Electronic Camera and Image Processing Apparatus

Abstract

An electronic camera includes an image pickup device, a memory, a face detecting section, a face recognizing section, and an object specifying section. The image pickup device photo-electrically converts an image of an object into an electric signal and generates an image signal as the electric signal. The memory has recorded registration data representing characterizing points of faces as recognizing targets. The face detecting section detects face areas in a shooting image plane based on the image signal and extracts characterizing points of faces of objects from the face areas. The face recognizing section determines whether or not the face areas are the recognizing targets based on data of the characterizing points corresponding to the face areas and on the registration data. The object specifying section specifies as a main object an object present on nearest side of the electronic camera of objects as the recognizing targets.

1 . An electronic camera, comprising:
 a recognizing unit which recognizes, together with a person, an object other than a person;   a registering unit which registers recognizing data which said recognizing unit uses to recognize said object; and   a registration controlling unit which categorizes together with the recognizing data about the person, the recognizing data about the object other than said person as a group and registers the group.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic camera as set forth in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the object other than said person is an animal.