Backups and archiving are hardly the sexiest subjects in the world as we have said before. However if you have ever lost data then you will know how important it is to have a proper backup plan in place. Patrick Southern shares his thoughts and strategies for making sure nothing gets lost.
Punknews is excited to premiere a new video from UK rock/punk act Strange Planes. The song, "Darkness Here," comes off of the band's debut LP South of OK, which is due out October 31st on Bad Horror Recordings. Upbeat and melodic, the slightly poppy catchiness of the music and the quirkiness of the video belies the darker nature of the song itself. Guitarist/vocalist Ellis Slater discusses the origins of the track, and why the video is a lot more light-hearted:
Nobody buys a house without researching the neighborhood and inspecting the foundation, plumbing, and electrical. Yet many people drop serious money on a sofa without understanding what goes into a well-made piece of upholstered furniture. It’s a leap of faith that often leads to buyer’s remorse and one too many “for sale – hardly used” Craigslist postings.
The quality of the frame, suspension, cushioning, and upholstery are what separate a sofa that will last 10 to 20 years from one that will start to wobble or look dingy after only a few. To understand what distinguishes quality components from inferior ones I toured BSC Furniture sofa factory with owner Joshua Siegel, the manufacturer that at the time was making BenchMade Modern’s line of upholstered seating (the two companies have since parted ways), followed by a visit to Modernica’s facilities in Los Angeles guided by Jay Novak, co-owner and president of the modernist furniture manufacturer. In 2017, Wirecutter senior editor Christine Cyr Clisset toured the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams factory, based in Taylorsville, North Carolina.
These tours, in addition to more than 80 hours we’ve spent researching for our sofa buying guide and coverage of the best online sofas, helped us understand the difference between an average-priced sofa (say, under $1,000) and a more splurge-worthy equivalent.
Everything begins with the frame. It’s an assertion we heard several times over when we asked experts and retailers where to begin when searching for a sofa designed to be used daily and to hopefully last for years. The type of wood used for the frame and how each piece is joined not only determines a sofa’s durability, but will also be reflected in its cost.
If a sofa wiggles in the showroom, it will undoubtedly exhibit the same structural issues over time in your home, and MDF is prone to give up the ghost quicker.
Slower-growing, denser hardwoods like alder, poplar, maple, teak, and walnut are more expensive, but are generally considered more suitable for durable furniture, and will typically outlast faster-growing and economical softwoods like pine and Douglas fir, doing a better job of holding staples, nails, glue, and joinery in place. (“Hard” and “soft” have nothing to do with the hardness of the wood, simply distinguishing coniferous evergreens (soft)from deciduous (hard) trees [PDF].)
Jay Novak, co-owner and president of Modernica, implores buyers to avoid any furniture constructed with MDF (medium-density fiberboard). “You’re not buying something designed to last, but renting disposable furniture that will fall apart in a year or two.” If a sofa wiggles in the showroom, it will undoubtedly exhibit the same structural issues over time in your home, and MDF is prone to give up the ghost quicker because the glued wood fibers don’t hold screws or staples like a dense wood does. Novak recommends frames built with engineered, furniture-grade plywood (“grade A”) as a stronger and more beautiful option to MDF.
Manufacturers commonly market their sofas with terms like “kiln-dried hardwood” and “FSC Certified”—a designation for wood sourced from responsibly managed forests. But Joshua Siegel of BSC Furniture told us that practically all commercial wood furniture made domestically uses kiln-dried lumber: “Kiln-drying is standard procedure done to remove all moisture to avoid the wood from warping … I can’t name a single company that doesn’t use kiln-dried wood,” said Siegel. “Same goes for FSC Certified wood and low VOC. They’re just buzzwords. Above a certain price range we’re all making FSC Certified sourced, low VOC, kiln-dried sofas.”
The strongest and most expensive frames are constructed using the labor-intensive and traditional technique of mortise-and-tenon joinery, connecting pieces of wood with precisely routed tabs (tenons) that fit into holes (mortises). Only the best and more expensive sofas (like those from Modernica) are made this way and you’ll hardly ever find a mortise-and-tenon-constructed sofa for under $2,000.
I can’t name a single company that doesn’t use kiln-dried wood. Same goes for FSC Certified wood and low VOC. They’re just buzzwords.”
