WIDE ANGLE PHOTOGRAPHING LENS

A wide angle photographing lens which has a brightness of F2, an angle of field greater than 74 DEG and a long back focus of 1.2 times as great as the focal length, and which comprises a combination of a forward lens group which is an afocal reversed Galilean conversion, and a rearward lens group which is a master lens. The forward lens group comprises a negative meniscus lens convex to the object side, a positive lens, a negative meniscus lens convex to the object side, a positive lens and a negative lens cemented thereto. The rearward lens group comprises a biconvex lens, a biconcave lens, a positive meniscus lens concave to the object side, and a positive lens. All of these lenses are sequentially arranged in the named order in the direction away from the object so as to satisfy predetermined conditions. The spacing between the forward and rearward lens groups is variable.