JP2006126814A - Imaging apparatus, its control method and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively obtain images satisfying a desired photographing condition, and to shorten the time for photographic operations in continuous shooting. <P>SOLUTION: The equipment is provided with a light-emitting control part 53 for outputting an electrical signal for controlling a flash light-emitting operation for each photographic operation in a plurality of photographic operations constituting bracket photographing, a light-emitting part 38 including a plurality of flash light discharge tubes 40 disposed at different positions, respectively, and main capacitors 43 provided for the plurality of flash light discharge tubes 40, respectively, and a light-emitting driving part 39 for making the plurality of flash light discharge tubes 40 separately to emit light or cease emitting light. The light-emitting driving part 39 controls the light-emitting position of the light-emitting part 38, based on the electric signal outputted from the light-emitting control part 53, and charges the main capacitor 43 provided for one flash light discharge tube, while other flash light discharge tube is emitting light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, a control method thereof, and a control program, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a bracketing function for changing a light emission position or an irradiation angle of a light emitting unit, a control method thereof, and a control program.

  In general, when strobe photography is performed using a person or the like as a subject, when a front light illumination (hereinafter referred to as a front light) is used, the captured image tends to be a flat image. , Rembrandt Light) or side light (hereinafter referred to as side light) or a combination of these, etc. to enhance facial carvings, shadows and three-dimensional effects, and to achieve fine facial expression. Yes.

  In order to realize the above-described Rembrandt light or side light, an illumination device, an external flash light emitting device, and the like are used. A light emitting member having a large guide number (hereinafter referred to as GN: Guide Number) indicating the intensity of flash light (the amount of emitted light) is used in these illumination devices and external flash light emitting devices. In addition, a mechanism for indirectly illuminating the light by reflecting it on the ceiling or the like, a function of changing the range of the irradiation angle, and extending the reach of the emitted flash light are provided.

  By the way, there is conventionally known a camera equipped with a so-called bracketing function for continuously shooting a plurality of images by a single release operation by changing the exposure level of the image step by step for each shooting. For example, see Patent Document 1). This bracketing function includes exposure bracketing (hereinafter referred to as AEB: Auto Exposure Blaket) that changes the exposure amount uniquely determined by the aperture value and the shutter speed, and a strobe bracket that changes the light emission amount of the flash light emitting device. A camera having such a function, which is roughly classified into a keting, can efficiently acquire an image satisfying a desired shooting condition from a plurality of shot images of the same subject. .

  However, when flash photography is performed using a flashlight device, after the flashlight is shot once, the flashlighting device's light-emitting capacitor is fully charged before waiting for the next flash photography. Therefore, there has been a problem that the charging time becomes longer, the photographing interval is increased, and the photographing opportunity is lost.

  In addition, it is known that the light emitted from the flash light emitting device emits a tuned light if it reaches the light emission possible voltage even if the capacitor is not fully charged. A camera having a function of preferentially starting an exposure operation has been developed. However, in this type of camera, shooting is performed on the assumption that the GN when the capacitor is fully charged is used by the flashmatic means. Therefore, when strobe shooting is performed at a flashable voltage, there is an error in the GN. As a result, an error also occurs in the setting of the aperture diameter determined by the distance from the GN to the subject, resulting in a problem of underexposure.

  Therefore, as a flashlight device that can shorten the shooting interval and achieve proper exposure, charging stops when the flash reaches a voltage that can force the flash to fire during continuous shooting. Thus, a strobe device has been developed that shortens the charging time and shortens the continuous shooting interval by correcting the aperture control by the flashmatic means (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In addition, at least two sets of light emitters are provided, and at least two continuous shootings are performed while the light emitters are switched, or the left and right strobes are detected to change the light emission amount of the left and right strobes. Digital cameras have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
However, in this digital camera, it has not been solved how to process a large amount of electric power by continuously emitting a strobe when performing continuous shooting.
Japanese Patent No. 2870773 Japanese Patent No. 2636296 JP-A-8-125957 (Examples 4 and 5)

  In the strobe device described above and the strobe device of the digital camera, for example, it takes several seconds or more, even when charging the voltage that can be emitted without fully charging the capacitor of the strobe device, Since charging is repeated every time a frame is shot, if the subject is a person or the like, the same posture or expression must be maintained, and as a result of the subject changing slightly, different images are continuously shot under different conditions. As a result, there is a problem that a case where a sufficient effect cannot be obtained frequently occurs.

  In addition, a strobe device built in a small digital camera has a limited volume for incorporating a xenon tube, a condenser, etc., so not only the reach distance is limited by the decrease in GN and light quantity. By being limited to the front light, there is a problem that an image with a flat plate is less likely to be three-dimensional.

  Furthermore, it is consumed in large quantities even in a small digital camera equipped with a strobe device that has a strobe bracketing function that can change the setting of the illumination angle and illumination position, such as a Rembrandt light or sidelight. Focusing on the power generated, there is no device configured to shorten the shooting time of strobe bracketing shooting.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and can efficiently acquire an image satisfying a desired shooting condition, and can reduce the shooting time during continuous shooting, its control method, and An object is to provide a control program.

  In order to solve the above problems, an imaging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a shooting control unit that causes the imaging apparatus to perform bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by one release operation, and a plurality of shooting control units. A light-emitting unit in which the light-emitting members are arranged at different positions, a light-emission control unit that outputs an electric signal for controlling flash emission for each of the plurality of photographings constituting the bracket photographing, and the light-emitting member A power storage unit provided for each light emitting unit and a plurality of light emitting members individually emit light or extinguish based on an electric signal output from the light emission control unit, and the other light emitting member during the light emitting operation of one light emitting member And a light emission drive unit that charges the power storage unit provided in the battery.

  The imaging apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the plurality of light emitting members are flash discharge tubes.

  An image pickup apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is an image pickup control unit that causes the image pickup apparatus to perform bracket shooting in which a plurality of shots are continuously performed by a single release operation, and a plurality of light emitting members configured by light emitting diodes. Are arranged at different positions, a light emission control unit that outputs an electrical signal for controlling flash emission for each one of the plurality of images constituting the bracket photographing, and an output from the light emission control unit And a light emission drive unit that individually emits or extinguishes the plurality of light emitting members based on the electrical signal.

  The image pickup apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the light emission control unit performs control so as to emit flash light having different light emission conditions for each one photographing.

  The image pickup apparatus according to the invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the light emission control unit controls to emit a flash with a different light emission condition or to emit a flash with a different exposure condition for each of the one photographing. And

  In the imaging device according to claim 6, in the plurality of light emitting members, an optical axis direction of each light emitting member is arranged along a predetermined direction, and the light emission condition includes a light emission position of the light emitting unit. It is characterized by that.

  The imaging device according to a seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that the plurality of light emitting members are arranged such that the optical axis directions of the light emitting members are parallel to each other.

  In the imaging device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of light emitting members are arranged so that the optical axis directions of the light emitting members are different from each other, and the light emission condition is irradiation of light emitted from the light emitting unit. It includes an angle.

  The image pickup apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the light emitting section includes a driving device for adjusting an optical axis direction of the plurality of light emitting members.

In the imaging device according to claim 10, the plurality of light emitting members are controlled by the light emission control unit so that two or more light emitting members in the plurality of light emitting members emit light simultaneously, and the light emission condition is The light emitting unit includes at least one of a light emission amount and a light emission pattern.

  The imaging apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that the plurality of light emission drive units are provided with power storage units.

  The imaging device according to a twelfth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the light emitting diode is a white light emitting diode that emits white flash light by a single light emitting diode.

