Review Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

  

    This is the follow-up to the winner of the 2010 T3 Award for camera of the year, and it’s a very worthy successor. The compact system camera market is becoming increasingly crowded, with the ever-growing Olympus PEN family and Sony’s NEX models, but the Lumix DMX-GF2 is a cut above the rest.

    For starters, whilst still boxy in appearance and lacking the retro charm of the Olympus PENs, Panasonic’s camera is 19 per cent smaller and seven per cent lighter than the GF1. Fitted with a 14mm pancake lens it just about fits into a regular jacket pocket.

    It’s also marginally faster, presumably thanks to the Venus Engine FHD processor, and powers up in about a second. Part of the reason for the size is that the G Fl’s chunky shooting mode dial has been done away with, its functionality absorbed by touchscreen. The screen is three inches across and has a very respectable, 460k-dot resolution. It’s a shame it’s not bigger and that it doesn’t tilt, but it’s very usable.

    A new addition that novice photographers and those in a hurry will love is the intelligent auto (iA) function button. You press this if all you want to do is point and shoot, and the camera is remarkably adept at choosing the most appropriate setting for the conditions.

    Similarly, one press of the camcorder-style video record button starts video recording immediately. You can choose bright and clear. full-HD AVCHD video or use 720p Motion JPEG format. There’s stereo sound, too.

    Image quality is generally excellent. with especially good colour reproduction. when used both the 14mm and 14-42mm lenses. as well as the H-FTO13E 3D lens and achieved sharp. clear and colourful results with each. even if images arguably aren’t as naturalistic as those you could achieve with a full-blown DSLR with larger sensor and lens.

    Not everything about the GF2 gets a thumbs up. It lacks a decent handgrip. though the device does feel unlikely to slip when gripped thanks to a mainly metal build. There’s also no integral image stabilisation. instead requiring optically stabilised lenses.

    Nevertheless, this is a superb compact system camera made with very few compromises. It’s probably not enough of a makeover to tempt existing users of the GF1 to upgrade but any newcomer who’s seeking a more compact, convenient alternative to an entry-level DSLR should look no further.

Details

(+) = Takes great photos. Cheaper, smaller and lighter than its illustrious predecessor. 3D shooting option

(-) = Smallish handgrip. No in-body anti-shake. Some may prefer its predecessors’ chunky controls over the GF2’s touchscreen, Viewfinder and flash gun cost extra

The best Micro Four Thirds snapper just got
better. Beats all other compact system cameras

Specifications

LENS 14mm kit Iens/ 14-42mm lens
STILLS 121 megapixels
VIDEO Maximum 1920x1080 pixels at 30fps
SCREEN 3-inch. 460.000-pixel
VIEWFINDER Via Live View screen
STABILISATION Via optically stabilised lens only
STORAGE SD. SDHC or SDXC card
CONNECTIONS USB. AV out. HDMI connector
BATTERY 300 shots
SIZE 120x80x19.9mm
WEIGHT 365g with lens, battery and card

Review Leica M9 Titanum

1.    Feel the Quality
Coming in a limited edition of just 500 the body of this beauty is made, obviously,from titanium and is consequently lighter than the standard M9. Titanium is extremely hard wearing so the camera’s precision
innards are well protected and the metal LS covered with a vacuum formed
coating that’s scratchproof and resistant to fingerprints.
The casing of the included Summilux-M 35mm lens is also, naturally, made of titanium. The overall visual effect is what scientists and scholars call
‘the bollocks”.

2.    Carry on
Instead of the regular eyelets found on the M9, the Titanium has a finger loop at the side, made from the same leather as the front and back. Put your middle and ring fingers through and you can carry it without
having to grip the camera, then just pull it up to shoot one-handed. You can also get a shoulder hols‏ter, should you wish to carry the Titanium like a gun.
 
3.    New viewfinder
Normally the viewfinder is illuminated by ambient light but there are also LEDs inside that adjust to the conditions, brightening In sunlight and dimming in low light to aid visibility. This feature may find its way
into other Leica models — think of this as a concept car it may pillage for innovation.

4.    Leather
The M9 Tltanum ¡s designed by Walter de’Silva of Audi. and uses the same leather on the front, back and finger loop as in the seats and interior of the Audi A8. Pyramids embossed intothe leather aid grip.

