Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, we are going to illustrate the Nikon D500 and Sony HX30V side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D500 has external dimensions of 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19″) and weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz) (including batteries). Sony HX30V has external dimensions of 107 x 62 x 35 mm (4.21 x 2.44 x 1.38″) and weighs 254 g (0.56 lb / 8.96 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Nikon D500 and the Sony HX30V. Sony HX30V is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 40mm narrower, 53mm shorter and 46mm thinner than Nikon D500. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Sony HX30V has a built-in lens but Nikon D500 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D500, its thickness will increase significantly.
Here is the back view size comparison of the Nikon D500 and Sony HX30V.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D500 and Sony HX30V.
Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony HX30V is significantly lighter (606g ) than the Nikon D500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D500, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
With its weather-sealed body, we believe that the D500 has a big advantage over the HX30V which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon D500's 3.20" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sony HX30V's 3" screen.
In addition to the size advantage, Nikon D500 LCD screen also has a
Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels. On the other hand, Sony HX30V has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to D500.