—Joshua Siegel, owner of BSC Furniture
More likely you’ll find mid-priced sofas constructed using a combination of glue, screws, dowels, and staples with the addition of corner blocks and extra pieces of wood screwed into place as an insurance policy against wobbling. Siegel recommends that you look for 1¾-inch staples for structural reinforcement, though warns that too many staples can be a sign of shoddy craftsmanship, weakening the strength of the frame by damaging the wood. Even skilled salespeople may not know the type of staples used in a particular sofa, though, and manufacturers may not reveal these specifics.
If the wood frame is the skeleton of a sofa, the springs stretched across it operate as the seat’s tendons and ligaments, weathering structural stress and preventing the cushions from flattening. Cushions may give a sofa shape, but it’s actually the springs that primarily determine its comfort.
Sinuous springs are the most common suspension system in mid-tier sofas. They’re made with heavy-gauge steel wires bent into a continuous line of vertical S-shaped coils. Horizontal metal tie rods reinforce the coils, inhibiting shifting and sagging, and are secured to the frame using padded clips and fasteners. I’ve personally owned two sofas for 14 years with a sinuous-springs system, and neither have shown any signs of sag or wear. They hit the sweet spot within the Venn diagram of comfort, affordability, and lasting durability.
Traditionalists extol the virtues of eight-way hand-tied springs. The time-consuming technique requires a furniture maker to strap and hand-knot individual hourglass-shaped coils with cord across the seat’s frame. When installed properly the hourglass springs supposedly ward off sagging and squeaking. But Alicia Engman, principal designer and owner of custom furniture maker Hammer & Heels, said eight-way springs are “overrated,” citing that they’re outdated and expensive to repair.
Cushions may give a sofa shape, but it’s actually the springs that primarily determine its comfort.
If eight-way hand-tied spring suspension is the equivalent of a finely prepared eight-course meal, drop-in and pocket-coil spring suspensions would both rate as microwave dinners: quick, cheap, and ultimately inferior. Drop-in coils install as a single self-contained grid of springs, and they tend to squeak due to the metal-on-metal configuration. Pocket coils, which look identical to those that go into innerspring mattresses, can deform over time because they don’t distribute weight as evenly, leaving an indentation in the seat.
When inspecting a spring-based sofa, listen for squeaks and creaks while sitting and shifting on the outside edges and corners of the sofa. Anything audible may indicate an improperly installed or loose spring.
Some mid-tier sofas use supports of polypropylene webbing, similar to outdoor gear straps. (You’ll also find this style of support in vintage mid-century seats, which commonly use Pirelli webbing made of rubber and cord.) Representatives at luxury furniture brand Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and Hammer & Heels’s Alicia Engman claim poly webbing is as strong and comfortable as any other option available.
When sitting on a spring-based sofa, listen for squeaks and creaks. Anything audible may indicate an improperly installed or loose spring.
“This stuff is literally seatbelt material. You trust them to keep you from flying from a vehicle, so it will have no problem keeping you 18″ from the ground,” said Engman. “Polypropylene webbing is installed as bands that cross the seat and back. These are then attached to the frame to make a platform for the cushions. Make sure the webbing is attached to the frame using clips, not staples.” Webbing also doesn’t ever squeak.
Webbing offers a more affordable and lighter-weight option to spring-based suspension systems, but you’ll be trading away the comfortable bounce that springs and coils offer. Some furniture upholsterers reject claims that any webbing is on a par with properly installed eight-way hand-tied springs in the durability department, citing the “price and skill” associated with its use. Webbing may work fine across a dining chair or armchair, but stretched across the expanse of a sofa frame, the straps may not be as durable as a sinuous-coil setup. It’s probably best to purchase this style of sofa only from a manufacturer with a warranty that covers the webbing.
Beyond aesthetics, the subjective nature of cushions invites the widest (and most passionate) range of opinions when it comes to sofas. Some people love sinking into the upholstered embrace of a cushy-soft couch, others prefer a sofa with a firm feel and resilient shape. Identifying your preference will determine which of the following four cushion options you should consider:
Poly-wrapped foam: The majority of sofas manufactured today feature seat and back cushioning filled with layers of high-resiliency foam, a high-response material characterized by an open-cell structure, resulting in a supportive feel that dependably retains its shape over time (in contrast, a slow-response material like memory foam contours and deforms with use). A polyester wrap and a tight-weave down-proof ticking surround the foam center, resulting in a low-maintenance cushion that does not require fluffing.
Goose/duck down: You’ll find this naturally soft filling inside some of the most expensive sofas, filled either with 100 percent down (plush) or a down-blend encasing a foam core (slightly firmer) with a layer of down-proof ticking. Hammer & Heels’s Engman warns to check the down-to-feather ratio, so that you’re not paying for down when you’re getting mostly feathers, and recommends looking for cushions with channelled envelopes to keep down filling evenly dispersed. Even with sewn-in baffling, you’ll definitely need to rotate, flip, and fluff down-filled cushions regularly, as down has a tendency to flatten and clump with use. Just like a down bed pillow, 100 percent down will deform faster and require more fluffing. A 50-50 blend will likely be a little firmer and more affordable. Anyone allergic to feathers should avoid this option completely.
Innerspring core: This style of cushion is built directly into the frame—so the cushions aren’t removable. Individually pocketed coils wrapped in a layer of foam give this style of cushion more bounce to the ounce in comparison with any of the other options. Like an innerspring mattress, a sofa cushion’s durability is determined by the gauge of steel and how well it is attached to the frame. Be sure to listen for any immediate audible squeaks while seated; feel for any uncomfortable pressure points where the springs are misaligned.
Memory foam: The high density of memory foam ensures durability, but not everyone will like its form-fitting properties. It’s primarily found as a layer for sleeper sofas.
Lastly, in regard to foam used within sofa cushioning, Joshua Siegel of BSC Furniture mentioned that customers often mistakenly associate firmer with longer-lasting cushioning. “The firmness of a couch’s cushion does not reflect durability. But the density of the foam does correlate to the quality and longevity of a product.”
Never judge a book by its cover, and never pick a sofa solely by its fabric. That said, upholstery truly matters, as it’s what you’ll see and feel for years after purchase. If maintained with care, certain high-performance fabrics can last for over a decade. Both natural fibers and synthetics offer varying degrees of durability, with natural fibers generally revealing a richer depth of color, and synthetics exhibiting a smoother feel.
Some furniture retailers may advertise a Martindale or Wyzenbeek abrasion-test rub count, which should help indicate a fabric’s durability. Furniture manufacturers in the US tend to use the Wyzenbeek score, while European manufacturers tend to use the Martindale score. “Rub count is important, and I recommend high performance fabrics rated for at least 50,000 [Martindale] rub count as standard, 80,000 rubs as premium, and anything over 100,000 is considered high performance,” advised Svenja Diekmann, lead designer at Stockholm-based furniture manufacturer Hem.
Both synthetic and natural fabrics can pill, but higher-quality textiles with longer filaments and tighter weaves will pill less. Modernica’s Jay Novak pointed out that natural-fiber fabrics tend to pill more at first, but eventually shed their loose fibers to become smoother and softer with time and use. Manmade fibers will show pilling longer and more evidently, but neither is considered abnormal or a defect. Fabric mills test for pilling, using a five-grade scale. According to Natalie Quinn, upholstery merchandise manager at Room & Board, a score of 2 or less means that the fabric will likely have pilling issues. The score doesn’t usually make it into catalogues or onto websites, so you’ll have to ask the retailer about the number. If you do see pilling, you can use a pill shaver or even a sharp manual razor (gently) to remove excess fibers to smooth out worries about upholstery.
A fabric’s thread count, weave tightness, colorfastness, and stain resistance aren’t always readily available, but any legitimate sofa retailer can offer a spec sheet with some, if not all, of its fabrics’ performance characteristics. Anyone concerned about harmful VOCs should consider furniture built or sold in California, because every upholstered product must meet the stringent California Air Resources Board’s standards.
Years ago I made the mistake of purchasing a sofa outfitted with low, metal hairpin legs. They looked great in the showroom, which had impervious sealed cement floors. But they left my apartment’s original oak floors scraped like a 5-year-old’s knee after a skateboarding mishap. I was eventually forced to purchase carpet tiles to prevent further damage. Considering the material, diameter/surface area, and shape of sofa legs in relation to flooring ahead of purchase will prevent experiencing a similar “oh no” moment.
