Do you think the 14-42mm II is a reasonable starter lens?

Don't know how your funds are...
But another viable option is this.

Cameta is selling an E-P2 body for $329 USD. You could get that body & the 17 ƒ2.8 if the 14-42 isn't really your style....

 

If funds aren't an issue...then an E-P3 with the 12mm or 45mm might be more you're style *if* I'm reading you correctly...

 

My opinion, in a pinch : don't bother with the 17mm.

At length : https://www.mu-43.com/f38/pancake-lenses-12754/index2.html#post113381

Be aware that many people do like this lens, though, and that I still use mine in spite of what I wrote. So take my words with a grain of salt.

But you should consider that set @17mm, the kit zoom is optically as good as the pancake, and just half a stop slower. Price being almost the same, the only remaining 'pro' for the 17 is the size.

Cheers,

 

I would recommend skipping the kit zoom and pickup the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens. It is a fantastic all around lens and very small and light.

 

I will tell you this - I got the E-P3 with the zoom lens and liked it. However I purchased the Panasonic 20mm lens and have never taken it off. I agree with krugorg. Sorry no option exists to get this lens bundled..... but what I really wanted was the best experience. Thanks!

 

I wonder if kit zooms have become victims of their reputation from the not-too-distant past i.e. plastic, poor quality, poor performance, etc.

The plastic is still there, the quality of construction and materials can sometimes be questioned, but performance-wise they are better than ever.

 

A fairly fast prime always wins over a slow kit zoom, in my eyes. Particularly being a pancake prime, for this small form factor of camera, it really brings out the compact nature of the system.

I would definitely go for the 17mm f/2.8 pancake kit over the 14-42mm zoom kit (assuming you won't be upgrading to another prime in a close focal length anytime soon, like say the Lumix 20mm f/1.7, Leica 25mm f/1.4, or Lumix 14mm f/2.5). However, all Olympus kit lenses are very good quality and as such you shouldn't be disappointed in either. The 14-42mm has a unique retractable design which is actually quite nice. It retracts into a very compact form for a zoom of its focal range.

 

I'm comming from a dslr (and a bunch of film cameras). What I did was buy with the kit lens, as at the time there is no choice. Also I baught the panisonic 20mm 1.7 Then sold the kit lens and put the money towards the Olympus 12mm. When the 45mm comes out I will get that to compleat my basic kit. A bit expensive, but I plan to use this camera for at least a few years before upgradeing. Then I will only have to buy boddies.

 

Get the kit lens, it's way better than I was expecting. I then bought the 20 1.7 and the 2 make a perfect combination for me, can't see me buying any other glass.

 

What kind of image do you want to shoot?

The 14-42 olympus is a nice all-around lens.
Olympus 17mm, Panasonic 14mm and Panasonic 20mm are all small and nice lenses, the 14 is good for street and the 20 is great for candids and low-light.
The Olympus 12 is nice for street and landscapes, but is bulkier and costs more than the 20mm + the 14mm.
If you want "head and shoulders" potrait you need the kit zoom unless you get the panasonic 45macro or wait for the olympus 45

 

I got the E-PL2 with the kit and added the Panasonic 20mm. Don't bother with the Olympus 17mm, f/2.8 isn't that fast. The 20mm is fantastic.

 

I would recommend the E-P3 with the 14-42 zoom lens. The 17mm lens is not optimised for the fast focus of the E-P3. It will focus reasonably fast on the E-P3 but the combo of the E-P3 and 14-42 is the fastest focussing 'live view' combo of any camera on the market. It also costs next to nothing over the cost of the body alone. I find the IQ quite good.

I have the Pansonic 20mm f/1.7, Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6 and Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 to go with my E-P3. I also have the Panasonic 45-200mm zoom but never use it.

I thought the Panasonic f/1.7 a better proposition than the Olympus 17mm pancake.

I have an order in for the 12mm f/2 mainly for its mechanical manual focus and speed for a wide angle lens.

 

avoid the kit lens

The olympus kit lens is less than adequate. It's a piece of s**t.

 

I bought an EP1 and now EP2 both with the 17mm but this was more due to price than anything, the 17mm kit was cheaper at the time.

Having said that the shots I've seen in the 14-42 sample thread on the forum have actually really surprised and impressed me to the point where I might consider picking up a cheap kit lens for those times when I want to use a zoom!

 

A pancake lens is like this: Amazon.com: Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens for Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Cameras: Camera & Photo

I bought this one and I haven't used the 14-42 Mk I since. It all depends on whether you need a zoom or not. If you just use wide angle, get the 14 or 17mm pancakes. if you shoot in the middle, you're in luck, because the 20 is the sharpest and fastest of all of them.