Patent ID: 7474844

Claim:
A camera having a zoom function and auto-focus function, comprising: a distance-information obtaining unit for obtaining, in connection with a demand to alter zoom magnification, distance information representing an object distance immediately before altering the zoom magnification; a zoom driving unit for driving a zoom lens; a focus driving unit for driving a focus lens; a storing unit for storing positions of the zoom lens corresponding to each of a plurality of zoom magnification factors, and position-control information related to the object distance and focus positions of the focus lens, which are based on the positions of the zoom lens and the object distance, in advance; a drive controlling unit for controlling the zoom driving unit to drive the zoom lens and alter the zoom magnification in response to the demand to alter the zoom magnification factor, and for controlling the focus driving unit to drive the focus lens in synchronization with driving of the zoom lens by the zoom driving unit, and further for adjusting positions of the focus lens such that as the zoom magnification factor is set to the plurality of zoom magnification factors the focus positions of the focus lens are set to correspond to the object distance and the positions of the zoom lens represented by the distance information which is obtained by the distance-information obtaining unit based on the position-control information stored in the storing unit; and a driving-rate controlling unit for adjusting both a zoom driving rate at which the drive controlling unit controls the zoom driving unit to drive the zoom lens and a focus driving rate at which the drive controlling unit controls the focus driving unit to drive the focus lens to driving rates that make a zoom driving time of the zoom lens and a focus driving time of the focus lens coincide with each other in each of intervals corresponding respectively to the plurality of zoom magnification factors.