Image capturing apparatus capable of capturing a panoramic image

An image capturing method carried out by an image capturing apparatus which comprises an image capturing device, the image capturing method comprising:

• acquiring a displacement amount by which the image capturing apparatus moves in a predetermined direction when image data is captured by the image capturing device at predetermined time intervals;
• setting a determination criterion for determining whether the captured image data is to be combined or not;
• changing a level of the determination criterion in accordance with a total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus acquired by the acquiring unit from a time when a first piece of image data is captured by the image capturing device;
• determining whether or not the captured image data is valid as a composition target based on the determination criterion with the changed level;
• and
• combining image data determined as being valid as a composition target,
• wherein the level of the determination criterion is changed from a first level which is set when the total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus is within a first range of the displacement amount, to a second level which is more relaxed than the first level and which is set when the total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus exceeds the first range to be within a second range of the displacement amount that is greater than the first range.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that is executable by a computer of an image capturing apparatus which comprises an image capturing device, the program being executable by the computer to make the computer function as units comprising:

• an acquiring unit that acquires a displacement amount by which the image capturing apparatus moves in a predetermined direction when image data is captured by the image capturing device at predetermined time intervals;
• a determination criterion setting unit that sets a determination criterion for determining whether the captured image data is to be combined or not;
• a change unit that changes a level of the determination criterion in accordance with a total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus acquired by the acquiring unit from a time when a first piece of image data is captured by the image capturing device;
• an image determination unit that determines whether or not the captured image data is valid as a composition target based on the determination criterion with the changed level;
• and
• an image composition unit that combines image data determined by the image determination unit as being valid as a composition target,
• wherein the change unit changes the level of the determination criterion from a first level which is set when the total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus is within a first range of the displacement amount, to a second level which is more relaxed than the first level and which is set when the total displacement amount of the image capturing apparatus exceeds the first range to be within a second range of the displacement amount that is greater than the first range.