To provide a zoom lens device of a low cost, despite the device being wide in angle and compact.

The zoom lens system has a first group arranged nearest an object side and having a reflecting optical element for bending an optical axis by approximately 90°, and at least one group movable during variable magnification on its image side, and employs a configuration that satisfies the following conditional expression: (fw/Y')x(Tp/L1)<0.8, where fw is the focal length of the zoom lens system in a shortest focal length state; Y' is the height (maximum image height), starting from the optical axis in a diagonal direction of an imager; Tp is the axial optical path length of the reflecting optical element; and L1 is the entire length of the first group.