Abstract: A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake amount based on a calculated shake speed, a calculated shake acceleration rate, and a coefficient k (0<k<1) on an assumption that a shake is uniformly accelerated motion, the coefficient k being a multiplier for the calculated shake acceleration rate; and a corrector for executing a shake correction in accordance with a calculated estimative shake amount.

Abstract: An image acquired by an image sensor is recorded, and the blur amount of the recorded image is changed in accordance with a blur amount determined beforehand.

Abstract: An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which picks up an image of a photographic object and a selector which selects a first photographing mode or a second photographing mode and a controller. The second photographing mode is a mode for composing a plurality of picked-up images to create a composite image. The controller makes the image sensor pickup a photographic object image on the first photographing condition when the first photographing mode is selected by the selector, and makes the image sensor pick up a plurality of images of photographic objects on the second photographing condition different from said first photographing condition when the second photographing mode is selected by the selector.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device capable of focus detection so that the in-focus state can be adequately realized, even if the magnification changes or a camera shake occurs. The sum total of the absolute values of the differences between two pixels in an evaluation area is calculated, the sum total of the square values of the differences between the two pixels in the evaluation area is calculated, and the evaluation value is obtained based on the sum total of the absolute values of the differences and the sum total of the square values of the differences to obtain the in-focus position of the taking lens.

Abstract: A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake amount based on a calculated shake speed, a calculated shake acceleration rate, and a coefficient k (0<k<1) on an assumption that a shake is uniformly accelerated motion, the coefficient k being a multiplier for the calculated shake acceleration rate; and a corrector for executing a shake correction in accordance with a calculated estimative shake amount.

Abstract: A digital camera obtains image data of a subject by a CCD. The CCD has, as image data output modes, a “normal mode” of outputting all of pixels of the image data at 60 fps and an “area-limited mode” of outputting an area including a limited focus area in the image data at 180 fps. The output mode of the CCD is set to the “normal mode” in a live-view operation. At the time of an auto-focus control, the output mode is switched at the intervals of {fraction (1/60)} second between the “area-limited mode” and the “normal mode”. While the output mode of the CCD is set to the “area-limited mode”, the state of a display screen of a liquid crystal monitor is held. Consequently, while performing auto-focus promptly, a subject image can be appropriately displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal monitor.

Abstract: An image recording and reproducing system includes a recording device having an image recorder for recording an image of a subject on a recording medium, a detector for detecting information about deterioration of the subject image recorded on the recording medium, an information recorder for recording the detected deterioration information, and a reproducing device having an image reproducer for reproducing the subject image, a calculator for calculating a function indicative of a deterioration characteristic of the recorded subject image based on the recorded deterioration information, and a corrector for correcting the recorded subject image in accordance with the calculated deterioration characteristic.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device capable of preventing the subject to be brought into focus from falling outside the AF block due to a light image shift, comprising: an automatic focusing controller for calculating an optical physical quantity within an automatic focusing block as which an area in image data is specified, and determining the degree of focus of the image data; and a light image shift occurrence determiner for predicting or detecting the occurrence of a light image shift, wherein the automatic focusing controller changes the size of the automatic focusing block when the light image shift occurrence determiner predicts or detects the occurrence of a light image shift.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatic focusing evaluating the significance for realizing in-focus state from the image component of each focus evaluation area, improving the precision of automatic focusing control by performing the calculation by use of a larger number of pixels for an area with a higher significance, and enabling a prompt automatic focusing control, is provided with: area image extractor for extracting an area image from each of a plurality of areas set in the image; area identifier for identifying, from among the plural areas, a high-precision evaluation target area based on an image characteristic of each of the image areas obtained from the plural areas; evaluation value calculator for obtaining, for the high-precision evaluation target area among the plural areas, an evaluation value associated with focus state of the taking lens by use of a larger number of pixels than for the other areas; and controller for driving the taking lens to an in-focus position based on the evaluation value.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device capable of focus detection so that the in-focus state can be adequately realized, even if the magnification changes or a camera shake occurs. The sum total of the absolute values of the differences between two pixels in an evaluation area is calculated, the sum total of the square values of the differences between the two pixels in the evaluation area is calculated, and the evaluation value is obtained based on the sum total of the absolute values of the differences and the sum total of the square values of the differences to obtain the in-focus position of the taking lens.

