A variable magnification optical system which comprises, in order from an object side, a first lens group having negative refractive power, a second lens group having positive refractive power and a third lens group; upon varying magnification, distances between the neighboring respective lens groups being varied; upon focusing, the first lens group and the second lens group being moved along the optical axis; and predetermined conditional expression(s) being satisfied, whereby the variable magnification optical system is made in small in size, and can correct superbly various aberrations.

A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. A distance between adjacent lens units changes during zooming. The first lens unit includes two cemented lenses and each of the two cemented lenses includes a positive lens. Predetermined conditions are satisfied by the zoom lens.

An image capturing lens system includes three lens groups including five lens elements. The three lens groups are, in order from an object side to an image side: first, second and third lens groups. The five lens elements are, in order from the object side to the image side: first, second, third, fourth and fifth lens elements. The first lens element has an object-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element has negative refractive power. At least one lens element has an inflection point. A focal length of the image capturing lens system is varied by changing axial distances between the three lens groups in a zooming process. The image capturing lens system has a long-focal-length end and a short-focal-length end. The second lens group is moved relative to the first lens group along an optical axis in the zooming process.

The disclosure discloses a zoom lens group. The zoom lens group sequentially includes from an object side to an image side along an optical axis: a first lens group having a negative refractive power, the first lens group including a first lens and a second lens which are sequentially arranged along the optical axis; a second lens group having a positive refractive power, the second lens group including a third lens, a fourth lens and a fifth lens which are sequentially arranged along the optical axis; and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, a separation distance between the first lens group and the second lens group on the optical axis and a separation distance between the second lens group and the third lens group on the optical axis are adjusted, so as to switch the zoom lens group from a wide-angle state to a long-focus state.

A zoom lens system (10) for imaging, includes, in order from an object side (11); a first lens group (G1) with negative refractive power that moves at the time of zooming; a second lens group (G2) with a positive refractive power that moves at the time of zooming, the second lens group including an aperture stop (St); a third lens group (G3) with a positive refractive power, the position of which is fixed relative to the image plane. The second lens group includes: a first sub-lens group (S1) with a positive refractive power arranged on the object side and having the aperture stop; and a second sub-lens group (S2) with a negative refractive power arranged on the image plane side and configured to move independently of the first sub-lens group at the time of focusing.

An endoscope includes a plurality of illuminating optical systems, an objective optical system, and an optical-path splitting member. The optical-path splitting member has an optical element which forms a first optical path and a second optical path, and an optical-path length of the first optical path differs from an optical-path length of the second optical path. Illumination light is irradiated to an object from the plurality of illuminating optical systems. The objective optical system has an object-side incidence surface which is located nearest to the object, and each of the plurality of illuminating optical systems has an object-side emergence surface which is located nearest to the object. Each of the object-side emergence surfaces is located on an image side of the object-side incidence surface, and following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:

2.0<Dmin/OPLdiff<50  (1).

A wide-angle optical system is a wide-angle optical system having a lens component, and includes in order from an object side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power. At the time of carrying out a focal-position adjustment from a far point to a near point, the second lens unit is moved from a first position toward a second position. The third lens unit includes not less than three lens components. Not less than three lens components include a first lens component and a second lens component. Each of the first lens component and the second lens component has a positive refractive power, and following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:

0.8<f3L12/fL<6.0  (1).

A wide-angle optical system includes a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power. At the time of carrying out a focal-position adjustment, the second lens unit is moved. The third lens unit includes a positive single lens on an image side of a cemented surface Sc having a negative refractive power nearest to an image in the third lens unit, and has a plurality of refractive surfaces having a negative refractive power on the object side of the cemented surface Sc. The third lens unit has at least one refractive surface Sp having a positive refractive power which satisfies following conditional expression (1):

0.02<fL/Rsp<1.20  (1).

A zoom lens according to the present invention includes sequentially from an object side: a first lens group having negative refractive power, and a second lens group having positive refractive power, and performs a magnification change operation by changing a gap between the adjacent lens groups. The zoom lens has specific optical characteristics represented by four expressions relating to the second lens group.

A wide-angle optical system is a wide-angle optical system having a lens component. The lens component has a plurality of optical surfaces, in the lens component, two optical surfaces are in contact with air, and at least one optical surface is a curved surface. The wide-angle optical system includes in order from an object side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power. The second lens unit, for a focal-position adjustment, is moved between a first position and a second position along an optical axis. The third lens unit includes a cemented lens having a positive refractive power and a cemented lens having a negative refractive power, and following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:

0.05<fL/R31F<1.0   (1).