L16 impresses. Of course, the file size is much different too – 35.1 MB vs. 7.7 MB (a big difference).
Light
Ironically the area in which the Light L16 really suffers is … well … light. Notice below the lack of shadows and light that the L16 simply is not able to capture.
I was incredibly surprised by the difference. The light and shadows greatly affect the picture quality and aesthetic of the overall capture. This was a big disappointment. I really hope that Light is able to improve on this – but to me the limitation is more of a hardware issue and I don’t think it can be properly addressed with software updates.
Overall
When comparing the overall image quality the Sony RX10 IV wins. Of course, it’s not as easy to take on the move as the Light L16 but if I were taking portraits or on vacation I’d rather have my Sony RX10 IV. The following are all unedited:
