Pentax 16-45mm

Hi all just took delivery of a smc DA 16-45mm and am really quite impressed.I had to return a sigma 18-50mm which was front focussing.

I like the way the 16-45mm feels more metal like than the plasticky sigma.

One thing i noticed is that the zoom is the wrong way round or maybe the right way depending on your perspective the zoom is fully extended at the 16 end rather than the usual 45 end(well usual to me).

Is this the case with all pentax lenses.I don't feel this is a problem it actually seems more logical.

All in all very happy with the styling and construction and can see me keeping this lens for a very long time.

All replies gratefuuly received.

The only thing I can think of is that it was designed by a left hander.
Always seemed a bit strange to me.

That's probably why it seems logical to me i'm a leftie

It's the reverse of what you might expect.

There was also a Voigtlander 50mm Ultron lens that had a concave front element - that looked strange as well.

There's always a good optical reason for these things. In the case of the Ultron it had much better edge definition. The 16-45mm performs very well, whatever the reason for the strange contruction!

I have read somewhere that it has to do with the construction.
The 16-45 is basically a inverted telelens.

All SLR wide angles are inverted telephoto designs (retrofocus) so that enough space is available for the mirror assembly. This isn't the reason for the reversed construction of the zooming mechanism.

Wide angles for rangefinder cameras are so tiny because they can be designed with the rear element very close to the film plane. This also makes them easier to manufacture, with fewer elements.

thanks for the correction John.