Patent ID: 7619679

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus, capable of photographing in a first mode for recording a plurality of frames and a second mode for recording one frame in accordance with a predetermined action, comprising: an iris mechanism that changes an amount of light with which an image pickup element is irradiated, by changing an aperture diameter; a filter unit, having a plurality of densities, that changes an amount of light input; a unit that drives said iris mechanism and said filter unit, independently; an image size changing unit that changes a size of an image to be photographed in the second mode; and a control unit that sets said filter unit in one of a state of covering the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism and a state of withdrawing from the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism in a case where a predetermined image size is designated by said image size changing unit, wherein said control unit performs drive control of said filter unit so that said filter unit is driven from the state of withdrawing from the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism to the state of covering the whole of the aperture diameter when a predetermined image size is designated by said image size changing unit, the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism is changed so as to be opened in the second mode, and the aperture diameter reaches a predetermined aperture diameter.