European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010

The European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is run by Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen e.V. - GDT. The GDT organizes the huge "International Nature Photography Festival" with slide shows by photographers from all over the world, with photo exhibitions and seminars on latest subjects of the nature photography.

The overall winner will receive a cheque for € 2 000. All photographers whose pictures are selected will receive the exhibition catalogue. The overall winner as well as the winners and runners-up in each category will receive free tickets for the International Nature Photography Festival in Lünen.

Take a look at some of the winning images from the contest below, to find out more about this competition - go here

Overall Winner

About the Photographer

Britta Jaschinski, born in Bremen, trained as a photographer in Germany before studying the art of photography in England. Jaschinski is a photographer of nature – but not in its conventional forms. While her work encompasses the inherent beauty and purity of the natural world, she is also keenly attuned to the frailty of nature: its susceptibility to manipulation and desecration at the hands of its most self-important element, homo sapiens.

Jaschinski has worked extensively to document the sad and scary world of captive animals. Her portraits of these animals are poignant and often pathetic. Dark, disjointed representations of creatures in concrete and metal compounds convey the displacement that characterized their existence. Jaschinski currently focuses on animals in their natural habitat to illuminate the beauty and fragility of our planet. Jaschinski’s images owe their inspiration to art rather than documentation. She explores new ways of looking at animals, removed from conventional representation and cultural baggage. Her images provoke questions about the destiny of life on earth. Phaidon Press and Thames & Hudson have published her books, she has won several awards and exhibits her images world-wide at prestigious art festivals, museums, auction houses and galleries.

I arrived in Ndutu only days after a huge bushfire had ripped through the area, burning down a vast number of majestic acacia trees. I could smell ash and cinders in the air. The destructive power of these fires is immense. I found many empty, whitened tortoise shells and saw disorientated impala and dik-dik wandering around with nowhere to hide.

And then, a cheetah appeared on the blackened soil. This fire must have been a windfall for large cats - their prey was confused and out in the open. But the cheetah, too, looked unsettled, alienated and lost - almost ghostly. I took the photo and then watched as he melted into the singed background. The cheetah is endangered due to loss of habitat, reduced prey and direct persecution. I feel this photo symbolises how exposed and vulnerable this species is.

Nikon FE2, Nikon Fixed Lens 200 mm, Black/White Negative Kodak 400TX

Prize of the audience

The prize of the audience went to David Allemand and Christophe Sidamon-Pesson (France) for their image "Snowy Owl - Harfang de neiges", which was highly commended in the category "Birds".

Plants and Fungi Winner

"Tang in Licht und Zeit"
Gabi Reichert - Germany

Birds - Winner

"Sterntaucher"
Markus Varesvuo - Finland

Mammals - Winner

"Steinböcke im Schneesturm"
Christophe Sidamon-Pesson - France

Man and Nature Winner

"Leben im Stadtzentrum"
Paul Hobson - Great Britain

Landscapes Winner

"Der Klang der Stille"
Juan Pavón - Spain

Nature's Studio

"Skeidararsandur"
Hans Strand - Sweden

Underwater World

"Junge Oliv-Bastardschildkröte surft in der Welle"
Solvin Zankl, GDT - Germany

Nine Graphics Apps For The Price Of One?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well it is true. Apparent Software have put together nine great apps for a total bundle price of $39.99, instead of the individual $444 for the lot. Are they any good? If you want to find out more, see below...

ImageFramer

ImageFramer is an easy-to-use but powerful application for framing your images and photos with beautiful photo-realistic and artistic frames.

ImageFramer provides the ultimate framing experience with a sleek interface and a multitude of features: you can easily compare multiple framing variations for each image, add watermarks, batch frame many images at once etc. ImageFramer is used by professional artists, photographers, bloggers and people who simply want their family photos to look better.

Sandvox

Sandvox is easy-to-use, popular, award-winning, do-it-yourself web site builder for Mac. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro — when it comes to building a website on your Mac, Sandvox is considered the best web design software for Mac.
Sandvox offer a wide variety of pre-made templates and website designs. So, all you have to do is pick the design that suits you best and add your unique content to it to create your unique online presence. It really is that easy.

Snapshot

Snapshot brings the power of a photo lab to your computer. Printing your digital images has never been easier.