Sofa legs and feet are mostly made of wood, offering an opportunity to inspect a sofa manufacturer’s eye for grain and finish consistency. Check for uniformity in height and if the stain finish matches between feet and frame, and inspect each piece to confirm that it is securely fastened by getting down to the ground and giving each piece a pull, wiggle, and twist. Also ask if there are any uninstalled feet available for closer inspection. Avoid sofas with legs attached directly into the frame with screws—they’re susceptible to loosening over time under the duress of shifting bodies. Instead, look for legs and feet attached using thick threaded hanger bolts secured with T-nuts, which you can easily adjust or replace.
After 40 hours of research and testing seven sofas from online companies, we recommend BenchMade Modern for its quality construction and good customer service.
A sofa is a big purchase that you’ll use for years. We’ll walk you through how to pick one to suit your style and seating habits, and recommend brands we like.
A smartphone concept with bendable display from Samsung
"You can use most of the uses ... on foldable status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?"Rumors suggest that the device Samsung is working on does not include a hinge and will instead be one single screen that is able to fold in half.
"So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) 'wow, this is the reason Samsung made it'."
Foldable phones are coming! 👏
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) September 4, 2018
This is BOE foldable display demo (5.99" FHD+) pic.twitter.com/abPxWBCe2y
LG's foldable display concept
William Vernell “Willie” Wood Sr. played safety for the Green Bay Packers for 12 seasons, from 1960-1971. If teams had known Wood would end up in the NFL Hall of Fame, doubtless all of them would have selected him at their earliest opportunity – in the first round of the draft. None did. In fact, […]
Green Bay Packers in the Hall of Fame: Willie Wood - Lombardi Ave - Lombardi Ave - A Green Bay Packers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
UK's Eat Defeat have released a lyric video for their song "A Little Less than OK." The track comes off of the band's upcoming album I Think We'll Be OK, due out August 3rd on Bearded Punk Records. The album follows up their 2016 EP Time and Tide. Eat Defeat will also be on tour this summer throughout the UK. You can check out those dates, and the lyric video, below.< i>
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Fujifilm has released a major firmware update for the Fuji X-T2 that may make it even harder for owners of that camera to justify the jump to the newly-released Fuji X-H1. As we mentioned in our review—and as Chris and Jordan pointed out in Episode 2 of DPRTV—the price of the X-H1 makes it a tough sell to owners of the X-T2 who have been looking to upgrade. And now, with Firmware Version 4.0, those users may not want to upgrade anymore anyhow.
Version 4.0 replaces version 3.0 (imagine that), and adds nine new features in all. Some of the video highlights include the ability to record 4:2:0 F-log directly to the SD card, and the addition of a 1080p 120fps slow motion mode. There are also major improvements to the Phase Detect AF algorithm, with the low-light limit dropping from +0.5EV to -1.0EV, the maximum aperture increasing from F8 to F11, and "major improvements" in AF-C performance while operating zoom. Finally, a focus bracketing feature has been added that lets you bracketing up to 999 frames in intervals of focus shift between 1 and 10.
There's no word on whether the X-T2 gains the improved video processing of the X-H1 (it doesn't gain 200Mbps capture), but this is one of the things we'll be checking when we re-assess the X-T2 review in the coming weeks.
To learn more about this update or download it for yourself (and if you own an X-T2, you definitely need to download it ASAP), read the release notes below and then pay Fuji's support website a visit.
Release Notes:
The firmware update Ver.4.00 from Ver.3.00 incorporates the following issues:
We're excited to premiere a new video today from London, Ontario's Single Mothers for the song "Well Wisher," which comes from their sophomore album Our Pleasure. The record was released last June on Dine Alone Records in North America and Big Scary Monsters overseas. The new video was put together by Justis Krar (Single Mothers, Ancient Shapes, SIDEMAN, ex. TV Freaks) through his video production outfit IMMV Productions. Single Mothers, along with The Dirty Nil will be opening for the classic reunited Canadian punk group Slow on this Wednesday, May 9 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, a co-presentation from Canadian Music Week and Exclaim Magazine.
Samsung's new Galaxy S9 and S9+ impress with their incredible slow motion camera capabilities and 12MP sensor.
