diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 409ac506eb..2a394d2af0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ samples-and-tests/test-scala/tmp
 samples-and-tests/test-scala/logs
 samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/i-am-working-here
 samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/i-am-creating-jobs-here
+samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/i-am-testing-log-levels-here
 samples-and-tests/just-test-cases/attachments
 samples-and-tests/booking/logs
 samples-and-tests/booking/tmp
diff --git a/framework/src/play/Logger.java b/framework/src/play/Logger.java
index d5279e02c3..7073619e84 100644
--- a/framework/src/play/Logger.java
+++ b/framework/src/play/Logger.java
@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ public class Logger {
      */
     public static java.util.logging.Logger juli = java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger("play");
 
+    /**
+     * true if logger is configured manually (log4j-config file supplied by application)
+     */
+    public static boolean configuredManually = false;
+
     /**
      * Try to init stuff.
      */
@@ -63,6 +68,10 @@ public static void init() {
             shutUp.setProperty("log4j.rootLogger", "OFF");
             PropertyConfigurator.configure(shutUp);
         } else if (Logger.log4j == null) {
+
+            //we're configuring the Logger manually.
+            configuredManually = true;
+
             PropertyConfigurator.configure(log4jConf);
             Logger.log4j = org.apache.log4j.Logger.getLogger("play");
             // In test mode, append logs to test-result/application.log
diff --git a/framework/src/play/Play.java b/framework/src/play/Play.java
index d15370481f..e9d24e1bdb 100644
--- a/framework/src/play/Play.java
+++ b/framework/src/play/Play.java
@@ -206,7 +206,11 @@ public static void init(File root, String id) {
         // Configure logs
         Logger.init();
         String logLevel = configuration.getProperty("application.log", "INFO");
-        Logger.setUp(logLevel);
+
+        //only override log-level if Logger was not configured manually
+        if( !Logger.configuredManually) {
+            Logger.setUp(logLevel);
+        }
 
         Logger.info("Starting %s", root.getAbsolutePath());
 
@@ -415,7 +419,10 @@ public void run(){
 
             // Configure logs
             String logLevel = configuration.getProperty("application.log", "INFO");
-            Logger.setUp(logLevel);
+            //only override log-level if Logger was not configured manually
+            if( !Logger.configuredManually) {
+                Logger.setUp(logLevel);
+            }
 
             // Locales
             langs = new ArrayList<String>(Arrays.asList(configuration.getProperty("application.langs", "").split(",")));
diff --git a/samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/tests.py b/samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/tests.py
index 4f6bbf6fb9..8613175e1c 100755
--- a/samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/tests.py
+++ b/samples-and-tests/i-am-a-developer/tests.py
@@ -14,6 +14,95 @@
 # --- TESTS
 
 class IamADeveloper(unittest.TestCase):
+    
+    def testLogLevelsAndLog4jConfig(self):
+
+        # Testing job developing
+        step('Hello, I am testing loglevels')
+
+        self.working_directory = bootstrapWorkingDirectory('i-am-testing-log-levels-here')
+    
+        # play new job-app
+        step('Create a new project')
+    
+        self.play = callPlay(self, ['new', '%s/loglevelsapp' % self.working_directory, '--name=LOGLEVELSAPP'])
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'The new application will be created'))
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'OK, the application is created'))
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'Have fun!'))
+        self.play.wait()
+    
+        app = '%s/loglevelsapp' % self.working_directory
+            
+        #inserting some log-statements in our controller
+        insert(app, "app/controllers/Application.java", 13, '        Logger.debug("I am a debug message");')
+        insert(app, "app/controllers/Application.java", 14, '        Logger.info("I am an info message");')            
+    
+        # Run the newly created application
+        step('Run our logger-application')
+    
+        self.play = callPlay(self, ['run', app])
+        #wait for play to be ready
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'Listening for HTTP on port 9000'))
+    
+        step("Send request to trigger some logging")
+
+        browser = mechanize.Browser()
+        response = browser.open('http://localhost:9000/')
+
+    
+        step("check that only info log message is logged")
+        self.assert_(waitForWithFail(self.play, 'I am an info message', 'I am a debug message'))
+
+        step("stop play")
+        killPlay()
+        self.play.wait()
+
+        #now we're going to manually configure log4j to log debug messages
+        step('Writing log4j config file')
+        
+        create(app, 'conf/log4j.xml')
+        
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 1, '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 2, '<!DOCTYPE log4j:configuration SYSTEM "log4j.dtd">')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 3, '<log4j:configuration xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/">')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 4, '  <appender name="console" class="org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender">')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 5, '      <param name="Target" value="System.out"/>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 6, '      <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 7, '          <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%m%n"/>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 8, '      </layout>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 9, '  </appender>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 10, ' <logger name="play">')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 11, '     <level value="debug"/>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 12, ' </logger>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 13, ' <root>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 14, '     <priority value="info"/>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 15, '     <appender-ref ref="console"/>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 16, ' </root>')
+        insert(app, "conf/log4j.xml", 17, '</log4j:configuration>')
+        
+            
+        # Run the newly created application
+        step('re-run our logger-application')
+    
+        self.play = callPlay(self, ['run', app])
+        #wait for play to be ready
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'Listening for HTTP on port 9000'))
+    
+        step("Send request to trigger some logging")
+
+        browser = mechanize.Browser()
+        response = browser.open('http://localhost:9000/')
+
+    
+        step("check that both debug and info message is logged")
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'I am a debug message'))        
+        self.assert_(waitFor(self.play, 'I am an info message'))
+
+        step("stop play")
+        killPlay()
+        self.play.wait()
+    
+        step("done testing logging")
 
 
     def testCreateAndRunForJobProject(self):
@@ -563,7 +652,13 @@ def callPlay(self, args):
     play_process = subprocess.Popen(process_args,stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
     return play_process
 
+#returns true when pattern is seen
 def waitFor(process, pattern):
+    return waitForWithFail(process, pattern, "")
+    
+
+#returns true when pattern is seen, but false if failPattern is seen
+def waitForWithFail(process, pattern, failPattern):
     timer = threading.Timer(5, timeout, [process])
     timer.start()
     while True:
@@ -571,6 +666,9 @@ def waitFor(process, pattern):
         if line == '@KILLED':
             return False
         print line
+        if failPattern != "" and line.count(failPattern):
+            timer.cancel()
+            return False
         if line.count(pattern):
             timer.cancel()
             return True