Embodiments provide an image pick-up apparatus including an optical unit configured to output optical information acquired from a lens having a fixed focal distance, an image sensor unit configured to convert the optical information into electrical signals and including a plurality of phase difference detection pixels, an image information processing unit configured to generate interest image information by processing the electrical signals converted by the image sensor unit, a memory unit configured to store depth values matched with reference image information, a calculation unit configured to extract the depth value matched with the reference image information corresponding to the interest image information, and an image information output unit configured to output the depth value extracted by the calculation unit and, thus, depth information may be easily acquired using only one image pick-up apparatus.

Systems, methods, and devices for optimizing phase detection autofocus (PDAF) processing are provided. One aspect provides an apparatus comprising: an image sensor configured to capture image data of a scene; a buffer; and a processor. The processor may be configured to store the image data in the buffer as a current frame and divide the current frame into a plurality of windows each corresponding to a different spatial region of the scene. The processor may be further configured to identify a central portion of the current frame comprising a subset of the plurality of windows. The processor may be further configured to determine a depth value of the central portion based on performing PDAF on the subset of the plurality of windows and determine a confidence value for the central portion based on the depth value and image data corresponding to the subset of the plurality of windows.

An object plane is set, and appropriate image processing is performed according to the setting of the object plane. An image processing apparatus has a controller (7). The controller (7) receives image data for a captured image and distance information on the distance to a designated point in the captured image, sets an object plane (100) containing the designated point, converts the distance information to the information on the distance from the object plane, and performs predetermined image processing according to the converted distance information.

An image recording device having a projected viewfinder is described that projects individual, or multiple sets of synchronized framing beams onto a target image that are coaxially aligned with the field of view of the camera. The set of framing beams is projected onto the target image beyond the scope of the field of view being recorded by the image recording device but still within the field of vision of the operator of the device. In this way, the operator of the image recording device will be able to clearly see the framing beams identifying the limits of the recorded areas, while not having any portion of the field of view of the image recording device obscured by the framing beams themselves.

A method for providing content via a computer network and computing device, which may include: storing data associated with and indicative of a plurality of presentations; receiving a request to host an audio presentation; receiving and storing data associated with the requested audio presentation; initiating and recording one or more telephone calls; and, presenting at least a portion of the stored data for selection by the computing device; wherein, selection causes the stored data indicative of the selected audio/visual or audio presentation to be provided to the computing device for playback thereby via the computer network. The method may include storing data associated with and indicative of a first plurality of presentations; storing data associated with a plurality of second presentation feeds: automatically and periodically accessing each of the feeds; and aggregating each of the presentations for delivery via the computer network.

An image pickup apparatus having a continuous shooting mode in which images are captured for recording in response to an image capture instruction, wherein respective development process for each image is performed before capturing a subsequent image for recording in the continuous shooting mode, includes a focus control unit and a control unit. The focus control unit detects a focal point of a focus lens. The control unit controls movement of the focus lens and controls the capturing of an image. After the control unit controls the movement of the focus lens using the focus control unit and captures an image for recording in the continuous shooting mode, the control unit moves the focus lens to a predetermined position and then moves the focus lens across a predetermined range from the predetermined position to perform the scanning using the focus control unit during the development process of the captured image.

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging element, a driving method therefor, and an electronic apparatus, by which the characteristics of phase-difference pixels can be made constant irrespective of a chip position. In a pixel array section, a normal pixel including a photodiode (PD) that receives and photoelectrically converts incident light such that a color component signal is obtained, and a phase-difference pixel including a pair of a photodiode (PD1) and a photodiode (PD2) including light-receiving surfaces having a size depending on an image height such that a phase difference detection signal is obtained are arranged in a matrix form. The pair of the photodiode (PD1) and the photodiode (PD2) each include a first region serving as a charge accumulation main part and a second region that performs photoelectric conversion and contributes to charge transfer to the main part. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor, for example.

An image pickup apparatus for simultaneously realizing a phase difference AF and a contrast AF decides a shift amount of an image signal corresponding to a focus evaluation position every exit pupil area, generates an image corresponding to an image plane position by executing an arithmetic operation processing based on the decided shift amount to the image signal, calculates an evaluation value of a contrast of the generated image, and calculates an evaluation value of a correlation between the images corresponding to the different exit pupil areas in the generated image.

An imaging element which outputs a pair of image signals corresponding to a pair of luminous fluxes which pass through different pupil areas of a photographing optical system, the imaging element includes a first pixel cell group including a plurality of first pixel cells for obtaining the pair of image signals and a second pixel cell group including a plurality of second pixel cells for obtaining the pair of image signals. The first pixel cell includes a first photoelectric converting unit and a first micro lens which is provided above the first photoelectric converting unit. The second pixel cell includes a second photoelectric converting unit and a second micro lens which is provided above the second photoelectric converting unit. The first micro lens and the second micro lens are disposed with different regularities.

In an embodiment, focusing an image-capture device such as, e.g., a camera including an optical system displaceable in opposite directions (A, B) via a focusing actuator, is controlled by evaluating a scale factor for the images acquired by the device. An accumulated value of the variations of the scale factor over a time interval (e.g., over a number of frames) is produced and the absolute value thereof is compared against a threshold. If the threshold is reached, which may be indicative of a zoom movement resulting in image de-focusing, a refocusing action is activated by displacing the optical system via the focusing actuator in the one or the other of the opposite focusing directions (A or B) as a function of whether the accumulated value exhibits an increase or a decrease (i.e., whether the accumulated value is positive or negative).