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  • Fujifilm HS30 EXR Test Shots Online

    Published: July 31, 2012 3:31 PM
    By Franck Mée
    Translated by: Catherine Barraclough
    Ever since it was announced at the CES tech show back in January, readers have been asking us to review the Fujifilm HS30 EXR. The wait is now almost over, as the HS30 has landed in our test lab.


    Bridges with mechanical zooms—controlled with a ring around the lens like in SLRs—are pretty rare these days. In fact, Fujifilm is the only firm still making them. As a result, the firm's bridges tend to appeal to curious enthusiasts looking for a camera that handles like an SLR but has a more powerful zoom (the Tamron 18-270 mm lens, at 15x, is about as good as it gets otherwise).

    The HS30 also falls in an interesting market position. Like the rather more elitist X-S1, it has a RAW mode, and although its viewfinder won't be as good as the one in Fuji's higher-end model, it'll still be a fair bit better than the EVFs in most bridge cameras. Plus, it sells for around £350, compared with £500 or more for the X-S1.

    Fuji HS30 EXR face-off compare test shots

    Since the HS30 EXR is technically very similar to the HS20 EXR, our review of this camera has kept getting pushed back to make way for other, more genuinely new models. However, the wait will soon be over! The HS30 EXR has now been put to the test in our camera lab so, ahead of the full review coming in August, you can already view and compare test shots from this model. You can, for example, compare it with other current bridges: Fuji HS30 vs Sony HX200V, Panasonic FZ150 vs Canon SX40.

    HS30 EXR ISO test

    Seeing as we're feeling generous, you can also check out the ISO test results above. However, bear in mind that, like most Fuji cameras, the HS30 uses a very light exposure when shooting our test scene, which makes noise look more visible than with competitor models.

    Stay tuned for the full review for our take on these results, as well as information on design, handling and the camera's new EVF.

    > Digital Camera Reviews: Choose the Best Compact Camera
  • Camera Review: Samsung NX210, Déjà-Vu?

    Published: July 31, 2012 1:00 PM
    By Franck Mée
    Translated by: Hugh Ehreth
    Samsung has supplanted the fairly recent NX200 with the NX210. The body and sensor are exactly the same; what's new is the addition of Wi-Fi functionality.



    To be honest, today's review holds no surprises. You already know all the components: the 20-Mpx sensor is the same as the rest of the NX range, the electronics surrounding it is the same as the NX20, the lens is a good ol' 18-55 mm lens and the Wi-Fi capability is nothing new for Samsung. The question is, can the NX210 stand up to the likes of the Sony NEX-5N?

    > Review: Samsung NX210

    > Reviews: SLR, Micro 4/3 and Interchangeable Lenses
  • Facebook Smartphone Rumour Quashed Amidst Low Quarterly Results

    Published: July 31, 2012 11:39 AM
    By Thibault Munier-Richard
    Translated by: Hugh Ehreth
    Facebook
    Mark Zuckerberg officially denied all rumours of a Facebook smartphone last Thursday while announcing the company's diminished second-quarter financial results.

    Talk about shooting down a rumour. Facebook's founder and CEO did not mince words when he addressed the rumour that the world's most popular social networking site would be releasing its own branded smartphone. That "wouldn't really make much sense for us to do," declared Zuckerberg while announcing the firm's quarterly results.

    A Quarter in the Red

    Facebook's IPO on 18 May has been no duck soup, and the company's latest results certainly won't help its standing. With $157 million in net losses (about £100 million) due to payments made in stock options during the launch process, Facebook's shares continue to drop in value (-29% of its initial overvalued worth). At the same time last year the company was reporting nearly the exact same figure—on the opposite side of zero—with $159 million in profit.

    But even with the losses, Facebook still has a hefty annual revenue, which has grown by 32% over the past year to reach $1.8 billion (£1.2 billion). This can primarily be attributed to the firm's results from the first quarter of 2012, which showed 45% growth.

    > Reviews: Mobiles & Smartphones
  • This Week's Reviews & Last Week's Top Fives: 2012 MacBook Air

    Published: July 31, 2012 10:14 AM
    By Catherine Barraclough
    We've got loads of great products up for review this week, including Apple's 2012 MacBook Air and the Garmin Edge 800 bike GPS. Scroll down to see the full line-up.


    Last Week's Top Fives
     

    Reviews Coming This Week
     

    Apple 11
    Apple 11.6" MacBook Air 2012, up for review on Friday

    Here's a quick reminder of our weekly schedule so you know what to look out for:
    Mondays: displays, including monitors and TVs. Tuesdays: cameras, camcorders and peripherals. Wednesdays: hardware components and printers. Thursdays: mobiles, smartphones and audio equipment. Fridays: laptops, notebooks, buyer's guides. Saturdays and Sundays: insight and analysis.

     
    • Monday: we kicked off the week with the Nintendo 3DS XL a new, bigger version of the firm's 3DS handheld console. We then reviewed the LG M2752D all-in-one monitor and TV.
    • Tuesday: we'll be testing the Samsung NX210 compact camera with interchangeable lenses.
    • Thursday: we'll be reviewing the Nokia Purity by Monster WH-930 headphones, before taking the Garmin Edge 800 bike GPS out for a spin.
    • Friday: we'll be getting our hands on Apple's 2012 11.6" MacBook Air laptop.
    Don't forget you can follow @digitalversus on Twitter for updates and info!
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