Patent ID: 7808547

Claim:
A drive control apparatus for controlling a lens apparatus having a zoom lens movable between a telephoto end and a wide-angle end, comprising: an iris auto-switch configured to be operated between on and off to switch whether or not to bring an iris operation into a servo operation; a memory switch configured to be operated to perform a setting relating to the zoom lens; and a controller configured to store, in a case where a position of the zoom lens at a time when the iris auto-switch and the memory switch are simultaneously turned on is different from those at the telephoto end and at the wide-angle end, the position of the zoom lens as a drive end of the zoom lens, and configured to limit a drive range using the stored drive end, wherein simultaneous turn-on of the iris auto-switch and the memory switch performed for a certain time period switches whether the limitation of the drive range of the zoom lens by the controller is valid or invalid, wherein, when the limitation of the drive range is valid, the zoom lens is allowed to be driven only in a drive range between the stored drive end and the wide-angle end or between the stored drive end and the telephoto end, and when the limitation of the drive range is invalid, the zoom lens is allowed to be driven in an entire range between the wide-angle end and the telephoto end, and wherein the controller drives the zoom lens to the stored drive end when the limitation of the drive range is switched to valid.