A zoom lens with an easily bendable optical path, which has high optical specification performance such as a high zoom ratio, a wide-angle arrangement, a small F-number and reduced aberrations includes a first lens group that remains fixed during zooming, a second lens group that has negative refracting power and moves during zooming, a third lens group that has positive refracting power and moves during zooming, and a fourth lens group that has positive refracting power and moves during zooming and focusing. The first lens group includes, in order from an object side thereof, a negative meniscus lens component convex on an object side thereof, a reflecting optical element for bending an optical path and a positive lens. Upon focusing on an infinite object point, the fourth lens group moves in a locus opposite to that of movement of the third lens group during zooming.