  In the imaging device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the light-emitting diodes are single-color light-emitting diodes in which each light-emitting diode emits a single-color flash, and additive color mixing is performed on the single-color light emitted from the single-color light-emitting diode. It emits a white flash.

  In the imaging device according to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the light emitting diode includes the white light emitting diode and a single color light emitting diode, and the light emitting area of the single color light emitting diode is smaller than the light emitting area of the white light emitting diode. And

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an image pickup apparatus, wherein a shooting control step of performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by a single release operation, and a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle are determined. A light emission condition determining step, a light emission control step for outputting an electric signal for controlling flash emission for each one of the plurality of photographing based on the light emission conditions, and an electric signal output by the light emission control step Based on the above, a light emission driving process for emitting light from a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting members and a power storage unit individually provided for each light emitting member, and corresponding to another light emitting member during a light emitting operation of one light emitting member And a charging step of charging the stored power storage unit.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an image pickup apparatus, wherein a shooting control step of performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by a single release operation, and a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle are determined. A light emission condition determining step, a light emission control step for outputting an electric signal for controlling flash emission for each one of the plurality of photographing based on the light emission conditions, and an electric signal output by the light emission control step And a light emission driving step of emitting light from a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting diodes.

  An imaging apparatus control program according to claim 17 determines a shooting control function for performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by one release operation, and a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle. A light emission condition determining function, a light emission control function for outputting an electric signal for controlling flash light emission for each one of the plurality of photographing based on the light emission conditions, and an electric signal output by the light emission control function Based on the above, the light emission drive function for emitting light from a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting members and a power storage unit individually provided for each light emitting member, and corresponding to other light emitting members during the light emitting operation of one light emitting member And a charging function for charging the stored power storage unit.

  An imaging apparatus control program according to claim 18 determines a shooting control function for performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by one release operation, and a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle. A light emission condition determining function, a light emission control function for outputting an electric signal for controlling flash light emission for each one of the plurality of photographing based on the light emission conditions, and an electric signal output by the light emission control function And a light emission drive function for emitting light from a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting diodes.

According to the present invention, there is provided an imaging device including a flash light emitting device for performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by a single release operation, and one shooting during a plurality of shootings constituting the bracket shooting. A light emission control unit that outputs an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash light every time, a light emitting unit in which a plurality of light emitting members are arranged at different positions, and a power storage unit individually provided for each light emitting member, and a plurality of light emitting units A light emission drive unit that individually emits or extinguishes the member, and the light emission drive unit controls the light emission position of the light emission unit based on the electrical signal output from the light emission control unit, and the light emission operation of one light emission member Since the power storage means provided in the other light emitting member is charged inside, a plurality of images can be obtained by one release operation without correcting the light emitting position in the light emitting part of the flash light emitting device at the time of photographing. Continuous It is possible to shadow.
Therefore, it is possible to efficiently acquire an image satisfying a desired shooting condition, improve operability and shorten the shooting time, and reduce the burden on the subject.
In addition, charging of the power storage means in the other light emitting member while one light emitting member emits light can prevent interruption of the photographing operation due to charging of the power storage means. It is possible to shorten the shooting time and improve the shooting efficiency.

Further, when a light emitting diode is used for the light emitting member, no power storage means is required in the light emitting drive unit, and the light emitting diode is directly caused to emit light by the boosted voltage, which makes it possible to simplify the device configuration. Can be miniaturized.
Further, it is possible to omit the charging operation to the power storage means, and it is possible to continuously emit a flash.

  On the other hand, even when a light-emitting diode is used as the light-emitting member, the light-emission driving unit may be provided with power storage means. In this case, charging work for the power storage means is required, but the power storage means is charged. In addition, the light emitting diode can emit light with a high voltage, and a flash with higher brightness can be emitted as compared with the case where the power storage means is not provided.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.
Here, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes a digital camera, a mobile phone, and the like. Details of the digital camera and the mobile phone will be described in the following embodiments and modifications.

A digital camera which is an imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the configuration of the digital camera 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 2 molded in a substantially rectangular shape. On the top surface of the housing 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. A power button 3, a mode switching unit 4, and a shutter button 5 are provided.

  The power button 3 is constituted by a pushable button switch, and the power is switched on or off by a push operation.

  The mode switching unit 4 is configured by a slide switch that is movable in a certain direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment has a “shooting mode” and a “playback mode”. Therefore, by sliding the mode switching unit 4, the “shooting mode” It switches to “playback mode”.

  The shutter button 5 is composed of a button switch that can be freely pressed, and in the shooting mode, the shutter button 5 is instructed to release by a pressing operation. In the reproduction mode or the setting mode, execution of commands on various guidance screens or selection screens is instructed by a push operation. The electrical signal input by the shutter button 5 is output to an input circuit 6 provided inside the housing 2 as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the lower surface of the housing 2 is provided with a plate-like lid portion 7 that can be freely opened and closed, and a communication portion 8.
Two storage portions 9 and 10 are provided inside the lid portion 7 and inside the housing 2. The storage units 9 and 10 are hollow inside, and a battery 11 as a power source and a recording medium 12 such as a memory card are detachably attached to the dedicated storage units 9 and 10, respectively. ing.

Among these, as shown in FIG. 6, the battery storage unit 9 is connected to a power supply control unit 13 provided inside the housing 2, and current is output from the stored battery 11.
The recording medium storage unit 10 is provided with a recording medium I / F 14, and image data and the like are transmitted to and received from the recording medium 12 via the recording medium I / F 14.

  The communication unit 8 includes an input / output I / F 15 and a communication I / F 16 such as a USB or a LAN, and an external device connected to the communication I / F 16 via the input / output I / F 15. Image data and the like are transmitted and received between the two.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a first display unit 17, an optical viewfinder 18, an operation button 19, a guidance display button 20, and a screen display button 21 are disposed on the rear surface of the housing 2. Yes.
The first display unit 17 is configured by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various information such as a subject, shooting information such as shooting conditions or setting information as an electronic viewfinder in the shooting mode, and in the playback mode. Various guidance screens or instruction screens or selected images are displayed. The first display unit 17 also has a function as a touch panel that gives various input instructions by touch input with a finger or an input pen.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the optical viewfinder 18 includes a second display unit 22, a viewfinder mirror 23, and a viewfinder lens 24. Among these, the second display unit 22 displays the above-described shooting information or setting information together with the composition of the image to be captured and the focal length, and these images and the like are inverted by the finder mirror 23 and passed through the finder lens 24. And is now visible. Thus, as with the first display unit 17, the shooting information and the setting information are displayed on the second display unit 22, thereby improving the convenience of the photographer.

As described above, switching between the “shooting mode” and the “playback mode” is performed by sliding the mode switching unit 4. As shown in FIG. There are “normal shooting mode” and “bracket shooting mode”. In the initial state set to “shooting mode”, “normal shooting mode” is selected.
The operation button 19 is composed of a cross key that can be pushed in the cross direction, and can select a command on various guidance screens or instruction screens by a push operation. The operation button 19 is switched to “bracket shooting mode” when the cross key is pushed leftward in the “normal shooting mode”, and “normal shooting mode” is pushed when the cross key is pushed left in the “bracket shooting mode”. It is supposed to switch to.

