Patent ID: 7006140
Filing Date: 2006-02-28
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A digital still camera comprising: a photographing optical system that forms a subject image by capturing a subject; a body, to which said photographing optical system is connected; an image sensor provided in said body behind said photographing optical system along an optical axis defined by said photographing optical system, light from said photographing optical system passing through a light-path space formed between said photographing optical system and said image sensor along the optical axis, the subject image being formed on a light-receiving area of said image sensor by the light; a half mirror, provided in said light-path space and inclined toward the photographing optical system, that directs the light from said photographing optical system toward said image sensor and along a focus detecting direction distinct from the optical axis; a mirror driver that temporarily moves said half mirror to a predetermined position such that said half mirror does not interrupt a light-path of the light directed from said photographing optical system to said light-receiving area; a phase difference focus detector provided outside said light-path space and along the focus detecting direction, that detects whether the subject image is focused in accordance with a phase difference of light directed by said half mirror; a focus adjuster that focuses the subject image in accordance with the phase difference, said focus adjuster comprising a focusing lens; and a recording processor that exposes said image sensor for a predetermined period, controls said mirror driver to temporarily move said half mirror out of said light-path space while said image sensor is exposed, controls said focus adjuster to temporarily shift said focusing lens along the optical axis by an optical path length of said half mirror while said image sensor is exposed, and records the subject image as data in a recording medium provided in said body; wherein said half mirror is positioned in said light-path space such that all of the light directed from said photographing optical system to said image sensor substantially passes through said half mirror.