Best focal lengths for shooting panoramas?
Luminous Landscape Forum > Equipment & Techniques > Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear > Best focal lengths for shooting panoramas?
I first posted this under "Landscape and Nature" but it isn't getting any traction there so I guess I should have posted it here.
While you can take a pano with any focal length lens I am curious what people who shoot lots of panos have found to be the optimum focal length(s). Often stitching images from wide/ultra wide angles can be difficult. Also, using too long a focal length can severely limit depth of field. Personally I have used focal lengths from about 24mm to 200mm (usually from zoom lenses, except for a 105) to make panos of anywhere from 2 to 30 frames. I am wondering if primes of 35mm, ~50mm, and 85mm may be the best option. Partly because the lighter weight prime lenses will be more stable on my RRS PG01 pano bracket which is pretty light, but nice on the back when you are tramping around all day long. So, I am trying to decide if I need to get a prime in one of these focal lengths and if so which focal length would be most useful.
FWIW I shoot Nikon full frame. Also, for the sake of conversation let's assume that the entire subject is NOT at infinite distance - if it were we wouldn't care about depth of field and could use a 500mm if we wanted. Also, let's assume that we are not trying to capture foreground elements at our toes and so require an ultra wide lens. Also, let's assume that we are using an appropriate nodal slide, etc.
Curious to know what lenses those with more pano experience find most useful.
Re: Best focal lengths for shooting panoramas?
I have stitched a lot with 55mm, 100mm and 180mm.
The most impressive pano I made was done with a 400mm lens. Low-horizon 360-degree of Georgian Bay island chain (part of Lake Huron) in Ontario.
Used on Seitz 220 Roundshot with film, it yielded almost a 50 ft print. Printed on a specialized Roundshot enlarger and processor where the paper moved in sync with the film.
The first question that you should ask yourself is single row vs multi row. I use no specialized equipment therefore stay away from multirow. For single row if I have a zoom I always shoot vertical and try to fill most of the frame while leaving some space for stitching errors, so this determines the exact focal length for that image. If you want a prime for all occasions from what I see a normal to short telephoto (40 to 70mm) is the most convenient.
I mainly use an 85mm prime, shooting a 3x3 grid to match the field of view of a 35mm lens. Depth-of-field is an issue, but it can often be resolved with focus-stacking.
Interesting. Do the multiple focus points cause any problems with stitching? I assume you process each frame for focus stacking before you merge the pano. But, unless your base focus point is at infinity, I would think that there would always be some variation in the reproduction ratio as an artifact of the different focus points in different frames and that this would make stitching more problematic? In fact, because of that, I'd never really considered focus stacking for a pano. Are you using LR or PS for your stitching or another software?
Yes, each tile is focus-stacked before stitching. For stitching, I use the latest version of PTGui. It handles the focus-stacked tiles very well - i.e. there are no stitching errors. AFAIK, it manages this by not assuming that each tile is shot with the identical focal length.
LesPalenik - 50 FOOT PRINT? Holy Cow! You get the award for most impressive feat of panorama shooting for today. And where did the customer hang the 50 foot print?
the print was displayed at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in Ontario. The really impressive feat was them making a simple wooden frame around the entire print, right on location, in the exhibition hall. The actual print (I believe, on Fuji paper) was made by Peter Lorber of Custom Photo Images in Boca Raton, Florida.
Focus-stacking already changes the magnification factor of the individual slices, otherwise they wouldn't fit seamlessly. Capable stitching software, such as PTGUI, can take care of the rest by tweaking the individual 'focal length' (and thus also magnification) settings for each of the tiles.
Although I like a 50mm on a 35mm full frame sensor for stitching (still lots of DOF but with more magnification than a wide angle), it is not how I choose the focal length. The anticipated output size of the image dictates the combination of focal length and number of tiles.
I've done stitches with focal lengths from 15mm to 200mm for specific reasons, only some of the longer focal length required focus stacking.
Guido, Elliot, Bart - good info, thanks for your input.
Les, do you have a photo of your big pano as it was displayed? If you have one you could share that would be interesting to see. More for curiousity though, I certainly haven't got anything like that in mind.
Regrettably, I never took a picture of the framed picture on the wall. The exhibition took place about 17-18 years ago. I still should have the negative which was the entire length of the film roll (about 6 ft long). Unfortunately, the photo lab where they made the print, doesn't have the Roundshot enlarger anymore.
Actually, I made a mistake when describing the scenery. That 50 ft long print was of the Hamilton surroundings photographed from one of the city parks. The Georgian Bay scene was a different print, about 30 ft in length. Both were made with the Seitz Roundshot rotational camera and a 400mm Sigma lens.
It's all about the final product - the longer the prime, the larger the scene, the bigger the file. I've used lenses as short as 55mm (43mm eq) and as long as 400mm (312mm eq) on the 645z. If there is a lot of motion possible I go shorter, but I tend to go for the 150 & 200mm lenses the most when generally shooting. I gave up on manual heads and got a Gigapan unit - it makes everything much easier, though I wish it moved faster.
The anticipated output size of the image dictates the combination of focal length and number of tiles.
Indeed. A 3x3 grid shot with an 85mm lens (Nikon D800) produces a 200MP stitched file. I'm making 40x50 inch prints, and 200MP is the file size I need if I wish to avoid interpolation.


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text:
Black Friday for Jains as family recalls last conversation with Tarishi
Nineteen-year-old Tarishi Jain, Who Was Killed In The Dhaka Terror Attack, Had Made A Terrified Call To Her Family In UP From A Toilet Of The Holey Artisan Bakery. Around 1.30 A.m. She Spoke To Her Family And Informed About The Hostage Crisis.
News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Pankaj Samantray | Updated on: 03 Jul 2016, 09:38:41 AM
New Delhi :
The Jain family, based in Suhag Nagar area of Firozabad district, on Saturday recalled the last conversation and said Tarishi called at around 1.30 a.m. and informed that she had locked herself in the toilet with her two friends. She also added the attackers open fired at people in café.
"It was around 1.30 a.m. when we got a call from Tarishi. She told us that gunmen were around and that she had locked herself in one of the toilets of the restaurant," her uncle Rakesh Mohan Jain informed.
He also added that they tried to connect with her but the call went unanswered. It was only answered at 6.30 a.m. but no one spoke from the other end.
Tarishi was a recipient of an internship with a Bangladesh bank through the Institute for South Asia Studies at her university in California.
Tarishi Jain was among the 20 killed by Islamic State terrorists in the siege late Friday night on the cafe in the Bangladeshi capital.
First Published : 03 Jul 2016, 09:32:00 AM
Tarishi Jain

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text:
Q: Getting Average in a collection in mongodb I am new to MongoDB. I want to take average, max, min document value in a whole collection. I was able to calculate max and min but don't know how to calculate average or how to start it.
This is how I calculated max.
db.mytable.find({},{"abc":1}).sort({"abc":-1}).limit(1);

A: To get the average for the whole collection, use the aggregation framework with the $group pipeline operator where you can specify an _id value of null to calculate the accumulated average value for all the input documents as a whole:
db.mytable.aggregate([
    {
        "$group": {
            "_id": null,
            "avg": { "$avg": "$abc" }
        }
    }
]);

A: You'll want to investigate the Aggregation Framework for this:
For the mean average you can use:
db.mytable.aggregate(
  [
    {
      $group: { _id: "$abc", avg: { $avg: "$to_average" } }
    }
  ]
);

You can also use the aggregation framework for max, e.g.
db.mytable.aggregate(
  [
    {
      $group: { _id: "$abc", max: { $max: "$to_get_max_for" } }
    }
  ]
);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Monroe Tsatoke (1904–1937) was a Kiowa painter and a member of the Kiowa Six from  Oklahoma.