The guide display button 20 is configured by a pushable button switch, and each shooting (playback) mode and each setting mode for setting shooting conditions and the like by pressing the guide display button 20. Can be switched between each other. That is, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment has three types of setting modes, “normal shooting setting mode”, “bracket shooting setting mode”, and “playback setting mode”, and the switching method is as follows. is there.
When the guide display button 20 is pressed in the above-described “normal shooting mode”, the mode is switched to “normal shooting setting mode”, and when the guide display button 20 is pressed in the “normal shooting setting mode”, the mode is switched to “normal shooting mode”. ing.
Further, when the guide display button 20 is pressed in the “bracket shooting mode” described above, the mode is switched to “bracket shooting setting mode”, and when the guide display button 20 is pressed in the “bracket shooting setting mode”, the mode is switched to “bracket shooting mode”. It has become.
Similarly, when the guidance display button 20 is pressed in the above-described “reproduction mode”, the mode is switched to “reproduction setting mode”, and when the guidance display button 20 is pressed in the “reproduction setting mode”, the mode is switched to “reproduction mode”. ing.

  The screen display button 21 is configured by a pushable button switch, and whether or not various types of information are displayed on the first display unit by the push operation, how much information is displayed, A selection is made as to whether or not to display the through image itself.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, an imaging unit 25 and a flash light emitting device 26 are disposed on the front surface of the housing 2.
As shown in FIG. 7, the imaging unit 25 includes a lens unit 27, a mirror surface unit 28, a shutter 29, and an imaging device 30. The lens unit 27, the mirror unit 28, the shutter 29, and the image sensor 30 are arranged in this order along the beam axis.

  The lens unit 27 includes an imaging lens 31 that is an optical system and a measurement lens 32 that is a single lens. Among these, the imaging lens 31 includes six spherical lenses including two doublets in which a convex lens and a concave lens are bonded. Further, the predetermined lens in the imaging lens 31 is provided with a lens driving unit 33 for adjusting the position of the lens along the light beam axis direction so that the focal length can be adjusted. . Further, in such an imaging lens 31, a diaphragm mechanism 34 is disposed between predetermined lenses, and an openable / closable diaphragm ring (not shown) formed in a petal shape is connected to an interlocking ring (not shown). The amount of light incident on the inside of the housing 2 is adjusted by opening and closing accompanying the operation.

  On the other hand, the measurement lens 32 is configured to cause a light beam to enter the detection unit 35 provided inside the housing 2 and on the back side of the measurement lens 32. The detection unit 35 detects the light flux amount and the light flux intensity based on the incident light flux.

The mirror surface portion 28 includes a main mirror 36 whose surface is mirror-finished and a sub mirror 37.
Of these, the main mirror 36 is provided so as to intersect with the light beam axis at a predetermined angle, and at the same time as the shutter button 5 is pushed, It is designed to rotate. In addition, a part of the main mirror 36 is provided with a semi-transmissive portion, and most of the light beam incident on the main mirror 36 via the imaging lens 31 is reflected by the main mirror 36 and is transmitted to the second display unit. The light beam incident on this semi-transmissive portion is transmitted to the surface opposite to the incident surface and is emitted to the sub mirror 37.
A light beam that has passed through the main mirror 36 is incident on the sub-mirror 37 and is incident on the detection unit 35 described above.

  The shutter 29 is an electronic shutter whose opening / closing operation, traveling speed, and the like are controlled based on an electrical signal. When the amount of light incident through the lens unit 27 is insufficient, a driving mechanism (not shown) is provided. Z) adjusts the opening / closing time of the shutter 29, that is, the time during which the light beam enters the image sensor 30 by controlling the traveling speed.

  Note that the shutter 29 can be opened and closed either vertically or horizontally, or horizontally. The shutter in the present embodiment is an electronic shutter, but is not limited to this, and may be a mechanical shutter that is mechanically controlled.

  The image sensor 30 is composed of an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The image sensor 30 converts the light flux of the image of the subject incident through the imaging lens 31 of the lens unit 27 into an electric signal. Is converted to output.

The flash light emitting device 26 includes a light emitting section 38 and a light emission driving section 39 as shown in FIG.
The light emitting section 38 is composed of a plurality of light emitting members 40. For these light emitting members 40, for example, flash discharge tubes such as xenon tubes are used and arranged along the longitudinal direction.

  In addition, the light emission part 38 is not limited to the structure by which the several light emitting member 40 is arranged, The structure which divided the one light emitting member 40 into the some division may be sufficient.

As shown in FIG. 8, the light emission drive unit 39 includes a step-up charging circuit 41, a plurality of trigger coils 42, a plurality of main capacitors 43, a plurality of trigger switches 44, and a plurality of light emission stop switching elements 45. Has been.
Among these, the boosting charging circuit 41 boosts the battery voltage of 3.0 to 4.2 V to about 330 V and outputs the boosted voltage to the main capacitor 43 that is a power storage unit.
The trigger coil 42 includes a trigger capacitor 46, a trigger resistor 47, and a coil 48, and the electric charge charged in the trigger capacitor 46 simultaneously with the main capacitor 43 is discharged through the primary side of the coil 48. On the secondary side, a trigger voltage of about 3300V is generated.
The main capacitor 43 is individually provided for each light emitting member 40, and the voltage output from the boosting charging circuit 41 is charged.
The trigger switch 44 is formed of a thyristor, a power FET (Field Effect Transistor), an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), or the like having high withstand voltage and high speed characteristics. These light emission stop switching elements 45 operate according to a trigger signal.
The light emission stop switching element 45 is composed of a high breakdown voltage switching element and outputs a light emission stop signal to the trigger coil 42.

  In the light emission drive unit 39 configured as described above, one trigger coil 42, a main capacitor 43, a trigger switch 44, and a light emission stop switching element 45 are connected to each light emitting member 40. Accordingly, the light emitting member 40, the trigger coil 42, the main capacitor 43, the trigger switch 44, and the light emission stop switching element 45 constitute one set.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, an imaging control unit 49 is provided inside the housing 2, and the imaging control unit 49 includes an operation control unit 50, an input image processing unit 51, and a measurement unit 52. And a light emission control unit 53.
The operation control unit 50 controls the focal length by controlling a predetermined lens in the imaging lens 31 based on the output electrical signal. Further, by controlling the interlocking ring in the diaphragm mechanism 34 and the driving mechanism in the shutter 29, the spherical aberration of the lens and the traveling speed of the shutter 29 are controlled.

The input image processing unit 51 includes a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) / AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit and an A / D conversion circuit (both not shown).
Among these, the CDS / AGC circuit removes noise in the electrical signal output from the image sensor 30 and sets an appropriate gain when the voltage output from the image sensor 30 is small due to insufficient exposure time. The amplified signal is output to the A / D conversion circuit.
The A / D conversion circuit converts the input analog image data into digital image data and outputs it.

  The measurement unit 52 calculates a photometric value, a distance measurement value, and a color temperature based on the light flux amount and the light flux intensity detected by the detection unit 35.

  The light emission control unit 53 outputs an electric signal for controlling the number of light emission of the light emission unit 38, the light emission interval, the light emission position, or the irradiation angle to the subject according to the light emission position, to the light emission drive unit 39. Note that the light emission control unit 53 emits light to the subject only for a very short time as a prior light emission for dimming, based on the light metering value for dimming in so-called pre-flash or the light metering value for dimming in the main light emission. In addition, the light emission time may be controlled.

  The photographing control unit 49 is connected to a control unit 54 composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit). For example, a necessary exposure amount is calculated from a photometric value or the like according to photographing conditions set by the photographer. The input data is calculated and processed. The control unit 54 is connected to a storage unit 55, an image processing unit 56, a compression processing unit 57, and display control units 58 and 59 disposed inside the housing 2.