Legendary Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife has announced they are releasing a live album titled Alive! In Osaka. The album will be released May 4 on Good Charamel Records. Their most recent release was the 2016 LP Adventure. The band will also be touring the UK. See list of tour dates below.
We spoke to Barrett Sallee of CBSSports.com to gather more insight about potential Green Bay Packers first-round draft target, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith’s career in Athens, Georgia began in 2015 after being a four-star prospect and the second best outside linebacker in the nation, according to ESPN. His freshman year was very quiet, only recording […]
Packers 2018 draft prospect profile: Georgia LB Roquan Smith - Lombardi Ave - Lombardi Ave - A Green Bay Packers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
Microbial communities in urban streams are developing resistance to drugs as a result of pharmaceutical pollution.
Predictions for all four games in the NFL wild-card round. Not often do we reach the wild-card round with no Green Bay Packers football to look forward to. They’ve ensured this week has been entertaining with a number of big moves, though, including the departure of Dom Capers and the new role for Ted Thompson. […]
NFL picks wild-card round: Predictions for every game - Lombardi Ave - Lombardi Ave - A Green Bay Packers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
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| This may not be your favorite photo from August, 2017, but it's mine. A scene in which five Richard Butlers debate the merits of five Fujifilm X100's in a conference room. |
We were really busy in August. Not only were there important announcements, but it was also nearing the end of the sunny season in Seattle - and even that late into the summer, we were out taking photos all the time, from sunup (around 6am) to sundown (around 9pm).
Without a doubt, the announcement of the month was Nikon's D850. With 45.7 million pixels, revamped ergonomics, really good 4K video and up to 9fps burst speeds with the battery grip, the D850 is an astoundingly good camera. Yes, it's big. But so is its full-frame sensor. If you like an optical viewfinder, it really is the camera to own for just about any type of photography.
On the opposite end of the size spectrum, Sandisk introduced a MicroSD card with 400GB of capacity – never has it been so easy to lose so many photos at once between the couch cushions. Nonetheless, the 100MB/s speed is solid, and the card gives suitably equipped smartphone users a valuable option for maximizing their phone's storage capacity.
Sony's Cyber-shot RX0 large-sensor action camera cruised onto the market, and we got our hands on Ricoh's new Theta V. Olympus brought out the OM-D E-M10 Mark III, which we were big fans of for its combination of beginner-friendly guides, as well as enthusiast-friendly ergonomics. Canon had a good month as well, releasing the Gold-winning EOS M100 and a new stabilized EF 85mm F1.4L lens.
And, just in case you've missed it, Richard penned an opinion piece on how marketing isn't a dirty word, which is the excuse reason for the image at the top of the page.
After watching this video ourselves, we still don't agree on which of these cameras is the best. What do you think?
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| This is highly un-recommended. |
This year included a total solar eclipse visible across parts of the USA, unfortunately not including Seattle. We did, however, get a partial eclipse, and we took plenty of photos of both the sun and the strange things that those around us were also doing.
Click here to see our Eclipse coverage
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Olympus really impressed us with the OM-D E-M10 III. This is an entry-level camera with a reasonable price, super-stable 4K video, great image quality, and tons of controls. It's a great option for beginners and advanced users alike.
Check out our launch coverage of the E - M10 III
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To mark World Photo Day in August we wanted to show off some of our favorite images. |
If you’re looking for a bike for your daily commute and your weekend exercise, a fitness hybrid may be the right choice. We spent 40 hours sifting through nearly 50 options, test-rode more than a dozen bikes, and concluded that the Marin Fairfax 1 is the best hybrid for most people. It provides a stable, comfortable ride on city streets, yet it’s light and agile, and an excellent value.
"Our position remains that we have seen no material change to our ongoing relationship with Apple Inc," Chief Executive Jalal Bagherli told investors on a conference call.A report last week claiming Apple would design its own power management chips as early as 2018 came as a serious blow for Dialog, which exclusively designs the current main power management chip for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models. Apple reportedly accounted for nearly three quarters of Dialog Semiconductor's revenue in 2016.
However, the company acknowledged for the first time that "Apple has the resources and capability to internally design a PMIC and could potentially do so in the next few years".
