Abstract: When a hand shake reducing mode has been set for shooting a subject, an exposure is controlled in accordance with a program diagram (solid line) B for the shake reducing mode, which is different from a program diagram (broken line) A for a normal mode. In a state where a shutter speed is set to less than “ 1/80”, two-pixel addition and/or four-pixel addition is executed on an imaging signal to amplify subject luminance, raising ISO sensitivity. A shutter speed set to fall in a high speed range reduces deterioration in image quality due to hand shake and/or subject movement during a shooting operation.

Abstract: A digital camera according to the present invention includes a CCD, a CPU and an image processing section. The CPU sets an arbitrary aspect ratio, and acquires a composite image having a predetermined aspect ratio which has been generated by a plurality of images consecutively captured by the CCD being combined. The image processing section trims the composite image acquired by the CPU to be an image having the set arbitrary aspect ratio.

Abstract: The CPU of a digital camera according to the present invention acquires a plurality of panoramic images, and generates a wide-range image by combining the acquired panoramic images.

Abstract: A digital camera includes a focus position table. The focus position table, in which focus positions for person-priority pan focus have been set, is used when a face has been detected, and the focus position table, in which focus positions for non-person priority pan focus have been set corresponding to the types of non-person priority pan focus, is used when a face has not been detected. When a face has been detected, the digital camera determines the pan focus as the person-priority pan focus, and after acquiring a focus position from the focus position table, executes the pan focus processing. On the other hand, when a face has not been detected, the digital camera acquires, from the focus position table, a focus position corresponding to a type of non-person priority pan focus determined based on the photography scene and executes the pan focus processing.

Abstract: Photographing at a fixed focus is executed by quickly canceling the autofocus without any labor for mode switching or the like. An image sensing apparatus includes a photographing unit which has an autofocus function and photographs an object image, a key input unit including a shutter key which has two operation strokes and designates autofocus and autoexposure by operation of the first stroke and photographing by operation of the second stroke, and a focus control unit which automatically sets a correct exposure value in the photographing unit, detects predetermined operation states of the first and second strokes designated by the shutter key, and switches and selects, on the basis of the detection result, whether to operate the autofocus function or set a fixed-focus position at which a predetermined depth of field is obtained.

Abstract: A reference pixel is specified for a specified pixel whose (luminance) value is below a threshold, for example, in RGB data obtained by an image pickup operation. The reference pixel should be on a straight line passing through the specified pixel and a center of the image and spaced from the specified pixel by a distance depending on a reduction or expansion rate of a blue (B) component image of the optical image corresponding to an optical zoom magnification in the image pickup. Only when the B value of the specified pixel is greater than that of the reference pixel, the B value of the specified pixel is replaced with that of the reference pixel. By expanding or reducing the blue component image alone for the original RGB data, image data is obtained in which the magnification chromatism is corrected.

Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first image capture controller configured to control the image capturing unit to capture a set of a plurality of images while changing exposure time for each of the images; a second image capture controller configured to obtain a plurality of sets of the images; an addition combination section configured to perform image alignment on the images contained in each of the sets and to perform addition combination on the aligned images to generate a combined image; a combination controller configured to control the addition combination section to perform the image alignment and the addition combination for each of the sets to obtain a plurality of combined images; a selector configured to evaluate the combined images and to select one of the combined images most highly evaluated as a selected image; and a storage configured to store the selected image.

Abstract: When the mode is set to a pan focus mode, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention displays types of a shooting scene in an image display section 15 (S1), judges whether or not the user has designated the shooting scene (S2), acquires two focus positions corresponding to the thus designated shooting scene when it judges that the shooting scene is designated, and moves the CCD 6 and the CCD 7 to the thus acquired two focus positions (S3). Next, the imaging apparatus synthesizes image data picked up by the CCD 6 and the CCD 7, displays the thus synthesized image data as through image (S4), and acquires two focus positions corresponding to the lens position of the zoom lens every time a zoom operation is performed, and moves the CCD 6 and the CCD 7 (S5 to S8).

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image pickup device that converts light from a subject to image data a drive section that drives the image pickup device, an auto-focus section that performs an auto-focus operation, and a focus control section that controls the auto-focus section to perform an auto-focus operation while controlling the drive section so that the image data is read from the image pickup device at a predetermined read out cycle suitable for displaying a through image, when the first determination section determines that the shutter button is pressed halfway, and that controls the auto-focus section to perform an auto-focus operation while controlling the drive section so that the image data is read from the image pickup device at a shorter read out cycle than the predetermined read out cycle, when the second determination section determines that the shutter button is fully pressed at once.

Abstract: When a hand shake reducing mode has been set for shooting a subject, an exposure is controlled in accordance with a program diagram (solid line) B for the shake reducing mode, which is different from a program diagram (broken line) A for a normal mode. In a state where a shutter speed is set to less than “ 1/80”, two-pixel addition and/or four-pixel addition is executed on an imaging signal to amplify subject luminance, raising ISO sensitivity. A shutter speed set to fall in a high speed range reduces deterioration in image quality due to hand shake and/or subject movement during a shooting operation.

