If you think you might get into using MF lenses AND you wear reading glasses, forget the EP1 and go for the G1/GH1 (or perhaps the EP2, which has a viewfinder). Otherwise, you'll be as frustrated as I am. I bought the EP1 thinking that the in-body IS would be a huge plus when using long FL MF lenses. Well, it is but the MF assist is poorly implemented and that combined with the lack of an EVF makes the EP1 very unfriendly for MF photography for people like myself who need reading glasses to see closely.
I have no problems with the E-P1 and manual focus lenses and yes, I do wear reading glasses and also take a lot of photos at night in available light.
The key to getting the best out of the E-P1 is to customise the controls.
I have the LCD auto gain up (Live View Boost set to ON).
I normally have the Fn button to switch between MF and AF.
I have MF set to use the AEL/AFL button to do S-AF and the shutter button to only do AEL on a half press. This is strangely set using AEL/AFL, MF, mode 3.
I have the AEL/AFL Memo set to ON which means it holds the setting after releasing the button.
I have Reset Lens to OFF. This means any AF lens will be focused the same as it was when last used or the camera was powered off. This even includes when the lens is removed from the camera. I believe the Panasonics don't have this feature and lenses are always reset to infinity on power on. A big pain for night-time manual focus photography.
I only have the following info screens displayed (LV-INFO) - Zoom. That's it. I also have Level Gauge set to ON as I do a lot of landscape work. That means the INFO button only cycles through full display, Zoom (used mainly with MF) and the Level Gauge.
I have disabled MF Assist. It is just too sensitive to activate and find it a pain. Now that Olympus has cut the activation time it may be a little less annoying but I still don't bother.
These settings work a treat for me and I have found it to be much better than an optical viewfinder. Try and get one of those to gain up in the night with a f/4 or f/5.6 lens attached! Although the LCD image does become grainy and eventually loses colour, it works better than any optical viewfinder that I have had before (including Nikons, Pentax and Sony cameras). And the E-P1 is even better with a f/2.8 or faster lens attached. No doubt an EVF is a little better in some situations but I do like framing on a 3” LCD rather than something a bit larger than the size of a small postage stamp. I really do appreciate being able to see the whole image and the controls without having to remove/add my glasses.
I love the ability to customise the controls on the Olympus cameras. Simply fantastic.
Maybe the GF-1 is better than the E-P1 in low light but the G1 and GH-1 just don't rate it for me as they are not small enough and have the most uncomfotable grip out (at least for me). I did consider the G1 until I picked one up to handle and shoot with.