Patent ID: 8120692

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: an optical viewfinder; an electronic viewfinder; a viewfinder mode switching unit configured to switch between an electronic viewfinder mode in which a subject is observed with the electronic viewfinder and an optical viewfinder mode in which the subject is observed with the optical viewfinder; a first mode setting unit that is able to set a first mode or a second mode to the image pickup apparatus by operating a first operation member, wherein a combination with the electronic viewfinder mode is inhibited in the first mode and a combination with the electronic viewfinder mode is allowed in the second mode, and wherein the first mode setting unit indicates whether the first mode is set or the second mode is set according to a state of the first operation member; a second mode setting unit that is able to set a third mode or a fourth mode to the image pickup apparatus by operating a second operation member, wherein a combination with the electronic viewfinder mode is inhibited in the third mode and a combination with the electronic viewfinder mode is allowed in the fourth mode, and wherein the second mode setting unit does not indicate whether the third mode or the fourth mode is set according to a state of the second operation member; and a control unit configured to control an operation of the image pickup apparatus according to the viewfinder mode switching unit, the first mode setting unit and second mode setting unit, wherein in a case where switching the viewfinder mode from the optical viewfinder mode to the electronic viewfinder mode when the first mode is set, the control unit maintains the setting of the first mode and rejects to switch the viewfinder mode from the optical viewfinder mode to the electronic viewfinder mode, and wherein in a case where switching the viewfinder mode from the optical viewfinder mode to the electronic viewfinder mode when the third mode is set, the control unit changes the setting of the third mode to the setting of the fourth mode and switches the viewfinder mode from the optical viewfinder mode to the electronic viewfinder mode.