A detecting apparatus which detects an inclination of an objective lens relative to a reference surface is provided. The objective lens is part of an optical data recording and reproducing apparatus in which data is optically recorded on and reproduced from a recording medium which is placed parallel to the reference surface. The apparatus includes a transparent parallel plate which is opposite the objective lens, parallel to the reference surface, and made of a material that is substantially optically equivalent to a transparent material of the recording medium. The apparatus further includes a reflecting mechanism for reflecting coherent light which has passed through the objective lens and the transparent parallel plate back towards the transparent parallel plate and the objective lens, and a beam splitting mechanism for splitting the coherent light into a first beam and a second beam. The apparatus further includes a wavefront rotating mechanism for rotating the first beam and the second beam about an optical axis in a manner such that the first beam and the second beam are rotated through 180 degrees with respect to one another, and a mechanism for superposing the first beam and the second beam to produce an optical interference.