Early life
Monroe Tsatoke was born on 29 September 1904 in Oklahoma Territory, near present-day Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma. Tsatokee, which means "Hunting Horse", was his Kiowa name. His father was also named Tsatokee, and was a Kiowa scout. His grandmother was a European-American captive.

Tsatoke never received art instruction until Susan Peters, the Kiowa agency field matron, arranged for Mrs. Willie Baze Lane, an artist from Chickasha, Oklahoma, to teach painting classes for young Kiowas in Anadarko. Recognizing the talent of some of the young artists, Peters convinced Swedish-American artist, Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma's School of Art, to accept the Kiowa students into a special program at the school, in which they were coached and encouraged by Edith Mahier.

Kiowa Six
The Kiowa Six included six artists: Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Lois Smoky Kaulaity, and Monroe Tsatoke. James Auchiah was the last to join the group at OU in 1926.

The Kiowa Six's first major breakthrough into the international fine arts world occurred at the 1928 First International Art Exposition in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Jacobson arranged for their work to be shown in several other countries and for Kiowa Art, a portfolio of  pochoir print artists' paintings, to be published in France.

Individual pursuits
Tsatoke took additional art classes at Bacone College and worked at Indian City USA in Anadarko as a guide.

In 1924, Tsatoke married Martha Koomsa. The couple had four children; Jewell, Lee Monette, Ross Maker, and John Thomas. Lee Tsatoke also became a respected Kiowa artist. Monroe and Martha lived in Red Rock, Oklahoma. Besides painting, Tsatoke also farmed, sang at Kiowa ceremonials and participated in fancy war dance.

Tsatoke was diagnosed with tuberculosis and joined the Native American Church. He painted about his religious experiences and is credited with creating stylized representations of symbols  associated with the Church, such as the water, birds, and feathers.

Public collections
Tsatoke's work can be found in the following public art collections:

Anadarko City Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan, OK
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
The George Gustav Heye Center
Gilcrease Museum
Museum of the Great Plains
Heard Museum
Indian Arts and Crafts Board, US Department of the Interior
Joslyn Art Museum
McNay Art Museum
Museum of Northern Arizona, Katherine Harvey Collection
Museum of New Mexico
Millicent Rogers Museum
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Philbrook Museum of Art
Seminole Public Library
Woolaroc Museum

Death
In 1934, the Oklahoma Historical Society commissioned Tsatoke to paint several murals. Although ill with tuberculosis, he worked on the murals until his death. Tsatoke died on 3 February 1937 from tuberculosis at the age of 32 years.

Notes

References
Lester, Patrick D. The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. Norman and London: The Oklahoma University Press, 1995. .
Swan, Daniel C. Peyote Religious Art: Symbols and Faith and Belief. Jackson, University of Mississippi Press, 1999. .
Wyckoff, Lydia L., ed. Visions and voices : Native American painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art. Tulsa, OK: Philbrook Museum of Art, 1996. .

External links
 Jacobson House Native Art Center: About the Kiowa Six
 Monroe Tsatoke, article from the Oklahoma Historical Society

Kiowa people
Native American painters
Painters from Oklahoma
People from Kiowa County, Oklahoma
1904 births
1937 deaths
Native American Church
People from Anadarko, Oklahoma
People from Noble County, Oklahoma

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Cukrovar Vršovice (Vršovická rafinerie na cukr a sirob) je bývalý průmyslový areál v Praze, který se rozkládá mezi ulicemi Petrohradská a Novgorodská severně od železniční trati.

Historie
Cukrovar byl založen roku 1902 majiteli A. J. Kohnem a V. Adlerem. Specializoval se na výrobu krystalového cukru různého zrnění včetně cukru-moučky, dále byly mezi jeho výrobky pilé, kubes, jedlé siroby a umělý med. Denně vyráběl až 90 tun výrobků.

Areál byl stavěn postupně - na práci stavitele Františka Schlaffera navázal roku 1913 Ludvík Melzel.

Ukončení provozu
Roku 1939 byla výroba zastavena a podnik arizován. Během 2. světové války sídlila v objektech německá firma Rheostat - Edmund Kussi. Po znárodnění v roce 1947 závod využíval n.p. Agrotechna, po roce 1989 bylo majiteli rozhodnuto o konverzi na byty a kanceláře.

Odkazy

Literatura
 BERAN, Lukáš, ed. a VALCHÁŘOVÁ, Vladislava, ed. Pražský industriál: technické stavby a průmyslová architektura Prahy: průvodce. 2., rozš. vyd. V Praze: České vysoké učení technické, ©2007. 303 s. . Kapitola 6: Vinohrady, Vršovice. str. 137, č. 176.

Související články
 Cukrovar
 Seznam cukrovarů v Praze

Externí odkazy

 Orientační plán hlavního města Prahy s okolím (1938), list č.49. Městská knihovna v Praze.
 KODA - komínová databáze: Bývalá vršovická rafinerie na cukr a sirob. koman, 12.2.2009.

