brian_nelson5

<p>Well, when shopping at the camera store, one may not spend a lot of time with a camera either, and one could make a choice based on how it feels fairly quickly in that situation as well. Generally, first impressions can provide the most reliable information in making a decision, so I try to pay attention to them.<br>

I just know my thumb is not up to the job, and I'd be distracted and frustrated while shooting. Look, I play a stringed instrument, so I appreciate the value and limitations of practice. Sometimes, it makes permanent rather than perfect. <br>

I wasn't aware after reading various reviews how much time would be spent just turning the wheels on the shutter/aperture settings and how the focus ring has no stop/start points, or if it does, I never found them. I'd already read about the slow autofocus, and decided it wasn't going to be an issue for me. My observations are offered so that others can be aware of that aspect, as I was not. I hope they can be useful to someone.<br>

All this isn't meant to trash the EP-1, which is an intriguing device that I actually do hope will be successful enough to generate competition for this niche. I want one I can enjoy using.</p>

<p>My EP-1 with the 17mm lens came yesterday and since I planned to use it manually, I first checked out the physical handling of it, i.e. how the shutter speed, aperture, and focus adjustments are made.<br>

The lens, of course, does not have distance markings, which would be ok, but in addition, it does not appear to have stops at either the close or infinity settings, so there isn't really a workaround for that. Strike one.<br>

The aperture/shutter speed are adjusted using the drum-shaped device on the right corner of the body for one and the small wheel on the surface of the back. These would also be acceptable if a lot of time-consuming thumbing were not required to change the settings. <br>

The same criticism applies to the awkward Program shutter/aperture combinations.<br>

The time to make these adjustments is significantly longer than those required to do the same things on my 1950's-era Rolleiflex, which also relies on the thumb, only with the Rollei you can use both of them at once and with a whole lot less thumbing. On the focus adjustment, the Rollei is practically instantaneous, gives you a distance guide, and most miraculously, supplies the most ingenious DOF indicator I have ever seen. What happens with that is a white line expands and contracts along the focus guide as the aperture is adjusted, corresponding to the close and far DOF limits.<br>

I think, however, that existing technology exists to make these adjustments using touch-screens like the ones so popular on the new telephones, which would do what a Rollei can do, plus a whole lot more, I would imagine.<br>

Since for me the primary consideration is to control the focus, shutter and aperture easily and rapidly, I don't recommend the EP-1 unless other things are more important to a particular user/s.<br>

I don't have other lenses to put on the camera, and it is not clear to me how these shortcomings might be overcome that way.<br>

That said, there are likable features, but they are not in the handling category.<br>

So be sure that you get one in your hands before taking the plunge. I'm sending mine back, and for the time being, I'll hang onto the old G7 until it finally breaks after dropping it again. They don't call it a brick for no reason.</p>

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<p>I have put in an order for the E-P1 as Michael has it configured and although I don't know if my way of shooting is stream-of-consciousness (I like the idea), it has occurred to me that maybe I ought to have considered whether or not this camera enables B&W live view as well as color. I'd assumed it does without having held the camera or inquired about it.<br>

The reason is that I like to print in B&W, using film, and my experience with my old Canon G7 is that using the camera to see in shades of grey, and to see the results of an exposure instantly in that mode has been very useful to me for that purpose. Maybe that is a form of improvisational use, or maybe it's something else, but either way, it's essential to how I would use the E-P1.<br>

Any further observations regarding how you (or anyone) find(s) this particular camera enhances vision?</p>

<p>I have some questions about your experience with the EP-1.<br>

RE your photos, have you printed yet, and do you like the results?<br>

If you are focusing manually, does the light metering correspond the magnified focus area (by decreasing the area being metered)? <br>

Is there a digital "zoom" function that could narrow the coverage for the metering as well? <br>

do you think this might, in effect, make the camera useful as a spot meter, possibly even to an extent with the 17mm pancake?<br>

Oh, last but not least, have you taken long exposures yet? If so, how is the noise, and is there a way to handle it?</p>

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<p>Amongst the compacts available now, is the EP-1 the only one with a bulb setting? <br>

My primary purpose in upgrading from my Canon G7 is to have the ability to help determine the proper exposure for night shooting with my film camera (Rollei TLR), as well as to take notes, and I want the gear to fit into the same compact bag. I have had some success using the G7, set to ISO 1600 at maximum aperture for 15 seconds, to simulate what f/8 at 8 minutes at ISO 100 produces (Acros 100). That may not be an accurate computation, but it's what I came up with. And doing this sort of arithmetic for each exposure somewhat detracts from my enjoyment of the night experience, and of course results in awful images. (Though the film results weren't too far off.)<br>

Any compact would do however, if it had bulb. All DSLRs are too big for me.</p>