The PL 14-45 is surprisingly good

I agree. I have the same combination (had to buy the G3 body-only + the 14-45 instead of the less expensive G3+14-42 kit). One thing though: it is a pure Panasonic product and not a PL (Panasonic-Leica). I would love to see a full lens review on the new 12-35  F2.8 Panasonic (at 3 x the price of the 14-45 but more wideangle, much brighter and power zoom) to compare IQ at he same focal lenght/apertures.