Patent ID: 7567286

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: diaphragm means for varying a size of a diaphragm aperture which determines a light quantity to be made incident on image pickup means; a light-attenuating filter which is capable of moving between an insertion position at which said light-attenuating filter covers the whole of the diaphragm aperture and a retraction position at which said light-attenuating filter is retracted from the whole of the diaphragm aperture; and control means for both controlling said diaphragm means and controlling an image pickup time of said image pickup means and a movement of said light-attenuating filter, according to a subject illuminance detected through said image pickup means, wherein when the size of the diaphragm aperture reaches a first predetermined value with said light-attenuating filter being positioned at the retraction position and: (i) an exposure time being a predetermined high-speed shutter time, said control means executes control which moves said light-attenuating filter to the insertion position and, at the same time, makes the exposure time longer than the predetermined high-speed shutter time; or (ii) the exposure time being longer than the predetermined high-speed shutter time, said control means executes control which, as the subject illuminance becomes higher, makes the exposure time shorter toward the predetermined high-speed shutter time while maintaining the size of the diaphragm aperture at the first predetermined value; and wherein when the size of the diaphragm aperture reaches a second predetermined value larger than the first predetermined value with said light-attenuating filter being positioned at the insertion position and the exposure time being a predetermined low-speed shutter time, said control means executes control which moves said light-attenuating filter to the retraction position and, at the same time, makes the exposure time shorter than the predetermined low-speed shutter time.