Focus bracket photographing imaging apparatus, reproduction display apparatus, image recording method, and reproduction displaying method

An imaging apparatus, comprising

• an imaging optical system configured to image a subject image;
• a solid-state image pickup device configured to convert the subject image imaged by the imaging optical system into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal as image data;
• a photographing position determining device configured to determine a plurality of photographing positions having different focal positions of the imaging optical system from each other to continuously photograph a subject;
• a continuously-photographing processing device configured to obtain a plurality of photographed images by continuously photographing the subject through the solid-state image pickup device at the plurality of photographing positions determined by the photographing position determining device;
• an image data dividing device configured to divide the image data into a plurality of sections;
• a section focus information obtaining device configured to obtain section focus information about a focused state of each of the plurality of sections at a plurality of reference positions;
• a section focusing position calculating device configured to calculate a focusing position in which each of the plurality of sections is in the focused state based on the section focus information obtained by the section focus information obtaining device;
• and
• a focusing position distribution information obtaining device configured to calculate a number of focused sections being in the focused state at each reference position based on the focusing positions of the plurality of sections calculated by the section focusing position calculating device and obtain focusing position distribution information about a distribution of the focusing positions of the plurality of sections,
• wherein the photographing position determining device includes
• a device configured to preferentially select and determine the reference position having the largest number of the focused sections calculated by the focusing position distribution information obtaining device as the photographing positions different from each other;
• and
• the continuously-photographing processing device includes
• a storing device configured to store the plurality of images photographed at the plurality of photographing positions as one image file storing the plurality of image data and frame information to display a frame indicating the focused section having the focusing position corresponding to the photographing position of the photographed image.

An image recording method in an imaging apparatus including

• an imaging optical system configured to image a subject image;
• a solid-state image pickup device configured to convert the subject image imaged by the imaging optical system into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal as image data;
• a photographing position determining device configured to determine a plurality of photographing positions having different focal positions of the imaging optical system to continuously photograph a subject;
• and
• a continuously-photographing processing device configured to obtain a plurality of photographed images by continuously photographing the subject through the solid-state image pickup device at the plurality of photographing positions determined by the photographing position determining device, comprising the steps of:
• dividing the image data into a plurality of sections;
• obtaining section focus information about a focused state of each of the plurality of sections at a plurality of reference positions;
• calculating a focusing position in which each of the plurality of sections is in the focused state based on the obtained section focus information;
• calculating a number of focused sections being in the focused state at each reference position based on the calculated focusing positions of the plurality of sections and obtaining focusing position distribution information about a distribution of the focusing positions of the plurality of sections;
• preferentially determining the reference position having the largest calculated number of focused sections as the photographing positions different from each other;
• continuously photographing the subject at the plurality of determined photographing positions to obtain a plurality of image data as the plurality of photographed image;
• and
• storing the plurality of images photographed at the plurality of photographing positions as one image file storing the plurality of image data and frame information to display a frame indicating the focused section having the focusing position corresponding to the photographing position of the photographed image.