Patent ID: 8421905
Filing Date: 2013-04-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an image pickup optical system which forms an image of a subject; an imaging device which obtains an image by picking up the image of the subject via the image pickup optical system; a target detection device which detects a size of a target in the image; an in-focus prediction position calculation device which calculates an in-focus prediction position of the image pickup optical system where the target is predicted to be in-focus based on the size of the target detected by the target detection device; a first control device which causes a focus position of the image pickup optical system to move to an initial target position adjacent to the in-focus prediction position if an absolute value of a difference between the focus position and the in-focus prediction position is more than a threshold value, and does not cause the focus position to move if the absolute value of the difference between the focus position and the in-focus prediction position is equal to the threshold value or less than the threshold value; and a second control device which performs continuous AF that detects an in-focus position where a contrast in the image reaches a local maximum by moving the focus position of the image pickup optical system, moves the focus position of the image pickup optical system to the in focus position and keeps an in-focus state, wherein if the focus position of the image pickup optical system is moved by the first control device, the second control device detects an in-focus position based on the contrast in the image while causing the focus position of the image pickup optical system to move from the initial target position to the in-focus prediction position and causes the focus position of the image pickup optical system to move to the in-focus position, and if the focus position of the image pickup optical system is not moved by the first control device, the second control device maintains the focus position of the image pickup optical system and does not detect the in-focus position of the image pickup optical system.