Patent ID: 7609294

Claim:
An image pick-up apparatus comprising: an image-capturing device configured to convert an object image photo-electrically, formed by a luminous flux from a taking lens; a mirror unit including a half mirror occupying at least part of the region of the mirror unit; a drive unit configured to drive the mirror unit between a first state where part of the luminous flux is transmitted through the mirror unit to the image-capturing device while the residual luminous flux is reflected to a predetermined unit and a second state where the entire luminous flux is introduced to the image-capturing device without being reflected by and transmitted through the mirror unit; an image pickup mode setting unit configured to set either a moving image pickup mode for picking up moving images or a still image pickup mode for picking up still images; the moving image pickup starting unit configured to start picking up the moving images in a case where the moving image pickup move is set; and a control unit configured to control the drive unit to drive the mirror unit, wherein the mirror unit is driven to the first state before the image pick-up apparatus is in an image pickup stand-by state, and wherein if the first still image pickup starting unit instructs to start picking up the still images while the moving image pickup mode is set, the still images are picked up in the first state without driving the mirror unit, and if the still image pickup starting unit instructs to pickup the still images while the still image pickup mode is set, the still images are picked up after the driving unit drives the mirror unit from the first state to the second state.