A wide-angle lens consists of, in order from an object, a front lens group GF consisting of a first front lens group GF1 that consists of a negative meniscus lens L11 having a concave surface facing an image, a second front lens group GF2 that consists of a negative lens L12 having a concave surface facing the image, and a third front lens group GF3 that has a convex surface facing the object and has positive refractive power; and a rear lens group GB consisting of a first rear lens group GB1 that consists of a cemented positive lens constructed by a negative lens L14 and a positive lens L15, and a second rear lens group GB2 having positive refractive power; thereby providing a wide-angle lens having a wide angle of view, well corrected aberrations, less ghost images capable of coping with wide luminance difference, and an imaging apparatus equipped therewith.