The Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH. lens ($399.95 direct) is the smallest zoom lens available for the Micro Four Thirds camera system. It accomplishes this status thanks to its power zoom design, which allows the lens to collapse into itself when not in use; when collapsed it protrudes only 1.9 inches from its mount. The zoom mechanism and manual focus are controlled by toggle switches on the left side of the lens—as opposed to traditional camera lenses that feature separate manual zoom and focus rings.

The lens covers a 28-84mm field of view in terms of traditional 35mm photography, and features Panasonic's Power O.I.S. stabilization system. This system provides stabilization when recording video as well as shooting stills. To further enhance video capture, the lens's autofocus motor is silent so the sound of refocusing will not be picked up on the soundtrack of videos.

I used Imatest to measure the sharpness of this lens when used with the 16-megapixel Lumix DMC-GX1 ($799.99, 3.5 stars) digital camera. The lens didn't perform admirably, falling shy of the score of 1,800 lines per picture height that denotes a sharp optic. At 14mm f/3.5 it managed 1,676 lines, improving to just 1,719 lines at f/5.6. It fared worse at 28mm, grabbing 1,670 lines at f/4.8 and at f/5.6. It was softest at 42mm, netting 1,485 lines at f/5.6 and 1,558 lines at f/8. Distortion is also an issue, as the lens exhibits 1.7 percent barrel distortion at its widest setting. It's less noticeable at 28mm, where barrel distortion is only 0.4 percent, and at the telephoto end there is a negligible 0.02 percent of the pincushion variety.

There are better zoom lenses that cover this range in the Micro Four Thirds system, but none are as compact. You are trading a certain level of image quality for size with this lens. We've tested the standard M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm II R ($249.99) on a number of different cameras and its sharpness results always impress. When mounted to the Olympus PEN E-PM1 ($499.99, 4 stars) it notched 2,186 lines on the wide end, though it did soften to 1,738 lines at 28mm and 1,508 lines at 42mm. Even though that lens has a collapsible design, it is noticeably larger than the Panasonic G X Vario PZ 14-42mm lens and doesn't offer optical stabilization..

If you're in the market for a compact zoom lens for your Micro Four Thirds camera, this power zoom from Panasonic is the smallest you'll find, but there are compromises in optical quality due to the lens's compact form factor. If you're willing to live with those, the PZ 14-42mm £115.73 at Amazon UK will make it easier to squeeze your camera into your bag. Videographers will appreciate the silent operation, but if size isn't a major concern, either stick with the standard 14-42mm that shipped with your camera, or save up for a zoom lens that prioritizes image quality over miniaturization.

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