Abstract: A camera includes a first transfer unit which transfers, in a first transfer time, pixel data of a first pixel range of a plurality of pixel data, a second transfer unit which transfers, in a second transfer time that is shorter than the first transfer time, pixel data of a second pixel range of the plurality of pixel data, a number of pixels of the second pixel range being less than a number of pixels of the first pixel range, a first control unit which causes the first transfer unit to transfer the pixel data, updates a display screen on the basis of the pixel data, and controls the autofocus adjustment, and a second control unit which causes the second transfer unit to transfer the pixel data, interrupts the updating of the display screen while the pixel data is being transferred, and controls the autofocus adjustment.

Abstract: A scan representation position table to which three points of focus positions which become scan representation positions are recorded respectively is stored in advance based on the lens position of the zoom lens 2b and the type of priority focus. The current zoom lens 2b lens position is acquired and determination processing for short-distance priority focus or long-distance priority focus is performed when judged that the shutter button has been fully depressed at once or when the shutter button has been fully depressed before the passage of a predetermined time duration after the shutter button was halfway depressed. Then, the focus positions are acquired from the scan representation position table based on the acquired lens position and the judged priority focus, and the contrast AF processing is executed within the range of the acquired three points of focus positions.

Abstract: When a hand shake reducing mode has been set for shooting a subject, an exposure is controlled in accordance with a program diagram (solid line) B for the shake reducing mode, which is different from a program diagram (broken line) A for a normal mode. In a state where a shutter speed is set to less than “ 1/80”, two-pixel addition and/or four-pixel addition is executed on an imaging signal to amplify subject luminance, raising ISO sensitivity. A shutter speed set to fall in a high speed range reduces deterioration in image quality due to hand shake and/or subject movement during a shooting operation.

Abstract: A digital camera 1 includes a focus position table. The focus position table, in which focus positions for person-priority pan focus have been set, is used when a face has been detected, and the focus position table (FIG. 2B), in which focus positions for non-person priority pan focus have been set corresponding to the types of non-person priority pan focus, is used when a face has not been detected. When a face has been detected, the digital camera 1 determines the pan focus as the person-priority pan focus, and after acquiring a focus position from the focus position table, executes the pan focus processing. On the other hand, when a face has not been detected, the digital camera 1 acquires, from the focus position table, a focus position corresponding to a type of non-person priority pan focus determined based on the photography scene and executes the pan focus processing.

Abstract: Photographing at a fixed focus is executed by quickly canceling the autofocus without any labor for mode switching or the like. An image sensing apparatus includes a photographing unit which has an autofocus function and photographs an object image, a key input unit including a shutter key which has two operation strokes and designates autofocus and autoexposure by operation of the first stroke and photographing by operation of the second stroke, and a focus control unit which automatically sets a correct exposure value in the photographing unit, detects predetermined operation states of the first and second strokes designated by the shutter key, and switches and selects, on the basis of the detection result, whether to operate the autofocus function or set a fixed-focus position at which a predetermined depth of field is obtained.

Abstract: FIGS. 2A˜2D are object display frames corresponding to respective portrait photography modes and distance information corresponding to respective portrait photography modes is stored in a distance information table of memory (Refer to FIG. 2E). When the user selects a portrait photography mode, an object display frame corresponding to the portrait photography mode is displayed on an image display section. The user can adjust the object to be photographed in this object display frame while observing the object display frame (Refer to FIG. 2F). Then, when the shutter button is depressed, the distance information corresponding to this selected portrait photography mode is read from the distance information table and the focus lens is driven based on the readout distance information.

Abstract: A user by halfway depressing (S12) a shutter button acquires (S13, S14) the output OR and the output OL of a sensor array. Subsequently, an operation judges whether or not the absolute value of the difference between the output OR and the output OL is greater than a threshold value (S15). When judged greater than a threshold value, an operation initiates a warning notification to the user (S17, S18) and AF processing by a contrast detection method is performed. Meanwhile, when judged less than a threshold value, the focus lens is moved so focus can be performed toward the distance to an object with a phase difference detection method (S20). Then, the focus lens is moved from the existing focus lens position by a narrow range and the focus lens is moved to the lens position constituting the highest contrast value (S21).

Abstract: An image taking apparatus includes an image taking system, and a display system, and has a CPU implementing a process to detect subject faces from image frames produced by the image taking system, a process to acquire coordinates of detected subject faces, a process to determine a face detected state or a face undetected state, whichever is concluded in accordance with results of face detection, a process to have, for a determination for the face detected state, a detected-face indicator displayed on the display system in accordance with the coordinates of the acquired subject faces, a process to have, for a determination for the face undetected state, a detected-face indicator having been displayed in a last face detected state till the last displayed on, and a process to execute a shooting control in accordance with a detected-face indicator displayed on the display system.

Abstract: A first area of a predetermined size is set as a focus area from which AF evaluation values are picked up in AF control when a focus mode is a normal one. When the focus mode changes to a macro mode, a second area narrower than the first area is set as the AF area. Thus, in the macro mode, focus search is performed automatically through the narrower area. AF frames indicative of the first and second areas are displayed on a through image.

Abstract: A camera device is provided which has an optical system including a focus lens, focus control for focusing the optical system on a subject by driving the focus lens, and display control for causing a display to display numerals indicating a first distance of a close end and a second distance of a remote end of a subject distance range in which the focus control can focus the optical system.