1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capturing device such as a digital camera.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-240890, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Image capturing devices have been conventionally known which measure the luminance of a main subject and adjust the exposure level for the main subject.
Image capturing devices have also been known which use subject luminance distribution information to perform exposure adjustment and a gradation conversion process in order to prevent overexposure or underexposure from occurring in the entire screen and have a wide dynamic range (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2000-184272, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2004-229054, and Publication of Japanese Patent No. 3478769).
However, in the image capturing devices which measure the luminance of the main subject and adjust the exposure level for the main subject, overexposure or underexposure may occur in portions other than the main subject in a scene having a large difference in luminance, producing an unnatural image when viewing the whole screen.
Further, in the image capturing devices which perform the exposure adjustment and the gradation conversion process, when the subject is a person, the brightness of the subject may be excessive or insufficient, thus making it impossible to see the facial expression of the person.
Therefore, in the conventional image capturing devices, images desired by the photographer may not be obtained in some cases.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds