Patent ID: 7835639
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: G03B,H04N

Abstract:
1. An imaging apparatus comprising: an image pickup element for converting light of an object to image data; a strobe for generating a flashing light emission by an electric charge supplied from a built-in capacitor; a shooting section for performing a strobe shooting using the image pickup element and the strobe; a shooting control section for controlling the shooting section to perform consecutive strobe shootings for only a certain number of times; a memory section which stores correction information for compensating for a decline in a light emission amount of the strobe due to a voltage drop in the built-in capacitor following each consecutive flashing light emission generated by the strobe, wherein the correction information corresponds to a number of the flashing light emissions generated by the strobe; a judgment section for, when consecutive strobe shootings are executed for only the certain number of times by the shooting control section, judging whether the strobe can generate consecutive flashing light emissions for only the certain number of times with a light emission amount that can acquire an appropriate exposure; a first calculation section for, when the judgment section judges that the strobe cannot generate consecutive flashing light emissions for only the certain number of times with the light emission amount needed to acquire the appropriate exposure, calculating a light emission length of time for each flashing light emission of the strobe such that the strobe can generate consecutive flashing light emissions for only the certain number of times, by compensating a specified light emission length of time using the correction information stored in the memory section; and a light emission control section for, when consecutive strobe shootings are executed for only the certain number of times by the shooting control section, controlling the strobe to generate each of the consecutive flashing light emissions for only the corresponding light emission length of time calculated for that flashing light emission by the first calculation section.