Is Pan 14-45 sharper than 14-42 or PZ 14-42?

I wouldn't go quite THAT far. Stopped down a bit it's not bad at the long end, especially if you keep the shutter speed out of the problematic range on Panny bodies, or use an Olympus body. It's not a great low-light lens, but can perform quite well in daylight. A bit tricky to use, but it can be coaxed into some good results even at the long end.

Here are some 100% crops in the gallery. The first is f/8 on an E-PL1, the 2nd is at f/5.6 on a GH2 (at 1/800th). Both are @42mm.






Here's the full size of the Tennessee Warbler:



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Lens Grit