An image pickup apparatus for an endoscope, comprises an image pickup device unit, a lens unit, and an endoscope actuator apparatus inside a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the endoscope, the image pickup device unit including an image pickup device, the lens unit including a moving lens that moves to a first observation position and a second observation position, the lens unit being included in an objective optical system that forms an optical image on an image pickup surface of the image pickup device, the endoscope actuator apparatus including a first elastic member having an urging force that makes a moving lens frame in which the moving lens in the lens unit is disposed be arranged at the first observation position, a second elastic member having an urging force larger than the urging force of the first elastic member and making the moving lens frame be arranged at the second observation position, and a shape memory alloy wire having a property of extending/contracting as a result of a temperature thereof changing due to a current applied from an external power supply via an electric cable, the shape memory alloy wire holding the second elastic member in a tensionless state when the shape memory alloy wire is extended, and contracting the second elastic member into a predetermined state and holding the second elastic member when the shape memory alloy wire is contracted, wherein a driving force transmitting wire is provided on a distal end side of the shape memory alloy wire of the endoscope actuator apparatus, to have a length such that the shape memory alloy wire is sufficiently away from a heat generating body such as the image pickup device, and a proximal end portion of the driving force transmitting wire and a distal end portion of the shape memory alloy wire are fixed in an integrated manner.
