Zoom lens system

A zoom lens system comprising, in order from an object;

• a first lens group having negative refractive power;
• a second lens group having positive refractive power;
• and a third lens group having positive refractive power;
• zooming being carried out by varying distances between adjacent lens groups;
• wherein
• the first lens group includes two negative lens elements and a positive lens element,
• the second lens group includes three lens elements consisting of a first positive lens element, a second positive lens element, and a negative lens element, and
• the third lens group includes at least one positive lens element;
• and
• wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied:
• 2.5<TL/(ft×fw)½<4.5
• where TL denotes the distance between the most object side lens surface of the zoom lens system and the image plane, fw denotes the focal length of the zoom lens system in a wide-angle end state, and ft denotes the focal length of the zoom lens system in a telephoto end state.