New Panasonic lens reviews by Photographyblog.

[shoplink 52804 ebay][/shoplink]

The two new Panasonic lenses will ship from April 23 according to [shoplink 52804 ebay]multiple Japanese ebay sellers (Click here)[/shoplink]. The lenses now got reviewed by Photographyblog:

About the 42,5mm f/1.7 lens they write:

Optically the Panasonic LUMIX G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. is a good performer. You can safely use it from f/4 onwards for optimum results, but there’s a lack of sharpness at f/1.7 both in the center and at the edges of the frame. Chromatic aberrations are almost completely absent, while distortions are automatically corrected on both Olympus and Panasonic bodies, and vignetting is only really an issue at f/1.7. The inclusion of built-in image stabilisation is the icing on the cake, though it’s a shame that there’s no dedicated switch to turn it on and off.

About the 60mm macro they write:

Optically the Panasonic LUMIX G MACRO 30mm f/2.8 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. is an outstanding performer. You can safely use it wide open at f/2.8 for optimum results, with even the edges of the frame looking sharp. Chromatic aberrations are almost completely absent, while distortions are automatically corrected on both Olympus and Panasonic bodies, and vignetting is only really an issue at f/2.8. The inclusion of built-in image stabilisation is the icing on the cake, though it’s a shame that there’s no dedicated switch to turn it on and off.

UPDATE: a “Hungarian” review of the 30mm macro can be read at Mlzphoto (google translation here).

New Panasonic lens preorders:
Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 POWER O.I.S. Lens at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
Panasonic MACRO 30mm f/2.8 MEGA O.I.S. Lens at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.