The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. ($349.95 direct) is a compact zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. It was introduced as the standard kit zoom for the pocketable Lumix GM1($660.00 at Amazon), but is also available for purchase on its own. Its slim design is made possible by its collapsible design, but it also omits a few common features (including a manual focus ring) in order to maintain its figure. It's not quite as slim as a power zoom lens like the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ($224.00 at Amazon) or Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH.($349.00 at Amazon), but it's sharper than either of those lenses and offers a slightly wider field of view.

The 12-32mm($230.33 at Amazon) offers a full-frame equivalent field of view of about 24-64mm, placing it in the wide-angle to long standard-angle category. It's a bit wider, but lacks the telephoto reach, of most Micro Four Thirds kit lenses; they are typically 14-42mm designs. When collapsed, the 12-32mm measures just 0.9 by 2.2 inches (HD). It weighs 2.5 ounces and uses small 37mm front filters. There's no need to trip a locking switch when moving in and out of the collapsed state, as you do with the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R($224.00 at Amazon), which is a win in terms of ergonomics. The Panasonic lens also has a metal mount, and feels a lot sturdier than the all-plastic collapsible Olympus lens.

The minimum focus distance is 7.9 inches, which delivers a decidedly non-macro 0.13x magnification factor. This isn't the best lens for getting close; if you want a Micro Four Thirds zoom lens with a good macro function, consider the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm, but be aware that's a much larger lens. The Olympus lens, like the others made by that company, lacks optical stabilization—Olympus puts that into camera bodies, not lenses. So if you shoot with a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds body, you're best served with a lens that has integrated stabilization, as most from Panasonic do.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the GM1. At 12mm f/3.5 it scored 2,118 lines per picture height using a center-weighted test, better than the 1,800 lines we require to call a photo sharp. Most of the frame held up, with only the outer edges showing some softness (1,357 lines). Narrowing the aperture does nothing to improve the performance; resolution actually dropped off at f/8 due to diffraction. I measured some barrel distortion at 12mm at about 2.2 percent, which makes straight lines appear noticeably curved outward. This can be corrected in Lightroom or a similar application, but keep in mind that your frame will narrow slightly with correction due to the scope of the distortion.

Zooming to 18mm drops the distortion to 0.8 percent, which is barely worth worrying about. The maximum aperture is f/4.2 at this focal length, and the lens still shows good sharpness. It recorded 2,132 lines, and the very outer edges held up well at 1,625 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 bumped performance just a bit to 2,249 lines, with edges just shy of 1,700 lines. At the maximum 32mm f/5.6 focal length the lens shows about the same amount of barrel distortion (0.9 percent), and sharpness holds up; it scored 2,065 lines on the center-weighted test, with some falloff at the very edges of the frame (1,537 lines). Considering its size, the lens exceeded our expectations. It outperforms both the Olympus and Panasonic 14-42mm power zooms, although it doesn't offer the telephoto reach of either of those compact zooms.

If you're in the market for a slim zoom for a Micro Four Thirds camera, the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. is a solid choice. It doesn't have the reach of the 14-42mm power zooms that are offered by Panasonic and Olympus, but it's a bit wider and sharper than either of those lenses. The 12-32mm does have a few drawbacks—there's noticeable distortion at its widest angle, and videographers who prefer manual focus will want to look elsewhere as there's no physical focus ring on the lens. But if you're in want of a slim zoom for your Micro Four Thirds camera, and don't feel that the Olympus or Panasonic 14-42mm power zoom lenses are right for you, the Lumix G Vario 12-32mm is worth consideration.

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