The present invention relates to the field of image processing and methodologies to passively focus an image automatically, using the electronic sensor signal. The method comprises steps of; receiving a pixel image, generating at least two histograms of the received image using at least two different frequency components, finding widths of acquired histograms and storing them as a focus measure, finding difference between last received frame's highest frequency component histogram width and at least one previously received frame's histogram width corresponding to the same component, determine whether there is a meaningful difference, and determine the focus direction signal by using the difference. The system comprises; an image sensor to acquire an electronic pixel image; an image processing unit configured to receive an image and implement the method using this image and output a focus direction signal found by the method; and a memory unit configured to store image histogram widths.

An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit configured to receive light collected from an object area through an imaging optical system provided at a front side facing an object, and to generate image data; a body unit including the imaging unit; an optical sight unit including a light source unit for emitting luminous flux, and a reflecting optical element for allowing light from the object area to transmit and reflecting the luminous flux toward a back side opposite to the front in order to produce a virtual image of the luminous flux in the object area or near the object area; and a leg unit that holds at least the reflecting optical element in a movable manner in a direction away from the body unit and in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging optical system, at startup of the optical sight unit.

An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit configured to receive light collected from an object area through an imaging optical system provided at a front side facing an object, and to generate image data; a body unit including the imaging unit; an optical sight unit including a light source unit for emitting luminous flux, and a reflecting optical element for allowing light from the object area to transmit and reflecting the luminous flux toward a back side opposite to the front in order to produce a virtual image of the luminous flux in the object area or near the object area; and a leg unit that holds at least the reflecting optical element in a movable manner in a direction away from the body unit and in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging optical system, at startup of the optical sight unit.

A framing light uses horizontal and vertical framing-light assemblies in which two opposite framing lines of a projected frame are projected from a single light source by use of a beamsplitter, a line emitting laser diode and an angular adjustment which adjusts a spread angle by swinging the light emitting laser diode around a beamsplitter while the beamsplitter is stationary.

An apparatus and a method detect and connect a counterpart device by capturing an image of the counterpart device in a wireless device. A Relative Distance Value (RDV) between the wireless device and the counterpart device is determined via image capture using a camera. The counterpart device is identified using the determined RDV.

A photographing apparatus includes a movable-member driver configured to move a movable member in a direction that is different from an optical axis of a photographing optical system, wherein the movable member includes at least one of an optical element, constituting at least one part of the photographing optical system, and an image sensor; a movable-member drive controller configured to drive the movable member to move in a circular path of a predetermined diameter via the movable-member driver; and a processor configured to select a drive diameter D of the circular path by which the drive controller drives the movable member within a range of the following condition (1):
d*/(2*2.sup.1/2)Dd*/2(1),
wherein d designates a pixel interval of the image sensor.

There is provided an imaging device that includes a body and a viewfinder. The viewfinder is movable in two or more directions, between an encased position and a operative position. The viewfinder is encased inside the body at the encased position. The viewfinder is projected outside the body at the operative position.

An electronic sensor and a method for controlling the electronic sensor are provided. The electronic sensor includes at least two pixels having different light-receiving efficiencies and at least two pixel groups having different exposure settings. At least one of the at least two pixels corresponds to at least one of the at least two pixel groups.

An optical apparatus includes an image sensor that includes a focus detecting pixel and an image pickup pixel, a first focus detector configured to provide a focus detection based upon a phase difference between the pair of image signals detected by the focus detecting pixel of the image sensor, a second focus detector configured to provide a focus detection based upon a contrast value based upon an output of the image pickup pixel of the image sensor, and a controller configured to provide autofocus utilizing the first focus detector when a focus detection precision of the first focus detector is equal to or higher than a first value and an image magnification variation amount calculated from a wobbling amount of the image pickup optical system used for the second focus detector is equal to or higher than a second value.

An image sensing apparatus including: an image sensor including a plurality of focus detection pixel pairs that perform photoelectric conversion on each pair of light beams that have passed through different regions of a photographing lens and output an image signal pair; a flash memory that stores shift information on relative shift between an optical axis of the photographing lens and a central axis of the focus detection pixel pairs; a correction unit that corrects a signal level of the image signal pair based on the shift information and exit pupil information of the photographing lens so as to compensate for an unbalanced amount of light that enters each of the focus detection pixel pairs; and a focus detection unit that detects a focus of the photographing lens using the image signal pair corrected by the correction unit.