A zoom lens including, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens group including a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, an image side lens group having a positive refractive power, wherein the distance between the first lens group and the second lens group changes during zooming, and a refractive optical element A, which has a positive refractive power when its object side surface and image side surface are exposed to air, is provided in the first lens group and located closest to the object side in the first lens group, and the refractive optical element A is cemented together with an optical element B. The Abbe constant νd and the relative partial dispersion θgF of the refractive optical element A satisfies certain conditions.