The storage unit 55 includes a volatile RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores information and a nonvolatile ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores information.
Among these, the ROM stores various system programs, application programs, and data.
On the other hand, in the RAM, a program area for expanding a program, a data area for storing data input from the operation buttons 19 or various processing results by the control unit 54, and the like are formed. .
In particular, as a data area, a buffer memory having a small storage capacity but a high writing speed and an image memory having a low writing speed but a large storage capacity are provided separately.

  The image processing unit 56 performs various image processing such as pixel interpolation processing or γ correction processing on the electrical signal of the image data output from the image sensor 30, and outputs the result as digital image data. .

  The compression processing unit 57 compresses and encodes or decompresses image data using a compression method such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group), MPEG4 (Moving Picture Expert Group 4), or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). It has become.

  The display control units 58 and 59 are divided into a first display control unit 58 and a second display control unit 59, and each display control unit 58 and 59 is based on a display signal from the control unit 54. The image data output from is converted into a video signal and output to the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, respectively. Among them, the first display unit 17 includes a display memory 60, and digital image data is temporarily stored therein.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the guidance display button 20 is pushed to switch to the “shooting mode”, the “normal shooting mode” is automatically selected and set in the “normal shooting setting mode” as shown in FIG. The shooting conditions (for example, selecting “Forced flash”, “No flash”, or “Auto flash” as the light emission conditions) are read out (step S1), and various types based on these shooting conditions are read. Processing is executed (step S2).
After the various processes are executed, various types of information are displayed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, and a through image is displayed on the first display unit 17 together with the various types of information (step S3). Among these, the viewpoint is adjusted by moving the digital camera 1 based on the through image displayed on the first display unit 17.

Thereafter, the photographer selects whether or not to push the shutter button 5 (step S4). When the shutter button 5 is not pushed (step S4; NO), whether or not the shutter button 5 is pushed. The opportunity to select is again given (step S4). On the other hand, when the shutter button 5 is pressed (step S4; YES), the normal photographing process is executed (step S5), and the image data photographed by the image capturing unit 25 is the input image processing unit 51 or the control unit 54. And the like, and is stored in the built-in storage unit 55 or the attached removable recording medium 12 (step S6), and a series of photographing operations is completed.
Thereafter, a return process is executed (step S7), and various information is updated and displayed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, and a through image is displayed on the first display unit 17 as various information. (Step S3).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of light emitting members 40 in the light emitting unit 38 are previously installed at different positions, directions, and angles, and an arbitrary light emitting member is selected from the light emitting members 40 to emit light. Alternatively, when performing continuous shooting for correcting the irradiation angle (hereinafter referred to as strobe bracketing shooting), it is necessary to set various conditions before the shooting operation.
Therefore, with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. 15, details of a setting method and an operation method of shooting conditions (hereinafter referred to as bracket conditions (including light emission conditions)) at the time of strobe bracketing shooting will be described.

  First, in the “normal shooting mode”, the cross key as the operation button 19 is pushed leftward to switch to the “bracket shooting mode”. Then, by pressing the guidance display button 20 in the “bracket shooting mode”, the mode is switched to the “bracket shooting setting mode”, and the correction interval, the correction order or the shooting order, or the total number of shots (odd number), which is the bracket condition, Set to the desired value.

  The correction interval can be set with respect to the position of the light emitting member 40 that emits light in the light emitting unit 38 and the amount of change (light emission condition) of the irradiation angle of the light emitting member 40 for each photographing. It can be done.

The correction order or shooting order is ascending order (+ direction, right to left direction with respect to the subject), descending order (-direction, direction from left to right with respect to the subject), and "0 +-" order (center to left) ... → right ...) or "0- +" order (center-> right ...-> left ...) and the like can be selected and set.
For example, assuming that “0” is an initial shooting condition with no correction, when the number of shots is set to “3” in the above ascending order, (−1 correction) → (0: no correction) → Continuous shooting is performed under the conditions of the light emission position and the irradiation angle corrected in the order of (+1 correction).
Therefore, when taking the bracket bracketing photography, when the intercept as the bracket condition is “F ₀ ”, the change amount is “ΔF”, the photographing order is “ascending order”, and the total number of photographs is “n”, the following formula (1 ), Continuous shooting is performed in the order of (F ₀ −ΔF) → (F ₀ ) → (F ₀ + ΔF).
Of the bracket conditions described above, when the shooting order is “descending order”, continuous shooting is performed in the order of (F ₀ + ΔF) → (F ₀ ) → (F ₀ −ΔF) based on the following formula (1). Done.

F (x) = F ₀ + K × ΔF (1)
Here, F (x) is a light emission position or an irradiation angle, and for example, F (1) indicates the first image capturing condition. Also, x is the shooting order during continuous shooting. Further, K is (x− (n + 1) / 2) when “ascending order”, and − (x− (n + 1) / 2) when “descending order”.

Furthermore, in the bracket conditions described above, when the number of shots is set to “5” and the shooting order is set to “0 + −”, (0: no correction) → (+1 correction) → (+2 correction) → In the order of (−1 correction) → (−2 correction), that is, after the first image is shot without correction, shooting is sequentially performed based on the above equation (1).
Here, when the photographing order is set to “0 + −”, K in the above formula (1) is x−1 when x ≦ (n + 1) / 2, and x> (n + 1) / 2. The time is-(x- (n + 1) / 2).

  Note that the shooting order is not limited to the above-described “ascending order”, “descending order”, and “0 + −”, and may be appropriately changed to other shooting orders.

Here, the number of shots is set to an odd number such as 1, 3, 5, 7,..., But the gist of the invention is not limited to this, and any natural number is set. It may be. As a configuration at that time, for example, when the number is set to 8, the shooting process is performed assuming that the number is set to 9, and when the number of shots reaches 8, the processing is considered to be completed, and the last one is shot. A configuration that does not work is conceivable.
Here, the number of shots and the number of times of light emission of the flash light emitting device 26 are the same.

  Further, the bracket condition setting method may be a method of selecting a preset numerical value, a method of adjusting a preset numerical value, or a method of inputting an arbitrary numerical value. May be.

  Furthermore, the bracket condition is set by pressing the operation button 19 in the “bracket shooting setting mode”, but a dedicated button for setting the bracket condition may be provided separately. Good.

After the above bracket condition setting is completed, in the “bracket shooting setting mode”, when the cross key is pushed leftward to switch to the “bracket shooting mode” again, the shooting conditions are changed as shown in FIG. The data is read (step S11), and various processes based on the photographing conditions are executed (step S12).
Here, the shooting conditions read in the “bracket shooting mode” indicate shooting conditions that combine the exposure conditions set in advance in the “normal shooting mode” and the bracket conditions described above.

  Further, various information is displayed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, and a through image is also displayed on the first display unit 17 (step S13). Thereafter, the charging state of the main capacitor 43 of the light emission drive unit 39 in the flash light emitting device 26 is confirmed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22 (step S14). At this time, if it is determined that the charging state of the main capacitor 43 is incomplete (step S14; NO), the boosting charging circuit 41 of the light emission driving unit 39 in the flash light emitting device 26 performs about 3.0-4. The main capacitor 43 is charged by boosting the battery voltage of .2V to about 330V (step S15).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the charged state of the main capacitor 43 is complete (step S14; YES), it is selected whether or not the photographer pushes the shutter button 5 (step S16). Is not pushed (step S16; NO), the opportunity to select whether or not to push the shutter button 5 is given again (step S16). On the other hand, when the shutter button 5 is pressed (step S16; YES), pre-light emission is performed by a part of the light emitting unit 38 in the flash light emitting device 26 by the automatic light control function (step S17), and from the subject. By receiving the reflected light, a photometric process for light control is executed (step S18).

