Patent ID: 8830348

Claim:
An imaging device comprising: an optical system which captures an image of a subject; an image sensor which converts the image captured by the optical system into an electric signal; a classifying unit which classifies the captured image into a plurality of areas, including at least a first area and a second area, according to brightness information and color information; a white balance correcting unit which calculates white balance correction coefficients for the first and second areas, the white balance correction coefficient for the first area being different from the white balance correction coefficient for the second area; and a white balance correction coefficient adjusting unit which receives the white balance correction coefficients for the first and second areas and then calculates an adjusted white balance correction coefficient for at least one of the first and second areas, such that the adjusted white balance correction coefficient for the at least one of the first and second areas is within a predetermined range of a white balance correction coefficient for another one of the first and second areas; wherein the first and second areas are a sunny area and a shadow area, respectively, wherein the imaging device further comprises a face detecting unit which detects a facial area in a captured image, wherein when the face detecting unit detects the facial area and the facial area includes the plurality of areas classified by the classifying unit, the white balance correction coefficient adjusting unit adjusts a difference in the white balance correction coefficients set for the plurality of areas to be within a second predetermined range, wherein when the facial area does not include the plurality of areas classified by the classifying unit, the white balance correction coefficient adjusting unit adjusts the difference in the white balance correction coefficients set for the plurality of areas to be within a first predetermined range, and wherein the second predetermined range is less than the first predetermined range.