Patent ID: 7697832

Claim:
An imaging apparatus that picks up an image input via a lens, comprising: a moving unit that moves the lens along a drive shaft in a direction to make shorter a best focal length where a best focus is set to an imaging target and in a direction to make the best focal length longer; a first stopper that inhibits the lens from moving along the drive shaft in the direction to make the best focal length longer; and a second stopper that is located at a position apart from the first stopper and inhibits the lens present between the first stopper and the second stopper from moving in the direction to make the best focal length shorter, wherein the moving unit includes a first unit that sets a position to which the lens moves along the drive shaft with a position of the first stopper taken as a reference, and moves the lens from the position of the first stopper to the position set with the position of the first stopper taken as a reference; and a second unit that sets the position to which the lens moves along the drive shaft with a position of the second stopper taken as a reference, and moves the lens from the position of the second stopper to the position set with the position of the second stopper taken as a reference, and wherein the first unit and the second unit are switched from one to the other according to imaging modes.