The Lumix TZ90 / ZS70 charges its battery in the camera via the standard USB port. An a/c adaptor and a USB cable are included in the box, though you can use any USB Micro B cable and any suitable power source, you can’t externally power the camera while shooting. If you switch the Lumix TZ90 / ZS70 on while it’s charging an alert that tells you ‘To begin charging turn the camera off’ is displayed. You can still shoot, but the battery won’t start charging until you turn the camera off. The PowerShot SX730 HS battery can be charged in-camera over a USB connection, or externally using the supplied AC unit. But unlike Panasonic, Canon doesn’t put a USB cable in the box, so unless you have a Micro B to A type cable lying around, you’ll have to buy one if you want to charge the PowerShot SX730 HS’s battery in the camera from a laptop or other USB power source. Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera is turned on. (When the optical image stabilizer function is set to [ON].) The Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 3cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. Being able to record 4K video, and also the 4K Photo modes is something which is likely to appeal to quite a few different people too. The tilting touch-sensitive screen is super handy for selfies, while the viewfinder is there if you need it, if not to be used all the time. FHD/50p: Approx. 100 min (rear monitor), 90 min (LVF)/FHD/50i: Approx. 100 min (rear monitor), 100 min (LVF)

The electronic viewfinder is on the small side, but it’s usable – particularly in very sunny situations, where bright light might preclude the use of the screen. Of course, there are also folk who just prefer to compose that way.Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome, Rough Monochrome, Silky Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Toy Pop, Bleach Bypass, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Fantasy, Star Filter, One Point Color, Sunshine (22 filters) The remote control feature shows a live image on your phone or tablet’s screen allowing you to take a photo or start or stop a video recording. If the camera’s mode dial is set to Aperture or Shutter Priority, you can remotely adjust the aperture or shutter speed respectively, and in Manual you can change both. You can drag the AF area to position it just as you would on the camera screen; at least you can if the AF mode is set to Pinpoint or 1-Area. It’s not possible to position the Custom Multi AF area group using your phone – you have to do that on the camera screen, however, this is minor omission in what is otherwise a very feature-rich app.

The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use. If you’re looking for a well-specced travel compact camera, then the Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 arguably offers the best range of different features currently on the market. Approx. 4 - 1/2,000 sec (Mechanical Shutter)/Approx. 1 - 1/16,000 sec (Electronic Shutter)/Artistic Nightscape (Approx. 30 sec)Use a card with SD Speed Class with "UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3)" when recording motion pictures with [MP4] in [4K] or [4K PHOTO]. (SD speed class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.)

Choices here include picture styles – switch from standard or natural to vivid or monochrome, for example – as well as being able to select the flash mode in use (with red eye reducing options provided alongside forced flash and slow shutter sync), select video quality, or choose image aspect ratio (from the standard 4:3 to medium format apeing 1:1). There are 8 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting. Above: Panasonic Lumix TZ90 / ZS70 4k Photo Shutter priority 1/500, f6.4, 200 ISO, 129mm (720mm equivalent) From the front of this Lumix then, with a size broadly similar to a jumbo box of matches, the aforementioned zoom lens dominates proceedings, offering up to that generous 720mm equivalent reach at the telephoto end. In operation it takes around 3-4 seconds for the lens to glide from maximum wideangle to extreme telephoto, accompanied by an unobtrusively low mechanical buzz. Although picture detail inevitably softens at maximum zoom, the results are still plenty sharp enough for it to prove a useful asset. It goes without saying that the camera is responsive enough to avoid your attention ever needing to wander from the subject itself, with an AF speed given of 0.1 seconds, allied to a maximum burst capture rate of 10fps in AF-S mode or 5fps in AF-C mode.

Main Rivals

The TZ90 / ZS70’s combined battery and card compartment is accessed via a door in the base – note it’s not possible to change the card or battery when the camera is mounted on a tripod. The BLG10E battery (the same one used in the TZ80 / ZS60) provides enough power on a full charge for 380 shots using the screen exclusively or 250 shots with the EVF so, in practice, probably somewhere between the two. That’s a little better than the 250 shots you’ll get with the Canon PowerShot SX730 HS, but the SX730 HS’s Eco energy saving mode extends that to a more generous 355 shots. Images such as this have a good overall impression of detail, but you can see some image smoothing if you look closely.

Still Image: JPEG (DCF/Exif2.31), RAW/4K PHOTO: MP4/Motion Picture: AVCHD Progressive, AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Audio 2ch), MP4 (Audio format: AAC 2ch) Once your phone or tablet is connected to the TZ90 / ZS70, you can remote control it, browse the images direct from the memory card, copy them onto the handset and if desired send them onto various storage or sharing services. You can also set the app to make a GPS log for subsequent syncing and tagging, create a snap movie, or photo collage. Wifi allows you to wirelessly browse the TZ90 / ZS70’s images on the larger and more detailed screen of a smartphone or tablet, copy them onto these devices, upload them to online storage or social media services (either directly or via a smartphone), or become remote-controlled using the free Lumix Image app for iOS or Android devices. This is more of a crop than you get with the TZ80 / ZS60 where, with the same lens but a lower resolution 18 Megapixel sensor, the equivalent range is cropped to 33-990mm.There are two options for transferring images; Batch transfer provides a menu from which you can select options to transfer the current day’s images, or you can include the last 3, 7 or 30 days, or if you’re feeling impetuous you can opt to transfer everything. Further options allow you to restrict transferred files to just photos or videos. If you want to browse the images on the card in the camera before deciding which to transfer, then Transfer selection is the option to go for.