Zoom lens

• US 5,933,283 A
• Filed: 04/04/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamano, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US08/835,191
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 359/684, 359/687
• US Class Current: 359/687
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 15/144113 arranged +-++

Abstract

A zoom lens comprises, in order from an object side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power, wherein at least the second and fourth lens units are moved to vary magnification and the fourth lens unit is moved to effect focusing, and wherein the third lens unit is composed of one positive lens and one negative lens and an aperture stop is disposed between the positive lens and the negative lens in the third lens unit.

Claims

1. A zoom lens comprising, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power, at least said second lens unit and said fourth lens unit being moved to vary magnification and said fourth lens unit being moved to effect focusing, wherein said third lens unit consists of one positive lens and one negative lens, and wherein an aperture stop is disposed between said positive lens and said negative lens.

2. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">D.sub.23 /f.sub.W <

0.25

where D₂₃ is an air separation between a lens surface closest to the image side of said second lens unit and a lens surface closest to the object side of said third lens unit in a telephoto end, and f_W is a focal length in a wide-angle end of said zoom lens.

3. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.32<

D.sub.3M /f.sub.W <

0.56

where D_3M is an air separation between said positive lens and said negative lens of said third lens unit, and f_W is a focal length in a wide-angle end of said zoom lens.

4. A zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein said negative lens of said third lens unit has a strong concave surface facing the image side.

5. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">2.0<

f.sub.3 /f.sub.W <

3.5

where f₃ is a focal length of said third lens unit, and f_W is a focal length in a wide-angle end of said zoom lens.

6. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">1.9<

f.sub.4 /f.sub.W <

3.2

where f₄ is a focal length of said fourth lens unit, and f_W is a focal length in a wide-angle end of said zoom lens.

7. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.2<

|f.sub.2 /√

f.sub.W ·

f.sub.T |<

0.3

where f₂ is a focal length of said second lens unit, and f_W and f_T are focal lengths in a wide-angle end and in a telephoto end of said zoom lens, respectively.

8. A zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.7<

|f.sub.N /f.sub.3 |<

1.5

where f_N is a focal length of said negative lens of said third lens unit, and f₃ is a focal length of said third lens unit.

9. A zoom lens consisting of, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit of positive refractive power stationary during zooming, a second lens unit of negative refractive power, a third lens unit of positive refractive power and a fourth lens unit of positive refractive power, said second lens unit being moved toward the image side to effect zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end and said fourth lens unit being moved to compensate for shifting of an image plane resulting from the zooming, and said fourth lens unit being moved to effect focusing, wherein the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.8≦

TD/f.sub.T ≦

1.05

where TD is a distance from the first lens surface, when counted from the object side, to a paraxial image plane with an optical element of no refractive power on the image side removed, and f_T is a focal length in the telephoto end of said zoom lens.

10. A zoom lens according to claim 9, satisfying the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.05<

D.sub.23 /f.sub.W <

0.2

where D₂₃ is an air separation between said second lens unit and said third lens unit in the telephoto end, and f_W is a focal length in the wide-angle end of said zoom lens.

11. A zoom lens according to claim 9, wherein said third lens unit consists of a positive lens and a negative lens of meniscus form having a convex surface facing the object side.

12. A zoom lens according to claim 11, wherein a stop is disposed between said positive lens and said negative lens of said third lens unit.

13. A zoom lens according to claim 9, wherein said first lens unit has at least one negative lens, and said zoom lens satisfying the following conditions:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">ν

.sub.1N <

23

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">1.85<

N.sub.1N

where N_1N and ν

_1N are respectively a refractive index and Abbe number of a material of said negative lens.

14. A zoom lens according to claim 9, satisfying the following condition:

##EQU5## where f₂ is a focal length of said second lens unit, and f_W and f_T are focal lengths in the wide-angle end and in the telephoto end of said zoom lens, respectively.