Patent ID: 8040423

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus for picking up an image using a solid state image pickup device, the apparatus comprising: a first input part for receiving a first type of input from a user; a second input part for receiving a second type of input from the user; a recording device for recording to a memory; an image pickup detector for determining an optimum lens focus position for picking up the image using a plurality of different lens focus positions, by moving a focus lens to the plurality of different lens focus positions and picking up the image at each of the plurality of different lens focus positions; and an image-pickup controller for: in response to receiving the first type of input from the user, initiating the picking up the plurality of images and the determination of the optimum lens focus position; determining whether the image pickup detector has completed determining the optimum lens focus position at the time the second type of input is received; when it is determined that the image pickup detector has completed determining the optimum lens focus position at the time the second type of input is received: picking up the image using the determined optimum lens focus position; and controlling the recording device to record only the pickup image picked up using the determined optimum lens focus position, among the plurality of pickup images, to the memory; and when it is determined that the image pickup detector has not completed determining the optimum lens focus position at the time the second type of input is received: picking up the image a plurality of times by controlling the image pickup detector to move the focus lens to the plurality of different lens focus positions in sequence and to pick up the image at the plurality of different lens focus positions; and controlling the recording device to record the plurality of pickup images to the memory.