Patent ID: 9116288
Filing Date: 2015-08-25
Classification: G02B,G03B,H04N

Abstract:
1. For use in an imaging device capable of transitioning from live view mode to movie shooting mode, and including (1) a focusing lens provided in a lens barrel, (2) a lens drive section for driving the focusing lens, (3) a ring member which is arranged to be rotatable with respect to a lens barrel, and arranged to move to either a first position or a second position by sliding along an optical axis, (4) a slide position detection section for detecting whether the ring member is positioned at the first position or the second position, when the ring member has been subjected to slide movement along the optical axis, (5) a first detection section for outputting rotation amount for a rotation operation of the ring member, when it has been detected by the slide position detection section that the ring member is at the first position, (6) a second rotation position detection section for outputting a discrete preset distance, determined using a position that has been set by a rotation operation of the ring member, when it has been detected by the slide position detection section that the ring member is at the second position, and (7) a storage section for storing the preset distance set when the ring member is at the second position, a method comprising: determining movement of a subject; controlling the lens drive section to drive the focusing lens to a specified position, move the focusing lens to focus at the preset distance stored in the storage section at a first speed, when the ring member has been switched from the first position to the second position in the live view mode, and move the focusing lens to focus at the preset distance stored in the storage section at a second speed that is slower than the first speed, when the ring member has been switched from the first position to the second position in the movie shooting mode, wherein the second speed of the focusing lens when moving the focusing lens to focus at the preset distance is controlled based on the movement of the subject that has been determined, and wherein, in the movie shooting mode, the focusing lens is driven slowly so as to focus more gradually than in the live view mode; storing the preset distance set when the ring member is at the first position; moving the focusing lens to focus at the preset distance stored in the storage section at the first speed, when the ring member has been switched from the second position to the first position in the live view mode; and moving the focusing lens to focus at the preset distance stored in the storage section at the second speed that is slower than the first speed, when the ring member has been switched from the second position to the first position in the movie shooting mode.