Bagherli said Apple's feedback so far on 2019 product plans had been "very good" and that he expected to have more clarity by March on the terms of new business from Apple for 2019. Dialog would update investors when it had more details, he said.Dialog emphasized that it had no reason to believe its 2018 business with Apple would be affected if Apple chose to design its own chips, but acknowledged that it would need to meet the company's "technology, quality, price, and volume expectations" if it wanted to remain a key supplier.
Semiconductor suppliers are typically barred by Apple from revealing their supply relationships. Dialog, which has previously declined to name Apple, referring to it only obliquely as its "largest customer" or its "main business", said it had received a special dispensation from Apple to mention it.
Meet the Leica CL, an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera with a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor. It uses Leica L mount and sits alongside the Leica TL2. The CL differs from the TL2 by offering an electronic viewfinder and a traditional control layout. Find out what else it's got going for it in our 90 second 'First look' video.
Our first-ever grocery product launched today in Manhattan, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The launch of Fresh— a new category that curates high quality groceries and ingredients, is rolling out the same day as our brand new app design. This means customers can now get pesto, paper towels, LaCroix, Halo Top, Kombucha, free range chicken, prosciutto, salmon filet, organic apples, avocados — and pretty much all the essentials they need, in minutes.Postmates said that the goal of Fresh is to make "locally grown groceries more accessible," leading to the partnership with Farmstead in San Francisco, East Village Farm in New York City, and Urban Radish in Downtown Los Angeles. As the service expands to more markets, Postmates will look for more direct-to-consumer grocers who source from organic farms with the "highest-quality products" to integrate new partners into Postmates Fresh.
Today, Punknews is thrilled to debut the new tune by Dead Ending! In case you don't know, Dead Ending is the heavy duty punk combo featuring Vic Bondi, front-man of the legendary Chicago punk band Articles of Faith, Derek Grant, drummer of Alkaline Trio and newest recruit, and Nathan Voorhees (Ensign, Vision). The band is gearing up to release their new LP, Shoot the Messenger out November 17 via Alternative Tentacles. "Bring on the Mob" is a RIPPER. In a mere 97 seconds, the band kicks in the door with a classic hardcore riff on for Vic Bondi to start howling in his ragged, fractured voice. Surprisingly, on the second half, the snaps into a huge, post-punk texture before breaking back into their stormin attack for the grand finale! Whew! On top of that, the band will be having a record listening party on November 17 at Kuma's Corner in Chi-town at 7pm. The restaurant will be serving an exclusive, one-time only Dead Ending Burger which is described as: "Bloody Mary" Tomato-Vodka Sauce, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese Crumbles, Green Olive-Sweet Pickle Relish, Parmesan Crisp, Fresh Dill. They'll also have giveaways and other cool stuff! You can Pre-order Shoot the Messenger right here! Meanwhile, check out the new tune, and the Dead Ending Burg, below, right now!
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The TL2 is the third camera in Leica's APS-C 'T' lineup, and while externally very similar, it introduces some significant refinements compared to its predecessors. We've been using a pre-production sample for a little while, and in this article I'll be boiling down what you need to know about Leica's newest, shiniest, most chamfered camera.
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Quite literally, in fact. Or perhaps we should say fewer sharp edges. Milled from solid blocks of aluminum, the original T and TL were beautiful cameras, but depending on the size of your hands, their sharp corners could make them uncomfortable to hold over long periods of time. This was especially true for anyone with soft, delicate, un-calloused hands that have never seen an honest day's work. Like mine.
Well - good news, fellow arts graduates. The TL2 features chamfered edges, making it considerably more comfortable to use, especially if you're shooting one-handed while cradling a grande soymilk frappemocha latte with the other.
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It's not often that we feel the need to write about a camera's strap lugs, but we'll make an exception for the lugs on the T-series. Should you opt to spoil the fine, chamfered lines of the TL2 by adding such a pedestrian, hässlich object as a strap, you'll need to pop out (and try not to immediately lose) two tiny plugs on the camera's shoulders, using an included tool. If you lose the tool, I've eyeballed it, and a paperclip would probably do the job (I promise not to tell Leica).
The headphone jack-style attachments for the included silicone rubber strap then click neatly into the two tiny, precision-drilled, non-chamfered holes.
If this all sounds a bit involved and over-designed, that's because arguably it is. The journey is its own reward.
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One of the most substantial updates to the TL2 is its sensor. The jump from 16MP to 24MP is significant in terms of resolution and overall image quality, which is at least a generation better than its predecessors.