Next, the intercept “F ₀ ”, the variation “ΔF”, and the total number of shots “n” (odd number), which are the bracket conditions set in the “bracket shooting setting mode” described above, are sequentially set in the light emission control unit 53. (Step S19). Further, the shooting order is confirmed (step S20), and when it is recognized as “ascending order” (step S21), the shooting order a is set as “+1” (step S22).
On the other hand, when it is recognized that the shooting order is “descending order” (step S23), the shooting order a is set to “−1” (step S24).

  Further, the number of shots x is set to “1” (step S25), and the values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated based on the following equations (2) and (3) (step S26). . Then, a photographing process is performed based on these calculation results (step S27).

      K = a × (x− (n + 1) / 2) (2)

F (x) = F ₀ + K × ΔF (3)

  In this photographing process, as shown in FIG. 13, after the light emission position of the light emitting member 40 to emit light is set (step S28), the charged state of the main capacitor 43 of the light emitting member 40 to emit light is confirmed (step S29). When it is determined that the charging state of the main capacitor 43 is incomplete (step S29; NO), a charging process is performed (step S30).

  Next, when it is determined that the state of charge of the main capacitor 43 is complete (step S29; YES), GN, which is an element that determines the amount of emitted light, based on the set photographing condition and the photometric value at the time of pre-emission. The aperture value, which is an element for determining the exposure condition, is adjusted so as to satisfy the following expressions (4) and (5) (step S31).

…（４）

ここで、Ｆは絞り値、Ｌは撮影距離、ＳはＩＳＯ感度である。

(4)

Here, F is an aperture value, L is a shooting distance, and S is ISO sensitivity.

…（５）
ここで、Ｆは絞り値、ＳはＩＳＯ感度である。

... (5)
Here, F is the aperture value, and S is the ISO sensitivity.

  Then, after the exposure value is set based on the exposure condition and the photometric value (step S32), as shown in FIG. 14, the trigger switch 44 is actuated by the trigger signal output from the light emission control unit 53, and the light emitting unit The trigger coil 42 of each flash discharge tube 40 at 38 is activated.

Further, the electric charge charged in the trigger capacitor 46 of the trigger coil 42 is discharged through the primary side of the coil 48, and a trigger voltage of about 3300 V is generated on the secondary side and applied to the flash discharge tube 40 of the light emitting unit 38. Is done. As a result, arc discharge is generated inside the flash discharge tube 40, flash is emitted (step S33), and the captured image is recorded in the RAM (buffer memory) of the storage unit 55 as image data (step S34).
Note that light emission due to discharge is automatically stopped by a light emission stop signal output from the light emission stop switching element 45.

  Thereafter, the image data recorded in the RAM of the storage unit 55 is output and transferred to the RAM (image memory) (step S35), and it is confirmed whether or not the condition shown in the following equation (6) is satisfied (step S36). . At this time, if it is determined that the number of shots x does not satisfy the condition shown in the following formula (6) (step S36; NO), the value of the number of shots x is incremented by “1” (step S37) and subsequent processing is performed. Is executed again (steps S26 to S35).

      x ≧ n (6)

  At this time, since the shooting position and the irradiation angle of the flashlight to be irradiated are changed for each image, it is possible to acquire an image having a desired flash light intensity or shade intensity. When the subject is a person, it is possible to acquire a plurality of images taken by changing the stereoscopic effect, the depth of the engraving and shadow, the facial expression, etc. little by little. Furthermore, an image having a desired face or expression can be easily acquired by selecting a photographed image.

When it is determined that the number of shots x satisfies the condition shown in the above equation (6) (step S36; YES), the compression processing unit 57 performs compression encoding, and the storage unit 55 or the mounted recording medium 12 is installed. (Step S38), a series of strobe bracketing photography is completed.
Thereafter, a return process is executed (step S39), whereby various information is updated and displayed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, and the through image is displayed on the first display unit 17 together with the various information. Is displayed (step S13).

  Furthermore, while a specific flash discharge tube is emitting light, the main capacitor 43 corresponding to another flash discharge tube is charged, so that it is possible to prevent interruption of the photographing operation due to the charging of the main capacitor 43. Thus, the shooting time during continuous shooting is shortened, and the shooting efficiency can be improved.

  When the shooting order is set to other than “ascending order” and “descending order”, for example, “0 + −” is set, as shown in FIG. 16, the shooting order is first “0 + −”. Is recognized (step S40), the number of shots x is set to "1" (step S41). Then, the values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated based on the following formulas (7) and (8) (step S42), and further, the photographing process is performed based on the calculation results (step S42). S43).

      K = (x-1) (7)

F (x) = F ₀ + K × ΔF (8)

  The image data obtained by executing the shooting process is output and transferred to a RAM (image memory) (step S44), and it is confirmed whether or not the number of shots x satisfies the condition shown in the following equation (9) (step S44). S45).

      x> (n + 1) / 2 (9)

  If it is determined that the number of shots x does not satisfy the condition shown in the above equation (9) (step S45; NO), the value of the number of shots x is incremented by “1” (step S46), and the above formula is again displayed. Based on (7) and (8), the values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated (step S42), and subsequent processing is executed (steps S43 and S44).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the above condition is satisfied (step S45; YES), the values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated based on the following equations (10) and (11) (step S45). In addition, the photographing process is executed based on these calculation results (step S48).

      K = − (x− (n + 1) / 2) (10)

F (x) = F ₀ + K × ΔF (11)

  The image data obtained by executing the shooting process is output and transferred to a RAM (image memory) (step S49), and then it is confirmed whether or not the number x of shots satisfies the condition shown in the following equation (12). (Step S50).

      x ≧ n (12)

At this time, if it is determined that the number of shots x does not satisfy the condition shown in the following formula (12) (step S50; NO), the value of the number of shots x is incremented by “1” (step S51), and the above formula is again displayed. Based on (10) and (11), the values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated (step S47), and the subsequent processing is executed (steps S48 and 49).
If it is determined that the condition shown in the above equation (12) is satisfied (step S50; YES), the subsequent processing shown in FIG. 12 is executed (steps S38 and 39).

  As described above, according to the digital camera 1 which is an imaging apparatus according to the present invention, the light emission drive unit 39 controls the light emission position of the light emission unit 38 based on the electric signal output from the light emission control unit 53. In this case, it is possible to continuously shoot a plurality of images by one release operation without correcting the light emission position of the flash light emitting device 26 at the same time, thereby improving the operability and reducing the shooting time. As a result, the burden on the photographer can be reduced.

  In addition, since a plurality of images with different light emission positions or irradiation angles are continuously photographed, it is possible to efficiently acquire images satisfying a desired photographing condition, thereby preventing re-shooting and improving photographing efficiency. In addition, the burden on the photographer can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since each flash discharge tube 40 is provided with a trigger coil 42 and a main capacitor 43, the power charged in the corresponding main capacitor 43 is consumed by the emission of a specific flash discharge tube. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the power charged in the main capacitor 43 corresponding to the other flash discharge tube from being consumed, whereby the flash emission can be controlled more stably. .

  In the present embodiment, the automatic light control function is set to ON. In this case, after the light emission time set based on the photometric value of the reflected light from the subject by the short pre-emission elapses. At the time of, or during the light emission, the light emission is stopped by the switching element when the light emission amount compared and detected by the comparator or the like becomes the appropriate exposure amount.

