Patent ID: 7791640
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An electronic camera generating a stereo image, the camera comprising: a stereo image pickup optical system which has a predetermined parallax and which separates an object image into a plurality of parallel object images; an image pickup section which photoelectrically converts the object images formed by the stereo image pickup optical system, into an object image signal; a partition area setting section which, for a stereo image generated on the basis of image data on the parallel subject images obtained by the separative formation by the stereo image pickup optical system and to be recorded in a single file, sets a predetermined partition area inserted in order to arrange monocular images of the parallel object images away from each other, wherein the image pattern of said predetermined partition area is generated independently of the pattern of said monocular images of the parallel object images; and a signal level control section for a stereo photographing mode, which controls an image signal level of said independently generated image pattern of said predetermined partition area set so that it becomes a value calculated using at least some information from the parallel object images.