Průmyslové stavby ve Vršovicích
Vršovice


text:
Fashion show success
Senior Miguel Palma constructs dress, wins second place
Lopez and Palma hold the winning certificate.
Abby Kohlleppel, Editor-in-Chief
By constructing a pattern and then making a dress, senior Miguel Palma spent 256 hours creating a ball gown to enter into the University of Incarnate Word (UIW) 16th Annual Fashion Show.
Palma was selected as one of 28 from 64 dresses to go down the runway. At the fashion show, Palma was announced as second place winner and awarded a $1,500 scholarship to UIW.
"My fashion teacher, Mrs. Steubing, told our class about the fashion show one day during class," Palma said. "I love a good challenge and am a competitive person, so I decided to give it a go."
The fashion show is also celebration of women's heart health month, so designers are to come up with a design and make the garment by hand. One of the requirements is that it must be 55% red.
"I came up with the design for my ball gown from the anatomy of the heart," Palma said. "I went with the flow grabbing ideas and materials that aren't commonly used or worn."
Palma's classmates provided influence as well to his final design.
"My friends helped a lot with me when picking out materials for the dress," Palma said. "Their opinion on what is too much and too little."
Contestants are also required to have a model to have their dress be showcased on. Palma selected sophomore Danna Lopez to wear his dress.
"Lopez was in my fashion class and I wanted a model that wasn't seen typically in Haute Couture," Palma said.
After creating the dress and making sure it was fit for Lopez, Palma had to take it to UIW for preliminary judging. Competitors drop them off and then would wait for results.
"I was very nervous after I dropped it off," Palma said. "The racks were filled with other people's garments, and they looked more professional than what I brought. When I heard I was selected as one of the 28 for the runway, it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders."
The fashion show was held on Feb. 12 at the UIW campus. The entire Fashion Design class was able to attend to support Palma and gain the experience of attending a fashion show.
"I think Miguel did a good job," senior Paula Guajardo said. "It was a fun first experience for myself, and I was very happy for him."
During the show, Lopez modeled Palma's dress down the runway in front of all of the attendees, which included other high schools, UIW employees and students.
"Being chosen to model his dress was exciting," Lopez said. "His dress was beautiful and I really liked it. I was nervous at first, but then as I was walking the runway, I gained confidence and had a fun time."
After all runway selections walked, it was time for final results. Palma placed second out of the 64 dresses entered.
"I was anxious waiting for results," Palma said. "I was the only one from a smaller school, while other schools had multiple people enter the contest. I was humbled being called for second place. The other fashion designers loved my work, and the constant compliments made me want to design more."
Palma is looking forward to someday designing more garments and bringing his influence into the world of fashion.
"Even though making and drafting my own pattern by hand was pretty difficult, I would do something like this again," Palma said. "It's nice to have a start on others seeing what I can bring to the table in the world of fashion."
Palma has big plans for his future, with a scholarship to UIW waiting for him.
"Placing in the fashion show will greatly affect my future," Palma said. "It takes my natural skills that I have and transforms them into a hopeful career that I see myself becoming well-known in."
The fashion design class that attended the show.
Lopez walking the runway.
I am Abby Kohlleppel, and I am the Editor-in-Chief of this year's newspaper staff. I am a member of FCCLA and President, band where I am section leader,...
Wrapping presents for head-start students in Devine, Lytle, Natalia
First American holiday
Student manages Arabians all 4 years
Junior participates in police training
Bethany's trip abroad
Annual OAP festival
Helping kids with Cancer
Patri-'ART'
Picking up hobby
Student-led change


text:
Two arrested in connection with severed legs found in forest
By Jennifer Leighfield • 04 December 2020 • 14:40
THE Basque police have arrested two people for their alleged involvement with the disappearance of a man in Barakaldo.
Secrecy has been imposed upon the case, but it has been reported in the local press in the Basque Country that the detainees are the partner of missing Roberto Colina, 62, and another person.
Human legs were found in a forest in the Rontegi area on November 26 during the search for the missing man, which his partner identified as his based on tattoos and natural marks on his skin.
The man went missing in July and is believed to have been murdered. From the outset, the Ertzaintza treated the disappearance as a crime and it was believed that drugs were the cause.
Although the remains were identified visually, DNA testing is also being carried out.
The remains, which are just the severed legs from the knee down, were in bags, and had been hidden, but not buried. The police are still searching for the rest of the body.
Thank you for taking the time to read this news article "Two arrested in connection with severed legs found in forest". For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.
Jennifer Leighfield
Jennifer Leighfield, born in Salisbury, UK; resident in Malaga, Spain since 1989. Degree in Translation and Interpreting in Spanish, French and English from Malaga University (2005), specialising in Crime, Forensic Medicine and Genetics. Published translations include three books by Richard Handscombe. Worked with Euro Weekly News since November 2006. Well-travelled throughout Spain and the rest of the world, fan of Harry Potter and most things 'geek'.


