The Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH Lens ($399.95 direct) is a compact wide-angle lens for use with Micro Four Thirds cameras. Its field of view is equivalent to a 28mm lens in full format 35mm photography—a classic focal length that can be useful for numerous photographic subjects. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.5, which lets in about twice as much light as the standard 14-42mm kit lens that Panasonic bundles with its cameras.

The lens protrudes less than 0.8 inches from the camera, making your camera all the more portable. There is a trade-off for the size and extra light-gathering ability—the lens is a prime design, meaning that it does not zoom. It did well in our lab tests—at f/2.5 it scored 1,671 lines per picture height on the Imatest sharpness test. Stopping down to f/4 upped the lens's score to 1,790 lines, just shy of the 1,800-line mark that denotes a very sharp image.

If you're comfortable with a prime lens, this 14mm is a compact optic that can be used with any Micro Four Thirds camera. It matches very well with compact bodies like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 ($599.99, 3.5 stars) and the Olympus PEN E-PM1 ($499.99, 4 stars).