PURPOSE: To cancel backlash at reversing and to attain accurate automatic focusing with simple constitution by applying excess control after reversing and reversing the drive again so as to control the return equivalent to the excess.

CONSTITUTION: A level of a picked-up video signal is integrated for a prescribed range in a field for each field, the obtained evaluation is compared with a preceding evaluation for each field to control a drive circuit 10 of a lens system 1 and a motor 11 so as to maximize the evaluation value. When a detection means 85 detects it that the evaluation value is increased sequentially and then decreased for a prescribed field, the control is reversed to reverse the drive of the motor 11 for number of FG pulses and α after the evaluation value starts decreasing, and the motor 11 is reversed again to reverse the motor 11 by number of pulses α. Thus, backlash at reversing is cancelled at 2nd revers ing and accurate automatic focusing is implemented with simple constitution.