To provide an optical element withdrawing mechanism for a lens barrel accurately driving an optical element to the outside of an optical axis in a housed state.

The optical element withdrawing mechanism for the lens barrel is constituted of a back advance/retreat member 51 supporting a 1st optical element LG3 capable of always moving to a service position and a retreat housing position on an optical axis, and an off-axis withdrawing member 6 supporting a 2nd optical element LG2 capable of moving to an axial position and an off-axis position, and the member 6 is driven to advance/retreat in front of the member 51 through a position control means 8 between a using state and a withdrawing state. The members 51 and 6 have abutting surfaces abutting each other when the member 51 is not moved to the retreat housing position while the member 6 is shifted from the using state to the withdrawing state in areas other than the 1st and the 2nd optical elements.