I must say I'm surprised at the convenient and intuitive handling of the Olympus E-1. It all boils down to the fact that the camera feels right in the hand, just like a professional model should.

For a photographer that uses analogue systems like myself, the menu is very easy to use - it quickly dispelled my initial fears about digital photography. One has a pure 35mm feel (I almost exclusively take photos in medium format) and using macro lenses truly is a special experience.

I am sure to use the Olympus E-1 in the future, especially for magazine productions.

Paul Schirnhofer initially studied history and law but began working as a photographer during his studies. From the beginning, his photos were published in "Wiener" the renowned lifestyle and zeitgeist magazine of the 80s. In 1986, Paul Schirnhofer headed for Hamburg and worked for magazines including "Tempo", "Stern", "Bunte" and "Gala".

Today Paul Schirnhofer is one of Europe's most prominent and well-known portrait photographers. Since 1992, he has been living in Amsterdam. His preferred domain of work is the portrait photography of actors and other prominent figures.

Counting among his portrait highlights are luminaries including Hillary Clinton, Billy Wilder, Michael Douglas, Harald Schmidt, Veronica Ferres, Nadja Auermann, Wolfgang Joop, Verona Feldbusch, Uschi Glas and Senta Berger.