Patent ID: 8228620

Claim:
A variable focal length lens system comprising a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group having positive refractive power, said first lens group, said second lens group, said third lens group, said fourth lens group, and said fifth lens group being arranged in order from an object side, wherein when a lens position state is changed from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, each lens group moves such that an air interval between said first lens group and said second lens group is increased, an air interval between said second lens group and said third lens group is decreased, an air interval between said third lens group and said fourth lens group is increased, and an air interval between said fourth lens group and said fifth lens group is changed, said second lens group moves to an image side, said third lens group moves to the object side, said first lens group is situated on the object side in the telephoto end state as compared with the wide-angle end state, and an aperture stop is disposed in proximity to said third lens group, and the variable focal length lens system satisfies following conditional expressions (1) to (3): 0.95 <f 13 T/ft< 1.4 (1) 0.08 <f 2 /f 4<0.3 (2) 0.06<Δ3 /ft< 0.22 (3) where f13T is combined focal length of the first to third lens groups in the telephoto end state, ft is focal length of the lens system as a whole in the telephoto end state, f2 is focal length of the second lens group, f4 is focal length of the fourth lens group, and Δ3 is an amount of travel of the third lens group from the wide-angle end state to the telephoto end state.