Patent ID: 7365791

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus including an iris mechanism for changing an amount of light with which an image pickup element is irradiated by changing an aperture diameter, and a filter unit, having a single density, for changing an amount of incident light, said image pickup apparatus being capable of changing between a first mode of photographing for recording a plurality of frames and a second mode of photographing for recording one frame in accordance with a predetermined action, said image pickup apparatus comprising: a control unit for controlling said filter unit so that said filter unit is controlled in photographing in the first mode so as to be positioned at a plurality of positions including a position at which said filter unit partially covers an aperture diameter of said iris mechanism, and is controlled in photographing in the second mode so as to be positioned at one of a position at which said filter unit covers all over the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism and a position at which said filter unit withdraws entirely from the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism, wherein said control unit performs drive control of said filter unit so that said filter unit is driven from the position at which said filter unit withdraws entirely from the aperture diameter of said iris mechanism to the position at which said filter unit covers over all of the aperture diameter when 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.