You have full control over the print size and how you want to crop and frame your picture. Add borders and speech bubbles for more interesting and personal prints. Multiple layout styles allow you to get just the prints you want - and full print previews make wasted paper a thing of the past!

Sketch

An innovative and fresh look at vector drawing for the Mac. Its intentionally minimalist design is based upon a drawing space of unlimited size and layers, free of palettes, panels, menus, windows, and controls. Though simple to use, it offers powerful vector drawing and text tools like perfect Boolean operations, Symbols and powerful Rulers, Guides and Grids.

Layers

Layers captures every window, every palette, every menu, every menu and status bar icon, every icon on the Desktop, and even the Dock and the Desktop background for each of your connected displays will be saved as a separate editable layer in the resulting Photoshop image file.

Hydra

Hydra provides human eye-like perception to your photographs by allowing you to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images from a series of regular photographs. This is because a single photograph cannot represent the full gamut of light due to the physical limitations in the sensor. Hydra does not require pictures taken with a tripod, as it is usually the case with HDR software.

Posterino 2

With a focus on ease-of-use, Posterino 2 creates life posters, photo collages, frames, postcards, greeting cards and contact sheets from digital images. Posterino does the hard work while users just have to fine tune the results. Creating an eye-catching Life Poster is as easy as choosing a template, an iPhoto album and hitting a button.

AtomicView

AtomicView is a digital asset manager (DAM) software program that allows users to organize, browse, and output photos, images, videos, and sounds. A flexible and fast video and image conversion and transformation tool optimized for multicore computers.
AtomicView makes active use of a Mac's GPU, providing quick scrolling features, as well as multi-threaded tasks that take advantage of multi-processor and multi-core systems.

Swift Publisher

With Swift Publisher, publishing attractive and informative documents for business, social and home activities becomes a snap.
Swift Publisher is an excellent Macintosh page layout application for designing and printing colorful flyers, newsletters, brochures, letterheads, booklets, etc. A great selection of templates inspires your creativity and a variety of editing tools lets you quickly apply it.

DVD-Library

DVD-Library lets you catalog, manage and backup your DVDs on Mac in a visual library. Just enter part of the title or UPC of the DVD (including Blu-ray DVDs), DVD-Library will automatically retrieve the DVD's cover and all relevant info from Amazon, quick and easy.

DVD-Library for Mac also allows you to backup DVDs to .dvdmedia files on Mac with one click. Your DVD movie is now at your fingertips and you can enjoy them anytime you want.

What are you waiting for? Download here

Olympus Upgrades E-PL1 To E-PL1s - Spot The Difference?

The difference is not actually that clear but the exception seems to be that the E-PL1s now comes with a new battery, the BLS-S instead of the BLS-1 and an additional upgraded ISO range now reaching 6400 as opposed to 3200 on the E-PL1. That's about it.

Now sold with a new M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II lens, it is ultra light too, weighing in at 454g, now that's officially the worlds lightest interchangeable camera, to date. Pretty amazing stuff by Olympus.

Also, you need to be aware that this model is only available in Japan and will not be made available elsewhere at present.

Introduction To Digital Photography - Karl Taylor - iPhone/iPad App Review

Karl Taylor is a British Professional Photographer, living and working in the enviable location of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

Karl has built up a solid reputation as professional photographer and teacher alike. He regularly shoots for several of the country’s top corporations including HSBC, Specsavers and Harrods. He runs various photography courses from his studio and also sells a range of Training DVD's, giving step by step photography techniques. More recently though Karl has turned his ideas to the awesome world of apps that we so know and love and has created five video technique universal apps to really help you get the most out of your photography.

This review concentrates on the first app of the series, Introduction to Digital Photography- read this now...

Home Page

The current version of this app is 2.0 and is published by Netframes, it weighs in at 440 MB and costs $49.99.

Once you have downloaded this app either to your iPhone or iPad, or both in fact, you will then see the home page as above. You can view the photography masterclass either chapter by chapter or you can click on Play All to watch the complete video.

 

Menu

One key and very useful aspect of this app is in the top left hand corner. There is a little icon and when you click on that, it gives you a list of a range of photographic terms, such as aperture and depth of field, composition, exposure etc - if you click on any one of those terms, it will take you directly to the section within the video where Karl is explaining it. This is a great idea and incredibly useful, even if you only need to brush up on a couple of things.

