Panasonic Lumix TZ90 (ZS70) Brief review September 2017

Panasonic has been a leader in the compact superzoom/travel zoom camera category for several years and has continued to offer annual model upgrades while most camera lines have gone to 3 or 4 year model cycles or dropped out completely.

In 2011 Panasonic released 21 models across various categories.

Thus far in 2017 there have been only four.

One of these is the TZ90 (ZS70 in some markets). This appears to indicate Panasonic’s commitment to the TZ/ZS model line.

The TZ90 is a mild upgrade to the previous year’s TZ80 (ZS60).

The monitor is now swing up selfie style in keeping with the camera’s target buyer demographic.

The sensor pixel count increases from 18 to 20. On my tests I was unable to detect any change for better or worse resulting from this.

Otherwise the specifications, features and control layout  appear to be the same as the TZ80.

That is no bad thing.

At present the TZ90 is the only compact camera on the market which offers a 30x zoom, always-ready EVF of decent quality with auto eye sensor switching from monitor to EVF, fast performance with the ability to follow focus on moving subjects,  good picture quality throughout the zoom range, 4K video and 4K photo, flip up selfie style monitor (hold the camera upside down for overheads, it works just fine), good holding and handling, a decent set of controls with twin dial facility and much more.

It fits easily into a small belt pouch or large pocket.

It has been designed to be and indeed actually is, an ideal photographic companion for the holiday maker or traveller who does not wish to be burdened by heavy, obtrusive camera gear.

The specifications and feature set are very comprehensive. Read all the details elsewhere but this camera has features and capabilities not found on many much more expensive interchangeable lens cameras.

The body appears to be well built with good quality materials and panel alignment.

The monitor unit appears to be the same as or very similar to that used in the TZ80. This has a very high gloss surface finish which resists marking by fingerprints.

The lens zooms smoothly and all the controls work well.

The TZ90 delivers remarkable value for money.

Picture quality is very good. I have made prints up to 400x500mm of photos from this camera which look clear and sharp on the wall.

The lens is sharp in the center throughout the focal length range.

Edges are a bit soft at the wide end of the zoom and my copy is a bit soft on the left side at 135-200mm equivalent focal length.

Although the TZ70/80/90 series all use the same lens I have found that image quality at the long end has improved with each iteration. I guess this could be the result of better quality control during manufacture and/or better OIS.  

The camera is easy to hold and has a set of controls which can be configured to suit the snapshooter or enthusiast user.

I can find little to criticise.

The flash is located in the same place as it is on the TZ80. In this location the middle finger of the right hand obscures the flash. Therefore the right hand and fingers have to shift to an awkward position when the flash is being used.

That’s about it, really.

Overall the TZ90 is a good camera at a very attractive price and an easy model to recommend.