Nikon S9900 vs Sony HX5

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Nikon S9900 versus Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Nikon and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the S9900 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the S9900 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The S9900 was revealed 4 years later than the HX5 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the S9900 scores against the HX5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S9900 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The full galleries are available at Nikon S9900 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Nikon S9900 has got outside measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") having a weight of 289 grams (0.64 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Nikon S9900 versus Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the S9900 versus the HX5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the S9900 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Often, its hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S9900 and HX5.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S9900 with its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Nikon S9900 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The younger S9900 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.