Patent ID: 8063944

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an image sensor including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, the image sensor having an electronic focal plane shutter function for providing a predetermined reset signal to the plurality of pixels on a pixel line to pixel line basis to perform an exposure start operation; a mechanical focal plane shutter disposed immediately before the image sensor for performing a light path opening operation and a light path closing operation for light led to the image sensor; control means for controlling the operations of the image sensor and the mechanical focal plane shutter; and exposure control means for determining at least a shutter speed, wherein the control means causes the image sensor to perform the exposure start operation using the electronic focal plane shutter function a predetermined period of time after a curtain group of the mechanical focal plane shutter is open and causes the mechanical focal plane shutter to perform an exposure end operation when the shutter speed is set to low by the exposure control means, and the control means causes the mechanical focal plane shutter to perform the exposure start operation and the exposure end operation when the shutter speed is set to high by the exposure control means.