An image pickup apparatus for an endoscope, the apparatus comprising: an image pickup device unit including an image pickup device, the image pickup device unit being arranged in a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the endoscope, the insertion portion including the distal end portion, a bending portion and a flexible tube portion continuously provided in this order from a distal end side; a lens unit including a moving lens that moves to a first observation position and a second observation position, the lens unit being included in an objective optical system that forms an optical image on an image pickup surface of the image pickup device; an actuator apparatus for an endoscope, the actuator apparatus including a first elastic member having an urging force that makes a moving lens frame in which the moving lens in the lens unit is disposed be arranged at the first observation position, a second elastic member having an urging force larger than the urging force of the first elastic member and making the moving lens frame be arranged at the second observation position, and a shape memory alloy wire having a property of extending/contracting as a result of a temperature thereof changing due to a current applied from an external power supply via an electric cable, the shape memory alloy wire holding the second elastic member in a tensionless state when the shape memory alloy wire is extended, and contracting the second elastic member into a predetermined state and holding the second elastic member when the shape memory alloy wire is contracted; characterized in that the actuator apparatus further comprises a driving force transmitting wire including a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the distal end portion being integrally fixed to a contact member which contacts a moving frame projection portion of the moving lens frame, the proximal end portion being integrally fixed, in the flexible tube portion, to a distal end portion of the shape memory alloy wire in the actuator apparatus for an endoscope. an image pickup device unit including an image pickup device, the image pickup device unit being arranged in a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the endoscope, the insertion portion including the distal end portion, a bending portion and a flexible tube portion continuously provided in this order from a distal end side; a lens unit including a moving lens that moves to a first observation position and a second observation position, the lens unit being included in an objective optical system that forms an optical image on an image pickup surface of the image pickup device; an actuator apparatus for an endoscope, the actuator apparatus including a first elastic member having an urging force that makes a moving lens frame in which the moving lens in the lens unit is disposed be arranged at the first observation position, a second elastic member having an urging force larger than the urging force of the first elastic member and making the moving lens frame be arranged at the second observation position, and a shape memory alloy wire having a property of extending/contracting as a result of a temperature thereof changing due to a current applied from an external power supply via an electric cable, the shape memory alloy wire holding the second elastic member in a tensionless state when the shape memory alloy wire is extended, and contracting the second elastic member into a predetermined state and holding the second elastic member when the shape memory alloy wire is contracted; characterized in that the actuator apparatus further comprises a driving force transmitting wire including a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the distal end portion being integrally fixed to a contact member which contacts a moving frame projection portion of the moving lens frame, the proximal end portion being integrally fixed, in the flexible tube portion, to a distal end portion of the shape memory alloy wire in the actuator apparatus for an endoscope.