A zoom optical system includes a plurality of lens units, the plurality of lens units consist of lens units having a positive refractive power and lens units having a negative refractive power, and the lens units having a positive refractive power include a positive lens unit and an image-side positive lens unit, the image-side positive lens unit is not moved, in the lens plurality of units, a space between the lens units disposed adjacently is changed at a time of zooming, at a time of focusing, or at a time of zooming and at a time of focusing, the positive lens unit includes a predetermined positive lens satisfying the following Conditional Expression (2), and the following Conditional Expression (1) is satisfied:

0.1≦fGBUN1/fGPM≦2.1  (1), and

60.8≦νdGPMP1≦100.0  (2).

A variable magnification optical system comprises, in order from an object side, a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power, a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power, a third lens group G3 having positive refractive power and a fourth lens group G4 having negative refractive power; upon varying a magnification, a distance between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 being varied, a distance between the second lens group G2 and the third lens group G3 being varied, and a distance between the third lens group G3 and the fourth lens group G4 being varied; upon focusing, the fourth lens group G4 being moved; and a predetermined conditional expression being satisfied. With such a configuration, there is provided a variable magnification optical system whose focusing lens group is compact in size and reduced in weight, so high speed and quiet focusing can be effected without lens barrel being made large in size, and further by which variations in aberrations upon varying magnification from the wide angle end state to the telephoto end state as well as variations in aberrations upon focusing from the infinite distance object to the close distance object can be superbly suppressed.

A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side: a positive first lens group; a negative second lens group; a positive third lens group; a negative fourth lens group; and a positive fifth lens group. The distance between the first and second lens groups constantly increases, the distance between the second and third lens groups constantly decreases, the distance between the third and fourth lens groups constantly changes, and the distance between the fourth and fifth lens groups constantly increases when changing magnification from the wide angle to the telephoto end. The first lens group includes three lenses. The second lens group includes four lenses. The third lens group includes six lenses and an aperture stop. The fifth lens group includes a single lens component.

A zoom lens is constituted by, in order from the object side: a positive first lens group; a negative second lens group; a positive third lens group; a negative fourth lens group; and a positive fifth lens group. The distance between the first and second lens groups constantly increases, the distance between the second and third lens groups constantly decreases, the distance between the third and fourth lens groups constantly changes, and the distance between the fourth and fifth lens groups constantly increases when changing magnification from the wide angle end to the telephoto end. The first lens group is constituted by three lenses, which are negative, positive, and positive in order from the object side. The second lens group is constituted by five lenses, which are negative, negative, positive, positive, and negative in order from the object side. The fifth lens group is constituted by a single lens component.

The zoom lens system includes a first lens group with positive power, a second lens group with negative power, a third lens group with positive power, a fourth lens group with negative power, and a fifth lens group with positive power. An aperture stop is provided between the second and the third lens groups. The third lens group includes lens element L3a and L3b with positive power, lens element L3c with negative power, and lens element L3d with positive power. The lens elements L3c and L3d are cemented. The lens element L3b corrects image blurring. The fourth lens group moves when focusing. When zooming, the first to the fourth lens group move.

Here, condition (1) below is satisfied.

0.24<fL3b/fG3<3.0  (1) Where fL3b is a focal length of the lens element L3b, and fG3 is a focal length of the third lens group.

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, a fourth lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a rear unit having a plurality of lens units, a distance between adjacent lens units changing during zooming. A predetermined condition is satisfied.

A variable power optical system used for an optical apparatus, such as a camera, includes, in order from an object: 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 fourth lens group having positive or negative refractive power. The distances between lens groups change upon zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state. The third lens group comprises, in order from the object, a first positive lens, a second positive lens, a first negative lens, a second negative lens and a third positive lens. The third lens group includes a vibration-isolating lens group which can move so as to have a movement component in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis upon correcting camera shake.

The zoom lens has an aperture stop arranged between the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the distances between the lens units vary in such a way that the distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit is larger at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit is smaller at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the distance between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit is larger at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end. The zoom lens satisfies the following conditional expression (1):
3.5≦LTL.sub.w/IH.sub.t≦8.9  (1).

A zoom lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, a negative fourth lens group, and a positive fifth lens group having a plurality of lens elements. During zooming from the short to long focal length extremities, at least the first, third and fifth lens groups move in an optical axis direction. A surface closest to the image side of the zoom lens system is a concave surface facing the image side. The following condition (1) is satisfied:
0.52<(m345t/m345w)/(ft/fw)<0.70  (1),
wherein m345w and m345t designate, at the short and long focal length extremities, respectively, the combined lateral magnification of the third, fourth and fifth lens groups when focused on an object at infinity; and fw and ft designate the focal length of the zoom lens system at the short and long focal length extremities, respectively.

An optical system (LS) has a lens (L11) that satisfies the following conditional expressions.

−0.010<ndLZ−(2.015−0.0068×νdLZ)

50.00<νdLZ<65.00 0.545<θgFLZ

−0.010<θgFLZ−(0.6418−0.00168×νdLZ) where ndLZ is the refractive index to the d line of the lens, νdLZ is the Abbe number with respect to the d line of the lens, and θgFLZ is the partial dispersion ratio of the lens.