I have posted a few questions and aired some complaints about my E-PM1 and several people on this site have been very patient and helpful. I've been home sick the past two days, and feel pretty yucky right now, but the time at home has given me a chance to read some of the manual and play with some settings.

This afternoon I went out in the front yard to take a few test shots. I was pleased with a couple of them and thought I'd share them to let you guys see that I am getting some benefit from your help. Now, these aren't the first good shots I've gotten out of the camera, and they truly aren't anything special, but they are encouraging to me.

Now to decide what lens to buy next.

Remember, these are nothing special, just trying to find something to shoot.






And one from last night testing out higher ISO. I believe this is ISO 1600.

Welcome to the gear acquisition syndrome we all suffer from. What to buy next. If I had a dollar for everytime I asked myself that I would save the money, keep asking myself the question and buy more gear.

I assume you are using the kit zoom. A prime lens would be next on the list for you. I can recall the first shots I took with the Oly 45mm and comparing them to the Oly 17mm F/2.8. The difference in sharpness was unbelievable from the same camera body.

The 12MP sensor in the EPM1 can deliver great results and can benefit sifnificantly from better glass, but fantastic results can be created using the kit zoom also.

Other options to consider on your GAS quest is:

A VF2 or 3 for better composition of shots,

A flash with FP sync modes for outdoor day use, or

Shoot in RAW and use PP software such as LR4. If you use the hue light profiles for the EPM1 via LR, shoot in RAW even with the kit zoom you will see a significant difference in quality of your results.

By shooting in RAW you will be able to recover blown highlights that is sometimes an issue with the 12MP sensor. The hue light profiles will give the RAW files a boost in color similar to the JPG look, but the benefit is the added flexibility of still being able to manipulate the RAW file.

By taking the LR road and shooting in RAW you will start to learn the real abilities of the EPM1. Even with the kit zoom, great results can be created. With final tweaking in PP the results are high quality.

The lumix 14 2.5 is also really popular and can be had used at a good price.

I also have the epm1 with standard zoom. The only other glass I have is adapted fd lenses. I'm thinking the 14mm is next for me - it is cheap and people love it to death. If I had the money, the answer would absolutely be the 25/1.4, but I don't even have the cash for the 14, so it's out of the question.

Those are actually good shots. The framing is already good, too. Good luck trying to decide which lens to get. There are so many great choices out there for the m4/3 system.

Looks like you're getting a handle on that camera - very nice!

__________________
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"A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words." Ansel Adams

I am home sick again today (the third work day in a row now, I'm gonna get lazy if I don't get well) and I finally had the time and energy to look at some of Ned's suggested settings on the camera. Wow, is all I can say. I would have NEVER figured out those settings on my own. I guess I have had my 20D set up the way I want it for years and haven't delved into customizing the setting or even knowing what could be customized on the miniPen. Well, Ned, if you read this, although I don't know you, I have placed a certain amount of trust in your recommendations and changed the settings the way you advised. I figure if I don't like them, I should be able to reset them (I think) back to what they were.

Anyway, thanks to all of you again.

Have you noticed a significant improvement after the changes?

I haven't done enough shooting to give a definitive answer. I can say that initially I like turning off the warming very much.

I am not so sure about turning off noise reduction. I shot a few shots with it off inside at ISO 1600 and the noise was much more evident on screen. I haven't printed anything yet.

Let me add a caveat by saying I have been shooting JPEG. I usually shoot JPEG because I am usually take a lot of photos and don't have time to spend hours in post processing. I went through a phase of shooting everything in RAW, and found that sometimes I did do a better job tweaking an image than the from camera JPEG did, but on the whole it wasn't worth it. The one exception was shooting sports in HS auditoriums where WB was never good on my 20D.

So, I'm guessing Ned recommended turning off NR in camera and dealing with it in PP, which I am sure he is correct on. But if I am shooting JPEG I may decide to leave NR on for ISO 1600 as I found the noise objectionable.

I also was able to switch focus to the record button, but I like it less that way on the E-PM1 than I do on my 20D. I think it has to do with the way I hold the camera. I have left it like that for now, but I'm not sure I'll keep it that way. I wasn't having a hard time doing a half press for focus.

Oh, and turning on the SCP or whatever it is called was enlightening. I'm not sure what it isn't turned on as default. Now I have to relearn everything, but I can already tell I like it better.

I still can't figure out how, if it is even possible, to make my focus box smaller, though.