A scanning optical apparatus has a convex cylindrical lens and a concave cylindrical lens between a light source for emitting a light beam and a polygon mirror. The cylindrical lenses condense the light beam in the vicinity of a deflecting surface of the polygon mirror only in the sub-scanning direction. The cylindrical lenses are held by a lens barrel to form one unit, and the lens barrel is mounted on a V groove formed in a base. The position of the unit having the cylindrical lenses is adjustable along the optical axis, and the rotational angle of the unit is adjustable about the optical axis.