Abstract: By satisfying certain specified conditions, a projection lens having six lens groups and a low F-number of 1.4 is disclosed wherein a maximum angle between a principal ray and the optical axis on the reducing side of the projection lens is 2.5.degree. or less. This enables the projection lens to be used with a display which must be illuminated by light that is orthogonal to a display surface (as is the case with a liquid crystal display) without significant loss of light at the periphery of the image. Further, the projection lens can have its aberrations favorably corrected and be compact.

Abstract: In a projection-type display apparatus employing an integrator to make uniform the illumination provided at a pupil plane, in the case where the illumination is provided by a plurality of light source units, structure is provided to improve the image formed by a projection lens. This is accomplished by making the light output from the plurality of light source units appear, from the projection lens, as though the light source units lie closer to the optical axis than is actually the case. In this way, aberrations in the projected image are reduced, since the fight which forms the projected image transits the pupil of the projection lens nearer the optical axis, where the image-formation quality of a lens is highest.

Abstract: In front of a reflector, a polarizing beam splitter section for transmitting therethrough one of P- and S-polarized light components of light from a light-emitting body and reflecting the other, and a half-wave optical phase plate covering half the area of an aperture portion of the reflector are disposed, whereby the number of times light passes through an optical phase plate used for converting the light from a light source section into polarized light is reduced, thus decreasing loss in light quantity in the optical phase plate. An S-polarized light component reflected by a polarizing beam splitter 3 toward a reflector 2 is converted into a P-polarized light component so as to be made incident on the polarizing beam splitter 3 again, whereby this light component can also be transmitted through the polarizing beam splitter 3 so as to be made incident on liquid crystal display panels 23B, 23G, and 23R.