Patent ID: 6885819

Claim:
A camera comprising: a photographing optical system which forms an image of an object to be photographed on an image forming surface; a means for capturing the image to convert said image of the object to be photographed to an image signal; a focus operating means to vary a focus adjusting state of the image of the object to be photographed on said means for capturing the image by moving at least any one of said photographing optical system, an optical means which is a portion of said photographing optical system and said means for capturing the image along an optical axis direction; a focus adjusting evaluating value detecting means seeking an evaluating value of focus adjusting which is indicative of the focus adjusting state as a criterion from image data obtained by said means for capturing the image; and a control means for adjusting focus which seeks a focus adjusted position where the focus adjusting evaluating value becomes a most appropriate value and drives said focus operating means to said focus adjusted position to perform a focus adjusting by scan in that said focus adjusting evaluating value detecting means is driven while said focus operating means is driven in at least any one of a continuous way and an intermittent way to obtain a plurality of said focus adjusting evaluating value; wherein said control means for adjusting focus includes a scan control means to set a scan starting point and a direction of a scan such that the focus adjusting operation is initiated from a point that is shifted in a first predetermined amount of distance in a predetermined direction from an initial locating position of said focus operating means toward an opposite direction to said predetermined direction.