Patent attributes
A lens barrel includes a standard optical element used in a standard photographing operation and an insertable optical element which is selectively inserted into and removed from a photographing optical path. The lens barrel includes an accommodating driving device which moves the standard optical element and the insertable optical element rearward in an optical axis direction from a ready-to-photograph state to a retracted state; an insertable-optical-element drive mechanism which moves the insertable optical element between an inserted position on the optical axis on which the standard optical element is positioned, and a removed position off the optical axis, in the ready-to-photograph state of the lens barrel; and a forced removing device which forces the insertable optical element to move from the inserted position to the removed position independently of the insertable-optical-element drive mechanism when the lens barrel moves from the ready-to-photograph state to the retracted state.
