A focus control device includes a lens unit including a focus lens; a
focus lens driving mechanism that moves the focus lens to achieve an
in-focus state; a focus status detector that detects a focus status
acquired by the focus lens; a drive control unit that controls the focus
lens driving mechanism so that the detected focus status is the in-focus
state; a change detector that detects that an evaluation value for focus
control has changed by a threshold value or more; and an execution
control unit that waits in a state in which the drive control unit does
not control the focus lens driving mechanism for a waiting time starting
from a time when the change detector detects that the evaluation value
has changed by the predetermined threshold value or more, and that causes
the drive control unit to control the focus lens driving mechanism when
the state in which the evaluation value has changed by the predetermined
threshold value or more is maintained until the waiting time has elapsed.