Patent ID: 8605200

Claim:
An optical apparatus, comprising: a moveable focus lens; a calculator that calculates the position of the focus lens for focusing on a subject; a setter that sets a permissible movable range of the focus lens in an optical axis direction around a target position, wherein the permissible movable range of the focus lens is part of whole movable range of the focus lens; and a controller that controls movement of the focus lens, wherein the setter redefines the permissible movable range based on position information showing the target position, wherein the controller is arranged to set the position of the focus lens calculated by the calculator as the target position to which the focus lens is moved when the calculator determines that the position of the focus lens calculated by the calculator is within the permissible movable range, and wherein the controller is arranged to not set the position of the focus lens calculated by the calculator as the target position to which the focus lens is moved when the calculator determines that the position of the focus lens calculated by the calculator is out of the permissible movable range.