text:
Indianapolis report confirms that cops, not protestors, started the riots in summer 2020 protests
Answer Indiana March 12, 2021 Analysis
Photo: ANSWER Indiana Members attend a private May 25 vigil for McHale Rose, a 19 year-old Black man who was one of three victims murdered by Indianapolis police within a span of 8 hours.
by ANSWER Indiana, published on the national ANSWER Coalition website here.
On February 23, an independent review panel appointed by Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett submitted their report on the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's response to the anti-racist uprisings between May 29 and June 1, 2020. This coincided with the assassination of George Floyd, but followed three murders by IMPD officers over eight hours between May 6 and 7: two young Black men named McHale Rose and Dreasjon Reed and a young white woman named Ashlynn Lisby who was pregnant as an IMPD officer killer her with his car. The cops who killed Rose are back on duty, in November 2020 the grand jury failed to indict the cop who murdered Dreasjon Reed, and the cop who murdered Lisby was immediately let off the hook.
The report confirmed key facts that protest organizers have been saying since that weekend: that IMPD used tear gas on peaceful protesters, including children, before any property damage occurred; that IMPD arbitrarily declared peaceful and lawful assemblies "unlawful" to break them up; and that IMPD lied about the reasons for which they illegally seized medical supplies before attacking protesters.
That weekend, IMPD Chief Randall Taylor said there were "two protests" that took place, one that was peaceful, and one that was violent and therefore necessitated a violent police response. The Indiana chapter of the ANSWER Coalition, which was present throughout the protests, previously said this in a statement released on June 2:
One protest was righteous and progressive. It drew thousands of people downtown, who united peacefully to express their outrage and grief, their hopes and aspirations. It was multinational and diverse, composed of people from all walks of life. They demanded justice for Dreasjon Reed, McHale Rose, Ashlynn Lisby, George Floyd, Aaron Bailey, and all victims of police violence. They brought signs, megaphones, water, and medical supplies. They came with their loved ones, their children and family members, their co-workers and friends..
The other protest was reactionary. It drew two main groups of people: police and right-wing vigilantes. They were primarily white. They demanded justice for private property and defended white supremacy. They brought guns, chemical weapons, and handcuffs. Dressed in riot gear and covered with American flags, they came out for a fight. And they started one.
This characterization of the two protests is borne out by the facts and is bolstered by this report.
While the report is critical of IMPD in places, elsewhere the panelists are entirely too generous in describing their actions and the resulting chaos they caused. Indy10 Black Lives Matter released a detailed response to the report, highlighting the significant gaps in the report's findings.
Brutal beating by IMPD officers that made international news ignored in report
An incident from May 31 that made international news was left out of the report. Local broadcast media caught IMPD officer Jonathan Horlock and Nathaniel Schauwecker brutally beating a woman, well away from any other protesters. Those cops are now facing battery, official misconduct, and perjury charges brought by a grand jury. Indy10 BLM addressed the glaring omission, saying:
In omitting this well-known incident, the report missed an opportunity to examine the organizational culture of IMPD revealed by its response to public outcry over the viral video of the arrest. ERG members, upon the indictment of their colleagues for battery and misconduct, threatened a walkout due to their unhappiness with the charges.
While the report attempts to cast the problems with IMPD as being symptomatic of a lack of training, planning, or experience, we agree with Indy10 that these explanations are insufficient. If it was simply a lack of training, why did cops know not to shoot tear gas in the affluent Meridian-Kessler neighborhood when protesters marched to the Governor's Mansion? If the actions of IMPD were simply a lack of experience, why did the report quote an IMPD officer as saying "Cops want to be police—we don't want to hug the problem"?
Cops want to "be police"—that is the problem
The uprisings didn't start because the police lacked proper training. There were no placards or slogans or chants that called for sensitivity or bias awareness training or a more diverse representation within the IMPD force. The uprisings started because the police broke existing laws. Creating new laws and training won't solve the problem.
The anti-racist uprisings that exploded across the United States and then the world in 2020 adopted the slogan "Defund The Police" in what the ruling class rightly recognized was a threat to their monopoly grip on power. Overnight, a demand that was not even part of the national conversation was thrust forward and hotly discussed in every community. This was not just idle talk as we see from Congress—millions of average people poured into the streets in active support of the demand. It is a particular kind of demand that doesn't call for more funding for training but for less funding so we can minimize the presence of police in our communities, especially the neighborhoods where the most oppressed sectors of our class live.
The ANSWER Coalition stands in solidarity with all of those continuing to struggle for an end to racist police terror and white supremacy in Indianapolis, many of which are part of the newly formed Indianapolis Liberation Center, including Indy10 Black Lives Matter, ANSWER Indiana, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation of Indianapolis. Find out how you can support the movement here!
Tagged Ashlynn Lisby, Dfund IMPD, Dreasjon Reed, impd, Indy10 Black Lives Matter, McHale Rose
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(HTTP) Status Codes 308 (Permanent Redirect).
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specification adds this status code (Section 3).
references returned by the server, where possible.
necessary for a user to repeat the original request on the new URI.
automatically redirected by the user agent without confirmation.
conditions under which the request was issued.
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happening similar to status codes 301, 302, or 307.
code 300 is not problematic.
HTTP/1.1 definitions of status codes 301 and 307.
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text:
> "Peak Villages"
Review of 'Peak Villages', by Roly Smith
PEAK VILLAGES
by Roly Smith
Published by Halsgrove
ISBN 1-84114-185-2 (2002)
With photography by Karen Frenkel and words by Roly Smith, both held in the highest regard in their respective fields, Peak Villages is certain to be one of the 'must have' books of the year. It is a stunningly visual treat.
Karen Frenkel has a gift for viewing her subjects from quite unfamiliar angles and has selected almost 170 superb photographs from hundreds of slides taken specifically for this book over a period of many months. Roly Smith is also clearly in his element once more. He calls on his deep knowledge and love of the Peak District to provide chapters on Villages in History and the Art of Well Dressing, then adds just enough text to mull over as you turn each page.
This partnership has captured moments in time for more than 60 of our most beautiful villages, with the occasional surprise when a single subject such as a humble cockerel or cow is given the star treatment - and seems to respond with pride to its proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Human subjects are far more casual as they go about their daily lives, whether the eco-warrior tying his dog to the gate of the village post office, a jolly farmer feeding her chickens or a passer-by considering goods on display in front of the village store. Detail frames the photographs from corner to corner, with flowers and heather, stone walls and shell fossils, veils of cow parsley and branches sparkling with blue-tinged frost.
Most of us have a favourite time of year and each season is here in abundance. Bakewell's medieval bridge, the subject of hundreds of photographs and paintings, has never looked more beautiful than it does here in springtime, framed by branches heavy with pink cherry blossom. To select the most memorable scenes as we move through the year is impossible but personal choices include the family paddling in the river Bradford on a summer's day, a glorious autumnal landscape in the gentle Southern Peak and two quite magical pictures taken in the Central White Peak in the depths of winter. This is one of them, in the words of Roly Smith: 'A winter sunrise paints the vast canvas of eastern skies in red and gold, and throws a pink reflection on the snowy fields around Little Hucklow'. Karen Frenkel lets darkness fall to show us Cressbrook Hall at Christmas, seemingly under a full moon which tints the snowscape an icy blue, reflecting golden pools of light from windows and from an outdoor Christmas tree topped with a star. You will not see a prettier card anywhere this Christmas.
To describe Peak Villages as a 'coffee table book' may not be to everyone's liking but why not? Published in large format on high quality paper to do justice to the sumptuous colours, it deserves to be equally admired and enjoyed.
URL of this page: https://reviews.gukutils.org.uk/Review047.html


