1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup element operable to capture a plurality of still images at a shutter speed to obtain captured images; an auto exposure unit operable to calculate a calculated shutter speed; and a setting unit operable to set the shutter speed to a value equal to N/(2f), where N is an integer and f is a power supply frequency, and shorter than the calculated shutter speed in response to a predetermined user operation, if the calculated shutter speed is longer than or equal to a predetermined value.