Casio EX-Z90 vs Sony HX80

Choosing Between Vintage Simplicity and Modern Zoom Power: Casio EX-Z90 vs. Sony HX80

When I first picked up the Casio EX-Z90 alongside the Sony HX80, I immediately sensed a tale of two compacts - one harkening back to an era with simpler tech, the other packing a punch in zoom and features. Both fall under the small sensor compact umbrella, but their six-year gap, from 2009 to 2016, reveals not only evolving technology but very different user philosophies.

If you’re torn between these two digital cameras, I’ve spent enough time putting them through their paces - from hands-on shooting in various photography genres to technical tests of optics and responsiveness. This article will walk you through everything you need to know to make a confident choice, with no jargon overload and plenty of real-world insights.

Getting a Feel for the Cameras: Size, Design, and Handling

Size and ergonomics matter a lot, especially for travel and street photography. The Casio EX-Z90 is the quintessential old-school compact - small, slim, barely noticeable in a pocket, weighing a mere 121 grams with dimensions of 90 x 52 x 19 mm. By contrast, the Sony HX80 is larger and heavier at 245 grams and 102 x 58 x 36 mm. That’s almost double the weight, largely because of its superzoom lens and beefed-up feature set.

Despite the HX80’s size, its grip design feels more substantial and secure, especially for one-handed shooting. The EX-Z90’s slimness can feel a touch fragile, and while it slips into a pocket easily, you’ll want to invest in a case for protection.

Looking from the top, the Sony HX80 shows a thoughtful control layout with dedicated dials for shutter speed and aperture (a rarity for compacts), giving you more manual control, whereas the Casio keeps things minimal with limited physical controls.

Bottom line: If understated portability is your priority, the Casio’s slim profile wins. But for better handling and control in real shooting, especially when hanging onto a longer zoom lens, the Sony is the more ergonomic pick.

Sensor and Image Quality: Small Sensors, Different Generations

Both cameras share the same sensor size - 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm) - a standard in compact cameras, but the details tell a deeper story.

The Casio EX-Z90 uses a 12MP CCD sensor, fairly common in its era but now somewhat dated technology. CCDs tend to produce nice color rendition with less noise in well-lit situations but struggle in low light. The EX-Z90’s native ISO tops out at 1600, which is already pushing it for a sensor of this size and age, and it lacks a raw shooting mode - limiting post-processing flexibility.

The Sony HX80 steps up with an 18MP BSI-CMOS sensor, featuring back-illuminated architecture that enhances light gathering efficiency and improves high ISO performance. Its native ISO range starts at 80 and stretches to 3200, with a boosted mode up to 12800 (usable sparingly). It also supports several advanced image formats internally (though no Raw support here, unfortunately).

In hands-on testing, the HX80 produces sharper images with better fine detail and color fidelity, especially in dim environments or when shooting fast-moving subjects. The Casio, while competent in bright daylight, falls behind in dynamic range and color depth.

LCD Screen and Viewfinder: Navigating Your Shot

Usability from behind the camera is often overlooked, yet it defines the shooting experience. The EX-Z90 sports a fixed 2.7-inch LCD with a low 230k-dot resolution, resulting in a dim, sometimes grainy live view - even outdoors under bright sun.

In contrast, the Sony HX80 offers a 3-inch tilting LCD with 921k-dot resolution, making framing and reviewing images a more pleasant experience. Additionally, the HX80 includes a built-in electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage - a feature absent from the Casio. This addition is a boon for shooting in bright light when LCD visibility falters or when you want a steadier grip.

In practical terms, if you value composing shots on the fly or shooting at odd angles, the Sony’s screen and EVF combination provide significantly more versatility.

Zoom Range and Lens Performance: A Garden Variety Lens vs. A Superzoom Beast

One of the starkest differences lies in the focal range. The Casio EX-Z90 offers a modest 35-105 mm equivalent zoom (3x). This is perfect for everyday snapshots, simple portraits, and casual use but limits reach for wildlife or sports.

The Sony HX80 seizes the crown here - a whopping 24-720 mm equivalent (30x optical zoom). This focal spread covers ultrawide landscapes, tight portraits, wildlife telephoto, and everything in between. It makes the HX80 a serious tool for travel and wildlife photographers who desire flexibility without carrying multiple lenses.

The aperture on both cameras closes down quite a bit at telephoto (f/5.9 for Casio and f/6.4 for Sony), but image stabilization on the Sony (Optical SteadyShot) compensates admirably for shake at long focal lengths. You won't find stabilization in the Casio, making telephoto shots challenging without a tripod.

For macro enthusiasts, the Sony’s closer minimum focusing distance of 5 cm offers more detail and easier framing than the Casio’s 10 cm limit.

Autofocus and Speed: From Snapshots to Action Shots

The Casio EX-Z90 relies solely on contrast-detection autofocus, single-area only, and has no face detection - pretty basic. Its AF speed is slow by modern standards and fixed to single-shot mode only, limiting use for fast-moving subjects.

In practical use, achieving sharp focus can sometimes feel like a guessing game, especially in low light or when shooting indoors.

The Sony HX80 boasts a far more advanced AF system with center, selective, and multi-area options, plus continuous autofocus tracking and face detection, which considerably boost keeper rates in dynamic shooting environments.

Also, burst shooting reaches up to 10 fps on the Sony, nothing for the Casio.

This makes the HX80 far better suited to wildlife, sports, and street photography where capture speed and focus reliability are king.

Flash, Exposure, and Manual Controls: How Much Creativity Can You Wield?

