Patent Document ID: 20090322933
Application ID: 12482520
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. An image capturing apparatus that performs autofocus control by moving a focusing lens, comprising: a ranging unit adapted to measure information corresponding to a subject distance; a detecting unit adapted to detect, in a captured image, a region including a face of a person as a face region; a setting unit adapted to set a focusing area with respect to the captured image; a generating unit adapted to generate an AF evaluation value based on a predetermined frequency range component included in the focusing area of the captured image; and a control unit adapted to perform focusing by moving the focusing lens, based on the AF evaluation value generated by the generating unit, wherein if the face region has been detected, the setting unit sets a focusing area with respect to the face region, and wherein when transitioning from a state in which the face region has been detected to a state in which the face region has not been detected, if a variation between a subject distance measured by the ranging unit in the state in which the face region has been detected and a subject distance in the state in which the face region has not been detected is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the setting unit does not change the focusing area that was set in the state in which the face region has been detected, and if the variation is greater than the predetermined threshold value, the setting unit changes the focusing area to a predetermined area in the captured image.