Image pickup apparatus with optical element movable among a plurality of inclination positions

An image pickup apparatus comprising:

• image pickup device arranged to photoelectrically convert an optical image formed on an image pickup surface and output a picked-up image signal;
• an optical element arranged to shift an incident position of incident light on the image pickup surface;
• a plurality of restricting portions arranged to control an inclination position of said optical element with respect to an optical axis by engaging with said optical element;
• and
• driving device arranged to drive said optical element to engage said optical element with said plurality of restricting portions,
• wherein said driving device includes electromagnetic driving device, and permanent magnets are respectively disposed in portions of said optical element which are to be exposed to an action of electromagnetic force of said electromagnetic driving device, said optical element being driven by an electromagnetic circuit formed by the permanent magnets of said optical element and said electromagnetic driving device, and
• each of said plurality of restricting portions has a pair of position restricting surfaces formed before and behind a corresponding one of the end portions of said optical element in the direction of the optical axis, said optical element being capable of being controlled to move among a plurality of inclination angles, by changing a combination of the position restricting surfaces which the end portions of said optical element selectively come into abutment with, and the respective end portions of said optical element, each of which selectively comes into abutment with corresponding ones of the plurality of position restricting surfaces, have engaging parts each of which selectively comes into line or point contact with the corresponding ones of the plurality of position restricting surfaces.