text:
air warfare branch of Germany's military
The English used in this article may not be easy for everybody to understand. You can help Wikipedia by reading Wikipedia:How to write Simple English pages, then simplifying the article. (September 2011)
The Luftwaffe (pronounced IPA: ['luft.ʋɑ.fə]) is the name for the air force of Germany.
This was the name for the air force of Germany during the Third Reich when Adolf Hitler was in power (between 1933 and 1945). It has also been the name for the air force since it was re-established in 1955 during the era of the Cold War. Luftwaffe means Air force in English.
The early years including World War IEdit
Germany first had aeroplanes in its army in 1910, four years before the start of World War I in 1914. At that time, aeroplanes had no guns. They were being used for reconnaissance duties, that is, they would fly over the battlefield to see what the enemy was doing and fly back so that the pilots could tell their generals what they knew. The generals used that information to plan the fighting. Before aeroplanes, balloons had been used.
During World War I, Germany created the Luftstreitkräfte and used a few kinds of aeroplane to fight its war, such as fighters, bombers and reconnaissance aeroplanes, but the fighter aeroplanes became very famous because of its brave pilots. The most famous German pilot of World War I was Manfred von Richthofen, also known as "The Red Baron" of Jasta 11. When he died in combat, Hermann Goering replaced him.
Germany also used airships called "Zeppelins". They were named after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who had built the first airships in 1900, but he had wanted them to carry cargo and passengers, not bombs. He died in 1917, but people still use his name when they remember the German airships of World War I. (In fact, the Zeppelin company is still making airships today, but these are much smaller now.)
The Belgian 1st escadrille crew de Petrowski-Benselin shoots down a Taube with small arms on 25 September 1914. The German aircraft was from FA18[1] The claim was not confirmed but reportedly the German pilot was wounded[2]]]
Kurt Wintgens [right background] with glasses stands beside his official 13 "Credit"-an RFC 60th Squadron airplane-both crewmen killed 2 August 1916[3]
A captured german aircraft 1 January 1918
A Hannover CL aircraft; according to the The Aerodome Forum this aircraft was possibly shot down 3 September 1918 near Inchy,France. [4]
The Red Baron
Hermann Goering
After the warEdit
In November 1918, the "Allies of World War I" (which included Britain and France) won the war, and Germany had to sign the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty said that Germany could not have any military aeroplanes at all because it was blamed for starting the war in 1914. Germany therefore had to destroy all its military aeroplanes as a punishment, so until 1933 it had no air force at all.
Between the two world warsEdit
For many years, Germany pretended to have no army pilots because the German army generals did not like the idea of not having any aeroplanes. They acted secretly and used tricks. At first, pilots would pretend to be training to become airline pilots but this was not much use because they really needed to fly fighters and bombers. The Treaty of Versailles did not allow Germany to have them, so Germany had to ask for help from Russia, its former (and future) enemy.
In 1924, German army pilots started to fly Russian fighters and bombers at a secret training school near the Russian city of Lipetsk. These pilots would then become the first ones to fly for the new German air force, the Luftwaffe, when Hitler said that it now existed. The training school closed in 1933.
In 1935, Adolf Hitler finally told the world that Germany had a new air force, even if the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from having one. Hitler was defying the Allies, who had won World War I, but they did not do anything about this, because many people still remembered the war in 1914-1918. They were frightened by the idea of war and did not want another one.
The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 gave the Germans the opportunity to test its new aircraft, pilots and weapons in battle. Hitler sent many aeroplanes and pilots over to Spain because he wanted to support Francisco Franco, who wanted to get rid of the Spanish government. Amongst the aeroplanes were fighters called the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and dive-bombers called the Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka".
During the war. German bombers attacked the city of Guernica in the Basque region of northeast Spain, and many civilians (people who were not soldiers) died in the attack. Many governments and people around the world were horrified by the attack. The artist Pablo Picasso made a painting called Guernica that has become very famous. People see the painting as a symbol of the horror of war. A copy of the painting hangs in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
World War IIEdit
The new airforce in actionEdit
The German air force was the strongest in the world when World War II broke out in September 1939. It supported the army on the ground and the aircraft were very effective at defeating all opposition, since the German armed forces, the Wehrmacht, had practised a very new and very fast way to defeat their enemies. This was called Blitzkrieg or Lightning War. The French and the British were prepared for a trench war. It was impossible to fight back.
ResultsEdit
Within a year, Germany had conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. Britain supported the countries attacked by Germany but found herself on her own by June 1940 when Germany had conquered most of western Europe.
The Messerschmitt Bf-109.
ProblemsEdit
As the war went on, things began to go badly wrong for the Luftwaffe. The leadership of the Luftwaffe began to become quite bad, as generals were arguing about what the air force should be doing and blaming each other when the Luftwaffe was unable to stop the British from attacking German aircraft factories and other industrial targets in large numbers during the night. The RAF had lost many planes when attacking by day.
Not only that, but Germany was suffering a shortage of materials needed to build the aeroplanes. Things got worse for the Germans when the USA joined the war in December 1941, because the Americans brought thousands of bombers to the United Kingdom, and they attacked Germany from there. Soon, hundreds of American and British bombers were attacking Germany every day and night.
Ground fightingEdit
Germany could not hope to win the war on the ground. Since Russia was so huge, the government set up factories hundreds of miles away from the fighting in order to build aeroplanes, tanks, guns and other weapons for the Russian Army. This meant that the Russians would eventually start to push the Germans back west, especially after they defeated the Germans in great battles near the city of Kursk and in the city of Stalingrad itself. The Germans had failed to conquer the city of Leningrad, too.
On January 1 1945 the Luftwaffe launched a desperate plan called operation 'Bodenplatte' (Baseplate), a dawn air attack aimed at multiple Allied air bases in Belgium & Holland. Over 800 German aircraft were rounded up with many veteran pilots retired from combat duty pressesd back into service.
The plan cost more than it was worth, with over 280 German planes lost and 213 irreplaceble pilots killed or captured. As with the fog of war, over 100 German planes were shot down by their own ground fire who were not in on the plan.
TriviaEdit
The Messerschmitt Me 262
Germany became famous as the country, which flew the first jet aeroplanes. In 1944, the Luftwaffe started to use the world's first jet fighter plane, the Messerschmitt Me-262, even if the engines sometimes did not work properly. Once again, the shortage of the materials needed to build the plane as well as the continuing bombing of Germany meant that not as many Me-262s were built as Germany would have liked. Even so, Germany also built and flew the world's first jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234, the world's first fighter plane powered by a rocket, the Messerschmitt Me-163, the world's first "cruise missile", the V-1, and the world's first ballistic missile, the V-2.
After the war the allies were quite impressed with Germany's technical know how & gleaned all they could from the vast array of Luftwaffe aircraft strewn across Germany.
The Cold War and afterwardsEdit
Once again, the Allies prohibited Germany from having an air force. The Russians were in the eastern half of Germany, and this half became East Germany. The British, French and Americans were in the western half, and this half became West Germany. These became countries in their own right, and East Germany became a Russian puppet state. In case a new war started with Russia and East Germany as enemies, the Western Allies finally allowed West Germany to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an organization of western countries which wanted there to be peace throughout the world. NATO allowed West Germany to have an air force because the country was right next to East Germany.
The Eurofighter Typhoon
First useEdit
Germany used military aircraft in war for the first time since 1945 when they supported British aircraft in the war in Kosovo in 1999, but many people still believed that Germany should never again go to war because of what had happened in the two world wars.
↑ The Aerodrome forum
↑ The Aerodrome Forum.
↑ The Aerodome Forum
Deutsche Luftwaffe 1933-1945
Luftwaffe Archives and Records Reference database
Luftwaffe -Citizendium
Two Germans Aviators killed October 10,1915
Shot down German Aircraft and grave of dead crewman
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luftwaffe&oldid=6571375"


Team RedWorks entered the AmericaMakes 3D Printed Habitat challenge in early June of this year and we're proud to report that we'll be going to the 2015 New York Maker Fair as one of the top 30 Finalists. May the best team win!
RedWorks is proud to begin our journey for a future of human settlement across the solar system.


