An imaging apparatus capable of preventing photographing sensitivity from being increased more than necessary, reducing image quality degradation caused by camera shake or object shake and easily photographing images in good image quality. Digital camera 1 includes image shake correcting selection 16 that corrects shake of an optical image of a photographing object formed by an imaging optical system L, digital signal amplification section 110 that amplifies an image signal with a gain set by digital signal gain setting section 111, and face detection section 120 that detects a face of a photographing object, and microcomputer 3 calculates an object speed based on the detected motion of the face of the photographing object, decides whether or not the object speed is equal to or higher than a threshold A, and operates, when the object speed is lower than the threshold A, image shake correction by controlling image shake correcting section 16 or increases, when the object speed is equal to or higher than the threshold A, the gain of digital signal gain setting section 111, increases ISO sensitivity to increase the shutter speed and shorten the exposure time.