Patent ID: 8123418

Claim:
An imaging device comprising: imaging means for generating image signals comprising an image of a subject in accordance with light coming from the subject through a shooting optical system; display means; electronic finder means for displaying, on the display means, a preview of the subject based on image signals successively generated by the imaging means before shooting; optical finder means having a finder window; optical-path switching means for switching between a first optical path, through which the light coming from the subject is guided to the finder window, and a second optical path, through which the light coming from the subject is guided to the imaging means; eye detecting means for detecting presence of an eye in a proximity of the finder window; first control means for performing a first control operation so that the optical-path switching means selects the first optical path to guide the light coming from the subject to the finder window when the eye detecting means detects the presence of an eye in the proximity of the finder window; and second control means for performing a second control operation so that the optical-path switching means selects the second optical path to display the preview of the subject on the display means when the eye detecting means does not detect the presence of an eye in the proximity of the finder window.