An optical pickup in which a light receptor and a light transmitter are integrated with a catadioptric objective lens. The optical pickup includes a unit for emitting laser light to a recording medium and detecting the light reflected from the recording medium. The catadioptric objective lens includes a first reflective area for reflecting the light incident from the unit, a focusing area for focusing the light incident from the unit as a focused spot, and a second reflective area for reflecting the light reflected from the first reflective area toward the focusing area. The first reflective area and the focusing area form a first surface of the catadioptric objective lens while the second reflective area is a part of a second surface of the catadioptric objective lens located in the vicinity of the unit. The light from the unit is incident to the catadioptric objective lens via portions of the second surface other than the second reflective area The optical pickup uses compact and light-weight components creating a thinner optical pickup suitable for use in slim devices such as notebook computers.