Patent ID: 8970716
Filing Date: 2015-03-03
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image-capturing apparatus comprising: an image sensor; and a processing unit configured to execute a shooting-preparation process including an auto-focus detection process using image data obtained by capturing by said image sensor in response to a start instruction of the shooting-preparation process, the image-capturing apparatus having a shooting mode for recording a still image obtained by capturing by said image sensor in response to an image-capturing instruction provided after the start of the shooting-preparation process and a moving image obtained by capturing by said image sensor in a predetermined period just before the image-capturing instruction, wherein said processing unit uses a program diagram defining a combination of a shutter speed, an aperture value, and ISO sensitivity for each subject luminance to determine shooting conditions for said image sensor to capture and obtain image data used in the auto-focus detection process in the shooting-preparation process in the shooting mode, the program diagram comprises first to fourth sectors, and the shooting conditions are determined so that in the first sector, the shutter speed is increased to a predetermined shutter speed that can suppress a flicker caused by a light source in an imaging environment while maintaining a full open aperture and maximum ISO sensitivity with an increase in the subject luminance from a combination of the full open aperture, a lowest shutter speed, and the maximum ISO sensitivity, in the second sector next to the first sector, the ISO sensitivity is reduced to minimum ISO sensitivity while maintaining the full open aperture and the predetermined shutter speed with an increase in the subject luminance, in the third sector next to the second sector, the shutter speed is increased to a highest shutter speed while maintaining the full open aperture and the minimum ISO sensitivity with an increase in the subject luminance, and in the fourth sector next to the third sector, the shutter speed is increased from the shutter speed corresponding to the aperture and the minimum ISO sensitivity to the highest shutter speed while maintaining the aperture and the minimum ISO sensitivity with a reduction in the aperture and an increase in the subject luminance from a combination of the minimum ISO sensitivity, the full open aperture, and the highest shutter speed.