BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a focus adjustment apparatus, an image capturing apparatus, a focus adjustment method, and a storage medium.

Description of the Related Art

The digital camera proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-215383 varies the sensitivity of manual focus operations (a focus lens driving amount relative to a user operation amount) in accordance with the state of focus. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-215383, the sensitivity of the focus operation is increased when an image is more out of focus and reduced when an image is more in focus, which makes it possible to improve the ease of focus operations when focusing manually.

However, it would be beneficial to users if focus operations could be made even easier when focusing manually.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Having been achieved in light of such circumstances, the present invention provides a technique for making focus operations even easier when focusing manually.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment apparatus comprising: a first obtainment unit configured to obtain a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and a driving unit configured to drive a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and the focus threshold is higher in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that increases the focus degree than in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that reduces the focus degree.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment apparatus comprising: an obtainment unit configured to obtain a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and a driving unit configured to drive a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and in a case where an operation speed of the operation unit is higher than a speed threshold, the movement amount of the focus lens per unit of the operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is higher than in a case where the operation speed is lower than the speed threshold and the focus degree is higher than the focus threshold, regardless of the focus degree.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment apparatus comprising: an obtainment unit configured to obtain a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and a driving unit configured to drive a focus lens in a first direction in response to a first operation being made in an operation unit, wherein in a case where the focus degree has become a target focus degree while the first operation is underway, the driving unit stops driving the focus lens in the first direction, and in a case where the first operation is suspended and then resumed after the driving has been stopped, the driving unit resumes driving the focus lens in the first direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image capturing apparatus comprising: the focus adjustment apparatus according to the first aspect; and an image capturing unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and the focus threshold is higher in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that increases the focus degree than in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that reduces the focus degree.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and in a case where an operation speed of the operation unit is higher than a speed threshold, the movement amount of the focus lens per unit of the operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is higher than in a case where the operation speed is lower than the speed threshold and the focus degree is higher than the focus threshold, regardless of the focus degree.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in a first direction in response to a first operation being made in an operation unit, wherein in a case where the focus degree has become a target focus degree while the first operation is underway, the driving of the focus lens in the first direction is stopped, and in a case where the first operation is suspended and then resumed after the driving has been stopped, the driving of the focus lens in the first direction is resumed.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and the focus threshold is higher in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that increases the focus degree than in a case where the focus lens is moving in a direction that reduces the focus degree.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in response to an operation unit being operated, wherein a movement amount of the focus lens per unit of an operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is lower in a case where the focus degree is greater than a focus threshold than in a case where the focus degree is lower than the focus threshold; and in a case where an operation speed of the operation unit is higher than a speed threshold, the movement amount of the focus lens per unit of the operation amount of the operation unit during the driving is higher than in a case where the operation speed is lower than the speed threshold and the focus degree is higher than the focus threshold, regardless of the focus degree.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a focus adjustment method comprising: obtaining a focus degree in a predetermined region of a shooting range; and driving a focus lens in a first direction in response to a first operation being made in an operation unit, wherein in a case where the focus degree has become a target focus degree while the first operation is underway, the driving of the focus lens in the first direction is stopped, and in a case where the first operation is suspended and then resumed after the driving has been stopped, the driving of the focus lens in the first direction is resumed.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

