Taking all the above into consideration, I took the beastie out in bright sunlight yesterday and got a couple of acceptable shots. Nothing startling, but good enough for a PAD on PBase. The camera is OK given adequate light and no challenges - i.e. when shot like a compact.
Considering the original price of the EP3, I expected better. I might try the new sensor, but at ~1000 € it'll be a while before the budget is there. Or sell this lot, add a few €€ and move to the Fuji X-E1.