Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus using the same

Abstract

A zoom lens includes a front unit having a negative refractive power; and a rear unit having a positive refractive power, which includes an aperture stop. The front unit includes a first negative refractive power lens, a second negative refractive power lens, and a third positive refractive power lens. The first lens is nearest to an object, and has a meniscus shape with a convex surface directed toward the object side, and the second lens is on an image side of the first lens, and has a meniscus shape with a convex surface directed toward the object side. The rear unit includes a first lens unit A and a second lens unit B, wherein when zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, a distance between the front unit and the rear unit narrows, and a distance between the first lens unit A and the second lens unit B changes. The first lens unit A includes a first sub-lens unit having a positive refractive power, the aperture stop, and a second sub-lens unit. The second sub-lens unit includes a focusing lens unit, and when focusing, only the focusing lens unit moves along an optical axis, and when zooming, a distance between the first sub-lens unit and the second sub-lens unit changes.