MicrostockGroup

Just taking mine out for its first spin.

It will take some time getting used to it, especially compared to a dslr, but it's good fun snapping with it.

I'll only know if the image quality is up to par for stock in a couple of days.

I'll keep you posted.

Ok, so I couldn't stand the suspense and I went out and bought the last one in the local camera shop. Shot several hundred frames today, mostly children, leaves and things, and going through them on the computer now I'm pretty * impressed.

The lens is sharp enough for stock at f/2 except perhaps at close focus distances. By f/4 it's fine at MFD. The camera JPGs are superb ... among the best I've seen. ACR 6.5 handles the RAWs nicely, too, with a built-in auto lens correction profile. High-ISO performance is startlingly good: I reckon well-exposed shots at 800 should have no problem getting accepted, and even 1600 and 3200 should work downsized to 2000 x 3000-ish.

Camera operation is better than I expected from the reviews. Metering is excellent, just as good as my 1-series Canon. AF is on the slow side, but not a deal-breaker. If you prefocus rangefinder-style, shutter lag is brief, good enough to capture bouncing kids. The menu system is quirky, it's true, but after a few hours I'm familiar with it. The optical viewfinder is nice and the EVF is even better for some things.

Build quality is great, the feel of the camera is nice, and it's a small and lightweight package that fits into the side pocket of my jacket.

On the negative side, the lens flares badly in certain conditions, which I haven't quite nailed down yet. Point sources of light seem OK, but a bright overcast sky in the frame veils everything else.

A cautious thumbs-up so far.