Imaging apparatus

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging optical system that has a variable power lens capable of changing a focal distance by moving along an optical axis direction, has a focus lens capable of adjusting a focal point by moving along the optical axis direction, and forms a subject image by the variable power lens and the focus lens;

an imaging element that generates image data via the imaging optical system;

a movable frame that holds the focus lens and is movable back and forth along an optical axis of the imaging optical system;

a holding frame that holds the movable frame movably along the optical axis;

a first movement driver that is disposed between the movable frame and the holding frame and causes the movable frame to move along the optical axis direction to adjust the focal point of the imaging optical system;

a second movement driver that is driven with a minimum movement amount larger than a minimum movement amount of the first movement driver and causes the holding frame to move along the optical axis direction to adjust the focal point of the imaging optical system;

a zoom position detector that detects a zoom position of the variable power lens on the optical axis;

a focus sensitivity determination processor that, based on the zoom position detected by the zoom position detector, determines whether a focus sensitivity indicating a ratio of a change amount of the in-focus position to a movement amount of the focus lens is equal to or smaller than a specified value; and

a driving controller that drives the first movement driver to move the movable frame to the in-focus position if the focus sensitivity determination processor determines that the focus sensitivity is larger than the specified value, and drives the first and second movement drivers to move the movable frame to the in-focus position if the focus sensitivity determination processor determines that the focus sensitivity is equal to or smaller than the specified value.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a focal-point evaluation value calculation processor that extracts high frequency components from the image data in synchronization with a frame rate of the image data generated by the imaging element, and sequentially calculates focal point evaluation values for evaluating high and low of contrast of the subject image based on the high frequency components; and

a focal-point evaluation value determination processor that, when the movable frame sequentially moves along the optical axis direction, determines a maximum value corresponding to the in-focus position from the focal point evaluation values sequentially calculated by the focal-point evaluation value calculation processor, wherein

if the focus sensitivity determination processor determines that the focus sensitivity is larger than the specified value and the focal-point evaluation value determination processor determines the maximum value, the driving controller drives only the first driving movement driver to move the movable frame to the in-focus position corresponding to the maximum value.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first movement driver is a voltage-displacement actuator that causes displacement when voltage is applied.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator is one of an organic piezoelectric element, an inorganic piezoelectric element, an organic-inorganic hybrid piezoelectric element, an ion-conducting actuator, and a conductive polymer actuator.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second movement driver is a motor capable of moving the movable frame in an entire range of motion in the optical axis direction.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the motor is one of a DC motor, a stepping motor, an ultrasonic motor, and an electrostatic motor.