Patent ID: 7646418

Claim:
An image capture apparatus comprising: a zoom lens arranged in a housing and which includes a plurality of fixed lens groups, a plurality of movable lens groups and at least three optical-axis folding means; and an imager device arranged in the housing, for converting an image formed by the zoom lens into an electrical signal, wherein the zoom lens includes, in the following order from an object side: a fixed first lens group including a negative lens group having a first optical axis, first optical-axis folding means for approximately perpendicularly folding an optical axis, and a positive lens group having a second optical axis, which is an optical axis after being folded by the first optical-axis folding means, the fixed first lens group having positive refractive power as a whole; a plurality of movable lens groups and at least one fixed lens group arranged along the second optical axis to perform a zooming action, an image plane position correcting action and a focusing action; and second optical-axis folding means arranged on an image side relative to a movable lens group that is closest to the image side among the plurality of movable lens groups, for approximately perpendicularly folding the optical axis, wherein the optical axis is folded such that the imager device is arranged approximately in parallel with an inside wall surface of the housing, by optical-axis folding means positioned at a location closest to the image side among the at least three optical-axis folding means including the first and second optical-axis folding means.