Imaging device, imaging method and program

Abstract

An imaging device equipped with an imaging system including an imaging lens optical system which images an object, a flash emitting unit which synchronizes imaging in the imaging system to emit a flash having not less than a prescribed luminance in a sate not less than a prescribed charged state by power to be charged, and a control unit which determines whether an emission not less than the luminance can be performed or not from the charged state of the emitting unit and a charges state in the case of the possibility of the emission, and performs imaging by use of the emitting unit by increasing imaging sensitivity step by step in the imaging system in response to the charging stage when it determines that the emission can be performed.

1 . Imaging device comprising: 
 imaging means for imaging an object;    an auxiliary light source which synchronizes with imaging by the imaging device to emit a flash having not less than a prescribed luminance in a sate not less than a prescribed charged state by power to be charged;    determining means for determining a charging amount from a charged state of the auxiliary light source; and    imaging control means for performing imaging by using the auxiliary light source with imaging sensitivity of the imaging means increased in response to the charging amount in imaging by the imaging means.    
     
     
         2 . The imaging means according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the imaging control means performs imaging by use of the auxiliary light source by changing a shutter speed in addition to increasing the imaging sensitivity of the imaging means in response to the determination from the determining means.    
     
     
         3 . The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the determining means includes means for determining whether or not a light emission with not less than the prescribed luminance can be performed form the charged state of the auxiliary light source;    the imaging means corresponds to imaging in a camera-shake correcting mode of images due to a hand movement; and    the imaging control means sets the imaging means to the camera-shake correcting mode of the images due to the hand movement and performs imaging by changing a shutter speed when the determining means determines that the light emission cannot be performed.    
     
     
         4 . The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the imaging control means performs imaging by use of the auxiliary light source by increasing the imaging sensitivity of the imaging means in response to the determination from the determining means and an object distance.    
     
     
         5 . The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the imaging control means uses a look-up table in which an imaging sensitivity increment of the imaging means in response to a charged stage of the auxiliary light source is stored in advance.    
     
     
         6 . The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the imaging control means increases imaging sensitivity by a pixel addition method for adding information of adjacent pixels.    
     
     
         7 . The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the imaging control means obtains image data with increased sensitivity by performing pixel additions to add a plurality of items of the image data obtained by the imaging means through a plurality of times of exposures continuous in terms of time in identical pixels.    
     
     
         8 . An imaging method of an imaging device equipped with an imaging unit which images an object, and an auxiliary light source which synchronizes with imaging by the imaging unit to emit a flash having not less than prescribed luminance in a sate not less than a prescribed charged state by power to be charged, the imaging method comprising: 
 a determining step of determining a charging amount from a charged state of the auxiliary light source; and    an imaging control step of increasing imaging sensitivity of the imaging unit in response to the charging amount to perform imaging by using the auxiliary light source in imaging by the imaging unit.    
     
     
         9 . A program to be executed by a computer built in an imaging device equipped with an imaging unit which images an object, and an auxiliary light source which synchronizes with imaging by the imaging unit to emit a flash having not less than prescribed luminance in a sate not less than a prescribed charged state by power to be charged, the program comprising: 
 a determining step of determining a charging amount from a charged state of the auxiliary light source; and    an imaging control step of increasing imaging sensitivity of the imaging unit in response to the charging amount to perform imaging by using the auxiliary light source in imaging by the imaging unit.