Patent ID: 7355154

Claim:
An image sensing apparatus comprising: a light flux splitter disposed between a lens that focuses light flux of an object image on an image sensing surface and that image sensing surface and that branches the light flux of the object image out of an image sensing light path; a light receiving unit that receives the light flux of the object image branched by said light flux splitter and obtains a signal for focusing control of the lens; a holding unit that holds said light flux splitter at either an effective position within the image sensing light path or at a retracted position outside the image sensing light path; and a photometry unit that measures a brightness of an object image, wherein said holding unit automatically holds said light flux splitter at the effective position during image sensing in response to a moving image sensing being selected, if, at least, the brightness measured by said photometry unit is greater than a present threshold value, and said holding unit automatically holds said light flux splitter at the retracted position, otherwise.