Patent ID: 7280287

Claim:
A zoom lens apparatus comprising: a first lens group and a second lens group each arranged on an optical axis; supporting unit that supports the first lens group and the second lens group so that each of the first and second lens groups can move in a direction of the optical axis; a motor that is regularly rotated when the first lens group and the second lens group are moved to wide angle positions and that is reversely rotated when the first lens group and the second lens group are moved to telephoto positions; a cam drive gear that is rotated in a first direction by regularly rotating the motor and that is rotated in a second direction by reversely rotating the motor; a zoom cam rotatably and slidably supported on a rotational axis in parallel with the optical axis, the zoom cam being connected and engaged with the first lens group and the second lens group to move in the optical axis direction; and a connecting and engaging mechanism between the cam drive gear and the zoom cam, wherein the connecting and engaging mechanism transmits one of rotation of the drive gear in the first direction and rotation of the drive gear in the second direction to the zoom cam, so as to perform zoom adjusting, and the connecting and engaging mechanism includes a nontransmitting section in which rotation of the cam drive gear is not transmitted to the zoom cam, and when a rotational direction is switched between the first direction and the second direction, the zoom cam slides in the axial direction by rotation of the cam drive gear in the nontransmitting section, so as to perform focus adjusting.