text:
Polsinelli Innovation Competition Open for 2014 Entries
Polsinelli invites emerging and venture-ready clean tech companies to participate in the Polsinelli Innovation Competition.
The competition showcase and awards, now in its sixth year, is being held on October 23, 2014, during the Clean Technology Innovation, Growth and Globalization program, which will focus on the Midwest's excellence in innovative technologies, products and services. Entries are due by July 25.
The downloadable entry form is available online here, or by visiting the website of the Global Midwest Alliance at www.globalmidwestalliance.org
The Polsinelli Innovation Competition was created by the Global Midwest Alliance and the Midwest Research University Network to help emerging and venture ready technology companies gain visibility and make connections. The competition also provides a showcase for developers of new technologies that offer competitive returns for investors and customers while providing solutions to global challenges. The winner receives $10,000 of in-kind legal services from Polsinelli, as well as a host of other benefits noted in the competition rules and policies.
Last year's winner was Global Green Products, provider of a chemical additive with substantial environmentally beneficial effects for applications in global water treatment, oil and natural gas extraction, and oil spill containment. Global Green used their $10,000 credit to engage Polsinelli to assist them in a multi-million dollar Series A round venture investment. Since being engaged, Polsinelli has been helping Global Green Products with various corporate legal matters to prepare them for this venture investment, including converting their structure from an LLC to a corporation and refining their corporate documentation relating to their initial business capitalization and ownership.
"Winning the innovation competition opened doors for us," says Global Green Products founder Larry Koskan. "And being able to turn to Polsinelli's attorneys for guidance when we had interest from Greenpoint Global Mittelstand Fund, helped consummate that financing and move our business to the next level."
The Polsinelli Innovation Competition, judged by a panel of esteemed experts from a variety of industry sectors, holds significant weight in the venture community.
"As investors, we had a certain level of confidence in Global Green Products right off the bat," says Teresa Esser, Managing Director, Greenpoint Global Mittelstand Fund. "They'd been through a rigorous judging process in the competition. When we learned they had engaged Polsinelli to do their legal work, we had confidence that Global Green was committed to the investment process and that this deal would get done in the proper way."
This year's top five entrants will have an opportunity to present their technology during the October 23 showcase program to an audience of early stage investors, entrepreneurs, technology-focused venture capitalists and financiers, and corporate R&D and business development executives.
real challenges. real answers.SM Serving corporations, institutions, entrepreneurs, and individuals, our attorneys build enduring relationships by providing legal counsel informed by business insight to help clients achieve their objectives. This commitment to understanding our clients' businesses has helped us become the fastest growing law firm in the U.S. for the past five years, according to the leading legal business and law firm publication, The American Lawyer. Our more than 720 attorneys in 18 cities work with clients nationally to address the challenges of their roles in health care, financial services, real estate, life sciences and technology, energy and business litigation. The firm can be found online at www.polsinelli.com. Polsinelli PC. In California, Polsinelli LLP.
About Midwest Research University Network
The Midwest Research University Network (MRUN) is a commercialization collaborative focused on fostering the formation and growth of high tech start-ups in the Midwest. MRUN members include individuals engaged in venture formation at universities and research institutions, investors, entrepreneurs and those who help them. The MRUN community helps members make connections informally to solve common problems in start-up business development including, angel and seed-stage financing, placement of management talent and opportunities for collaboration. For more information: http://www.mrun.us.
About Global Midwest Alliance
Global Midwest Alliance is a region-wide, not-for-profit education organization dedicated to transforming the Midwest into an internationally recognized leader in innovation and business growth. The Alliance aligns and integrates resources throughout the Midwest helping businesses to grow by leveraging existing resources to develop new products and find customers throughout the world. Through these and other affiliations, the Alliance facilitates access to global business opportunities for Midwest business. The Alliance offers educational opportunities through a variety of programs and resources designed to promote innovation, technology development and access to global opportunities in the clean technology, energy, food, logistics, manufacturing and water industries. For more information, visit www.globalmidwestalliance.org
Spencer R. Wood


Toilet Repair, Wilmington, NC | Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Inc. Toilet Repair, Wilmington, NC | Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Inc.
We are equipped to help with toilet repair in Wilmington, no matter how big or small the problem may be!
Has your toilet been leaking, and you can't seem to figure out the problem? Is your pump broken, and your toilet won't flush properly? At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Inc. – Leland, we see all kinds of situations in which toilet repair is necessary to get a home or commercial bathroom working again. Luckily, we are a team of experienced plumbers, and we are equipped to help with toilet repair, no matter how big or small the problem may be! We'll let you know your options, provide straightforward pricing, and leave you confident your facilities are functioning like they should.
Sometimes toilet repair only requires a small fix, and you will be back in business. Other times, toilet repair involves some major work or toilet replacement to ensure that your bathroom facilities are in their best shape. No matter what the concern is with toilet repair, our professionals will determine the cause of the problem, communicate with you about the solution, and provide expert toilet repair services that get your facility working again as quickly as possible.
At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Inc. – Leland, we have an on-time guarantee and a customer satisfaction guarantee that won't leave you guessing about when we will arrive and the type of service you will receive. We are proud to offer comprehensive residential and commercial plumbing repair services to meet your needs in Wilmington, North Carolina. If you need toilet repair, or if you have questions about our services, contact us today to schedule an appointment and to learn more. You'll see the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Inc. difference!


- Locate Twine.app where you installed it, most likely the Applications folder. - Locate Twine.app where you installed it, most likely the Applications folder.
- - Create a folder called "targets" in the same folder. + - Right-click/control-click on Twine.app and click "Show Package Contents".
- Inside "targets", create a folder with a header.html file here. - Inside "targets", create a folder with a header.html file here.
After making any changes inside the "targets" folder, Twine will need to be restarted to update the Story Format menu. After making any changes inside the "targets" folder, Twine will need to be restarted to update the Story Format menu.
- - Right-click/control-click on Twine.app and click "Show Package Contents". + - Create a folder called "targets" in the same folder.


text:
Welcome > About Us
The Rev Gary McIntyre was inducted to the charge in 1998 and served previously on the Island of Bute. A Campbeltown man, Gary studied at the University of Aberdeen and graduated in 1990. Following a two year Diploma in Ministry at the University of Glasgow his probationary year was spent in the Parishes of Upper Tweeddale in the Scottish border
The Rev Gary J McIntyre,
The Manse of St Ninians,
7 Randolph Road, Stirling, FK8 2AJ
Email:GMcIntyre@churchofscotland.org.uk


