Olympus Zuiko ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

This is the standard lens that comes with the E410, 510, and fits the older E- series bodies. It's the same Olympus quality, but shorter and lighter than the older models. You can spend a lot more money on lenses, but unless you are a very professional magazine photographer, you cant tell the difference. It's kind of like stereo equipment, you can just keep throwing money at it, but at some point any improvement is insignificant. This is a great all around lens that will fit most requirements.

This is the basic lens for this camera but is adequate for most purposes. the optics are good throughout the range of focus. I do recommend the 18-180 lens which I purchased initially. It can operate nearly as close and seems to provide greater definition throughout the range of focus and can be used for portraits as well as nature photography. The 14-42 is a japanese lens with japanese language information but this is not a problem as it is just a lens and not a camera with settings and applications. It seems to have a warranty card and that is sufficient. I will say that it did arrive before the OM adaptor which i ordered at the same time and which has yet to arrive. I will also say that the 14-42 is much lighter and smaller than the 18-180 while having good versatility, and should be a good lens to have in my travels.

I had this lens with my E-510 when I bought it. I sold it to a friend with my E-500. This lens is great for sharpness and it is very light. I have the 12-60 now and it is better, but I believe one person stated unless your shooting for a magazine you can hardly tell the difference. When you have low light, then the 14-54 and 12-60 outshine this little compact lens.
I re-purchased this lens to go with the E-420 I picked up for my wife to use. She didn't like the 14-54 I had on it. So I went to ebay and found one with a great price and the item is great and the delivery was fast.