IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

To achieve a good focusing operation even when a distant area and a near area are mixed in a subject area.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus comprises: subject detection means that detects a subject from an image signal obtained by an image pick-up device; determination means that determines the type of the detected subject; setting means that sets a focus detection area divided into a plurality of small areas in correspondence with the area of the detected subject; focus detection means that detects information on a focal position for each of the plurality of small areas; prediction means that predicts a focal position according to the movement in a depth direction of the subject; and selection means that selects a focal position of one small area of the plurality of small areas to be employed as the focal position of the subject according to the type of the subject and the predicted focal position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9 【課題】被写体領域内で遠領域と近領域が混在した場合でも、良好な焦点調節動作を実現する。【解決手段】撮像素子により得られた画像信号から被写体を検出する被写体検出手段と、検出された被写体の種別を判別する判別手段と、検出された被写体の領域に対応させて複数の小領域に分割された焦点検出領域を設定する設定手段と、複数の小領域ごとの合焦位置に関する情報を検出する焦点検出手段と、被写体の奥行方向の動きに応じた合焦位置を予測する予測手段と、被写体の種別と予測された合焦位置とに応じて記複数の小領域のうちのどの小領域の合焦位置を、被写体の合焦位置として採用するかを選択する選択手段とを備える。【選択図】 図９