Preorders:
Black lens at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Silver lens at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
In short:
The new 20mm II version has a new metal finish replaces the original 20mm lenses resin body, and combines with a durable metal mount for a sophisticated premium feel.
Optically the new The LUMIX G 20mm / F1.7 II lens offers the same great performance as the previous model with two aspherical lenses and a multi-coated lens surface for reduced ghosts and flaring
Press text:
Panasonic is pleased to announce the addition of a new single focal length lens, the LUMIX G 20mm / F1.7 II ASPH (H-H020A) featuring a new metallic profile in the Micro Four Thirds standard. It boasts dramatic compactness and light weight despite its F1.7 aperture that enables beautiful soft focus in the background, allowing the subject to stand out impressively.
Comprised of seven lenses in five groups, the new system uses two aspherical lenses to minimize both distortion and chromatic aberration, achieving incredibly high resolution corner to corner. The versatile 20mm focal distance (equivalent to 40mm on a 35 mm film camera) is suitable for wide variety of photography including scenery such as sunsets and dimly lit indoor shots taking advantage of its beautiful soft focus. It supports the Contrast AF system for high precision auto focusing.
Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in unsharp areas when shooting at large aperture settings. The new LUMIX G 20mm / F1.7 II ASPH. lens also features a highly reliable metal mount, and uses multi-coated lens element.
Images (Click on it to see a large size version):
Press Text:
Dpreview, ThePhoBlographer, Panasonic Japan, Photoscala,