To obtain a zoom lens which keeps optical performance excellent so as to correct image blurring caused by vibration and has the excellent performance all over the zoom area and all over the subject distance by constituting the lens so that an interval between a 2nd group and a 3rd group and an interval between an aperture diaphragm and the 3rd group at a zoom position having a wide-angle end may satisfy a specified condition.

This zoom lens is equipped with a 1st group L1 having positive refractive power, the 2nd group L2 having negative refractive power, the 3rd group L3 having the positive refractive power, a 4th group L4 having the positive refractive power and a 5th group L5. An aperture diaphragm SP is arranged in front of the 3rd group L3. In the zoom lens constituted in such a way, the image blurring in a photographic picture caused when the zoom lens is inclined is corrected by providing a variable apex angle prism VP near the diaphragm SP and varying the apex angle of the prism VP. When the interval between the 2nd group L2 and the 3rd group L3 and the interval between the diaphragm SP and the 3rd group L3 at the zoom position having the wide-angle end are defined as D23W and DS3W, respectively, they satisfy the condition: 0.18<DS3W/S23W<0.37.