A stereoscopic image photographing optical system includes a pair of front optical
components of negative refractive power, a combining optical element for superposing
respective optical axes of the pair of front optical components on each other,
a rear optical component disposed such that the superposed optical axes coincide
with an optical axis of the rear optical component, a pair of shutters capable
of independently controlling amounts of transmission of light fluxes respectively
entering the pair of front optical components from an object, and a pair of deflection
mirrors arranged to deflect light fluxes coming from the pair of front optical
components and to guide the deflected light fluxes to the combining optical element,
wherein the optical system forms parallactic images in a time-series manner by
causing the pair of shutters to alternately change the amounts of transmission
of light fluxes respectively entering the pair of front optical components from
the object.
