Abstract: A control unit sets a first control value for causing a charge accumulation unit to execute a first accumulation and obtaining first image data and a second control value for causing the charge accumulation unit to execute a second accumulation and obtaining second image data, depending on whether an operation mode set by a setting unit executes image recognition processing based on image data obtained through accumulation by the charge accumulation unit. If the operation mode set by the setting unit does not execute the image recognition processing, the control unit sets the first and second control values to be different from each other, even if an object field has a constant luminance.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a controlling unit moving an electronic front curtain in a simulated manner from an exposure start position towards an exposure end position by successively performing reset operations on a plurality of pixels in an image pickup element in a predetermined direction; a rear curtain that moves from the exposure start position towards the exposure end position by a biasing force of a biasing unit; and a storage unit storing data indicating a change in movement characteristics of the rear curtain with time. On the basis of the data, the controlling unit changes movement characteristics of the electronic front curtain in accordance with the change in the movement characteristics of the rear curtain with the time.

Abstract: A system and a method for acquiring a moving image are provided. The system includes an image capturing unit capturing two images having different exposure times at a predetermined time slot, an image storing unit storing at least one of two images which were captured at a time slot previous to the predetermined time slot and which have different exposure times, an output image generating unit generating an output image by synthesizing the two images captured at the predetermined time slot or by synthesizing any one of the two images captured at the predetermined time slot and any one of the two images captured and stored at the previous time slot, an exposure time calculating unit receiving the images captured at the predetermined time slot and setting exposure times for a next time slot, and an exposure time storing unit storing the exposure times for the next time slot.

Abstract: An image is generated by receiving a first image that is acquired during a first exposure period and defining the first image as a reference image; defining multiple reference regions of interest within the reference image, wherein an aggregate number of pixels within the multiple reference regions of interest is substantially smaller than a number of pixels of the first image; receiving a second image that is acquired during a second exposure period; and updating the reference image in response to a content of the reference image, content of the second image and a first type of spatial relationship (e.g., a shift) defined between the reference image and the second image, wherein the shift is defined in response to multiple spatial relationships between the multiple reference regions of interest and between multiple regions of interest of the second image.

Abstract: A digital camera captures high quality long exposure images by capturing and summing several images of the same scene. The effective ISO of the camera is reduced by scaling the summed image, thus reducing image noise and improving long exposure quality.

Abstract: A camera is provided that includes a face detection means, an AE&AWB detection circuit, and a processor. The face detection means detects a face from an input image signal and extracts a facial region comprising the face and an upper body region. The AE&AWB detection circuit calculates a brightness appraisal amount on the basis of brightness of the facial region and the upper body region extracted by the face detection circuit. The processor calculates an exposure amount on the basis of the brightness appraisal amount calculated by the AE&AWB detection circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus has an image sensing device, and a signal processing device for performing a first image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in an exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and a second image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in a non-exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and processing the sensed image signal obtained by the first image sensing operation by the sensed image signal obtained by the second image sensing operation. The signal processing device determines in accordance with the image sensing time of the first image sensing operation whether or not the second image sensing operation is performed.

Abstract: A digital camera (10) includes a CCD imager (16). An image signal corresponding to an optical image is output from the CCD imager (16), and an incident light amount to the CCD imager (16) is restricted by an aperture unit (14). A CPU (40) adjusts an exposure time period of the CCD imager (16) on the basis of an average luminance value of a normal evaluation area assigned to the center of a screen out of the image signals output form the CCD imager (16). The CPU (40) also adjusts an aperture amount of the aperture unit (14) on the basis of an average luminance value of a specific evaluation area assigned to the end of the screen out of the image signals output form the CCD imager (16).

Abstract: An image taking apparatus installed with an image blur correction unit for correcting image blur by combining images, so image taking time in a case of continuous shooting of the images is prevented from being long and operations are carried out in a manner in which a photographer does not feel disorder. Combination of a second frame and a third frame that are taken with split-exposure is started from a frame that is prior by two frames in terms of time. Thereby the number of times of split-exposure operations necessary to obtain three combined images is eight, so the image taking time is made to be shorter compared to a case of simple continuous combination of the images. Further, the three combined images produced in this way include a portion overlapped in terms of time, however, the combined images are images different from one another that are continuous in terms of time, so the photographer does not feel disorder as long as setting is made as to how many frames are shifted for combination.

Abstract: An apparatus has an image sensing device, and a signal processing device for performing a first image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in an exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and a second image sensing operation for making the image sensing device perform an image sensing operation in a non-exposure state to obtain a sensed image signal, and processing the sensed image signal obtained by the first image sensing operation by the sensed image signal obtained by the second image sensing operation. The signal processing device determines in accordance with the image sensing time of the first image sensing operation whether or not the second image sensing operation is performed.