Patent ID: 7199831
Filing Date: 2007-04-03
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A camera comprising: a strobe apparatus for emitting illumination light onto a subject; an image pick-up portion for transforming an image of the subject into electric signals and outputting the subject image signals; a shadow detecting portion for detecting a presence of a shadow, by comparing (1) a first image data output of the subject obtained by the image pick-up portion in an image picking up procedure without light emission of the strobe apparatus onto the subject and (2) a second image data output of the subject obtained by the image pick-up portion in an image picking up procedure with light emission of the strobe apparatus onto the subject, created in the picked up image of the second image data when the strobe apparatus emits light onto the subject; a shadow eliminating portion for eliminating the shadow created in the picked up image of the second image data when the shadow detecting portion detects the presence of the shadow; and a pattern evaluation portion for evaluating the image patterns adjacent to the shadow in the picked up image and determining whether the image patterns are nearly uniform over a predetermined region, wherein the shadow eliminating portion eliminates the shadow by replacing image data of the shadow with image data adjacent to the shadow when the image patterns adjacent to the shadow on the picked up image are determined to be nearly uniform over the predetermined region.