Specifications

SENSOR 18 megapixels
LENS Comes with Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Takes Leica M lenses from 16mm to 135mm
SCREEN 2.5-inch, 230k-pixel LCD with scratch-resistant sapphire glass cover
FLASH Via hotshoe (none built in)
SIZE/WEIGHT 141x43x82 mm/335g
SENSITIVITY RANGE Iso 80 to ISO 2500
OPERATING CONDITIONS 00° to 40°C

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NEXUS S, The Latest Google Phone

   Evidently unperturbed by the dismal flop of the Nexus One, Google is bringing out a second own-branded handset. This time it’s Samsung rather than HTC making the hardware and the Nexus S comes outing Android 2.3 'that’s Gingerbread' and a 4.1 inch Super Amoled screen that’s curved, the better to fit your face. The Nexus S also has near-field communications (NFC)ntech inside, allowing contactiess transmission of data from compatible devices. In time it could be used for everything from enhanced advertising to use as a travel card or credit card. There's also 16GB of storage, a 1GHz processor, and a five-megapixel camera.

Gingerbread, man what's new about Android 2.3

1. NFC-ENABLED
   Near-field communications (NFC) means you can scan tags embedded in posters and flyers to book tickets or reserve a    table at a restaurant. It could also ultimately be used to make contactless payments

2. SPEED BUMP
Google’s Android Interface has been refined, making it easier to use. In conjunction with the 1GHz processor it makes this the fastest Android experience yet

3. EASIER TYPING
The on-screen keyboard has been redesigned, with better spaced. differently shaped keys. As a result you can type faster than ever

4. BETTER BATERY
The OS Is better at managing apps, conserving battery and helping your phone go for longer

5. APP CONTROL
A shortcut to the Mariage Applications control appears in options, making it easier to check application activity and kill off ones you no longer need to leave open

6. INTERNET CALLING
You can make VoIP calls, Including video calls, to anyone with an account just add the relevant ID to their entry In your contacts book. The software can also manage conference calling

Review TDK Three Speaker Boombox

Readers of a certain age will likely have fond memories of mixtape making using TDK cassettes. Now, the 80s icon is back with a line of high-end audio products — there’s a certain logic to that, I guess and at the top of the range sits this hulking portable stereo, which is something
like an 80s ghetto blaster. Redesigned by Cyberdyne Systems.

Named the TDK Three Speaker Boombox, because that’s what it is. The portable powerhouse stands just under two feet tall. As such, it dwarfs any MP3 player you might choose to plug into it via USB or one of its
audio connectors. A tray on the top is provided for resting your player in.

Apple fundamentalists may decry the lack of a fixed iPod connector but there’s much to be said for this arrangement. You can still
plug in your Apple device with the supplied 30-pin cable, and it makes it easier to control everything as your iDevice can be picked up
from the Boombox’s tray to flick through tracks, rather than having to paw at it as it stands attached to the device by a dock.

As well as iPod or music from a USB key there’s the option of FM or AM radio. You can also plug in a guitar or mic via a 1/4 inch jack.
Hey, why not? A spectrum analyser dances with the music. adding to the retro feel, and with the option to power it from 12 D batteries you could even carry it around on your shoulder. Thats really rocking it old skool. though as it weighs over 14 kilos. You should probably pump some iron first.

The Boombox provides 35W RMS total power output and its own digital to
analogue converter. The latter should satisfy audiophiles who have been sniffy about Apple’s DACs in the past, giving improved quality sound through the two six-inch mid and treble drivers and matching woofer.

As you’d expect from a dock that costs just shy of £500, the materials used feel seriously plush. There’s a padded aluminium handle and a smoked acrylic finish that gives a “dead front’ effect when turned off, with the buttons and screen appearing to disappear. TDK is even mooting a wildly ostentatious. pro-camera-style tripod to mount the thing on.


Should you find the Three Speaker a little on the large side. there’s the Two Speaker, see boxout. right. It’s more sensibly sized but less
of a statement piece as a result. Also in the new TDK range are a similarly premium-priced belt-drive turntable (£299. or £349 with a
USB output), headphones (£249) and a micro system (£TBC) — again. all very retro indeed. Finally. there’s a small but perfectly formed
desktop speaker called the Soundcube (£299).

Coming next month: Maxell announces a new range of laptops and Memorex launchesits first mobile phone. Possibly.

Specifications

 
CONNECTIONS USB (iPod/iPhone 30 pin to USB cable included). 3.5mm audio, phono. 1/4-inch audio. Also has FM/AM radio
SOUND 35 Watts RMS via two six-inch coaxial drivers plus 6-inch subwoofer
POWER 12 D batteries or mains power
SIZE/WEIGHT 600x135x395mm/142kg