Variable magnification optical system, optical apparatus, and method for producing variable magnification optical system

A variable magnification optical system comprising, in order from an object side, a first lens group and a plurality of lens groups comprising, in order from the object side, a second lens group, a third lens group, a fourth lens group, a fifth lens group, a sixth lens group, and a seventh lens group;

• upon varying a magnification, a distance between said first lens group and said plurality of lens groups being varied, distances between respective lens groups in said plurality of lens groups being varied, and a lens group disposed in the most image side in said plurality of lens groups being moved along the optical axis;
• said plurality of lens groups comprising a first focusing lens group which is moved upon carrying out focusing and a second focusing lens group disposed in a more image side than the first focusing lens group and composed of one or more focusing lens segment groups each moved with a trajectory differing from that of the first focusing lens group, upon carrying out the focusing;
• said first focusing lens group being composed of a single lens component;
• said first focusing lens group being said fourth lens group;
• said one or more focusing lens segment groups each consisting of one or two lens components;
• said lens group disposed in the most image side in said plurality of lens groups having negative refractive power;
• and
• the following conditional expression being satisfied:
• 0.60<(−f1N)/|f1|<1.50
• where f1N denotes a focal length of a lens which has a strongest negative refractive power in lenses in said first lens group, and f1 denotes a focal length of said first lens group.