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the Nevada Legislature kicks off its 120-day session, the subject at the forefront of conversation: education.
This as Governor Steve Sisolak made the New Nevada Plan a focus of his agenda outlined in the State of the State address.
That plan includes an often discussed topic among lawmakers and education leaders in Nevada, a move to a weighted funding formula. This as many of those tasked with deciding the future of education funding highlight the half century that has passed since the basis of the current formula was written.
"I was a first grader at Robert E. Lake in 1967 when the Nevada Plan was implemented, and it has been tweaked throughout the years," Democratic State Senator Mo Denis said.
Although he acknowledges the funding formula laid out in the Nevada Plan is one of the most equitable in the country, Denis said it doesn't make sense anymore because of the growing diversity of the state.
The chair of the Senate Education Committee is pushing for a New Nevada Plan that would use a weighted formula for schools.
This as both Democrats and Republicans have acknowledged English Language Learners, Special Education students and GATE students all need more resources than the average students.
A weighted funding formula uses multipliers for those classifications on top of a base student allotment to fund school districts.
"We know that those cost more, but currently we fund them all the same," Denis said.
Under the current funding model, every student regardless of need is allotted the same per pupil figure.
To compensate for the extra need, lawmakers in the past have created programs for schools in low-income areas or with high concentrations of English language learners and provided extra funding to those schools. That funding is also called categorical funding.
Education advocates including former Republican State Senate candidate Byron Brooks say categorical funding is a better option at this point because the money goes straight to the schools.
Denis said the weighted formula would provide transparency for principals and parents because the funding of each school would be easily calculated using the student rosters.
Brooks maintains the categorical funding mechanism gives the state a better ability to track the success of those extra funds because it goes directly to schools, instead of a shared pool of money that is distributed by the district.
"There is nothing really set for accountability when it comes to those weighted formulas," Brooks said.
Another concern raised by critics of the move to a weighted funding formula is the potential loss of funding for some of the schools which receive categorical funding, something Denis acknowledges would have to be discussed as they work through the new plan.
"So if under this scenario they get less we have to figure out a way to bring that up with bridge funding or what we call hold harmless," Denis said.
Although Denis said the hard work of crafting the plan has already been done, parents, students, and teachers will have plenty of opportunities to weigh in on the plan as the legislature gets to work over the next 119 days.


text:
package io.crate.copy.s3.common;

import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;

import java.net.URI;

import static io.crate.copy.s3.common.S3URI.getUserInfo;
import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;

class S3URITest {

    @Test
    public void testToS3URIMethod() {
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3:///hostname:9000/*/*/a", // bucket named 'hostname:9000'
            null, null, null, -1, "hostname:9000", "*/*/a");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://minioadmin:minioadmin@play.min.io:9000/mj.myb/localhost:9000/",
            "minioadmin", "minioadmin", "play.min.io", 9000, "mj.myb", "localhost:9000/");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://minioadmin:minioadmin@/mj.myb/localhost:9000/",
            "minioadmin", "minioadmin", null, -1, "mj.myb", "localhost:9000/");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://b/prefix/", // trailing '/'
            null, null, null, -1, "b", "prefix/");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3:/b/", // no key
            null, null, null, -1, "b", "");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3:/b", // no key
            null, null, null, -1, "b", "");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://h:7/b/k",
            null, null, "h", 7, "b", "k");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://@h:7/b/*",
            null, null, "h", 7, "b", "*");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3://access%2F:secret%2F@a/b", // url-encoded access & secret keys are decoded
            "access/", "secret/", null, -1, "a", "b");
        assertValidS3URI(
            // host should be present with a port otherwise it will be assumed to be a bucket name
            "s3://host/bucket/key/*",
            null,
            null,
            null,
            -1,
            "host",
            "bucket/key/*");
        assertValidS3URI(
            "s3:///",
            null, null, null, -1, "", "");
    }

    private void assertValidS3URI(String toBeParsed,
                                  String accessKey,
                                  String secretKey,
                                  String host,
                                  int port,
                                  String bucketName,
                                  String key) {
        S3URI s3URI = S3URI.toS3URI(URI.create(toBeParsed));
        URI uri = s3URI.uri();
        if (accessKey != null) {
            assertThat(secretKey).isNotNull();
            assertThat(s3URI.accessKey() + ":" + s3URI.secretKey()).isEqualTo(accessKey + ":" + secretKey);
            assertThat(getUserInfo(uri)).isEqualTo(accessKey + ":" + secretKey);
        }
        if (host != null) {
            assertThat(uri.getHost()).isEqualTo(host);
            assertThat(s3URI.endpoint()).startsWith(uri.getHost() + ":");
            assertThat(s3URI.endpoint()).endsWith(":" + uri.getPort());
        }
        assertThat(uri.getPort()).isEqualTo(port);
        if (bucketName != null) {
            assertThat(uri.getPath()).startsWith("/" + bucketName);
            assertThat(bucketName).isEqualTo(s3URI.bucket());
        }
        if (key != null) {
            assertThat(uri.getPath()).endsWith(key);
            assertThat(key).isEqualTo(s3URI.key());
        }
    }

    @Test
    public void testReplacePathMethod() {
        S3URI s3URI = S3URI.toS3URI(URI.create("s3://minioadmin:minio%2Fadmin@mj.myb/localhost:9000/"));
        S3URI replacedURI = s3URI.replacePath("new.Bucket", "newKey");
        assertThat(replacedURI.uri()).hasToString("s3://minioadmin:minio%2Fadmin@/new.Bucket/newKey");

