Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 and 30mm f/2.8 lenses announced

Panasonic has officially announced the 42.5mm f/1.7 portrait and 30mm f/2.8 Macro lenses for mirrorless cameras with Micro Four Thirds image sensors.

One of the companies which was expected to introduce a couple of new lenses at CP+ 2015 was Panasonic. However, the two optics have not been revealed by the company at this event.

It appears that Panasonic has decided to wait several more days in order to make sure that all eyes will be on its new products. Without further ado, the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 and 30mm f/2.8 Macro lenses are now official.

This is the Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 Lumix G Macro ASPH Mega OIS lens, which will offer a 35mm equivalent of 60mm and 1:1 macro magnification rate.

Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 lens unveiled for macro photographers

The development of the 30mm f/2.8 optic was confirmed at the Photokina 2014 event. Prototypes of this model have been present at many other shows, but now it is finally official and the lens is coming soon.

This is a Lumix G optic designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras and it will offer a 35mm focal length equivalent of 60mm. It comes with a metallic black finish, 240fps support, and Mega OIS image stabilization technology.

The new Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 prime lens provides 1:1 magnification and a 10.5-centimeter minimum focusing distance. It will allow photographers to get very close to their subjects and to capture every bit of their details.

It will become available in a black color as of May 2015. As expected, it is available for pre-order right now at B&H PhotoVideo for a price a little under $400.

The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 Lumix G ASPH Power OIS lens will provide a 35mm focal length equivalent of 85mm when mounted on Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is a cheaper alternative to the Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 lens

Beside the 30mm f/2.8 Macro lens, sources have revealed that another unknown model will be introduced by Panasonic. The model in question has been confirmed to be the 42.5mm f/1.7 lens, which is aimed at portrait photography.

It will offer a 35mm focal length equivalent of 85mm, a bright maximum aperture of f/1.7, and a minimum focusing distance of 31 centimeters. The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens comes packed with Power OIS image stabilization and a 240fps autofocus drive.

The company is already offering a Leica-branded 42.5mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2. However, the Leica model is priced at around $1,300 at Amazon, while this new version will become available for around $400.

The Japan-based manufacturer will begin shipping the new 42.5mm f/1.7 optic in black and silver colors as of May 2015. You can pre-order it right now at B&H PhotoVideo.