Patent ID: 7991280

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive an instruction for focus adjustment; an image-pickup unit configured to perform image-pickup of an object image input through a focus lens; a setting unit configured to set a focus detecting area for detecting a focus state of the focus lens; a light control unit configured to control an amount of light incident on the image-pickup unit; a focus adjusting unit configured to detect a focus signal representing the focus state in the focus detecting area to move the focus lens based on the focus signal and a position of the focus lens corresponding to the focus signal; and an indentifying unit configured to identify an object area to be focused based on the focus signal, wherein the focus adjusting unit controls a first scan operation and a second scan operation, in the first scan operation the focus adjusting unit detects the focus signal before the receiving unit receives the instruction for focus adjustment, and in the second scan operation the focus adjusting unit detects the focus signal after the receiving unit receives the instruction for focus adjustment, wherein the identifying unit identifies an object area to be focused in accordance with the focus signal detected by the focus adjusting unit in the first scan operation, wherein the setting unit sets the focus detecting area based on the object area when the object area is identified by the identifying unit, and wherein the focus adjusting unit interrupts the first scan operation when a state of the light control unit is changed during the first scan operation.