Sony announces the world’s smallest 30x zoom compact camera with a viewfinder

Sony has announced the launch of two new travel compact cameras, the Cybershot DSC-HX90 (and DSC-HX90V), and the Cybershot DSC-WX500. The HX90V is identical to the HX90, except the addition of GPS to automatically tag your images with location information.

We got our hands on the new releases to learn more. Both models have had serious optical upgrades, housing a ZEISS Vario- Sonnar T* lens with an impressive 30x optical zoom. This provides the equivalent of a 25-270mm lens, and the five-axis image stabilisation and Optical SteadyShot should keep your images crisp and clear no matter how close you’re getting.

The processors have also evolved, and both the HX90 and the WX500 include an Exmor R 18.2MP CMOS sensor, plus Sony’s advanced BIONZ X processor, which promises higher picture quality, faster processing, and more true-tolife video shooting. Keen videographers will appreciate the Full HD shooting capabilities.

Despite being the smallest travel compact camera on the market at the time of writing, the HX90 crams a lot into its small body, feeling solid and durable enough to last in any rugged requirements when it comes to travel. A newly added grip gives you a relatively confident purchase on the small body, and the pop-up viewfinder is a welcome change from the HX60’s protruding one. On the outside, with the growing selfie trend in mind, both the HX90 and WX500 have a 180-degree tilting LCD screen, however these aren’t touch-sensitive.

The HX90 and HX90V will retail for £349 and £369 / $428 respectively, while the WX500 will sell for a suggested price of £299 / $328. All models are available from June 2015.