Menu - Aperture & Depth of Field

From the Menu section, I selected Aperture & Depth of Field and you can see from the time schedule above, it has taken me to the 27th minute of the video where this section is explained, in detail.

Explanation

Here Karl can be seen clearly explaining Aperture and Depth of Field to the viewer.

Chapters

If you select Chapters from the Home Page you will see a complete list of all the chapters within the video. As in the Menu section above, if you select any chapter you will be taken directly to beginning of that section. Again this works faultlessly and is very fluid.

On Location

Whatever aspect of photography Karl is demonstrating he will take you to it. So if that happens to be right by the sea or in the studio, he will go there to make sure you completely understand that specific part that he is explaining.

In the Studio

Here Karl is demonstrating the differences between using a 22 mega pixel camera and an 8 mega pixel camera. First, he uses a model to take shots with both cameras. Not only is Karl about to explain and demonstrate the difference in image quality between the two photographs but he also showing you how to work well with a model.

Karl then goes on to show you how to get the images on to your computer from the camera and then clearly shows the differences between the two images of different resolutions.

Conclusion

Well, I can honestly say watching this app and the others in the series is like a breath of fresh air. Karl's enthusiasm and passion for photography knows no bounds, if you're not hooked on photography before you download this app, you certainly will be afterwards.

This is exactly the type of app the photography enthusiasts wants to download. It is more costly than most photography apps but you have to appreciate the level of planning, commitment and professionalism that has gone into it. These are very high end quality apps and if you want to learn more about photography then this is your starting point. Download now.

$11,000 Nikon Equipment Destroyed By Drag Car

Just imagine how Sport Photographer, Mark Rebilas must of felt. Watch this video, but not on your own.

I'm really not sure what Rebilas was trying to achieve here - a 300mm lens would show the background disappearing fast, but nothing of the car or driver.  Anyhow, lets hope he was insured! 

Final Cut Pro Update Coming Soon - Rumor

Many sites are reporting today that Final Cut Pro is going to get an update, and a pretty meaty one too in early 2011. I can't wait for that.

Nikon roll-out new NPS site

Nikon has announced a new global portal for their NPS accredited (professional) members. As well as articles by Nikon luminaries, Bill Frakes and Arne Hodalic, there's a useful diary for a number forthcoming events supported by Nikon and some helpful manuals for download.

Both manuals (pdf) can be found here.

Winner of Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 announced

The winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 has been won by David Chancellor, 49, for his portrait, Huntress with Buck. The £12,000 ($20,000) award was announced at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, last night.

Press Release
 
10 November 2010
 
PORTRAIT OF TEENAGE HUNTER WINS TOP PHOTO PRIZE
 
Winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 announced at the National Portrait Gallery
 
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 has been won by David Chancellor, 49, for his portrait, Huntress with Buck, of 14 year old Josie Slaughter from Alabama on her first hunting trip to South Africa. He says: ‘Josie had hunted her buck earlier in the day and was returning to camp. As we arrived, the sun set below the cloud cover and I had almost unreal light for around a minute. The contrast between the peace and tranquillity of the location, plus Josie’s ethereal beauty and the dead buck, was what I wanted to explore. Here was a vulnerability and yet also a strength.’
 
The £12,000 award was presented to Chancellor at the National Portrait Gallery, London, last night (Tuesday 9 November). The portrait is from his project documenting hunters, the hunted and spaces associated with hunting. He says: ‘As a child I was fascinated by the tales of Colonel Jim Corbett hunting man-eating tigers in India. As an art student it was Peter Beard's seminal work The End of the Game that fascinated and inspired. This work will seek to explore the intricate and complex relationship between man and animals and how both struggle to adapt to their changing environments.’
 
Chancellor spent two days with the 14 year old and her family, shooting Kodak 160VC 120 film on a Mamiya 7 II camera. The painterly quality of light is a striking component of Chancellor’s winning entry. ‘I’ve always been interested in Africa; it’s impossible not to be inspired by the place,’ he says. ‘Once you are bitten by the continent you never recover. And for an artist or photographer, the light is indescribable.’ While Chancellor acknowledges that hunting is an emotive subject, he stresses the importance of remaining objective in his reportage. ‘The aim is always to be detached’, he says. ‘In reality that’s rarely possible, but I do hope I can observe without an agenda and without the necessity to shout.’

