An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an optical block constituted of a lens; an image pickup block constituted of an image pickup device; a lens tube that accommodates the optical block and the image pickup block and includes a rotating sphere section having a shape of a sphere larger than a hemisphere; a supporting member in which a circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the rotating sphere section being mounted on the supporting member on an outer side of the opening; and a retaining member in which a circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the retaining member accommodating the rotating sphere section on an inner side of the opening and preventing the lens tube from falling out, wherein: the image pickup block is provided inside the rotating sphere section; at least a part of the optical block is positioned inside a virtual globe obtained by extending a spherical surface of the rotating sphere section; characterized in that the rotating sphere section has two grooves (121-1, 121-2) provided on a surface thereof as an arc forming a protrusion constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves (121-1, 121-2); and the retaining member has a stopper protrusion that comes into contact with the surface of the rotating sphere section, wherein the contact is constantly maintained during rotation of the rotating sphere section and the stopper protrusion positively comes into contact with the protrusion after the stopper protrusion is positioned in one of the grooves (121-1, 121-2) when the rotating sphere section is rotated so as to disable further rotations. an optical block constituted of a lens; an image pickup block constituted of an image pickup device; a lens tube that accommodates the optical block and the image pickup block and includes a rotating sphere section having a shape of a sphere larger than a hemisphere; a supporting member in which a circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the rotating sphere section being mounted on the supporting member on an outer side of the opening; and a retaining member in which a circular opening having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the rotating sphere section is formed, the retaining member accommodating the rotating sphere section on an inner side of the opening and preventing the lens tube from falling out, wherein: the image pickup block is provided inside the rotating sphere section; at least a part of the optical block is positioned inside a virtual globe obtained by extending a spherical surface of the rotating sphere section; characterized in that the rotating sphere section has two grooves (121-1, 121-2) provided on a surface thereof as an arc forming a protrusion constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves (121-1, 121-2); and the retaining member has a stopper protrusion that comes into contact with the surface of the rotating sphere section, wherein the contact is constantly maintained during rotation of the rotating sphere section and the stopper protrusion positively comes into contact with the protrusion after the stopper protrusion is positioned in one of the grooves (121-1, 121-2) when the rotating sphere section is rotated so as to disable further rotations. the image pickup block is provided inside the rotating sphere section; at least a part of the optical block is positioned inside a virtual globe obtained by extending a spherical surface of the rotating sphere section; characterized in that the rotating sphere section has two grooves (121-1, 121-2) provided on a surface thereof as an arc forming a protrusion constituting the virtual globe between the two grooves (121-1, 121-2); and the retaining member has a stopper protrusion that comes into contact with the surface of the rotating sphere section, wherein the contact is constantly maintained during rotation of the rotating sphere section and the stopper protrusion positively comes into contact with the protrusion after the stopper protrusion is positioned in one of the grooves (121-1, 121-2) when the rotating sphere section is rotated so as to disable further rotations.