  Furthermore, the light emission quantity is automatically set based on the set shooting conditions, exposure conditions, pre-flash photometric values, etc., so that appropriate exposure conditions are set, and corrections set based on the set shooting conditions The bracket conditions such as the light emission position and the irradiation angle are sequentially corrected one by one at the order and the correction interval, and the set number of images can be continuously photographed by one release operation.

[First Modification]
In the present embodiment, strobe bracketing photography is performed by changing the light emission position or the irradiation angle by causing the light emitting members 40 in the light emitting section 38 to emit light while sequentially switching them. Various light emission patterns may be considered. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, light may be emitted while sequentially switching every other light emitting member 40 in the light emitting unit 38. As a result, the irradiation angle can be corrected, and an image having a desired shadow can be efficiently acquired.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, strobe bracketing photography may be performed by sequentially switching a plurality of light emitting members 40 adjacent to each other. This makes it possible to perform strobe bracketing photography with an increased amount of emitted light. For example, an image having a desired amount of light can be efficiently acquired even in a situation where illumination is low.

Further, strobe bracketing photography may be performed by sequentially switching the number, position, and range of the light emitting members 40. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the light emitting member disposed in the center of the light emitting unit 38 emits light when the first image is taken, and the light emitting member emitted at the time of the first image is emitted when the second image is taken. Light emitting members arranged adjacent to each other, that is, a total of two light emitting members are caused to emit light. At the time of shooting the third image, a total of three light emitting members arranged adjacent to the light emitting members that were emitted at the time of shooting the second image are made to emit light. A total of four light emitting members arranged adjacent to the light emitting member that emits light at the time of photographing are caused to emit light.
The flash light emitting device 26 having such a configuration can perform correction of the irradiation angle and the amount of emitted light in the light emitting unit 38, and can efficiently acquire an image having a desired light amount and shadow.

[Second Modification]
Further, in the present embodiment, lighting from the horizontal direction, that is, strobe bracketing shooting by side light is performed by switching the light emitting member 40 that emits light in the light emitting unit 38, but the present invention is not limited to this. 20, the housing 2 may be rotated 90 degrees, and illumination from above and below, that is, strobe bracketing photographing using elevation light and depression light may be performed. Thus, convenience of the photographer can be improved by appropriately changing the irradiation angle according to the purpose.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the flash light emitting device 26 includes a plurality of light emitting members 40 arranged in a line along the circumferential direction so as to surround the imaging lens 31 on the front surface of the housing 2. May be. In the case of such an arrangement, it is not limited to illumination along the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, and strobe bracketing photography with various irradiation angles can be performed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of light emitting members 40 in the light emitting unit 38 are previously installed in different directions and angles, and an arbitrary light emitting member is selected from the light emitting members 40 to obtain a desired irradiation angle. You may make it switch. Thereby, even when the light emitting member 40 is not positioned in front of the subject, the subject can be efficiently irradiated with flash light.
In this case, the inclination angle of the light emitting surface of the light emitting member 40 may be adjusted by rotating each light emitting member 40 with respect to the installation angle of the light emitting member 40 in the light emitting unit 38 by a driving device 391 such as a motor. . Thereby, an irradiation angle can be controlled more finely.

[Third Modification]
Furthermore, in this embodiment, a xenon tube, which is a flash discharge tube, is used as the light emitting member 40 in the flash light emitting device 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a white LED (Light Emitting Diode) may be used. However, since the circuit configuration of the light emission drive unit when the LED is used for the light emitting member 40 is different from the case where the xenon tube is used for the light emitting member 40, details will be described below with reference to FIGS. . Other configurations are the same as those of the present embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

When a white LED is used for the light emitting member 40 in the light emitting unit 38, the LED light emission driving unit 71 is replaced with a boost charging circuit 41, a trigger coil 42, and a main capacitor 43, as shown in FIG. And a regulator 72 constituted by a detector and a charge pump, a limiting resistor 73, and a light emission control switch 74.
Based on the electrical signal output from the light emission control unit 53, the LED light emission drive unit 71 configured in this way is boosted to a voltage of several to several tens of volts by the regulator 72. Each light emitting member 40 is made to emit light directly.
In particular, the LED does not need to have power storage means because the voltage required for one light emission is low, but here it can be charged by installing capacitors 76 and 77 as power storage means before and after the regulator. It is composed.
As a result, the emitted flash can be made brighter, and even when a large number of pictures are taken continuously, the amount of charge is small (there is no need to have a power storage means), so the flash can be used continuously. Suitable for emitting light.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the LED light emission drive unit 71 may include a drive mechanism 75 configured by combining a regulator and a drive circuit. As shown in FIG. 24, the LED light emission drive unit 71 configured in this way emits pulsed light having a certain width.

  Also, in the example of FIG. 23, since the capacitor 76 which is a power storage means is provided, it is possible to emit white LED by the electric power charged in the capacitor, which is higher than the case where no capacitor is provided. A bright flash can be emitted.

  Further, when capacitors or the like are provided, the same number of capacitors or the like as the number of white LEDs may be provided so as to correspond to the white LEDs individually (1: 1). As a result, as in the case of the flash discharge tube described above, even when a specific LED emits light and the power charged in the corresponding capacitor is consumed, the capacitor corresponding to the other LED, etc. It is possible to prevent the power charged in the battery from being consumed, and the flash emission can be controlled more stably.

From the above, when a white LED is used for the light emitting member 40 in the flash light emitting device 26, it is not necessary to increase the voltage to several thousand volts, and sufficient light can be emitted by the voltage increased to several to dozens of volts. The trigger coil 42 becomes unnecessary.
Further, by directly causing the light emitting member 40 to emit light with the voltage boosted by the regulator 72, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the device, and ultimately to reduce the size of the device.

Note that the LEDs used for the light emitting member 40 are not limited to white LEDs, and for example, as shown in FIG. The monochromatic light may be configured to reproduce white light in a pseudo manner by additive color mixing.
FIG. 26 is a spectrum diagram of light emitted from each LED having the characteristics of blue, green, yellow-green, yellow, orange, and red, and FIG. 27 is a diagram of the blue LED and the yellow phosphor material. FIG. 28 is a spectrum diagram of white light simulated by combination, and FIG. 28 shows white light simulated by a combination of an ultraviolet LED and a phosphor material of RGB (Red Green Blue). FIG.
Here, in FIGS. 26 to 28, the vertical axis represents the relative emission intensity, and the horizontal axis represents the wavelength (nm).
When white light is simulated and reproduced by additively mixing the light source colors of the LEDs having various characteristics described above, the spectral characteristics can be flattened by simultaneously emitting LEDs having wavelengths in the intermediate region. Correction that approximates the spectral characteristics of sunlight can be made.

In addition, by realizing various emission colors based on a combination of mixed colors, the emission color can be changed for each shooting, and continuous shooting with different emission colors can be performed.
Therefore, an image having a desired effect including the hue can be acquired and selected according to the subject and environment at the time of shooting.

