Importance

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Abstract

A digital camera senses still images on a first image capturing device and moving images on a second image capturing device. The first and second image capturing devices have different characteristics adapted to their respective uses. The images from the second image capturing device are usable as a view finder for framing the image for the first image capturing device, as well as for performing preliminary measurements for use by the first image capturing device. The second image capturing device is of a type which permits omitting unneeded pixels, thereby reducing electric power consumption. In one embodiment, the optical axis is the same for the first and second image capturing devices, thereby eliminating parallax. In another embodiment, two displaced optical axes are used. Parallax is eliminated by processing the output of one of image capturing devices to align its image with the image of the other image capturing device. In addition to aligning the images, the parallax can be used, with known parameters of separation between the two lines of sight to perform range finding. The first image capturing device is preferably a CCD solid image capturing device of an interline transfer type. The second image capturing device is preferably a solid image capturing device of CMOS type. When preliminary measurement is performed, a part of the pixels of the second image capturing device are read out to determine such conditions as the focus of a photographic lens, the F-value of an aperture and the shutter speed.

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First Claim