Patent ID: 8259214

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup unit adapted to pick up an image and output a video signal, the image being formed by an image-pickup optical system including a focus lens; an object detection unit adapted, based on the video signal output from said image pickup unit to detect object information that represents an object area on an imaging screen and likelihood of being an object; a determination unit adapted to determine whether the likelihood of being an object detected by said object detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition varied according to an imaging state; and a control unit adapted to control a focus adjustment based on a video signal in the object area in a case where it is determined by said determination unit that the likelihood of being an object satisfies the predetermined condition, wherein the imaging state is represented by focal distance, and the predetermined condition is varied so as to be more easily satisfied at a second focal distance than at a first focal distance, the second focal distance being longer than the first focal distance.