AUTOMATIC FOCUS ADJUSTING APPARATUS AND AUTOMATIC FOCUS ADJUSTING METHOD, AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS AND IMAGE PICKUP METHOD

摘要

In an automatic focus adjusting method for adjusting the focus based on image signals in a preset focus detection area, the face is detected from an image, and the detected face area is set as the focus detection area in a front-light scene. On the other hand, when a backlight scene is identified, an area in which the detected face area is reduced is set as the focus detection area. This enables to control the focus so that the face is accurately focused on without being affected by the contrast of the contour of the face in a backlight scene (contrast of the contour of the face is strong in the backlight scene).