To provide an autofocus control method allowing easy shooting and a subject of interest to be brought into focus properly.

A ring-like region excluding a central region 501 and a peripheral region 502 from an image pickup area 500 is preset as a focus area 503. An image signal is acquired through a lens and a CCD circuit. Based on the image signal thus acquired, a contrast value indicating the degree of in-focus of the preset focus area 503 is calculated. A lens position corresponding to a maximum contrast value of the preset focus area 503 is determined as an in-focus lens position. In autofocus processing, face detection is carried out first. Then, if the result of face detection is successful, a face region is set up as a focus area, and focus adjustment is performed based thereon. Alternatively, if the result of face detection is unsuccessful, focus adjustment is performed based on the preset focus area.