What is the best all-around travel lens for M4/3 systems?

I went through this last year when I was prepping for a month in Italy. I spent literally weeks agonizing over the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO vs the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH. POWER O.I.S.. In the end, I went with the Oly because I'm a bit of a stickler for that constant f/4 and the Sync IS is basically magic for low light street scenes... but man, it got heavy after 8 miles of walking everyday lol. Honestly, the technical trade-off I noticed was the weight distribution on smaller bodies. If ur using a smaller body like an E-M10, that 12-100 is kinda front-heavy. I actually ended up trying a Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH. POWER O.I.S. for a separate weekend trip just to see if the weight reduction helped my neck fatigue... and it did, tho you lose some sharpness. Basically, if ur body has the grip for it, the Sync IS on the Oly is the safest bet for reliable shots without a tripod! Just watch that weight balance.

Seconding the recommendation above! Before you drop big money, basically remember that travel photography is a balance between optical quality and what your wallet can handle. High-end glass is great, but the extra weight and cost can actually be a burden when you're walking 10 miles a day in Paris or Rome. If you're looking for value, here’s how I’d compare some budget-friendly alternatives to the ones mentioned:
- Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH. POWER O.I.S.: This is way lighter than the Oly 12-100. It handles street scenes perfectly and I'm honestly sooo happy with the sharpness for the price. - Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II: It’s weather-sealed and super compact. Maybe lacks that f/4 constant aperture, but for daytime landscapes? It works well. Honestly, i think saving the cash for your actual trip is lowkey the best move. gl!!

In my experience, travel glass is basically about finding that sweet spot between focal reach and weight. Over the years, I've tried many setups, and tbh, you gotta think about weather sealing for Europe. For your situation, I would suggest going with Olympus. You cant go wrong with their pro stuff because the stabilization is AMAZING, i think it's like 6 stops? Just grab any of their high-end zooms... lowkey the best move. gl!

Actually, I might have to respectfully disagree with the one-lens-fits-all approach for a trip like this. While the zooms mentioned are industry standards, looking at it from a market research perspective, the whole appeal of M4/3 is that ultra-compact footprint. I think the big glass basically negates the main advantage of the system when you're doing heavy travel. I'm not 100% sure if the weight-to-performance ratio actually favors those huge zooms anymore, especially for street work. IIRC, some users are finding that:

• Shifting to a two-prime setup gives you way better aperture for night shots than a slow zoom
• The visual profile of a smaller lens is way less intimidating for candid street scenes in crowded cities
• Mixing brands between bodies and glass can sometimes lead to slight differences in how the aperture ring or software corrections behave Anyway, I think I heard that most people end up shooting at the extreme ends of their zooms anyway. So basically, you might be better off with a specialized small kit rather than one heavy jack-of-all-trades. Just something to consider before you commit to the extra bulk!

ngl i have this exact same problem right now and it is driving me totally insane. i have been shooting m4/3 since the early days and you would think i would have my travel kit sorted by now but i have been staring at my shelves for three weeks and still cant decide. its so frustrating being stuck in this loop of weighing the olympus build quality against the panasonic size over and over again. i am basically no closer to a decision than i was a month ago. it actually reminds me of when i went to prague a few years back and spent more time thinking about my bag than the actual city. i found this tiny little cellar bar that served the best dark lager i have ever tasted and ended up chatting with the bartender for hours about old film cameras he had in a display case. it was such a cool night but i barely took any photos because i was so annoyed with the glass i had brought. anyway i am still stuck in analysis paralysis just like you... but yeah.