Patent ID: 7511759

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus including an image pickup unit arranged to output an image signal correspondingly to an object image incident through a focus lens, and having at least two scans of different periods for extracting evaluation values from the image signal to adjust focus with respect to movement of said focus lens, said image pickup apparatus comprising: an evaluation value obtaining unit, arranged to extract the evaluation values by a long period scan of the at least two scans with respect to the movement of said focus lens and extract the evaluation values by a short period scan of the at least two scans on the basis of the evaluation vales extracted by the long period scan; and a control unit, arranged to move the focus lens on the basis of a peak position detected from the evaluation values extracted by the long period scan if said control unit fails to detect a peak position by the short period scan in a case where the peak position is detected in the long period scan and the evaluation values are extracted by the short period scan.