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The HX90V's specifications make it a very appealing camera on paper, and in most respects is competes strongly with the Panasonic TZ70's.
However, the Panasonic just about edges it in terms of real-world image quality, particularly when you consider that the TZ70 enables raw format shooting. The HX90's images aren't bad, though – in fact, they're really very good, especially when you're shooting in favourable lighting conditions.
One of the most appealing things about the HX90V is its impressively small size – it can be easy to forget that you've got the power of a 30x optical zoom lens here – and while the viewfinder is quite small and not something you're going to want to use for every shot, having it at all is a bonus for a compact camera.
We liked
The HX90V is a good all-round camera for travel and holiday photographers. You can leave it set to full auto shooting and forget about it if you want, but if you're an enthusiast, having the option to shoot in manual or semi-automatic modes is nice. The design and controls are well thought out, and make this an easy camera to use.
We disliked
Aside from the lack of raw format shooting, the other big feature missing from the HX90V is a touch-sensitive screen. It's not crucial, but these are helpful for adjusting certain settings, such as the autofocus point, quickly, and make scrolling through menus a quicker process.
Final verdict
The HX90V is a solidly performing all-round compact camera that offers a lot, but doesn't deliver in every single area. There have been some improvements to image quality, but it's still not fantastic for low light shooting. If you think you're going to want raw format shooting, the Panasonic TZ70 is the better bet; otherwise the two are reasonably evenly matched.