As an example of an arrangement configuration in the case where an LED is used for the light emitting member 40, as shown in FIG. 29, in addition to the three colors RGB, purple (P), yellow green (YG), yellow used for the above correction. (Y), an orange (O) LED, that is, a configuration in which a total of eight LEDs are arranged in the horizontal direction.
As shown in FIG. 30, the light emitting unit 38 configured as described above sequentially changes the light emitting position and the irradiation angle for each image during continuous shooting by sequentially switching the light emitting LEDs. By changing the emission color, it is possible to perform strobe bracketing shooting with the emission color changed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 31, the light emitting unit 38 having the above-described configuration always emits white as a basic color and sequentially switches LEDs emitting other colors, so that the spectral characteristics of the white LED are biased. Strobe bracketing shooting with compensation for.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 32, when the LED is used for the light emitting member 40, one LED aggregate in which RGB color LEDs and white LEDs are arranged in a matrix is arranged in the horizontal direction. It may be a configuration.
The light-emitting unit 38 configured in this manner emits light even when it is difficult to arrange the LEDs along the horizontal direction due to restrictions on arrangement according to the size or shape of the digital camera 1. While reducing the width dimension of the part 38, more LEDs can be arranged.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 33 to 35, a configuration in which the light emitting area of a single color LED emitting single color light is made smaller than the light emitting area of a white LED may be used.
In the light emitting unit 38 configured in this manner, since the single color LED is used to correct white light emitted from the white LED, the light emitting area of the single color LED can obtain the same effects as the various corrections described above. Therefore, the size of the light-emitting portion 38 can be reduced by making it smaller than the minimum necessary light-emitting area, that is, the light-emitting area of the white LED.

[Fourth Modification]
Further, in the present embodiment, strobe bracketing shooting is performed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and continuous shooting combining strobe bracketing and AEB may be performed. Details will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, in the “normal shooting mode”, the cross key as the operation button 19 is pushed leftward to switch to the “bracket shooting mode”, and in the “bracket shooting mode”, the guidance display button 20 is pressed. By moving, the mode is switched to the “bracket shooting setting mode”, and the correction interval, the correction order, the shooting order, or the number of shots is set. Then, after the setting of the bracket condition is completed, the guidance display button 20 is pushed to switch to the “bracket shooting mode” again.

  When switching to the “bracket shooting mode”, as shown in FIG. 36, the shooting conditions are read (step S101), and various processes are executed based on the shooting conditions (step S102). Various information is displayed on the second display unit 22, and a through image is also displayed on the first display unit 17 (step S103). Thereafter, the charging state of the main capacitor 43 of the light emission drive unit 39 in the flash light emitting device 26 is confirmed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22 (step S104). At this time, if it is determined that the state of charge of the main capacitor 43 is incomplete (step S104; NO), the main capacitor 43 is charged by the above-described method (step S105).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the charged state of the main capacitor 43 is complete (step S104; YES), the photographer selects whether to press the shutter button 5 (step S106), and the shutter button 5 If the button is not pushed (step S106; NO), the opportunity to select whether or not to push the shutter button 5 is given again (step S106). On the other hand, when the shutter button 5 is pressed (step S106; YES), pre-light emission is performed by a part of the light emitting unit 38 in the flash light emitting device 26 by the automatic light control function (step S107), and from the subject. By receiving the reflected light, a photometric process for light control is executed (step S108).

Next, as shown in FIG. 37, the exposure condition set in the above-described “normal photographing setting mode” or the intercept “Ev ₀ ”, the variation “ΔEv”, and the total number of photographing groups “m” (odd number) ) Is set in the light emission control unit 53 (step S109), and the intercept “F ₀ ”, the amount of change “ΔF”, and the total number of photographing sets “in the light emission position or irradiation angle correction set in the“ bracket photographing setting mode ”are set. n ”(odd number) is set in the light emission control unit 53 (step S110).

After setting the various conditions, the shooting order for exposure conditions or emission light amount correction is confirmed (step S111). If the shooting order is recognized as “ascending order” (step S112), the shooting order b is set as “+1”. (Step S113). On the other hand, when it is recognized that the photographing order is “descending order” (step S114), the photographing order b is set as “−1” (step S115).
Further, the shooting order of the irradiation angle or the light emission position is confirmed (step S116), and when it is recognized as “ascending order” (step S117), the shooting order a is set as “+1” (step S118). . On the other hand, when it is recognized that the shooting order is “descending order” (step S119), the shooting order a is set to “−1” (step S120).

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 38, the number of shooting groups y is set to “1” (step S121), and the values of “L” and “Ev (y)” are set based on the following formulas (13) and (14). Each is calculated (step S122).

      L = b × (y− (m + 1) / 2) (13)

Ev (y) = Ev ₀ + L × ΔEv (14)

  Further, the number x of shooting groups is set to “1” (step S123), and values of “K” and “F (x)” are calculated based on the following formulas (15) and (16) (step S124). ).

      K = a × (x− (n + 1) / 2) (15)

F (x) = F ₀ + K × ΔF (16)

  After the above-described Ev (y) and F (x) are calculated, photographing is performed by a combination of the exposure condition or light emission amount correction and the irradiation angle or light emission position correction (step S125). After shooting, it is confirmed whether or not the number of shooting sets x satisfies the condition shown in the following equation (17) (step S126), and it is determined that the number of shooting sets x does not satisfy the condition shown in the following equation (17). Then (step S126; NO), the value of the number x of shooting groups is incremented by “1” (step S127), and subsequent processing is executed again (steps S124 to S125).

      x ≧ n (17)

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the number x of shooting groups satisfies the condition shown in the above equation (17) (step S126; YES), whether the number y of shooting groups satisfies the condition shown in the following equation (18). It is confirmed whether or not (step S128). At this time, if it is determined that the number of shooting groups y does not satisfy the condition shown in the following formula (18) (step S128; NO), the value of the number of shooting groups y is incremented by “1” (step S129), This process is executed again (steps S121 to S127).

      y ≧ m (18)

Then, if it is determined that the number y of shooting groups satisfies the condition shown in the above equation (18) (step S128; YES), the compression processing unit 57 performs compression encoding, and the storage unit 55 or the mounted recording medium 12 (step S130), a series of strobe bracketing shooting is completed.
Thereafter, by executing the return process (step S131), various information is updated and displayed on the first display unit 17 and the second display unit 22, and the through image is displayed on the first display unit 17 together with the various information. Is displayed (step S103).

  As described above, a total of m × n images obtained by multiplying the total number of photographing groups m in the correction of the exposure condition or the amount of emitted light and the total number of photographing groups n in the correction of the light emission position or the irradiation angle are subjected to one release operation. By this, it becomes possible to continuously shoot, whereby an image satisfying a desired exposure condition and a desired irradiation condition can be acquired more efficiently.

  Further, even when a xenon tube is used instead of a light emitting diode as a light emitting member of a light emitting unit in a flash light emitting device, a plurality of light emitting members are sequentially emitted at each exposure value, and during light emission of one light emitting member, Since the capacitors in the other light emitting members are charged, the photographing interval can be shortened.

In this modification, continuous shooting is performed by combining the strobe bracketing shooting described in the present embodiment with exposure conditions or light emission amount correction, but is not limited to exposure conditions or light emission amount correction. Continuous shooting combined with correction of other shooting conditions may be performed.
In the case of such continuous shooting, more various images can be efficiently acquired while changing not only the exposure conditions, the amount of emitted light, the light emission position and the irradiation angle but also other shooting conditions such as WB.
Here, the number of shooting groups is configured to be set to an odd number such as 1, 3, 5, 7,... It may be a natural number. As a configuration at that time, for example, when the number is set to 8, the shooting process is performed assuming that the number is set to 9, and when the number of shots reaches 8, the processing is considered to be completed, and the last one is shot. A configuration that does not work is conceivable.

[Fifth Modification]
Furthermore, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment includes the flash light emitting device 26, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 40, the digital camera 101 and the flash light emitting device 102 are detachable. It may be a structure.