A new processor (the same generation, we're told, as the Maestro II processor in the M10) allows for an impressively fast maximum frame-rate of 20fps in electronic shutter mode. This drops to 7fps with the mechanical shutter.
Disappointing, despite the new processor, the TL2 cannot take full advantage of the extra data bandwidth available from today's high-performance UHS-II SD cards.
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The TL2's 49-point AF system is faster and more precise than the system on the T (Leica claims it's 3x faster, which seems about right, although it's still rather lens-dependent) but it still uses the same contrast-detection technology.
As such, while it's no slouch - and perfectly accurate for most day to day shooting - it isn't going to compete with phase-detection systems when it comes to tracking.
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Another area where the new processor's ability to handle lots of data becomes useful is video. The TL2 can now offer 4K video, in addition to 1080 and 720p capture and a 'Slomo' mode (720p at 120fps). Video recording is initiated via the small unlabeled button on the camera's top-plate.
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The TL2's CIPA quoted battery life has dropped considerably compared to the T, from around 400 shots to about 250. This dramatic on-paper decrease is caused by a combination of factors, including the more powerful processor, the addition of an electronic shutter mode, and 4K video. In an effort to keep the camera's form factor consistent with its predecessors, Leica tells us there was no room for a bigger battery.
All this being said, CIPA figures rarely represent normal use for stills-focused photographers. We suspect that unless you're shooting a lot of video or using WiFi heavily, actual battery life will be higher (but probably still not up to DSLR levels).
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The TL2's touch-focused interface still takes a bit of getting used to (for example, by default, to look through your images you have to swipe down on the rear screen to enter image review mode) but the menu system, at least, is much more logical on the TL2 than on the original T.
The icon-based menu has been reorganized so that everything is categorized into one of nine sub-sections, keeping similar functions grouped together.
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While the 3.7 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio touch-sensitive screen on the rear of the TL2 offers the same 1.23 million dot resolution as its predecessors, Leica claims that it is now eight times more responsive.
We don't have a way of measuring that precisely, but compared to the original T, the TL2 is obviously improved. Navigating through images in review mode is no longer the laggy and frustrating experience that it was, and actions like double-tapping to zoom are much snappier.
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The Leica T was released in 2014, but boasted startup times more typical of cameras from at least a decade earlier. The TL2, with its beefed-up processor is much better. We're measuring off-to-on startup times of slightly less than 1 second. Thank you, Maestro.
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As if the styling wasn't enough of a clue, Leica is going full Jonny Ive in the TL2, by introducing a USB 3.0 C-type I/O port for data transfer and charging. Like the iPhone 7, there's no headphone jack, either.
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If you're careless enough to let your new Leica get dusty, you don't deserve features like automatic sensor cleaning! Move to the next slide!
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Users of the original T and TL didn't use their pop-up flashes much, apparently, so Leica deleted this feature in the TL2. Presumably this freed up some space inside the body for all those extra pixels, and we happen to think it makes the top of the TL2 look cleaner, too. An external flash can always be added to the hotshoe if required - that is, unless you're shooting with...
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...the optional external EVF. The TL2 is compatible with the same tiltable Visoflex (Typ 020) viewfinder as the T and TL (and also the M10), which offers 2.36M dot resolution and a built-in GPS. We find the viewfinder to be especially useful in bright conditions, where the TL2's 'all screen, all the time' user interface can otherwise be a limitation. It's not cheap though - you'll need to budget an extra $575.
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The TL2 offers a grand total of two buttons, one of which is the shutter release. The other button (just next to it) is now customizable, albeit barely. By default it initiates movie recording, but it can also be used to manually switch between the EVF (if attached) and rear screen, or to activate image review.
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The Leica TL2 is a modern mirrorless camera with a short flange-back distance, and unlike the original T (with original FW), it allows for exposures to be taken without a native lens attached. M-mount lenses can be attached via Leica's own M-Adapter T (shown here on a T), and third-party lenses can be mounted with an appropriate third-party adapter.
Good news, prospective TL2 buyers - finally a camera to go with your collection of old Pentax screw-mount primes!
Read our detailed first-impressions review of the Leica TL2
What do you think of the Leica TL2? Let us know in the comments.
