1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera having autofocus capability and continuous shooting capability.
2. Description of the Related Art
A continuous shooting mode in which a series of photos are taken while the release button is held fully depressed (i.e., while the release switch is held ON) is known in the art as a shooting mode of a digital camera (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2007-017787). In conventional digital cameras, the camera is in an AF lock state (in which autofocus (AF) process is suspended) during continuous shooting. Therefore, even if the camera is in an in-focus state upon the commencement of continuous shooting, the camera sometimes becomes out of focus in the middle of continuous shooting when, e.g., shooting a moving object.
To keep the camera in focus during continuous shooting, an AF process only needs to be performed each time a picture is taken, i.e., each time the main mirror (quick-return mirror) moves down to the photographing position. However, a problem exists with this control slowing down the continuous shooting speed by the amount of time required to perform the AF process.