Panasonic LUMIX G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical

A 95 gram power zoom that's perfect for travel and video. Build quality and autofocus are excellent, but wide-angle sharpness lags behind. Worth it if portability is your top priority.

Sharpness is solid in the center, especially stopped down a bit. The 14-42mm range gives you a 28-84mm equivalent field of view, which covers most everyday shooting. Autofocus uses a stepping motor and it's quick and nearly silent, great for video. Stabilization is built in and works well for handheld shots. The weak spot is wide-angle scenery, where edge sharpness and overall resolution fall behind the best options in our database. Macro performance is also just average at 0.34x magnification, so don't expect to get crazy close to tiny subjects.

Against the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN, the Panasonic gives up a lot of light gathering and sharpness, but it's also much smaller and lighter. The Tamron 28-300mm offers way more reach but is a completely different beast in size and weight. The Sony E SEL18135 and Canon EF-S 18-200mm both cover more range, but neither matches the Panasonic's portability. If you're on Micro Four Thirds and want the absolute smallest standard zoom, this is basically your only real option.

At $348 USD, this lens sits in a weird spot. It's a kit lens that often ships with Panasonic bodies, so buying it standalone means you're paying a premium for the convenience of the compact power zoom design. The bundle includes a filter kit, case, and cleaning supplies, which softens the blow a little. But if you already have a standard zoom, this isn't a must-buy upgrade. If you need the smallest possible setup for travel or gimbal work, it earns its keep.

The Panasonic LUMIX G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 is a tiny, collapsible zoom that weighs 95 grams. That's basically nothing. It's the lens you leave on your Micro Four Thirds body when you just want to grab the camera and go. The power zoom is smooth and quiet, which makes it a sneaky good option for video work too.

Optically it's a 9 element, 8 group design with 4 aspherical elements and 2 ED elements. Panasonic threw their Nano Surface Coating on there to keep flaring in check. It's not going to blow your mind wide open at f/3.5, but for a kit lens this compact, it punches above its weight.

Skip this if you shoot landscapes seriously or need a fast aperture for low light. The edge sharpness and slow variable aperture will frustrate you. Also skip it if you already have a standard Micro Four Thirds zoom, since this is more of a sidegrade for portability than an optical upgrade.

This lens is for people who value size and weight above everything else. Travel photographers, vloggers, and anyone who wants a camera that fits in a jacket pocket will love it. The power zoom is a genuine advantage for video shooters. If you're chasing maximum image quality or shoot a lot of landscapes, you'll want something else.