Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yukio Odaka

Akira Akashi

Shoji Ichimasa

Shinichiro Yano

Yasuo Suda

Takashi Kawabata

Akira Yamada

Yasuhiko Shiomi

Masanori Ohtsuka

Hiroshi Matsushima

Yoshiaki Honda

Yoshiro Ichihara

Eiji Nishimori

Tomokazu Yoshida

Hideo Ikari

Toshiaki Shingu

Yasuteru Ichida

Hidetoshi Masuda

Hiroshi Miyanari

An image pickup apparatus on which a lens unit is to be removably mounted includes an image pickup element, a first focus detection unit which performs a focus detection by a contrast detection method based on a signal output from the image pickup element, a second focus detection unit which performs a focus detection by a phase difference detection method based on a pair of image signals output from the image pickup element, and a control unit which performs a focus control based on an in-focus position detected by the first or second focus detection unit, and the control unit receives, from the mounted lens unit, first information related to a displacement of the in-focus position by the phase difference detection method and determines whether to use the second focus detection unit for the focus control according to the first information.

Image pickup apparatus having image pickup element including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a plurality of photodiodes corresponding to microlens, lens unit to be removably mounted on image pick up apparatus, and methods of controlling image pickup apparatus and lens unit

A lens apparatus, which is communicatable with an image capturing apparatus and includes a lens, comprises a communication unit configured to receive information concerning a driving amount of the lens which is used to move the lens to a focus position, and a controller having a first mode and a second mode of controlling the lens, wherein the controller selects one of the first mode and the second mode based on the received information, and wherein the controller decelerates the lens in the first mode slower than in the second mode.

Lens apparatus, image capturing apparatus, method of controlling camera system, and storage medium

Image pickup apparatus for performing focus detection in which an influence of a focus shift caused by an aberration is suppressed, lens unit, and methods of controlling image pickup apparatus and lens unit

An image recording apparatus for recording an image captured by use of electronic zoom, comprises an electronic-zoom setting unit configured to set a zoom magnification when using the electronic zoom, a recording-mode selection unit configured to select at least either a non-compression format or a compression format as a recording mode in recording the captured image, a recording-size setting unit configured to set a recording size in each recording mode, and a control unit configured to, when the zoom magnification is set to a magnification at which an image is enlarged, control a recording size in the non-compression format to be larger than the recording size set by the recording-size setting unit.

Image capturing apparatus with electronic zoom and recording size setting, and control method and program therefor

Image recording apparatus with electronic zoom and recording size setting, and control method and program therefor

An image capturing apparatus performs photographing multiple times and composing these multiple images to obtain one image of a correct exposure. The apparatus includes an image capturing unit, an illumination unit and an image composition unit. The image capturing unit captures an optical image of an object as an electrical signal. The illumination unit performs illumination on photographing by the image capturing unit. The image composition unit composes multiple images obtained by multiple times of photographing by the image capturing unit. All of the multiple images are the images shot by performing illumination with the illumination unit. A light amount of each photographing in multiple times of photographing by performing illumination with the illumination unit is obtained by dividing light amount required for the correct exposure based on the number of photos taken of an image to be composed.

Image capturing apparatus and image capturing method

An image capturing apparatus performs photographing multiple times and composing the multiple images to obtain one image of a correct exposure. The apparatus includes an image capturing unit, an illumination unit and an image composition unit. The image capturing unit captures an optical image of an object as an electrical signal. The illumination unit performs illumination on photographing by the image capturing unit. The image composition unit composes multiple images obtained by multiple times of photographing by the image capturing unit. All of the multiple images are the images shot by performing illumination with the illumination unit.

This invention relates to a camera provided with a focus adjusting apparatus having an automatic mode for automatically selecting a focus detection area and an arbitrary mode for manually selecting the focus detection area. This invention provides a camera designed such that even in the case of the automatic mode in the camera, when an in-focus state is attained, the selection of the focus detection area can be effected in that state by a manual operation.

Camera provided with focus adjusting apparatus

The present invention provides an electronic flash device, and in particular, an electronic flash device including forward and flyback type booster circuits. The two booster circuits are appropriately switched depending on the charged state of a capacitor of the electronic flash device or the operative state of the camera, thereby achieving proper charging time and charging efficiency.

Electronic flash device

A capacitor charging apparatus includes a DC/DC converter for stepping up the voltage of a battery and charging the capacitor; a detection circuit that determines whether a primary current of the DC/DC converter reaches a predetermined limit current; a control circuit that controls the DC/DC converter according to a detection signal received from the detection circuit; and a battery-information detection circuit that detects battery information of the battery. The control circuit performs a predetermined calculation using the battery information received from the battery-information detection circuit to determine the predetermined limit current and to vary the primary current of the DC/DC converter so as to control the DC/DC converter each time the capacitor is charged by the DC/DC converter.

Capacitor charging apparatus and electronic flash and apparatus containing same

In a flash apparatus, when it is determined that the oscillation of a voltage boosting circuit is stopped before it is controlled so as to stop, it is possible to continuously charge a voltage to a main capacitor by causing the voltage boosting circuit to continue oscillation by providing a control circuit for oscillating the voltage boosting circuit again. Further, the flash apparatus includes a charged current detecting circuit for detecting the current charged in a main capacitor using an auxiliary power source as a power source. The charged current detecting circuit is simply arranged with a passive element for bypassing a part of the current charged in the main capacitor from a loop through the above-mentioned auxiliary power source.

Flash apparatus and camera having the flash apparatus

A flash device having a charging circuit which is arranged to be capable of changing between a flyback-type boosting action and a forward-type boosting action. The flyback-type boosting action is performed in the initial stage of a charging process and, after that, is changed over to the forward-type boosting action. The arrangement permits a charging action to be efficiently carried out.

Flash device

An electronic apparatus capable of selectively using a plurality of kinds of batteries includes a battery discriminating circuit for making a discrimination of the kind of the battery used, and a current change-over circuit for changing over a supply current of the battery used, in accordance with a result of the discrimination made by the battery discriminating circuit.

Electronic apparatus and flash device

In a flash device of the kind preventing a main capacitor from being overcharged by inhibiting a charging action on the main capacitor when the voltage of the main capacitor reaches a predetermined first level, detecting the voltage of the main capacitor by a voltage reference diode and allowing light emission when the voltage of the main capacitor reaches a second level which is higher than the first level, an element having a negative temperature characteristic is connected in series to the voltage reference diode. The arrangement ensures an apposite operation of the flash device irrespective of temperature variations.

The invention relates to a visual axis detection apparatus and the like which is constituted by light receiving device for receiving image of an observer's eye, read-out device for reading out the photoelectric conversion signals from the light receiving device, information processing device for extracting a plurality of characteristic information on the basis of the signals read out by the read-out device and outputting information regarding the direction of the observer's visual axis and restricting device for giving a restriction to the read-out area of the light receiving device.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Yukio Odaka