An image pickup apparatus that reduces the likelihood that when a user operates a display screen with a fingertip while not looking through a viewfinder, the user's fingertip will be falsely detected, and makes it less likely that erroneous operation resulting from the false detection will occur. When an eye proximity sensor detects an object approaching, the light emission luminance of a display unit is reduced, or display on the display unit is turned off. When the eye proximity sensor has not detected an object approaching, first-type display objects that execute assigned functions in response to touch operations are displayed farther away from the eye proximity sensor on a display surface of the display unit than second-type display objects that do not execute assigned functions even when touched. When a touch on any of the first-type display objects is detected, a function assigned to the first-type display object is executed.