Patent ID: 9667874
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: G02B,G03B,H04N

Claim:
1. An imaging device comprising: an optical system including a zoom lens and a focus lens; a driver to drive the zoom lens and the focus lens; an image sensor to convert an optical image of a subject formed via the optical system into an electric signal and output the signal as an image signal; an image processor to generate image data of the subject according to the image signal; a digital zoom element to perform digital zoom on the basis of the image data; and a position detector to detect a position of the zoom lens, the imaging device further comprising: a memory in which a minimum object distance in accordance with the zoom lens position is stored; a distance acquiring element to acquire a distance to a subject in focus; an optical zoom driver including a zoom switch to instruct performing the optical zoom; and a comparator to compare the minimum object distance with the subject distance and determine whether or not the subject distance has reached the minimum object distance, wherein: the minimum object distance is a distance which a user of the imaging device is allowed to use and is different from a distance defined by a lens performance, the digital zoom element is configured to perform the digital zoom when the optical zoom driver issues an instruction to perform the optical zoom towards a telephoto end and when the subject distance has reached the minimum object distance even if the zoom lens position has not reached the telephoto end, when the zoom switch is moved towards a wide angle end after the optical zoom and digital zoom are performed, the driver drives the zoom lens to perform the optical zoom towards the wide angle end first and then the digital zoom element performs digital zoom towards the wide angle end.