        s3URI = S3URI.toS3URI(URI.create("s3://host:123/myb"));
        replacedURI = s3URI.replacePath("new.Bucket", "newKey");
        assertThat(replacedURI.uri()).hasToString("s3://host:123/new.Bucket/newKey");
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Sony has updated its flagship smartphone to a new model very quickly to the Xperia Z2. Read our Sony Xperia Z2 review to see if the Android handset can stand up to rivals like theSamsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8. Read: The 24 best smartphones: The best phone you can buy in 2014.
Sony had sold its Vaio PC business so it's no surprise that Xperia mobile device are what the firm is focusing on. The Xperia Z2 was announced atMWC in Barcelona back in February but it now on the shelves priced at £599. That's Sony's price but as usual you can get it a little cheaper. Some stock is delayed but it's available at some retailers for £549 – a typical flagship price for 2014. See also: Sony Xperia Z2: Release date, price and specs.
Things move quickly in the smartphone market but it's strange to think that it was only a year ago when we were looking at the original Xperia Z. Competition is fierce at the top so Sony has really got to impress with the Xperia Z2 so read on to find out if it does or not.
Between the Xperia Z and Xperia Z1, the smartphone took a reasonably big design change, adding a nice rounded aluminium bezel round the edge. However, changes between the Z1 and Z2 are very minimal. You really have to look for the differences because they are not obvious. The main thing is the new, almost hidden, ear piece (which contains the notification LED) and microphone at the top and bottom. There's also an identical slot to the ear piece at the bottom where another speaker resides (see hardware for more info).
Check out our Sony Xperia M2 hands-on review and Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet review.
The phone is slightly larger in size compared to the Xperia Z1, but it does have larger screen at 5.2in compared to 5in. Unfortunately, the device is a little too large and the size means it's a little unwieldy – you'll need to use two hands a lot of the time. A shame considering the LG G2 manages to fit a 5.2in display into a much more compact chassis.
Sony has made the Z2 thinner (8.2mm from 8.5mm) and lighter though and, in a way, makes it feel smaller. On the spec sheet it's only 7g down to 163g but somehow it feels like more.
It comes in black, white and purple options and is once again dust and waterproof. Something we're now very accustomed to with Sony's phones. It's been a fairly unique feature but the Samsung Galaxy S5 now offers the same.
In keeping with previous devices, Sony offers excellent build quality with the Xperia Z2. The glass front and rear covers separated by that aluminium frame give a real premium feel and the device is robust. A minor caveat is that the device is a little bit sharp around the edge of the glass on the rear. It doesn't sit in the hands as nicely as the Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8.
There are of course port covers to keep out dust and water (apart from the headphone socket). There's also a drilled hole on the corner for attaching a leash and metal contacts for use with a docking station (both sold separately).
So if the design hasn't changed much then what has changed? Some hardware has changed while some remains the same.
As we've already mentioned, the screen is a little larger at 5.2in which does mean marginally more room to do stuff, but we wish that Sony had stuck with 5in and worked on reducing the bezels to create a smaller phone than previously.
It still has a Full HD resolution, like other 2014 flagship rivals, which means the pixel density has dropped slightly but it's not really noticeable – 423ppi is more than respectable. It still has Sony's Triluminos and X-Reality technologies and a new one called Live Colour LED which Sony says increases colour depth and gradation.
The display may look slightly better than before – mainly viewing angles - but it's certainly not a big jump in quality. Things have been top-notch since the original Xperia Z but it's nice to Sony pushing things forward.
There's also a change in processor from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 up to the new 801. The Xperia Z2 being the first smartphone we've seen with the quad-core processor which is clocked at 2.3GHz and is backed up by a whopping 3GB of RAM.
Sony says the Snapdragon 801 is 75 percent faster than the Snapdragon S4 Pro. But the Xperia Z1 has a Snapdragon 800, not an S4 Pro and from a user perspective, the difference in minimal. The GPU remains at the Adreno 330 which is no bad thing.
It's speedy and we've seen no signs of major lag, although like the Galaxy S5, transition animations aren't as quick as the iPhone 5s and HTC One M8 so it doesn't feel quite as snappy – a minor difference. The home screen content, namely widgets, can take a little while to load in the first instance but again it's not a big problem.
We seem to be going a bit backwards on the storage front with Sony, like HTC, only offering 16GB of internal storage with the Xperia Z2. Luckily, there is a microSD card for adding up to 64GB more storage.
The Xperia Z2 is packed with the latest wireless technology so you'll be sorted with dual-band Wi-Fi up to 11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, NFC and 4G LTE are all on-board. However, if you're looking for feartures such as an infrared transmitter or wireless charging then you'll have to look elsewhere.
We don't normally give audio its own section but there are a few noteworthy features which the Xperia Z2 offers in this area.
For starters, it has front facing stereo speakers which is something quite rare for a smartphone. We've only really seen this feature on the HTC One and HTC One M8. It may not be a big deal for some users, but it does mean you can share a YouTube video or just play music at a decent volume and quality.
The Xperia Z2 also comes with digital noise-cancelling which cuts out background noise – great for travelling on trains and planes or just noisy environments. You'll need compatible headphones (which have built-in microphones) to make use of the feature and Sony has confirmed that some retailers will ship the Z2 with MDR-NC31EM headphones. We'll update you with the list when we have it. If you don't get it from one of those retailers, you'll just get basic headphones.
The camera is still the 20.7Mp whopper which is found on the Z1 with Sony's G Lens and Exmor RS sensor. It remains the highest resolution available on an Android handset but there are some new features, too.
The camera app is packed with features can record video in up to 4k resolution which can then be played back over via the MHL 3.0 supported microUSB port. The Xperia Z2 can capture this quality at 30fps while Full HD is double at 60fps.
Alongside the Superior Auto mode which ensures general shots look good (there's a manual mode too), there's a Background Defocus mode to give a DSLR style depth of focus effect. It doesn't allow you to refocus the shot like the HTC One M8 but works well in the right conditions. You get a few controls including a focus slider to edit the shot before you save it too.
It can also shoot 'Timeshift' slow motion at 120fps. As with other smartphones with this feature, you can edit which section of the video you want to be in slow motion. As well as Sony's other camera apps, such as Creative effects and Sweep Panorama, you can download third-party apps.
We always like to see a dedicated camera button and as usual, Sony hasn't let us down. You can use this side mounted key to launch the camera app when the phone is asleep, helping to avoid missing that moment. It's also two-stage so you can get your focus sorted before taking the snap.
Click to enlarge our test photo.
The fact the Xperia Z2 is waterproof (depths of over one meter for up to 30 minutes) means you can take some more unique underwater photos and videos – that's pretty cool.
The front camera has been given a small boost to 2.2Mp but still records video in up to 1080p at 30fps. Like any flagship smartphone, you can expect decent quality for your selfies and video calling.
As we should be finding with new smartphones, the Xperia Z2 comes pre-loaded with Android 4.4 KitKat. It still has Sony's user interface over the top which remains stylish but similar to previous versions. It's much lighter and close to stock Android than HTC's Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz.
The main change is that the drop down bar is now split into two tabs: notifications and quick settings, matching more vanilla devices like the Nexus 5. You can easily edit which quick settings you want access to and their order.
Annoyingly, Sony has changed the cool animated blind effect on the lock screen to a fairy dust type affair and you can't change it to anything else. It is made redundant if you use an unlock pattern, PIN, password or Face Unlock. There's also no option to add widgets to the lock screen or launch apps – apart from the camera.
Sony's keyboard isn't the best around but gets better as time goes on and it learns your style. You can always switch the free Google Keyboard or pay for ones like Swipe if it's not to your liking.
The firm also doubles up on some apps – Walkman, Album, Movies etc - but they're genuinely good so we don't mind that. There are quite a few pre-installed apps including Vine, Garmin Navigation, Pixlr Express and OfficeSuite. Luckily you can uninstall the ones you don't find useful.
We're always looking for improved battery life and although the Xperia Z2's battery is still non-removable, it's larger in capacity than the Xperia Z1. At 11.8Wh (3200mAh), it's larger than most smartphone batteries and it shows.
The battery life of the Sony Xperia Z2 is one of the best around at the moment. It can easily last a couple of days with regular use and that's without switching on Sony's excellent Stamina Mode. Alongside a typical battery saver, this conserves the battery level even more by disabling functions like Wi-Fi and mobile data when the screen is off.
There's no wireless charging on-board the Xperia Z2 but as we mentioned at the beginning, there are two metal contacts on the side for use with a docking station – such as the 'Magnetic Charging Dock DK36'.