Patent ID: 7813631

Claim:
An image-taking apparatus that includes an imaging device and an image-taking optical system and generates image signals by forming an image of a subject on the imaging device through the image-taking optical system, comprising: a light emitting section including a first light emitter that emits a relatively large amount of light for shooting and a second light emitter that emits a relatively small amount of light for shooting; a metering section that meters brightness of field; a sensitivity setting section that sets a sensitivity level; a distance measuring section that measures a subject distance; a detection section that detects that the brightness metered by the metering section is equal to or lower than a predetermined level; an emission control section that, in a case where the detection section detects that the brightness metered by the metering section is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, (a) causes the first light emitter to emit light when the subject distance measured by the distance measuring section is longer as compared to a threshold, and (b) causes the second light emitter to emit light when the subject distance measured by the distance measuring section is shorter as compared to the threshold, wherein the threshold is determined uniquely according to the sensitivity level being set when the detection section detects that the brightness metered by the metering section is equal to or lower than the predetermined level and is variable such that the higher the sensitivity level being set when the detection section detects that the brightness metered by the metering section is equal to or lower than the predetermined level is, the longer the threshold is; and an image signal generating section that, under the sensitivity level being set when the detection section detects that the brightness metered by the metering section is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, generates image signals which represent an image of the subject formed on the imaging device by using the light emitted by the control of the emission control section.