A variable magnification optical system (ZL) comprises a preceding lens group (GA) having negative refractive power and a succeeding lens group (GB) having positive refractive power, which are arranged in order from the object side along an optical axis. The succeeding lens group (GB) has a focusing group (GF) and an image-side group (GC) disposed closer to the image side than the focusing group (GF), the focusing group (GF) moves to the image side along the optical axis from focusing on an object at infinity to focusing on a close-distance object, and the following conditional expression is satisfied.

1.80<fF/fBaw

FNow<3.40 where fF is the focal length of the focusing group (GF), fBaw is the focal length in the wide-angle end state of an image-side lens group (GBa) composed of lenses disposed on the image side from the focusing group (GF), and FNow is the F-number of the variable magnification optical system (ZL) in the wide-angle end state.

An optical system includes a first optical subsystem disposed on an enlargement side and a second optical subsystem disposed on a reduction side with an intermediate image in between. The first optical subsystem includes: a first lens group that is disposed on the enlargement side of a first stop with a first distance, in which other lenses could be disposed but no other lenses are disposed, and is provided on the enlargement side with a first component with negative refractive power; and a second lens group that has positive refractive power, is disposed on the reduction side of the first stop with a second distance, in which other lenses could be disposed but no lenses are disposed, and forms the intermediate image so as to be adjacent on a reduction side of the second lens group and so as to be tilted toward the enlargement side.

A zoom lens consists of, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a rear group including one or more lens units. Each distance between adjacent lens units changes during zooming. The rear group includes a focus lens unit having a positive refractive power that moves from the image side to the object side during focusing from an infinite distance object to a close distance object. A lens closest to an object in the focus lens unit has a shape with a concave surface on the object side. The following inequalities are satisfied.

1.20<fLP/fL2<3.20

−3.00<fL1/fL2<−0.85

fLP represents a focal length of the focus lens unit, fL1 represents a focal length of the first lens unit, and fL2 represents a focal length of the second lens unit.

A zoom lens includes a plurality of lens units. The plurality of lens units consist of, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a middle group including one or more lens units, and a final lens unit having a negative refractive power. Each distance between adjacent lens units changes during zooming. The first lens unit includes at least three negative lenses. Predetermined conditions are satisfied.

A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, and a rear unit including one or more lens units. A distance between adjacent lens units changes during zooming. The rear unit includes a focus lens unit having positive refractive power and configured to move from the image side to the object side during focusing from infinity to a short-distance end. The first lens unit includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first negative lens and a second negative lens. A predetermined condition is satisfied.

Provided are an optical element and an image display apparatus that display an aerial image, in which the total volume of the apparatus is small, a reduction in size can realized, and a scenery can be recognized. The optical element includes: a light guide element including a light guide plate, an incidence diffraction element, and an emission diffraction element, the incidence diffraction element being disposed on a main surface of the light guide plate and the emission diffraction element being disposed on the main surface of the light guide plate; and a positive lens that is disposed at a position overlapping the emission diffraction element in a view from a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the light guide plate, in which the incidence diffraction element diffracts incident light such that the diffracted light is incident into the light guide plate, the emission diffraction element emits light propagating in the light guide plate from the light guide plate, and the positive lens collects the light that is emitted from the light guide plate by the emission diffraction element.

A variable power optical system (ZL (1)) includes a plurality of lens groups (G1-G7). During variable magnification, an interval between adjacent lens groups changes. The plurality of lens groups include: a first focusing lens group (G5) that moves during focusing; and a second focusing lens group (G6) that is disposed more toward an imaging surface side than the first focusing lens group and that moves along a different trajectory than the first focusing lens group during focusing. The first focusing lens group and the second focusing lens group both have a negative refractive power. The plurality of lens groups satisfy the following condition: 0.40<fF1/fF2<3.50 (wherein fF1 is the focal distance of the first focusing lens group, and fF2 is the focal distance of the second focusing lens group).

A zoom lens consisting of, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a rear lens unit having one or more lens units and having a positive refractive power as a whole. Intervals between adjacent lens units change during zooming. The first lens unit has at least three meniscus lenses each having a negative refractive power and a convex shape toward the object side. At least one of the at least three meniscus lenses includes an aspherical surface having a positive aspherical amount. A predetermined condition is satisfied.

An optical system (LS) Includes lenses (L22,L23) satisfying the following conditional expressions,
νdLZ<35.0, and
0.702<θgFLZ+(0.00316×νdLZ),
where νdLZ: Abbe number of the lens with reference to d-line, and θgFLZ: a partial dispersion ratio of the lens, wherein θgFLZ is defined by the following expression,
θgFLZ−(ngLZ−nFLZ)/(nFLZ−nCLZ). wherein a refractive index of the lens with reference to g-line is ngLZ, a refractive index of the lens with reference to F-line is nFLZ, and a refractive index of the lens with reference to C-line is nCLZ.

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 the first lens unit and the second lens unit changes during zooming. The second lens unit includes an aperture stop and two or more negative lenses. The zoom lens satisfies specified conditional expressions.