Born in Solihull in 1961, Chancellor inherited his interest in photography from his father, a keen amateur photographer, and started taking photographs of his boyhood passions: wildlife and motorsport. After an unfulfilling early career in banking, he studied photography at Kent Institute of Art and Design. Now based in both London and Cape Town, he shoots documentary reportage and portraiture for a range of clients, and regularly works on projects for Non-Governmental Organisations. Named Nikon Press Photographer of the Year three times, he also received a World Press Photo Award earlier this year, and a study of his wife and son was exhibited in last year’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

The following artists have also been commended in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 and receive the following prizes:
£3,000 Second Prize: Panayiotis Lamprou for Portrait of my British wife from the series Human Presence

 

Born in Athens in 1975, Panayiotis Lamprou, was introduced to photography at the ‘Photography Circle’ in Athens in 1998, where he studied under Platon Rivellis.  He went on to study further at the Centro di Ricerca e Archiviazione della Fotografia in Spilimbergo, Italy.  His shortlisted portrait of his wife was not originally intended for public display, and was taken at the couple’s summerhouse on the small island of Schinousa in the Aegean Sea on a hot summer’s day. Lamprou says: ‘I never showed it to anyone. Only she knew about it. When she saw it she said that even if it wasn't a nude the photograph has the same power to express. I can describe the portrait as Independence and Love, Devotion and Freedom.’ His work has been included in numerous publications and sixteen exhibitions throughout Europe, and this will be the first time that his work has been on display in the UK.

2,000 Third Prize: Jeffrey Stockbridge for Tic Tac and Tootsie (twin sisters Carroll and Shelly McKean) from the series Nowhere but Here

Jeffrey Stockbridge, born 1982 in Woodbine, Maryland, moved to Philadelphia to study photography at Drexel University in 2002. Stockbridge’s shortlisted photograph is of Tic Tac and Tootsie, 20-year-old twin sisters Carroll and Shelly McKean taken in Kensington, North Philadelphia. The twin sisters, who live on the street and suffer from insomnia, are both addicted to Xanex and have resorted to prostitution to supply their habit. Stockbridge says: ‘Enduring unthinkable pain on a daily basis, the sisters are both incredibly strong and weak at the same time. Caught in the grip of their addiction, they do whatever it takes to survive, except for getting clean.’ Upon graduating in 2005, Stockbridge was placed as runner-up in the New York Times Magazine’s ‘Capture the Times’ photography competition for his series on abandoned houses in Philadelphia, titled Occupied. He has exhibited widely in the US since graduation, and received many grants and awards for his projects documenting urban blight in Philadelphia.
 
£1,000 Fourth Prize Abbie Trayler-Smith for Untitled 2 from the series Childhood Obesity

Born in South Wales in 1977, Abbie Trayler-Smith studied law at Kings College, London while taking photographs for the student newspaper. Self-trained, she went on to work as a photographer for The Daily Telegraph. Her shortlisted portrait was taken on the second meeting with a girl called Chelsea, from Shine, a group in Sheffield which helps teenagers deal with obesity. Trayler-Smith says: ‘Whilst talking about how it feels to live with the prejudices that come with being overweight, I looked away to change the film in my camera. When I looked back the picture was suddenly there. I shot one frame.’ Trayler-Smith has worked for Time Magazine, GEO, Marie Claire, Tatler, Guardian Weekend, Oxfam, UNICEF and BBC Worldwide among others. Her project on asylum seekers in the UK, Still Human, Still Here, was exhibited at HOST Gallery, London, in 2009 with an accompanying film which won both the Nikon Award 2009 and the PPY Best Multimedia Piece 2009. She joined Panos Pictures in 2007, and became a member of Panos Profile in 2010.

The ELLE COMMISSION
 
The winner of the ELLE Commission 2010 is Clare Shilland, 36, for her portrait Merel. Shilland will be given the opportunity to shoot a feature story for ELLE magazine. Now in its second year, the ELLE Commission was judged by the fashion magazine’s editor-in-chief, Lorraine Candy, together with the art director, Tom Meredith, and picture editor, Hannah Ridley.
 
