PURPOSE: To obtain a very wide angle compact zoom lens with large variable power having aberrations compensated excellently by moving the 1st group to an image side firstly and then to an object side, and moving the 2ndWthe 4th groups to the object side monotonously in zooming from the wide angle side to the telephoto side.

CONSTITUTION: The zoom lens consists of the 1st group I having negative refracting power, the 2nd group II having positive refracting power, the 3rd group III having negative refracting power, and the 4th group IV having positive refracting power from the object side in order; the 3rd group III includes one air lens and the 4th group IV includes at least one composition surface. When the lens is zoomed from short focal length to long focal length, the 1st group I is moved to the image side firstly and then to the object side, and the 2ndWthe 4th groups IIWIV are move monotonously by different extents respectively; and the respective groups meet specific requirements, i.e. conditional expression, so that the very wide angle compact zoom lens with large variable power is obtained while aberrations are compensated excellently.