Patent ID: 7955010

Claim:
A camera apparatus to which a lens unit containing at least a lens and an iris is attachable/detachable, capable of acquiring unique information set in the lens unit, comprising: a communication part to which the unique information is inputted from the lens unit; a unique information storage capable of storing the unique information inputted to the communication part; and a controller that controls the lens unit so that the unique information is outputted, wherein the unique information is at least composed of lens identification information for identifying the lens unit and characteristic information, corresponding to the lens identification information, for controlling various operations of the lens and the iris in the lens unit, the controller controls so that the unique information is acquired from the lens unit when an operation of attaching the lens unit is performed, the camera apparatus further includes a mounting detector that monitors attachment/detachment of the lens unit, and outputs first detection information when the lens unit is mounted, when the first detection information is outputted from the mounting detector, the controller acquires only the lens identification data of the unique information from the lens unit via the communication part, and checks whether or not the lens identification information matches with previously acquired lens identification information stored in the unique information storage, in a case where the lens identification information matches the previously acquired lens identification information stored in the unique information storage, the controller controls so that lens characteristic information corresponding to the lens identification information is read from the unique information storage, while in a case where the lens identification information does not match the previously acquired lens identification information stored in the unique information storage, the controller controls so that the lens characteristics data of the unique information is output to the lens unit, and controls so that the lens identification data acquired from the lens unit and the lens characteristic data are stored in the unique information storage.