Shilland, from South London, met Merel in Milan when she shot her for an Italian magazine and later asked her if she could photograph her for her exhibition Girls! Girls! Girls! She says: ‘The concept was that it would be a combination of female nudes and female drummers. I asked Merel if I could photograph her for it and she agreed. I travelled to Antwerp where she lives and we spent a few days there taking pictures. One day we rode bicycles out of the city to some woods and fields - that is where I took this picture.’

Shilland studied at Camberwell College of Arts and the Royal College of Art. She has shot for clients including Marni, Hardy Amies, Warner Music, Lyle & Scott and H&M, and her photographs have been published in i-D, Italian Rolling Stone, GQ Style and Teen Vogue amongst others.

This is the third year that the law firm, Taylor Wessing LLP, have sponsored the Prize.
 
The judges selected 60 portraits for the exhibition from nearly 6000 submissions entered by 2,401 photographers from around the world.
 
Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, says: ‘David Chancellor’s Huntress with Buck is a powerful and beautiful portrait; a worthy winner amidst a strong international submission.’
 
Tim Eyles, Managing Partner of international law firm Taylor Wessing says: 'As ever, Taylor Wessing is immensely proud to be associated with the Photographic Portrait Prize. Congratulations to all whose images feature in this year's exhibition and particularly to this year's winner David Chancellor.’
 
Lorraine Candy, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE magazine says: ‘Whether it’s new designers, models or photographers, discovering and supporting emerging talent is part of ELLE’s heritage. So it has been an honour for us to work with the National Portrait Gallery on this prestigious photography competition. Entries were strong but we decided on Claire Shilland’s portrait because of her evident ability to capture a striking scene with remarkable technical skill. The lighting captured is wonderful and is of the same calibre of photography that you would find in our magazine.’
 
EXHIBITION AND TOUR
The exhibition will run at the National Portrait Gallery, London, from 11 November 2010 until 20 February 2011, admission £2, before touring to The Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens from 16 April until 26 June 2011.
 
PUBLICATION
A fully illustrated book including photographs from this year’s exhibition features an essay by Lucy Davies, (Photography Critic, The Telegraph, Picture Editor, Sunday Telegraph SEVEN Magazine, Editor Telephoto), and interviews with the prize winners by Richard McClure. Price £15. (Available from 11 November 2010)

Panasonic announce Lumix DMC-GF2

As expected, Panasonic has announced the successor to the hugely popular GF1. The new model, called the GF2, surprisingly retains the same 12.1 MP resolution sensor, but adds full HD (1080p) video. As well as dropping the mode dial on the top-plate the GF2 is 19% smaller and 7% lighter than the GF1.

Panasonic World’s Smallest and Lightest Digital Interchangeable
Lens Compact System Camera - DMC-GF2*

Featuring Ultimate Ease of Operation and High picture Quality
In Both Photo and Full HD Movie Recording
*For an interchangeable lens system camera with a built-in flash as of November 4, 2010.

Panasonic is pleased to announce the newest interchangeable lens compact system camera from the LUMIX G Micro System, DMC-GF2. Based on the Micro Four Thirds standard and with a dramatic downsizing from its predecessor, the DMC-GF2 features an outstanding compactness and ease of operation while pursuing high image quality.

The world’s smallest and lightest DMC-GF2 is reduced approx. 19% in size and approx. 7% in weight compared with the DMC-GF1*. The new model is equipped with a built-in flash which adopts new pop-up mechanism to prevent vignetting effect due to short distance between the flash unit to the interchangeable lens. Featuring 12.1-megapixel high speed Live MOS sensor and high performance Venus Engine FHD, the DMC-GF2 boasts high picture quality not only in photo but also in movie, which has been upgraded in resolution to full HD 1920 x 1080 at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL) in AVCHD**.

The operation is extremely easy to understand for any level of users with the adoption of touch control and the new Graphic User Interface (GUI) designed especially for DMC-GF2. The focus is immediately set to the subject by just touching it on the large, 460,000-dot LCD and you can even release the shutter.

The Touch Q-menu can be customized by the user and include only the features that they most often use. Together with the simple button components including the dedicated buttons for movie recording and iA (Intelligent Auto) mode that lights during activation, users can operate the camera intuitively with ease and comfort.

The chassis is made of aluminium giving the camera an impression design demonstrating quality. Plus the grip is designed to assure good hold on the slim and compact camera. Available in black, silver and,red, the pocket-sized DMC-GF2 brings users great surprise of photographic and creative enjoyment.

