Optical lens barrel and image pickup apparatus

An optical lens barrel including a front barrel, an intermediate barrel and a rear barrel that hold a front optical lens group, an intermediate optical lens group and a rear optical lens group, respectively, the relative distances in the direction of an optical axis among the front barrel, the intermediate barrel and the rear barrel varying between during the optical lens barrel being housed and during shooting, the optical lens barrel comprising:

• a lens barrier arranged in said front barrel and adapted to open/close by moving between a position to cover a front surface of the front lens group and a position to retract;
• a barrier actuating member arranged in said front barrel and adapted to drive said lens barrier to open/close;
• a barrier drive cam section adapted to make said barrier actuating member turn around the optical axis upon relative movement of said front, intermediate and rear barrels;
• a first drive source arranged in said intermediate barrel and adapted to drive a shutter unit adapted to open/close by moving between a position to block a light flux passing through the respective lens groups and a position to allow the light flux to pass through;
• a second drive source arranged in said intermediate barrel and adapted to drive a light amount control unit adapted to increase/decrease the light amount of the light flux for adjustment;
• a third drive source arranged in said intermediate barrel and adapted to drive said intermediate lens group in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis for image stabilization;
• a rear lens group clearance section formed at an outer peripheral portion of said intermediate barrel and provided to avoid interference with a mechanism that moves the rear lens group, during the optical lens barrel being housed;
• and
• a barrier clearance section formed adjacent to said first drive source or said second drive source in a peripheral portion of said intermediate barrel and provided to avoid interference with said barrier actuating member and said barrier drive cam section.