Patent ID: 8089527

Claim:
An image capturing apparatus, comprising: an image capturing unit which captures a first image; a detection unit for detecting a characteristic region from the first image captured by the image capturing unit; a calculation unit for calculating, as a set magnification ratio, a maximum magnification ratio according to which the characteristic region detected by the detection unit is included in an image capturing angle of view of the image capturing unit; a zoom control unit for performing optical zoom magnification processing up to the set magnification ratio calculated by the calculation unit; an image capturing control unit for controlling the image capturing unit so as to capture a second image with the image capturing angle of view that is zoom magnification processed by the zoom control unit; a recording unit for recording the first image and the second image in association with each other; a display magnification ratio instruction unit for specifying, as a display magnification ratio, a magnification ratio of an image displayed on a predetermined screen; a composite image generation unit for generating a composite image, by replacing a portion corresponding to the second image in the first image with the second image; a first determination unit for determining whether the display magnification ratio specified by the display magnification ratio instruction unit is greater than or equal to a magnification ratio of the second image to the first image; and a display control unit for, in a case in which it is determined by the first determination unit that the display magnification ratio is greater than or equal to the magnification ratio of the second image to the first image, magnifying the composite image up to the display magnification ratio and displaying, on the predetermined screen, the composite image thus magnified, and, in a case in which it is determined by the first determination unit that the display magnification ratio is less than the magnification ratio of the second image to the first image, magnifying the first image up to the display magnification ratio and displaying the first image thus magnified on the predetermined screen.