Patent ID: 7665912

Claim:
An image-taking apparatus comprising: an image-pickup device which photoelectrically converts an object image formed by an image-taking lens; a display unit which displays an image produced on the basis of a signal from the image-pickup device; a focus detection unit which detects a focus state of the image-taking lens by using light from the image-taking lens; an optical path splitting unit which is switchable between a first state in which the optical path splitting unit is disposed in an optical path from the image-taking lens to the image-pickup device and a second state in which the optical path splitting unit is retracted from the optical path, the optical path splitting unit transmitting part of the light from the image-taking lens toward the image-pickup device and reflecting the remaining part of the light toward the focus detection unit in the first state, an optical path length to a light-receiving surface of the image-taking apparatus in the first state and an optical path length to the light-receiving surface of the image-taking apparatus in the second state being different from each other; and a control unit which performs focus control of the image-taking lens based on the detection result of the focus detection unit, the control unit does not perform the focus control when the optical path splitting unit is made from the first state to the second state, wherein, in the first state of the optical path splitting unit, the control unit performs the focus control such that an image-forming position of the light by the image-taking lens matches the light-receiving surface of the image-pickup device using the optical path length to a light-receiving surface of the image-taking apparatus in the second state of the optical path splitting unit.