An apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to acquire a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition wherein an imaging parameter is set for each of the first and second imaging conditions, the imaging parameter includes a zoom magnification and a focus position, control a first drive unit to perform a zooming operation from the zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to the zoom magnification of the second imaging condition, and control a second drive unit during the zooming operation based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position with respect to a zoom lens position, to change from the focus position of the first imaging condition to the focus position of the second imaging condition in one direction.

A method for maintaining focus of an optical system on a target surface is provided. The method includes directing at least one beam of light through an objective lens to a sample, wherein the at least one beam of light is associated with at least two effective numerical apertures and receiving at least one reflected beam at the objective lens. The at least one reflected beam is associated with the at least two effective numerical apertures. The method also includes determining at least one image based on the at least one reflected beam, determining a baseline of a feature for each of the one or more objects, and when the feature differs from the baseline, adjusting a working distance between the objective lens and the sample.

The optical driver apparatus is detachably attachable to an optical apparatus. The optical apparatus includes a lens operation member operable manually, and a locking mechanism switchable between a locking state of restraining motion of the lens operation member and an unlocking state of releasing the restraint. The optical driver apparatus includes a driver operation member, an actuator configured to move the lens operation member, and a controller configured to control the actuator. The controller is configured to drive the actuator in response to an operation of the driver operation member when the locking mechanism is in the unlocking state and to control the actuator, when the locking mechanism is in the locking state, so as to provide one of a state of not driving the actuator in response to the operation of the driver operation member and a state of performing a warning operation.

A focus adjustment control apparatus is provided which includes: a focus detection unit that calculates an evaluation value with regard to contrast of an image via an optical system to detect a focus adjustment state of the optical system; an acquisition unit that acquires from a lens barrel at least one of a maximum value and a minimum value of an image plane movement coefficient that represents correspondence relationship between a movement amount of a focus adjustment lens included in the optical system and a movement amount of an image plane; and a control unit that uses at least one of the maximum value and the minimum value of the image plane movement coefficient to determine a drive speed for the focus adjustment lens when the focus detection unit detects the focus adjustment state.

A lens control apparatus for moving a lens in an optical axis direction, including: a stepping motor for driving the lens; a controller for obtaining a drive amount on the basis of an input target position, instructing a rotational position of the stepping motor to perform drive control, wherein the controller obtains, in accordance with a first drive amount when the stepping motor is driven to a current position, a second drive amount from the current position to a target position, a third drive amount obtained by correcting the second drive amount, and instructs a rotational position on the basis of the third drive amount.

A control apparatus includes an acquirer (129a) that acquires a first signal and a second signal that correspond to output signals of a first photoelectric converter and a second photoelectric converter, respectively, the first and second photoelectric converters receiving light beams passing through different pupil regions of an image capturing optical system from each other, and a calculator (129b) that calculates a correlation value of the first signal and the second signal to calculate a defocus amount based on the correlation value, and the calculator corrects the correlation value based on a light receiving amount of at least one of the first photoelectric converter and the second photoelectric converter.

Methods and apparatus for implementing a camera having a depth which is less than the maximum length of the outer lens of at least one optical chain of the camera are described. In some embodiments a light redirection device, e.g., a mirror, is used to allow a relatively long optical chain with a relatively large non-circular outer lens. In some embodiments the light redirection device has a depth, e.g., front of camera to back of camera dimension, which is less than the maximum length of the aperture of the outer lens in the aperture's direction of maximum extent. Multiple optical chains with non-circular outer lenses arranged in different directions may and in some embodiments are used to capture images with the captured images being combined to generate a composite image.

A camera module of the present invention includes two lens drive units adjacent to each other. The lens drive units each include a first drive mechanism that moves a lens along an optical axis direction and a second drive mechanism that moves the lens in a vertical direction to the optical axis direction. The second drive mechanism includes two voice coil motors that respectively move the lens in two linear directions orthogonal to each other. The lens drive unit has a substantially rectangular outline. The two voice coil motors of the second drive mechanism are respectively installed near two neighboring sides of four sides forming an outer perimeter of the substantially rectangular lens drive unit. The two lens drive units are installed so that none of the voice coil motors are located on at least one of sides where the lens drive units are located adjacent to each other.

Autofocusing a camera while zooming may include zooming the lens to a first zoom position, measuring a first object distance from the camera to an object on which to focus, determining a first focus start position using the first object distance, performing a first autofocus using the first focus start position as a starting point, thereby determining a first focus position. A first lookup object distance may be determined based on the first determined focus position. A first correction factor may be calculated as a ratio between the first lookup object distance and the first object distance. The lens may be zoomed to a second zoom position, and a second focus position may be determined using a second object distance based on the first object distance and a second correction factor based on depths of field at the second and first zoom positions.

An observation device, comprising an AF detection circuit that calculates an evaluation value showing a larger value as degree of focus increases, based on an image signal, and a controller that detects focus position where focus is achieved based on the evaluation value, wherein the controller, when peaks of the evaluation value have been detected for different focus positions, detects a minimum of the evaluation value between focus positions of the plurality of peaks, and in the event that a first difference between a first peak, among the plurality of peaks, and a focus position of the minimum, and a second difference between the minimum and a focus position of a second peak, among the plurality of peaks, are within respective specified ranges, detects a focus position where focus is achieved based on the focus position of the minimum.