Video camera in which an image is constantly focused

A video camera comprising:

• an optical zoom unit for providing optical zooming including a variator lens, a focusing lens and a fixed front lens;
• drive apparatus for moving the variator lens with respect to the fixed front lens in response to the manipulation of a control key;
• distance detection apparatus for detecting a distance to an object on the basis of a positional relationship with the variator lens and the focusing lens within the optical zoom unit;
• apparatus for fixing the variator lens in a position wherein an image of the object is in focus when the distance to the object is approximately equal to, but less than, a minimum object distance of the optical zoom unit;
• an electronic zoom unit for providing electronic zooming including an apparatus for compressing data representing the image of the object in focus and storing the image in a memory;
• and
• an apparatus for reading the compressed image data out of the memory, interpolating the compressed image data and forming data for an image which is enlarged at a rate which is essentially equal to a rate at which the variator lens is moved by the drive apparatus,
• wherein a synthesized image is created by alternately outputting the compressed image data and image data provided by the optical zoom unit at every one to a plurality of fields when a desired zoom magnification is in a range between a magnification related to the distance to the object and a magnification related to the minimum object distance.