Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99
67 Imaging
35 Features
44 Overall
38


91 Imaging
45 Features
67 Overall
53
Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 160 - 3200
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 23-810mm (F3.4-5.7) lens
- 494g - 116 x 84 x 103mm
- Revealed February 2011
- Renewed by Nikon P510
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3-inch Sensor
- 3.00" Tilting Display
- ISO 80 - 12800
- 3840 x 2160 video
- 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
- 242g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
- Introduced September 2018

Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Overview
Let's take a closer look at the Nikon P500 and Sony HX99, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by competitors Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the P500 (12MP) and HX99 (18MP) and the P500 (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) have totally different sensor measurements.

The P500 was brought out 8 years earlier than the HX99 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Nikon P500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX99 being a Compact camera.
Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a short highlight of how the P500 scores against the HX99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix P500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99. The entire galleries are viewable at Nikon P500 Gallery & Sony HX99 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon P500 over the Sony HX99
P500 | HX99 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX99 over the Nikon P500
HX99 | P500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2018 | ![]() | February 2011 | More recent by 92 months |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Nikon P500 and Sony HX99
P500 | HX99 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3.00" | Equal display measurements |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 921k | Same display resolution |
Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Physical Comparison
If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Nikon P500 comes with outer measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 103mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 4.1") accompanied by a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) whilst the Sony HX99 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).
Check out the Nikon P500 and Sony HX99 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the P500 against the HX99.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the P500 and HX99 is 67 and 91 respectively.

Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it's tough to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by going through technical specs. The photograph below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the P500 and HX99.
As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The P500 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony HX99 will provide more detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older P500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon P500 vs Sony HX99 Specifications
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Nikon | Sony |
Model type | Nikon Coolpix P500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99 |
Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2011-02-09 | 2018-09-01 |
Physical type | SLR-like (bridge) | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Expeed C2 | - |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3-inch |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 18MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4896 x 3672 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 160 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 23-810mm (35.2x) | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
Max aperture | f/3.4-5.7 | f/3.5-6.4 |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | 5cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3" | 3.00" |
Resolution of display | 921 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 638 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.5x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 8s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1500s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 8.00 m | 5.40 m (with Auto ISO) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow-sync | Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) | 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p, 120p) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 3840x2160 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | AVCHD, XAVC S |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 494 gr (1.09 lb) | 242 gr (0.53 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 116 x 84 x 103mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 4.1") | 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 pictures | 360 pictures |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | EN-EL5 | NP-BX1 |
Self timer | Yes (10 or 2 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail price | $399 | $469 |