A focus control circuit is installed in an image pickup apparatus including a lens, a driver element for adjusting the position of the lens, and a position detecting element for detecting the position of the lens. An equalizer included in the focus control circuit generates a drive signal used to adjust the position of the lens to a position to be set, based on a difference between the position of the lens identified by the position detecting element and the set position. When an instruction to vary a target position of the lens is received externally, a position setting unit included in the focus control circuit sets sequentially a plurality of positions in a range covering a new target position and a previous target position, to the equalizer before the new target position is reached from the previous target position.