Patent ID: 7679840

Claim:
An optical apparatus, comprising: an image taking optical system that includes a first lens unit arranged in the nearest side to an object and a second lens unit movable in an optical axis direction in an image surface side area in regard to the first lens unit; a first lens barrel unit that holds the first lens unit; a second lens barrel unit that is combined with the first lens barrel unit and that houses the second lens unit so that the second lens unit is movable; a control unit that is arranged around an outer periphery of the second lens barrel unit and includes an operation element, which is operated in order to instruct driving of the second lens unit, and an electric component for controlling the driving of the second lens unit according to the operation of the operation element; and a third lens barrel unit which holds at least one of a lens unit, a lens stop, and an image pickup element arranged further on an image surface side than the second lens unit, wherein a maximum outer diameter of the first lens unit is larger than a minimum inner diameter of the control unit, and wherein the control unit is arranged between large diameter sections which have outer diameters larger than an inner diameter of the control unit, respectively, in the first lens barrel unit and the second lens barrel unit, and wherein the third lens barrel unit is combined with the large diameter section in the second lens barrel unit.