Panasonic DMC-GF2 will be available in January with 3 kit options, with Single Focal Length Lens, LUMIX G 14mm or 14-42mm Lumix G Vario or both in a twin lens kit.

*For an interchangeable lens system camera with a built-in flash as of November 4, 2010.
**Full-HD (1920 x 1080) movies are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL). HD (1280 x 720) movies are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60p (NTSC) / 50p (PAL).

Key Features Explained:

1. Intuitive touch-control shooting in a world’s smallest and lightest body*
The DMC-GF2 is dramatically reduced by approx. 19% in size and approx. 7% in weight compared with the predecessor DMC-GF1 to make the body world’s smallest and lightest*. These size reductions are made possible by various innovative approaches including the downsizing of mount unit and a reduced number of internal parts by integrating electrical circuits. The new GF2 is equipped with a built-in flash which adopts new pop-up mechanism to prevent vignetting effect due to short distance between the flash unit to the interchangeable lens.

The operation is extremely easy to understand for any level of users with the touch control and the new GUI (Graphic User Interface) designed especially for the DMC-GF2. The focus is immediately set to the subject by just touching it on the large, 460,000-dot LCD and you can even release the shutter. Once you lock on the subject by a touch, the camera tracks the subject with the AF tracking function even if it moves. Just a touch on the screen lets you select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The 1-area AF in Face Detection even allows you to set finer focus on the eyes while capturing human face bright and clear. The Multi-area AF with 23 AF areas allows setting a group of AF point according to the composition. With the Intelligent Scene Selector in the iA mode, the camera automatically switches to the appropriate mode according to the subject touched. For example, a touch on a human face switches to the portrait mode and a touch on the background or scenery to the scenery mode while a touch on the subject close to the camera to the close-up mode. With the MF assist mode in the manual focusing, you can enlarge the part by just a touch to select 1x, 5x or 10x and smoothly move the part by dragging it on the screen. Using the defocus control function in iA mode and the My Colour Peripheral Defocus mode, the range of defocus can be adjusted by just moving the slider by a finger.

The touch operation dramatically shortcuts the action of setting in the menu, too. The Touch Q-menu can be customized by the user and include only the features that they most often use. Together with the simple button components, including the dedicated buttons for movie recording and iA mode, which lights in use, users can operate the camera intuitively with ease. Further benefits of the touch-screen operations include playing back images with outstanding visibility. You can play back the image you want out of hundreds of stocks by touching them in the thumbnails. To play back images one by one in order, you can drag the image over the screen with a finger to browse the collection of photos as you flip over the pages of a book. Max. 16x of enlargement is also operated easily with touches.

*For an interchangeable lens system camera with a built-in flash as of November 4, 2010.

2. High image quality as an interchangeable lens Compact System Camera
While achieving breakthroughs in compactness of design and outstandingly high usability, the DMC-GF2assures high picture quality in both photo and movie thanks to the best-balanced performance of an imaging engine and a sensor.
For the image processor, the Venus Engine FHD incorporated features exceptionally high performance signal processing capabilities in both photo and movie recording. With the advanced noise reduction system employing the 3D NR and CNR (Chromatic Noise Reduction), you can capture clear, naturally-balanced images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels preventing the colour bleeding due to the chromatic aberration and deterioration of the resolution. The Intelligent Resolution technology is another feature of the Venus Engine FHD. With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas - outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges more clearness while giving a moderate accentuation to the texture areas to look more finely detailed. To the soft gradation part, superior noise reduction system of the Venus Engine FHD is applied to make it smoother. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way. As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp in both photo and movie recording.
The 4/3-type 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor featured in the DMC-GF2 offers the best of both worlds -- the superior image quality of a CCD sensor and the lower power consumption of a CMOS sensor. Advanced technology that makes it possible to read 4 channels of data simultaneously also helps the DMC-GF2 deliver 60 frames-per-second full-time Live View images, while faithfully reproducing high-resolution images with fine detail and rich gradation. Linking smoothly with the Live MOS sensor, the Venus Engine FHD records stunning high-resolution 12.1-megapixel images with exceptional accuracy. Signals containing a large amount of image data are sent from the Live MOS sensor to the optional Live View Finder at 60 fps, resulting in clear, smooth live view. The Venus Engine FHD also supports an extensive range of functions, including HDMI output.
The contrast AF system adopted by the LUMIX DMC-GF2 is not only accurate and easy to use, but also very fast. Users can choose from a wide range of AF modes, including multiple-area AF with up to 23 focus areas, 1-area AF with a selectable focus area, Face Detection, and AF Tracking.
The Dust Reduction System in the GF2 helps eliminate the possibility of dust or other foreign matter getting inside the camera when you're changing lenses by placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.

