Patent ID: 7133224

Claim:
A lens barrel, comprising: a) a plurality of lens groups each having at least one lens; b) a plurality of lens retaining frames each retaining corresponding one of the plurality of the lens groups, said plurality of the lens retaining frames comprising a retractable lens retaining frame, c) lens retaining frame driving devices configured to drive the plurality of the lens retaining frames, said retractable lens retaining frame being configured to retain and move at least one lens group such that the retractable lens retaining frame aligns the corresponding at least one lens group the other along an identical optical axis in photographing state in which at least a part of the plurality of lens groups is moved toward a subject to be photographed, and retracts said corresponding at least one lens group outside a telescopic cylinder containing therein the other lens groups to a retracted position in a collapsed state in which at least a part of the plurality of the lens groups is collapsed to store the lens groups, said telescopic cylinder being constituted by movable lens cylinders for said the other lens groups, respectively; d) a main-guide shaft member which is in parallel to said optical axis of the other lens group or groups and supports the retractable lens retaining frame rotatably in longitudinal and circumferential directions of the main-guide shaft member, and e) a sub-guide shaft member configured to guide said retractable lens retaining frame along the optical axis, said sub-guide shaft member being configured to allow said retractable lens retaining frame to be retracted toward the retracted position at a retracting point on said main-guide shaft member and to guide said retractable lens retaining frame on the main-guide shaft member along said optical axis at other than the retracting point, said retractable lens retaining frame being formed with an engaging portion configured to engage with the sub-guide shaft member and to be guided along the sub-guide shaft member, and said engaging portion being formed with an opened portion configured to allow said retractable lens retaining frame to be released from the sub-guide shaft member at said retracting point.