REVIEWS
Fujifilm X30
While the flagship X-T1 and the X100 range usually get all the attention, Fujifilm’s
X30 is worthy of more than just a glance.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR
GENERAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE
X30 HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES.
T
he X30 is pretty much a hassle-free
camera since not only is the 12 MP
compact a handy size (smaller in
volume than the Canon G1 X II) but it comes
with a zoom lens of 28-112mm (35 mm
equivalent) with quite a speedy f2.0-f2.8
aperture. While 112mm is not the strongest
zoom out there, it helps with framing, and in
our opinion it’s also better than being stuck
with no zoom as with the Fujifilm X100 series
or Nikon Coolpix A. This zoom also operates
manually which makes it faster to use than
the Canon G or Sony RX100 series. Keep
get used to the electronic viewfinder being
placed a bit more to the centre, but our
biggest gripe is with the cheapish feel of the
buttons at the back, which is exacerbated
by the back dial that is made from plastic
and doesn’t feel durable. Maybe not as
important but still a bit of an irritation is the
way the camera starts – by unlocking the
lens. It’s not the speediest method available,
especially if you want to preserve battery
life and need to unlock/lock often. Talking of
which, battery life is an improvement on the
X20, and we received in the region of 450
shots.
in mind though that it does not contain the
larger APS-C sized sensor found on many
DSLRs (and some compacts), rather the
2/3”-type X-Trans CMOS II.
All eyes open
It’s got the look
Fujfilm has worked wonders with its retro
design, but its X100 series still takes the
cake with its classic rangefinder looks. When
picked up the X30 sits comfortably in hand,
while there are no problems with fingers
accidentally hitting a button. We did have to
Acer Aspire Z3-615 All-in-One
With both an electronic viewfinder (a solid
2 300 k resolution) and 3” tiltable LCD
screen at the back, you are covered for most
shooting situations. Most importantly, our
general experience with the X30 hit all the
right notes, while providing above average
results. It retails for R7 000. [MJ]
The PC is not quite dead yet as Acer’s Z3
All-in-One proves.
THE Z3’S MOST APPEALING
ASPECT IS ARGUABLY ITS 23”
FULL HD TOUCHSCREEN.
program, while a number of downloadable
games will keep the family busy.
What’s in?
L
et’s be honest, there was much to
h
h
hate about the traditional PC tower.
Those old beige boxes were more
than an eyesore, proving cumbersome to
move, noisy, and if you were searching for
a USB port at the back you might as well try
disentangling the Gordian Knot with your
eyes closed. While the PC has fallen out of
favour, it can still play an important role in
many households. Even more so now, since
the evolution of the PC has taken it on a
particularly pleasing-to-the-eye path.
Going all in
Case in point Acer’s Aspire Z3-615 All-in-One.
While the all-in-one design of incorporating
20
the b i of the PC behind the screen is
h brains f h
b hi d h
hi
nothing new (Apple released the iMac G3 in
’98, which incidentally saved the company
from the financial doldrums), the past few
years’ machines are generally thinner and
more robust than before.
The Z3’s most appealing aspect is arguably
its 23” full HD touchscreen. It’s bright and
well saturated, and works just as well for
spreadsheets as for movies. While we’ve
come to the conclusion that a touchscreen on
a notebook is about as useful as a printer that
can also butter your toast, the case is slightly
different on a desktop. For one, it’s more
open for interaction, so you have to try Fresh
Paint, Microsoft’s glorious painting/drawing
We were surprised to find an Intel Pentium
dual-core processor (2.60 GHz) onboard our
unit, since performance was generally on par
with some of the first i5 machines we tested.
The 8 GB of RAM present certainly helped,
while it could have been even zippier with
an SSD drive inside. Alas, not at this price
point, instead a 500 GB hard drive took care
of storage.
If this machine is set to become a bit of
an entertainment hub, you’re in luck since
sound quality was above average, while
also proficiently loud so there’s no need for
secondary speakers.
We would have been even happier if the
machine came with a better quality keyboard
and mouse; instead the rather average
plastic models do little to inspire and doesn’t
match the general look and feel of the Z3. If
you can look past t