An image pickup apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network includes an image pickup unit, a receiving unit, a control unit, and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit receives, from the external apparatus via the network, a synthesizing command for controlling an operation to synthesize a plurality of images captured by the image pickup unit under different exposure conditions and an exposure setting command for controlling an operation to obtain an image generated under a preset exposure condition. The control unit selectively controls the operations requested by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command if the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command are received by the receiving unit. The transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, a non-error response to at least one of the received synthesizing command and the received exposure setting command that requests an operation not selectively controlled.