According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an image capturing optical system includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power and disposed along an optical axis and to face an object. A second lens group has a negative refractive power and disposed along the optical axis and adjacent to the first lens group, and second lens group includes a focus correction lens to correct a difference in a focused position according to a variation in a position of the object. A third lens group has a positive refractive power and disposed along the optical axis. A subsequent lens group adjacent the third lens group and disposed along the optical axis and to face an image of the object, and the lens group subsequent to the second lens group includes a camera shake correction lens to move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

A zoom lens having a plurality of lens units comprises in order from an object side, a first lens unit G1 having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit G2 having a negative refractive power, and a rearmost lens unit having a negative refractive power, and the rearmost lens unit is positioned nearest to an image in the plurality of lens units, and at the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, distances between the lens units change, and the first lens unit G1 moves toward the object side, and following conditional expression (1) is satisfied:
0.2<(.sub.lt/.sub.lw)/(f.sub.t/f.sub.w)<0.7(1).

A zoom lens includes in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a negative refractive power, and the fourth lens unit includes at least two lenses. At the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, a distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit widens, a distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit narrows, a distance between the third lens unit and the fourth lens unit fluctuates, and the first lens unit, after moving toward the image side, moves toward the object side.

A zoom optical system comprises, in order from an object: a front lens group (GFS) having a positive refractive power; an M1 lens group (GM1) having a negative refractive power; an M2 lens group (GM2) having a positive refractive power; and an RN lens group (GRN) having a negative refractive power, wherein upon zooming, distances between the front lens group and the M1 lens group, between the M1 lens group and the M2 lens group, and between the M2 lens group and the RN lens group change, upon focusing from an infinite distant object to a short distant object, the RN lens group moves, the RN lens group comprises at least one lens having a positive refractive power, and at least one lens having a negative refractive power, and following conditional expressions are satisfied, 2.70<fFP/(fFN)<4.50, 0.25<(fF)/f1<0.45, where fFP: a focal length of a lens having a strongest positive refractive power in the RN lens group, fFN: a focal length of a lens having a strongest negative refractive power in the RN lens group, fF: a focal length of the RN lens group, and f1: a focal length of the front lens group.

In a zoom lens including a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power that are arranged in order from an object side to an image side, a movement locus of each of the lens units, an amount of movement of the third lens unit when zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, and a focal length of the third lens unit are set as appropriate.

A variable magnification optical system comprising, in order from an object side, a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, and a rear lens group having negative refractive power; upon varying a magnification from a wide angle end state to a tele photo end state, a distance between the first lens group and the second lens group being varied, a distance between the second lens group and the third lens group being varied, and a distance between the third lens group and the rear lens group being varied; the third lens group or the rear lens group comprising a focusing lens group which is moved upon carrying out focusing from an infinitely distant object to a closely distant object; and predetermined conditional expression(s) being satisfied, thereby various aberrations being corrected superbly.

A zoom optical system comprises, in order from an object: a front lens group (GFS) having a positive refractive power; an M1 lens group (GM1) having a negative refractive power; an M2 lens group (GM2) having a positive refractive power; and an RN lens group (GRN) having a negative refractive power, wherein upon zooming, distances between the front lens group and the M1 lens group, between the M1 lens group and the M2 lens group, and between the M2 lens group and the RN lens group change, upon focusing from an infinite distant object to a short distant object, the RN lens group moves, the RN lens group comprises at least one lens having a positive refractive power, and at least one lens having a negative refractive power, and following conditional expressions are satisfied, 2.70<fFP/(fFN)<4.50, 0.25<(fF)/f1<0.45, where fFP: a focal length of a lens having a strongest positive refractive power in the RN lens group, fFN: a focal length of a lens having a strongest negative refractive power in the RN lens group, fF: a focal length of the RN lens group, and f1: a focal length of the front lens group.

A zoom lens includes a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group, and a fourth lens group that are sequentially arranged from an object side to an image side along an optical axis. The first lens group and the third lens group are fastened, and the second lens group and the fourth lens group move along the optical axis. A first lens from the object side in the first lens group is a biconvex lens, and at least two lenses from the object side in the first lens group are glass lenses. A maximum clear aperture diameter of the zoom lens has the following relationship of 4 mm12 mm, where is the maximum clear aperture diameter of the zoom lens.

The present disclosure is directed to an optical system internally having an intermediate imaging position that is conjugate to magnification and reduction conjugate points, respectively, the optical system including: a magnification optical system having a plurality of lens elements, positioned on the magnification side with respect to the intermediate imaging position; and a relay optical system having a plurality of lens elements, positioned on the reduction side with respect to the intermediate imaging position, wherein there are a plurality of air distances among the lens elements, the magnification optical system includes a magnification optical system front group positioned on the magnification side with respect to the longest air distance in the magnification optical system and a magnification optical system rear group positioned on the reduction side with respect to the longest air distance, and the optical system satisfies the conditions (1) and (2).

An optical zoom camera and an optical zoom system for the optical zoom camera. The optical zoom system comprises at least three spatially separated lens groups, which are arranged on an optical axis. The optical zoom system does not include any further lens groups on the optical axis. A third lens group is immovable along the optical axis, a second lens group is movable along the optical axis to set a magnification of the optical zoom system, and a first lens group is movable along the optical axis to focus the optical zoom system.