I Do!

Just purchased yesterday, and thus far its great. 

This is my first "real" camera since the Minolta SLR i got for my Bar Mitzvah nearly 20 years ago, so anything would seem like a big step up from the P&S cams I've been using, but it seems really solid.  Going to the store (B&H) I assumed that I would get the Champagne color, but I found that it looked quite "Plasticy"; same with the blue.  But the black looked really sweet, and thats the one I went for (had there been a White/Tan model available in the US, I'd have gone with that, but it appears that for now thats not an option).

I was comparing it side by side with an E-P1 and a GF1 at the store.  The E-P1 is just gorgeous aesthetically, but I wanted the built-in flash and the option to add the viewfinder if need be.  The GF1 really was tempting, especially for the MUCH nicer LCD, but the In-Body Image Stabilization was very attractive, and the price was also right where I wanted it. 

I'm still getting used to the controls, trying to mess around with different settings.  Out of the box, the iAuto mode takes great pictures, though it seems to be having a hard time white balancing properly in this setting, at least indoors.  Also, the flash is daylight balanced, which seems strange to me, though perhaps this is normal? So, when I have the white balance set to "incandecent", the subject of any flash photos are quite blue.  I really like that you can point the flash up to the ceiling if need be, it really makes a big difference IMO.

I'm wondering if there is anyone shooting RAW with the E-PL1.  I've never had a camera that was capable of this, and I'm excited to mess around in "post" (not sure if this is the right term, I come from a Video/TV background).  Are there any programs that support the RAW files from this camera yet?  If not, does it make sense to shoot RAW at this stage, or should I just shoot max-res JPGs?

Also, I like the AUTO-ISO setting, but it seems like i would want to max it out at 1600 from everything I can tell.  I'm wondering if there's a way to force it to avoid the higher ISO settings?

E.

did you know that a 50 mm slr lens with a fast speed of say 1.4 which is a great portrait lens for micro 4\3 can be had for a pittance on ebay and flea markets etc,.....this would have  the look of a 100 mm lens on your  camera due to its sensor size . most adapters to allow its use on micro 4\3 cost 30- 40 bucks


manual focusing is very precise, and a very satisifying experience  on these new machines, just a suggestion


it sounds like your enthusiasm level is high , so you will be in good company here


cheers

I have yet to really play with the Video Functions too much.  One thing I know for sure is I'm not thrilled with 7 min. max AVI files.  This is quite short IMO, and AVI is far from a standard file type for any kind of serious production work.  I'm sure it can be converted to Quicktime, etc., but it seems a bit chintzy to me.

I am actually a Production Sound Mixer by trade, so I can certainly speak to working with Audio for HD Video on D-SLR-type cameras.  In general, pro audio people tend to ignore the Audio section on these cameras (at least in regards to the 5d MK2 and 7D).  These cameras have automatic level controls and no real metering to speak of (although there are now companies who are making little dongles that will override the auto-gain somehow, I still would not mess with it for anything serious. 

My advice to anyone wanting to shoot serious video with sound on a m4/3 camera would be to purchase a separate recorder (a decent one can be had for $200-300 USD and a simple clap slate (and obviously, whatever microphones you would want to use.  If you had a chunk of change or access to one, i'd say go with a timecode audio recorder and a "Smart Slate" (the ones with the LCD readout of TC).  Generally my workflow when working with a DSLR is to run a portable timecode generator into the microphone input on the camera (if available), run a Timecode Slate as a failsafe, and use a timecode-enabled Hard Disc recorder (like a Sound Devices 788t or 744t).  The big key when using a separate recorder is to make sure that your timecode matches properly.  For instance, the 5D shoots 30p video, and the timecode is a true 30.0 FPS, but for others, it might actually be 29.97 FPS.  The key is to do your tests in post before you shoot anything you care about. 

This may be a little more complex an explanation of sound for DSLRs then you DIDNT ask for, but i got on a roll.

e.