Obviously, based on some of the threads I have started, I'm clueless.

I have been a hobbyist for several years and my first major camera purchase came with the canon rebel xti. I liked the camera. Never strayed away from the kit lens and came up with a couple published photos and a few that are hanging in a new hospital nearby.

I never really paid much attention to much of the detail in my pictures as I do now.

Now I have an EPM1 and EPL1 and I can't seem to get that crispness I was getting with the xti. Granted, I am really looking more closely now and being pickier. I am mainly using the oly45mm and panny 14mm.

I can get great sharpness if I zoom/manual focus, but I don't always have the time to do that. My fiance complains I take too long to snap portraits of her because I am zooming and manually focusing.

I have debated on going back to dslr hoping for better results, but I have a feeling a large part of my issue is user error. Or maybe it's not.

Anyone have some advice to offer?

I will add that if I have the time to nail down manual focus, there is no issue.

some samples that I think could be better

Your samples are sharp in the areas that the camera decided to focus on. The difference you're noticing comes from the lens/camera focusing on what it wants to, versus you being in control of the image and doing it manually to get what you're really after.

+1

by the way, which one is your Fiancee ...

So essentially, I will have the same issue with, say a D5100, unless I take the time to manually focus?

Is a D5100 or the likes easier to manually focus?

She's against her pictures being posted online.

Not sure what you mean by zoom as those are both prime lenses. Reduce the size of the autofocus box for greater accuracy and make sure your shutter speed is high enough to avoid camera shake.

zooming on the viewfinder to focus