Patent ID: 7756354

Claim:
An image taking apparatus which obtains a synthesized image by synthesizing a plurality of images which are taken comprising: an image pickup device which outputs as the plurality of images a first image being captured by using an illumination unit and a second image being captured by not using the illumination unit, the first image including a first region that has been properly exposed with light from the illumination unit and a second region that has been underexposed with the light from the illumination unit; a detection section which extracts characteristic points from each of the first image and the second image and which detects an amount of displacement of the characteristic points within the second image with respect to the characteristic points within the first image which is reference image; a coordinate conversion section which performs coordinate conversion to the second image so as to conform the characteristic points within the first image to the characteristic points within the second image based on a result detected by said detection section; a synthesis section which synthesizes with the first image the second image having been subjected to the coordinate conversion; an adjusting section which adjusts brightness in a third region in the second image in order that proper exposure is obtained in the third region after being synthesized by said synthesis section, the third region corresponding to the first region irradiated with the light in the first image; and wherein said detection section detects the amount of displacement by using characteristic points within the second region in the first image and characteristic points within a region in the second image that corresponds to the second region, and wherein the apparatus farther comprising a synthesis prohibiting section which compares between the first image and the second image and prohibits an image synthesis operation of said synthesis section when the brightness difference at a characteristic point within the first image with respect to the second image is greater than a predetermined value.