The Casio’s built-in flash is your typical compact fare, with a modest 3-meter range and options limited to Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, and Soft. Exposure compensation, shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual exposure modes are all missing - so you’re mostly at the mercy of the camera’s automatic settings.

Sony takes a more creative stance. The HX80 offers exposure compensation, shutter and aperture priority, full manual exposure, and AE bracketing, plus customizable white balance and flash modes including slow sync and rear sync.

For photographers who want to learn and experiment with exposure control, the Sony is a far more engaging companion.

Video Capabilities: Moving Pictures with a Modern Twist

Video is a key consideration if you like to shoot multimedia. The Casio EX-Z90 records max 720p HD video at 24 fps, encoded in Motion JPEG - a bulky and dated compression format.

Sony's HX80 fares much better with Full HD 1080p recording at multiple frame rates up to 60p, supporting MPEG-4, AVCHD, and XAVC S codecs for higher quality footage and better compression.

Neither camera supports 4K video or microphone/headphone jacks, so they aren't aimed at serious videographers.

If casual video is your game, both work, but the HX80 shines with smoother, sharper footage and more frame rate options.

Battery Life and Storage: Ready for a Day Out?

Battery life on the Sony HX80 ticks in at an impressive 390 shots per charge, quite decent for a compact, while exact figures for the Casio are absent, though its smaller battery model hints at lower endurance.

Both cameras utilize SD card storage, but the Sony adds support for SDXC for large capacity cards; Casio sticks to SD/SDHC/SDMMC.

Wireless connectivity tips the scales further - Sony includes built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for convenient transfers and remote control, whereas Casio offers only Eye-Fi card compatibility (dependent on special SD cards), an increasingly outdated approach.

Assessing Build Quality and Durability

Neither the Casio EX-Z90 nor Sony HX80 offers weather sealing or ruggedized bodies, but the Sony’s thicker build and robust lens assembly feel more durable.

The Casio’s lightweight, compact design is charming but fragile. If you’re rough on gear or shoot outdoors often, the HX80’s more substantial build is reassuring.

The Verdict by Photography Genre

Knowing your shooting style clarifies which camera fits best.

• Portraits: The HX80’s longer zoom, higher resolution sensor, and face autofocus make it superior. The EX-Z90’s simpler AF and lens limit control over bokeh and sharpness.

• Landscapes: Both are limited by sensor size, but Sony’s wider lens and higher detail edge it ahead. Lack of weather sealing limits extreme outdoor shooting.

• Wildlife: Sony’s 30x zoom, fast AF tracking, and burst mode dominate. Casio isn’t in the race here.

• Sports: Sony’s continuous AF and high frame rates provide a real advantage.

• Street: Casio’s compactness favors candid shooting, but Sony’s better AF and image quality compensate for bulk.

• Macro: Sony adds closer focusing distance and stabilization for sharper close-ups.

• Night/Astro: Sony’s superior ISO range and sensor tech help capture low-light scenes better.

• Video: Sony offers superior recording modes and filesizes.

• Travel: Sony’s versatility caters well, despite its larger size. Casio weighs less but is very limited.

• Professional use: Neither camera fits professional workflows fully, but Sony’s manual controls and connectivity offer more flexibility.

Sample Images Showcasing Real-World Performance

In natural light and controlled shooting tests, the Sony HX80 delivers punchier detail, vibrant color, and better noise control than the Casio EX-Z90. Notice the sharper textures and better dynamic range in both outdoor and indoor shots.

Casio EX Z90 front Casio EX Z90 screen back Sony HX80 front Sony HX80 screen back

Particularly under dim light, Sony’s images have noticeably less grain, while Casio images tend to soften and lose tonal nuances.

Overall Performance Scores: A Technical Summary

If you’re a numbers person, this helps put it all in perspective.

Sony HX80 clearly surpasses the Casio EX-Z90 in almost every category: image quality, autofocus speed, exposure flexibility, zoom range, and video capabilities.

Balancing Price and Performance

At launch, the Casio EX-Z90 retailed for roughly $150, making it an attractive budget compact with basic features.

The Sony HX80, at around $370 on release, commands a premium for its advanced zoom, manual controls, and video capabilities.

If your budget is tight and your photographic needs are casual snapshots, the Casio remains a decent value. But the Sony packs enough hands-on versatility and image quality improvement that it justifies the higher price for enthusiasts who want more creative control and long-term value.

Final Thoughts: Which Camera Should You Pick?

From my experience and testing:

• Choose the Casio EX-Z90 if you want an ultra-compact, affordable camera strictly for daylight casual shooting, emphasizing portability over advanced features. It’s easy to carry anywhere and great for snapshots or travel moments where size matters most.

• Opt for the Sony HX80 if you desire a powerful zoom range, superior autofocus, solid image quality, and flexible manual exposure options. It’s a strong all-rounder for travelers, enthusiasts, and even entry-level wildlife or sports shooters who want one camera that does it all.

In the end, the Sony HX80 is the clearly better performer and more versatile tool. But the Casio EX-Z90 still holds nostalgic charm and usefulness for simple photography needs - a reminder of when compacts were just point-and-shoot devices.

Dear camera buyers, it’s about matching your shooting style and expectations against technological realities. Both cameras tell different stories of compact photography history - both can fit different pockets and purposes.

I hope this detailed comparison makes your decision clearer. For photographers eager to explore beyond basics, the Sony HX80 will impress and evolve with your skills. But if simplicity and pocketability top your list, the Casio EX-Z90 remains a quaint choice. Whichever you pick, happy shooting!