Originally posted by jms698 On that note: I think it is good that Pentax's DA* lenses all have that gold stripe/band on the front. Not as apparent as if they paint the whole lens a different color, but at least something to give high-quality Pentax gear a unique appearance.
I believe Tamron also uses a gold band to differentiate their SP lenses (their high-end line, if I recall correctly), so Pentax's DA* doesn't seem as easily identifiable as you think it is.
In any case, I don't mind so much the exterior color of the lens as long as it takes good pictures. And I'm not too sure about Canon making their lenses white just so they'd stand out. Even Zeiss' long glass uses white, as well as some Pentax lenses. There's probably good reason for that, like others have mentioned about minimizing the effects of sunlight on lens components.
I'm actually missing the older DSLRs which had alternate predominantly silver color themes. Sure, they look more like toys, but I'm no paid photographer myself, so I don't need to have a totally black DSLR for show to the less-knowledgeable clients.