Patent ID: 8049810

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging optical system that forms a subject image on a predetermined imaging plane; a driving unit that drives the imaging optical system to change a focal position; an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts the subject image formed on the imaging plane to output an image signal; an aperture that adjusts an amount of light entering the imaging unit; a generating unit that generates image data based on the image signal outputted from the imaging unit; an operating unit that accepts input of an imaging preparation instruction and an objective-imaging instruction; a pre-imaging AF unit that detects a in-focus position of the subject image before the imaging preparation instruction is inputted; a pre-imaging AE unit that determines a target light exposure of the imaging unit before the imaging preparation instruction is inputted; an objective-imaging AF unit that detects the in-focus position of the subject image after the imaging preparation instruction is inputted; an objective-imaging AE unit that determines the target light exposure of the imaging unit after the imaging preparation instruction is inputted; and an imaging control unit that performs: before the imaging preparation instruction is inputted, a first control of setting the focal position of the imaging optical system to the in-focus position detected by the pre-imaging AF unit and of setting the opening size of the aperture based on the target light exposure determined by the pre-imaging AE unit; after the imaging preparation instruction is inputted, a second control of setting the focal position of the imaging optical system to the in-focus position detected by the objective-imaging AF unit and of setting the opening size of the aperture based on the target light exposure determined by the objective-imaging AE unit; and at a point that the imaging preparation instruction is inputted, a third control of skipping the in-focus position detection by the objective-imaging AF unit depending on whether the focal position of the imaging optical system is set to the in-focus position detected by the pre-imaging AF unit and whether the opening size of the aperture that should be set based on the target light exposure of the objective-imaging AE unit is substantially the same as the opening size of the aperture set based on the target light exposure of the pre-imaging AE unit.