A method to correct an autofocus operation of a digital image capture device based on an empirical evaluation of image capture metadata is disclosed. The method includes capturing an image of a scene (the image including one or more autofocus windows), obtaining an initial focus score for at least one of the image's one or more autofocus windows, obtaining image capture metadata for at least one of the one or more autofocus windows, determining a focus adjustment score for the one autofocus window based on a combination of the autofocus window's image capture metadata (wherein the focus adjustment score is indicative of the autofocus window's noise), and determining a corrected focus score for the one autofocus window based on the initial focus score and the focus adjustment score.