The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ ($349.99 direct)($224.00 at Amazon) isn't the sharpest lens available for Micro Four Thirds cameras, but it's one of the smallest zooms that you'll find for any camera. If you value compactness, and are willing to shoot at a narrower aperture for maximum image quality, it delivers images that are just a bit sharper than the similar Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH.($84.99 at Amazon) If you value image quality over size, consider the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f3.5-5.6 EZ, which offers a longer zoom range, a weatherproof design, and a macro shooting mode.

The lens is really, really small. It measures just 0.9 by 2.4 inches (HD), weighs 3.2 ounces, and supports 37mm threaded filters. It's a power zoom design, so it extends when you power up the camera; the zoom action is controlled by the textured ring that surrounds the lens barrel. The zoom action is smooth and quiet.The minimum focus distance varies based on focal length—you can get as close as 7.9 inches at 14mm and 9.8 inches at 42mm. Olympus doesn't offer a hood for the lens, nor does it include image stabilization: Olympus cameras have that feature in the body, not the lens.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the OM-D E-M10($738.00 at Amazon). Compact designs like this often fall short of our 1,800-line sharpness mark, and suffer from edge performance issues. The 14-42mm is no different; at its widest angle and aperture it manages 1,640 lines per picture height using a center-weighted metric. The center resolution approaches 2,000 lines, but as you move partway from the center the lens manages just 1,400 lines, and edges fall just shy of 1,000.

Narrowing the aperture to f/5.6 improves performance dramatically. The center-weighted score jumps all the way to 2,284 lines, with edges that near 1,200 lines. There's a modest edge performance increase at f/8, they manage 1,334 lines there. There's a bit of barrel distortion, about 1 percent, at 14mm, but that's just barely noticeable in field conditions. The compact Panasonic power zoom performs similarly at 14mm—1,676 lines at f/3.5, but stopping down to f/5.6 only improves the sharpness to 1,719 lines.

Zoooming to 28mm narrows the maximum aperture to f/4.9. The lens scores 1,651 lines here, with edges that score 1,511 lines. Stopping down just a bit to f/5.6 improves the score to 1,829 lines, with edges that approach 1,600 lines. At 42mm f/5.6 the lens delivers it best wide-open performance at 2,018 lines with edges that score 1,644 lines. Stopping down to f/8 improves the center-weighted score to 2,244 lines with 1,700-line edges. There's no distortion worth mentioning at 28mm or 42mm. The Panasonic power zoom managed 1,670 lines at 28mm, but its score topped to 1,485 lines at 42mm.

The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ is a lens that's a good choice for Micro Four Thirds shooters who value compact design over all, but it comes with some caveats. It's much better built than the all-plastic Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R($224.00 at Amazon) kit lens, but its sharpness doesn't quite measure up. We found it to be a better all-around performer than similar Panasonic 14-42mm power zoom, especially when stopped down to f/5.6, and it comes in at a slightly lower asking price. If size isn't a major concern, you're better served with a zoom that is a bit larger—and a bit sharper. The Olympus 12-50mm is $150 more, but it delivers better optics, a weatherproof design, macro focusing, and a more ambitious zoom range.

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