(Image courtesy of Panasonic)

If you’re stepping into the Micro Four Thirds standard from a DSLR, the autofocus performance with any lens is going to be markedly slower and less effective than you’re accustomed to. The Micro Four Thirds cameras, for the most part, focus similar to an advanced point-and-shoot camera, with both Panasonic and Olympus’s kit lenses stuttering in our low light and low contrast evaluations. 


Olympus and Panasonic have fit their Micro Four Thirds cameras with a hefty supply of user-friendly, auto AF settings (i.e. Intelligent AF, Face Detection, etc.), making the distinction more of a function of camera settings than mechanics.


In terms of sheer optical performance, we found the Olympus Micro Four Thirds kit lens focused slightly more consistently in low light conditions when used on an Olympus PEN E-P2 camera body; however, that difference diminished some when attached to a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera. 


Overall, the difference in autofocus performance between the two kit lenses is nominal.