Patent ID: 8023031

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a display unit that displays a picked-up image; an operation member to which a plurality of functions have been assigned; a detection unit that detects touching to the operation member; a setting unit that sets display or non-display of the functions assigned to said operation member in response to said detection unit detecting touching to said operation member; a controller that controls, if touching to the operation member is detected by said detection unit and if display of the functions is set by said setting unit, to superimpose over the picked-up image on said display unit the functions assigned to said operation member in an operational state of the image pickup apparatus in response to the detection of the touching to the operation member, and if touching to the operation member is detected by said detection unit and if non-display of the functions is set by said setting unit, not to display on said display unit the functions assigned to said operation member; and a determination unit that determines whether the image pickup apparatus is operating in an underwater shooting mode, wherein said controller further superimposes image pickup conditions currently set by operating the operation member over the picked-up image on said display unit, and if touching to said operation member is detected by said detection unit with non-display of the functions set by said setting unit, said controller does not display on said display unit the functions assigned to said operation member, and changes among the displayed currently set image pickup conditions, a display format of an image pickup condition changeable by operating said operation member so as to be noticeable from the rest of the settings without changing the image pickup condition itself, wherein said controller further controls to not to display the functions assigned to said operation member in an operational state of the image pickup apparatus if operation of a shutter switch is detected even if touching to said operation member is detected by said detection unit and display of the functions is set by said setting unit, and wherein said controller further controls to not to display the functions assigned to said operation member in an operational state of the image pickup apparatus if the determination unit determines that the image pickup apparatus is operating in the underwater shooting mode even if touching to said operation member is detected by said detection unit and display of the functions is set by said setting unit.