Patent ID: 7643083
Filing Date: 2010-01-05
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An imaging apparatus comprising: an emission section configured to emit light to a subject; an image pickup element configured to photograph the subject, an image of the subject being formed in an image pickup area comprising a plurality of pixels, the image pickup element photographing the subject by performing photoelectric conversion of the image of the subject to output image data; an image pickup controller configured to, in response to a shutter operation, cause the image pickup element to perform actual photography in which the whole image pickup area outputs the image data and the output image data is recorded in a recording medium; a first emission controller configured to cause the emission section to perform two pre-emissions of the light at different luminous energy levels during a period after the shutter operation and before the actual photography; an estimation area setting section configured to set an estimation area which is smaller than the whole image pickup area and which corresponds to a focal point adjusted each time photographing is carried out; a first image-pickup-element driving section configured to drive the image pickup element during the period after the shutter operation and before the actual photography to transfer image data output from the estimation area set by the estimation area setting section; a second image-pickup-element driving section configured to drive the image pickup element during the period after the shutter operation and before the actual photography to delete image data output from a non-estimation area, which is a part of the image pickup area other than the estimation area; a luminous energy determination section configured to determine an appropriate luminous energy for the actual photography by performing an estimation of respective image data output from the estimation area when the subject is photographed in each of the two pre-emissions; and a second emission controller configured to cause the emission section to perform emission for the actual photography at the appropriate luminous energy determined by the luminous energy determination section.