Abstract: A method is put into practice whereby a particular portion of a subject is detected in a plurality of images taken with different distances from a taking lens so that the position in which the subject is imaged is detected on the basis of the positions of the particular portion detected in those images and the distances from the taking lens to the positions in which those images were taken. Before the positions of the subject in the plurality of images are detected, differences in position of the subject among those images that result from those images being taken at different times and differences in size of the subject and in brightness among those images that result from varying distances from the taking lens are all corrected. A program for executing this process of imaging position detection is implemented in a digital camera to quicken the automatic focusing performed therein.

Abstract: An AF control portion of a digital camera has therein a histogram generating circuit for generating a histogram of widths of edges in an AF area, a noise eliminating portion for eliminating noise components from the histogram, a histogram evaluating portion for calculating an evaluation value indicative of the degree of achieving focus from the histogram, and a contrast calculating circuit for calculating contrast in the AF area. Further, a driving amount determining portion for determining an amount of driving a focusing lens, and a driving direction determining portion for determining a direction of driving the focusing lens are provided. The driving direction determining portion determines the direction of driving the focusing lens by using contrast. The driving amount determining portion positions the focusing lens to an in-focus position promptly with high precision while changing the driving amount by using the evaluation value of the histogram and the contrast.

Abstract: A camera having an image shift detecting function is provided with an optical system which forms a subject image, an image sensing device which converts light of the subject image into an electric signal, an image shift detecting sensor which detects a relative shift between the camera and the subject image based on an output of the image sensing device and a microcomputer which compensates for the relative shift between the camera and the subject image based on an image shift amount detected by the image shift detecting sensor. The microcomputer specifies an area of the image sensing device based on a direction of luminance variation of the subject image and the image shift detection is made by using only an output corresponding to the specified area.

Abstract: An image acquired by an image sensor is recorded, and the blur amount of the recorded image is changed in accordance with a blur amount determined beforehand.

Abstract: In an image detection system having within one-chip IC an area sensor, an area sensor driver for driving the area sensor and an area sensor output processing circuit for processing an output of the area sensor, the charges accumulated in necessary pixel areas of the area sensor are transferred at a transfer clock of a speed at which A/D conversion may be performed by an A/D converter incorporated in a microcomputer and are read out in image blur detection, and the charges accumulated in unnecessary pixel areas are transferred at a high-speed transfer clock and dumped.

Abstract: An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which picks up an image of a photographic object and a selector which selects a first photographing mode or a second photographing mode and a controller. The second photographing mode is a mode for composing a plurality of picked-up images to create a composite image. The controller makes the image sensor pickup a photographic object image on the first photographing condition when the first photographing mode is selected by the selector, and makes the image sensor pick up a plurality of images of photographic objects on the second photographing condition different from said first photographing condition when the second photographing mode is selected by the selector.

Abstract: In an image detection system having within one-chip IC an area sensor, an area sensor driver for driving the area sensor and an area sensor output processing circuit for processing an output of the area sensor, the charges accumulated in necessary pixel areas of the area sensor are transferred at a transfer clock of a speed at which A/D conversion may be performed by an A/D converter incorporated in a microcomputer and are read out in image blur detection, and the charges accumulated in unnecessary pixel areas are transferred at a high-speed transfer clock and dumped.

Abstract: A shake correcting device of a camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake of the camera relative to an object cyclically; a calculator for calculating a degree of variation of a plurality of detection results of the detector, and calculating a detection precision based on a calculated degree of variation; and a corrector for executing a shake correction of the camera based on a detection precision calculated by the calculator.

Abstract: An optical apparatus is provided with a detector for detecting a shake of the apparatus relative to an object at a predetermined interval, a corrector for correcting a shake of the apparatus based on a detection result of the detector, a driver for driving the corrector, a calculator for calculating an estimative shake at a predetermined point of time in a next interval based on a detection result of the detector, and a controller for controlling the driver based on a calculation result of the calculator to drive the corrector to effect correction for the shake at the predetermined point of time in the next interval.

Abstract: A camera is provided with a photographing device for setting various photographing conditions which determine a state of a subject image to be obtained as a picture, the photograph device including an exposure device having a plurality of selectively settable exposure modes for automatically setting at least one exposure value based on brightness of a subject, a mode selector for selecting one of the plurality of exposure modes, a calculations unit for calculating an amount indicative of the state of the subject image in accordance with the photographing conditions set by the photography device, an estimation unit for estimating visual effects which the subject image provides based on the calculated state amount, and a display device for displaying the visual effect corresponding to the exposure mode selected by the mode selection means in accordance with the estimated visual effects.