I just got my copy of this lens today, and I'm nothing short of blown away.
I ordered the lens Sunday night from an eBay seller in Hong Kong, and got it today (3 days later!). I managed to pick it up for a bit under $300 BRAND NEW. The build quality is excellent, where the lens barrel is definitely metal, and I even believe the focus ring is as well. The focus ring is also very nicely damped, which makes manual focusing easy.
I previously owned an Olympus 45mm (along with an O.25 & O.12, but now I own a PL15, PL25, and the P42.5), and the build quality is so much better on the Panasonic.
The lens is definitely sharp, and the minimum focusing distance is great. I'm going to have to find the 37-46mm step-up ring I have, and put the Olympus MCON-P02 on the front of the lens. I think it would make a really great macro lens since it has OIS built-in to it.
I'm going to get out with the lens this weekend to get some outdoor shots, but judging by the limited shooting I did indoors, I don't think I'll be disappointed. Here are two shots I took and transferred to my phone where I did some quick editing (30s) before throwing them up on Flickr.
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