Sony Corporation

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Tsuyoshi Kishimoto

Hisamo Sogawa

Norihiko Akamatsu

Hiroshi Ueda

Masataka Hamada

Junko Nagahata

Kazuhiko Yukawa

Akio Kinba

Toshio Katayama

Yohei Takada

Tatsuo Nakashima

An image processing unit which includes: an input section which inputs a plurality of images each of which is associated with a difference from an in-focus state detected in accordance with differences among images of a subject which is divided during production of each of the plurality of images, the images being produced in continuous shooting in which a series of images are produced continuously in time series; and a selecting section which selects an image with the highest focusing degree in accordance with the difference from the in-focus state from among the plurality of images.

Image processing unit, image processing method and program

An image pickup apparatus that can decrease the probability of an image in which a main subject is not in focus being captured is provided. An image pickup apparatusA includes two image pickup devicesandthat capture an image relating to a subject image made incident through an image capturing lens, a main subject detecting unitthat detects a main subject in the captured image, a phase difference AF control unitthat performs focus control on the basis of a phase difference detection signal acquired from a ranging area set in an imaging area, a determination unitthat determines whether the main subject is present in the ranging area, and a warning control unitthat, if the determination unitdetermines that the main subject is not present in the ranging area, performs predetermined control for preventing a state in which the main subject is not in focus.

Image pickup apparatus

In an image pickup apparatus, a light receiving unit produces a first signal at a first timing and a second signal at a second timing later than the first timing. First and second parameters for detecting a scene change are acquired based on the first and second signals, respectively. The presence or the absence of a scene change is determined based on both the parameters. The apparatus further includes a selecting unit configured to select a focusing target AF area from among a plurality of AF areas, and a focusing control unit configured to execute focusing control by using focusing information with respect to the AF area selected by the selecting unit. When the determining unit determines that the scene change is not present, the selecting unit selects the AF area having been selected at the first timing, as the focusing target AF area, at the second timing continuously.

An image pickup apparatus includes an imaging optical system; a display unit; a detecting unit performing focus detection in phase difference detection; a focusing unit performing focus control of a lens in the imaging optical system on the basis of the focus detection result; an imaging unit generating an image signal concerning an optical image of a subject; an electronic zoom unit zooming in or out the image of the subject displayed in the display unit on the basis of the image signal by performing signal processing; and a switching unit switching between an electronic zoom active state and an electronic zoom inactive state. The detecting unit includes a sensor unit including a first licensor and a second licensor; a setting unit that sets detection sections having the same section length in the first and second licensors; a focus detecting unit; and a section length controlling unit.

An electronic flash includes a primary emission unit for emitting flash light for illuminating an object, an auxiliary emission unit for emitting light having a different color temperature from the flash light; and a controller for controlling emission of the auxiliary emission unit to adjust the color temperature of illumination light to the object. This electronic flash makes it possible to change the color temperature of illumination light to an object quickly and easily.

Electronic flash and a camera provided with the same

Where a person is being photographed, for example, both light from the person located at closer range and light from the background located farther away enter the photodetector elements. Where the contrast of the background is high, the rate at which the information from the background contributes to the focus detection becomes larger, which hinders accurate focus detection with regard to the person. In this case, the focus detection device divides a predetermined focus area into smaller areas and detects focus condition in each smaller area.

Focus detection device and accompanying optical equipment

An automatic focusing camera has a selective night view mode of photographing a scene where the brightness of a main object is lower than the brightness of a background and the brightness of the whole scene is lower than a specified value, and includes an auxiliary light emitter operable to emit an auxiliary light to the main object for focusing; a first determinator operable to determine whether an auxiliary light is necessary in the night view mode; and a controller in responsive to the first determinator to render the auxiliary light emitter emit an auxiliary light.

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Hyogo, Japan

Tsuyoshi Kishimoto