Patent ID: 8300139
Filing Date: 2012-10-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup device that receives light from a subject through a lens, and outputs image data on the subject; a controller that acquires, from the image data, a plurality of evaluation values according to focus conditions at a plurality of positions of the lens by moving the lens over a predetermined range, and performs automatic focusing by moving the lens based on the acquired plurality of evaluation values; a face information detecting device that detects information on a face of the subject from the image data; and a distance estimating device that estimates a subject distance from said image pickup device to the subject based on the detected information on the face, wherein the controller sets, when the face information detecting device does not detect the information on the face of the subject, the predetermined range to a first range, and the controller sets, when the face information detecting device detects the information on the face of the subject, the predetermined range to a second range which is narrower than the first range, the second range including a position of the lens corresponding to the estimated subject distance.