The present lens system is capable of providing both a zooming operation and also a relatively efficient and economical macrophotography mode of operation. The zoom lens system contains the basic conventional lens groups of a focusing lens group, variator lens group, compensator lens group and relay lens group. These individual lens group function in a conventional manner during a zooming mode of operation. However, during the macrophotography mode of operation, the individual lens element that form the relay lens group are capable of coordinate movement with other lens elements in the lens system to provide a relatively compact and economical lens design for macrophotography. Thus, the relay lens group is not only capable of performing its normal auxiliary function of image transmission and final balancing of aberrations imposed by the design parameters of the zoom mode of operation but is further capable of compensating for the introduction of aberrations that will occur in the macrophotography mode of operation. In some embodiments, the plurality of movable lens elements that form the relay lens group has at least that movable lens element closest to the design image plane moved to provide the second macrophotography mode of operation.