Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH OIS Overview

Great all-rounder

Nothing really

Even the minor deviation recorded cannot detract from the fact that this is an excellent set of curves, especially for a low-cost kit lens.

Excellent sharpness across the frame; Low distortion; Good build quality; Resistant to flare; Dedicated OIS switch; Low distortion

Falloff at 14mm may be noticeable if shooting Raw.; Not as compact as collapsible designs

Overall this lens puts in an excellent all-round performance producing sharp, contrasty images. Priced at £230, it is pretty good value as well.

Compact. Good sharpness through most of range. Minimal distortion. Optically stabilized. Includes lens hood.

Soft edges and dim corners at widest angle. Plastic lens mount.

Conclusions The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH. Mega O.I.S. isn't a lens that you'll be chomping at the bit to own, but it's a fine starter zoom for photographers entering the Micro Four Thirds system. When purchased along with a...

Optically stabilized. 10x zoom range. Very little distortion. Good center sharpness through range. Quiet, snappy focus motor.

Some edge and telephoto sharpness issues. Pricey.

The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH. Power OIS is one of the better all-in-one zoom lenses we've seen for any camera system. It keeps distortion under control, and while it shows some of the edge performance issues that many zooms do,...

Minimal distortion. Optically stabilized. Sharp when stopped down. Includes lens hood. Inexpensive.

Plastic lens mount. Slow aperture.

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Compact design. Useful zoom range. Optically stabilized.

Soft images. Expensive.

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Superb resolution, excellent overall image quality up to ISO 1600 ; Stunning raw output ; Reliable exposure and focus and generally reliable white balance ; Excellent build quality & great screen ; Surprisingly good handling, fun and easy to use ; Very...

Dynamic range and high ISO output not quite as good as best in class (including Olympus E-P1) ; JPEG output nowhere near as good as it could be - shoot raw for best results ; Default settings don't produce particularly appealing (JPEG) color ; Flash is...

The compact design means inevitable compromises when compared to a 'full size' SLR, but the GF1 gets so much right that it's a real winner in our eyes. Great image quality, a well-rounded feature set and surprisingly zippy performance put it a little...

Bought this to use on an Olympus E-P3. Nice solid construction. Optical quality (sharpness) is noticably better across the frame than the Olympus 14-42 II which I also have, most noticable towards the edges of the frame where the Olympus can get pretty...

A little heavy. A little bit longer than I'd like (it would be nicer if was even 10mm shorter). The zoom ring works in the opposite direction than I am used to. I suppose there's no wrong or right with that but it's a pain in the butt.

Small Good Quality