Abstract: An ROI setting apparatus including an ROI recognition unit and an ROI control unit is provided. In one embodiment, the ROI recognition unit contains multiple ROI recognition modules for recognizing an ROI of image data according to various methods to obtain a recognition result. The ROI control unit selects one ROI recognition module out of the ROI recognition modules and sets ROI information based on the recognition result. The ROI recognition module may be selected according to an instruction from a user input via an operation unit, or a scene type selected by a scene selection switch of an image capture unit. The ROI control unit may perform operations such as selecting, enlarging, or reducing the ROI recognized by the ROI recognition module, or changing the ROI recognition conditions according to the respective instructions from the user input via the operation unit.

Abstract: In a distance measuring device of a camera, a distance measuring optical system unit has light-emitting and light-receiving elements for distance measurement. The distance measuring optical system unit is rotated from one end of a photographing screen to the other end thereof to perform a distance measuring operation. The distance measuring optical system unit is rotated and stopped in a set distance measuring range by a cam rotated by a DC motor and a driven arm portion of the distance measuring optical system unit. Distance measuring object ranges of the distance measuring optical system unit are switched by a switch. For example, the distance measuring object ranges are set with respect to many-point distance measurement or one-point distance measurement.

Abstract: Pulse light is emitted by controlling the operation of a driving circuit by a microcomputer and is irradiated to a photographed object. Light reflected on the photographed object is received by a semiconductor optical position detector. First and second current outputs having a current ratio are inputted to first and second detecting circuits within an AF signal processing circuit in accordance with a light receiving position corresponding to a distance of the object. The first and second detecting circuits logarithmically transform changing amounts of the first and second current outputs. A differential detecting circuit calculates a difference between changing amounts of outputs of the first and second detecting circuits, and outputs a distance measuring signal to the microcomputer. A light receiving element measures the intensity of external light and an error in the distance measuring signal caused by the external light is corrected by the microcomputer on the basis of the above results.