3. High quality image recording in 1920x1080 AVCHD full HD movie
The LUMIX DMC-GF2 is an advanced photographic tool for recording not only great photos but also beautiful full-HD movies. The new GF2 can record high-resolution full-HD 1920 x 1080 movies at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL), or smooth HD 1280 x 720 movies at 60p (NTSC) / 50p (PAL) in AVCHD (MPEG-4/H.264)* format**. The HD Motion JPEG in 1280 x 720 can also be selected as an alternative movie recording format in addition to QVGA, VGA and WVGA, which is more compatible with PCs. A special, separate button on the back lets the user instantly start recording movies while shooting photos without any having to make any extra settings. High quality sound can be recorded with the stereo microphone for Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator. A Wind Cut function is also available to block out most of the noise from background wind.
Even video beginners can record excellent movies with the DMC-GF2 because the popular iA mode is also available in movie recording. Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom. Face Detection automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion on it, so it always turns out beautifully. The Intelligent D-range Control offers natural looking by optimizing the exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced beautifully including the blue colour of the sky. Plus Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Portrait, Scenery, Close-up and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize various parameters for higher visual quality.
The Touch AF in movie recording also lets users enjoy professional-like rack focusing. Just by pointing the subject, the focus is shifted to it and let it stand out to attract attention. The DMC-GF2 can save a frame of movie as photo during playback. The Video Divide function lets you split a video into two at the point you desire, this makes it possible to delete the unwanted part by cutting it off.

·Some functions may not be available depending on the lens that is mounted.
·Use a card with SD Speed Class with "Class 4" or higher when recording motion pictures in [AVCHD]. Also, use a card with SD Speed Class with "Class 6" or higher when recording motion pictures in [MOTION JPEG].
*SD Speed Class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.
**Full-HD (1920 x 1080) movies are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL). HD (1280 x 720) movies are output by the image sensor at 30p (NTSC) / 25p (PAL), and recorded at 60p (NTSC) / 50p (PAL).
·Motion pictures can be recorded continuously for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds in some countries.
·Continuous recording exceeding 2 GB is not possible when recording Motion JPEG. Remaining time for continuous recording is displayed on the screen.
·AVCHD motion images recorded onto an SD Memory Card or a DVD disc cannot be played on a device that does not support the AVCHD standard.
·Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

4. A pallet of options to stimulate photographers' creativity
The DMC-GF2 is artistic not only in form, but also in function. It provides an array of features that let users capture precisely true-to-life images and create their own beautifully expressive images. The DMC-GF2 features a new My Colour mode which is integrated with the conventional Film mode. It offers a total of 8 preset effects — Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Cinema, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, Silhouette, plus Custom mode, which lets users manually, set the colour, brightness, saturation and contrast levels. With the Full-time Live View function, users can see how these settings will affect the images before they shoot, which makes it easier to capture the exact mood or atmosphere desired. The DMC-GF2 also provides a total of 17 Scene modes. Most of these modes can be used when shooting motion images too, letting users create movies with dramatic, theatrical effects without having to edit after they shoot. The exposure meter can be displayed in the P/A/S/M shooting modes for entry-level users to learn the correlation between shutter speed and aperture visually to enhance their photography skills.

5. Enjoy watching high quality photos and movies on large HDTV - VIERA Link networking even in 3D
Both still images and motion images in AVCHD recorded on SD Memory Cards are easy to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV with dynamic HD resolution. The user simply inserts the card into the VIERA Image Viewer (SD Memory Card slot) on a VIERA TV or DIGA Blu-ray DiscTM Recorder / Player* to play the content. Alternatively, an optional HDMI mini cable can be used to output still and motion images recorded with the DMC-GF2 directly to the TV for easy VIERA Link operation. This makes it possible to take maximum advantage of the camera's playback functions,including slideshows in which both still and motion images are played sequentially, or calendar displays and so on.
Especially the pictures taken with the interchangeable 3D lens LUMIX G 12.5mm / F12 , these can be viewed in 3D via the 3D Image Viewer offering users a whole new exciting experience. In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 HD Edition, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them onto a DVD disc for archiving.

