Patent ID: 8611605

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus having an object recognition function, the apparatus comprising: an image pickup unit; a processing unit for performing a predetermined processing on a face portion in image data obtained by the image pickup unit; a personal information storing unit for storing personal information regarding a face of a person; a control unit for selectively controlling the processing unit to perform the predetermined processing on one of (i) a face portion of an unspecified person and (ii) a face portion identified as a face of a specific person which is stored in the personal information storing unit; a face recognition mode setting unit for setting any one of face recognition modes each having a different face recognition processing to be performed when a face of an object is recognized; a face detection unit for carrying out face detection processing for detecting a face of a person regardless of whether or not the person is an unspecified person whose personal information is not stored in the personal information storing unit; and a face identifying unit for carrying out face identifying processing in which a face of a specified person is identified based on personal information stored in the personal information storing unit; wherein (i) when a face identifying mode is set, the control unit controls the processing unit to perform the predetermined processing on a face of a specified person identified by the face identifying unit, and (ii) when a face detection mode is set, the control unit controls the processing unit to perform the predetermined processing on a face of an unspecified person detected by the face detection unit.