* AVCHD motion images recorded onto an SD Memory Card or a DVD cannot be played on a device that does not support the AVCHD standard.

6. Rich options for expandability
The Micro Four Thirds System products are joining today's Four Thirds System products to provide customers with even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera. In addition to LUMIX G lenses, the LUMIX DMC-GF2 and LUMIX G Micro System can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds standard via an optional mount adaptor DMW-MA1 and with the prestigious Leica M/R Lenses via DMW-MA2M or MA3R. This gives the user access to the unlimited number of lens properties.
With the LUMIX G Micro System and the growing assortment of lenses becoming available, the expressive possibilities are unlimited. The LUMIX DMC-GF2 system camera offers a wide variety of options to choose from to match every shooting situation and shooting style. Notably, the hot shoe on the top lets you attach the optional tilt-shift Live View Finder (DMW-LVF1) of 1.04x (0.52x*), 202,000-dot, 100% field of view.

*35 mm camera equivalent.
·Some functions on the DMC-GF2 are not available depending on the lens that is mounted.

Live View Finder: DMW-LVF1
External Flash: DMW-FL220 (GN22) / DMW-FL360 (GN36) / DMW-FL500 (GN50)
PL Filter: (Diameter varies depending on the lens to attach)
ND Filter: (Diameter varies depending on the lens to attach)
MC Protector: (Diameter varies depending on the lens to attach)
Mount Adaptor: DMW-MA1, DMW-MA2M, DMW-MA3R
Battery Pack: DMW-BLD10
AC Adaptor: DMW-AC8
DC Coupler: DMW-DCC9
Leather Lens Case (for GF2 with 14 mm lens): DMW-CGK1* *NEW
Leather Lens Case (for GF2 with 14-42 mm lens): DMW-CGK2* *NEW
Leather Body Case: DMW-CGK3
Soft Bag: DMW-CZ18, BAG1, DMW-BAL1
Shoulder Strap: DMW-SSTG1 / SSTG2 / SSTG3 / SSTG5 / SSTL1
Long Shoulder Strap: SSTG6
HDMI mini Cable: RP-CDHM15, RP-CDHM30
·Some accessories are not available in some countries.

7. Just shooting is not the goal - Included software
With the DMC-GF2, PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 HD Edition is included for easy organization of photos and movies, the SILKYPIX® Developer Studio 3.1 SE for RAW file development and Super LoiLoScope (trial version) come bundled.
The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 HD Edition makes it possible to sort and organize photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored in your PC with quick start-up and fast read-in of images. The Face Recognition function that recognizes the faces in the picture automatically sorts the photos by the registered faces without picking out each photo one by one when you only want pictures of a specific person. You can also enjoy slideshows with a variety of effects and use your iTunes music library as background music and burn it onto a DVD disc in MPEG2. Motion pictures can be uploaded directly to YouTube.
The original image data in RAW file format recorded with the DMC-GF2 allows images to be developed according to your intention using highly advanced functions of the SILKYPIX® Developer Studio 3.1 SE software utility. It features unique combination of high resolution and extraordinary colour separation performance. The Super LoiLoScope lets you experience high speed HD movie editing.

* Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds and Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds Logo marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Olympus Imaging Corporation, in Japan, the United States, the European Union and other countries.
*The "AVCHD" is a high definition (HD) digital video recording / playback format jointly established by Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation.
* Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
* HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
* YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc.
* All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective corporations.
* This unit is compatible with both SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards. You can only use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are compatible with them. You cannot use SDHC Memory Cards on devices that are only compatible with SD Memory Cards. (When using an SDHC Memory Card on another device, be sure to read the operating instructions for that device.)
* Some accessories are not available in some countries.
* The use of recorded or printed materials that are protected by copyright for any purpose other than personal enjoyment is prohibited, as it would infringe upon the rights of the copyright holder.
* Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Sample photos (all at ISO100)