In addition, the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is the digital camera 1 in which the flash light emitting device 26 is built. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIGS. 41 to 43, the portable camera in which the flash light emitting device 26 is built in. It may be a small communication device such as a telephone or PHS (Personal Handy phone System).
A mobile phone 111 shown in this modification includes an upper housing 112 and a lower housing 113, and these housings 112, 113 are connected and separated by a hinge portion 115 provided with a shutter button 114 on a side surface. It is connected freely.

  The mobile phone 111 includes a side surface opposite to the surface on which the shutter button 114 of the hinge unit 115 is provided, the vicinity of the upper end of the first display unit 116 provided on the front side of the upper housing 112, and the upper housing. A total of three imaging units 118, 119, and 120 are provided in the vicinity of the second display unit 117 provided on the back side of 112. In the vicinity of each of the imaging units 118, 119, and 120, flash light emitting devices 121, 122, and 123 including a plurality of light emitting members are disposed, and the same effects as in the present embodiment are achieved. Yes.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention at the implementation stage. Further, the functions executed in the above-described embodiment (modification) may be combined as appropriate as possible. The embodiments described above include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if several constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment (variation example), if an effect is obtained, a configuration from which this constituent requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention.

It is a perspective view which shows a digital camera. It is a top view which shows a digital camera. It is a rear view which shows a digital camera. It is a front view which shows a digital camera. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the switching aspect between each mode in a digital camera. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a digital camera. It is a conceptual diagram which shows schematic structure of an imaging part. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the flash light-emitting device which used the xenon tube for the light emission member. It is a flowchart which shows the process example at the time of normal imaging | photography. It is the schematic which shows the other arrangement structure of a light emitting member. It is a flowchart which shows the process example at the time of strobe bracketing imaging | photography. It is a flowchart which shows the process example at the time of strobe bracketing imaging | photography. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the subroutine at the time of strobe bracketing imaging | photography. It is a timing chart which shows the drive mode of the flash light-emitting device which used the xenon tube for the light emission member. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the aspect of strobe bracketing imaging | photography. It is a flowchart which shows the process example at the time of strobe bracketing imaging | photography. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the light emission pattern in a light emission part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the other example of the light emission pattern in a light emission part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the other example of the light emission pattern in a light emission part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the aspect at the time of using a digital camera rotating 90 degrees. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the aspect at the time of using the digital camera which incorporates the flash light-emitting device which consists of another arrangement structure. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the circuit structure in the flash light-emitting device which used LED for the light emission member. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of the circuit structure in the flash light-emitting device which used LED for the light-emitting member. It is a timing chart which shows the drive mode of the flash light-emitting device which used LED for the light emitting member. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the light emission pattern of the light emission part comprised combining each color LED of RGB. It is a spectrum figure which shows the relationship between the wavelength of each LED which has the characteristic of blue, green, yellowish green, yellow, orange, and red, and relative emitted light intensity. It is a spectrum figure which shows the relationship between the wavelength of the white light and the relative light emission intensity which were reproduced in a pseudo manner by the combination of the blue LED and the yellow phosphor material. It is a spectrum figure which shows the relationship between the wavelength of the white light and the relative light emission intensity which were reproduced in a pseudo manner by the combination of the ultraviolet LED and the RGB color LEDs. It is the schematic which shows an example of the arrangement configuration in the light emission part using LED. It is the schematic which shows an example of the light emission pattern of the light emission part in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the light emission pattern of the light emission part in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the arrangement configuration in the light emission part using LED. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the arrangement configuration in the light emission part using LED. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the arrangement configuration in the light emission part using LED. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the arrangement configuration in the light emission part using LED. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the continuous imaging | photography which combined exposure correction | amendment and irradiation angle correction | amendment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the continuous imaging | photography which combined exposure correction | amendment and irradiation angle correction | amendment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the continuous imaging | photography which combined exposure correction | amendment and irradiation angle correction | amendment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the aspect of continuous imaging | photography which combined exposure correction | amendment and irradiation angle correction | amendment. It is a perspective view which shows the aspect which externally attached the flash light-emitting device to the digital camera. It is a front view which shows the mobile phone carrying a flash light-emitting device. It is a perspective view which shows the one aspect | mode of the mobile phone carrying a flash light-emitting device. It is a perspective view which shows the other aspect of the mobile telephone carrying a flash light-emitting device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Digital camera 26,102,121,122,123 Flash light-emitting device 38 Light emission part 39 Light emission drive part 40 Light emission member 41 Boosting charge circuit 42 Trigger coil 43 Main capacitor 53 Light emission control part 111 Mobile phone

Claims (18)

A shooting control unit that causes the imaging device to perform bracket shooting that continuously performs a plurality of shootings by a single release operation;
A light emitting section in which a plurality of light emitting members are arranged at different positions;
A light emission control unit that outputs an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographings constituting the bracket photographing;
Power storage units individually provided for each of the light emitting members,
Based on the electrical signal output from the light emission control unit, the plurality of light emitting members are individually caused to emit or extinguish, and the power storage unit provided in the other light emitting member is charged during the light emitting operation of one light emitting member. An imaging apparatus comprising: a light emission driving unit.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting members are flash discharge tubes. A shooting control unit that causes the imaging device to perform bracket shooting that continuously performs a plurality of shootings by a single release operation;
A light emitting unit in which a plurality of light emitting members composed of light emitting diodes are arranged at different positions;
A light emission control unit that outputs an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographings constituting the bracket photographing;
An imaging apparatus comprising: a light emission drive unit that individually emits or extinguishes the plurality of light emitting members based on an electrical signal output from the light emission control unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emission control unit performs control so as to emit flash light having different light emission conditions for each of the one photographing.   5. The imaging according to claim 1, wherein the light emission control unit performs control so that a flash with a different light emission condition is emitted or a flash light is emitted with a different exposure condition for each one photographing. apparatus. The plurality of light emitting members are arranged such that an optical axis direction of each light emitting member is along a predetermined direction,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emission condition includes a light emission position of the light emitting unit.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting members are arranged so that the optical axis directions of the light emitting members are parallel to each other. The plurality of light emitting members are disposed so that the optical axis directions of the light emitting members are different from each other,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emission condition includes an irradiation angle of light emitted from the light emitting unit.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit includes a driving device for adjusting an optical axis direction of the plurality of light emitting members. The plurality of light emitting members are controlled by the light emission control unit so that two or more light emitting members in the plurality of light emitting members emit light simultaneously,
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light emission condition includes at least one of a light emission amount and a light emission pattern of the light emitting unit.   The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of light emission drive units are provided with a power storage unit.   The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting diode is a white light emitting diode that emits white flash light by a single light emitting diode.   The light-emitting diode is a single-color light-emitting diode in which each light-emitting diode emits a single-color flash, and emits a white flash by additively mixing the single-color light emitted from the single-color light-emitting diode. Item 13. The imaging device according to Item 3 or Item 11.   The light emitting diode includes the white light emitting diode and a single color light emitting diode, and a light emitting area of the single color light emitting diode is smaller than a light emitting area of the white light emitting diode. The imaging device described in 1. A shooting control process for performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by a single release operation;
A light emission condition determining step for determining a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle;
Based on the light emission conditions, a light emission control step for outputting an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographing,
Based on the electrical signal output by the light emission control step, a light emission drive step of causing a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting members and a power storage unit individually provided for each light emitting member to emit light,
And a charging step of charging the power storage unit corresponding to the other light emitting member during the light emitting operation of the one light emitting member. A shooting control process for performing bracket shooting in which a plurality of shootings are continuously performed by a single release operation;
A light emission condition determining step for determining a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle;
Based on the light emission conditions, a light emission control step for outputting an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographing,
A control method for an imaging apparatus, comprising: a light emission driving step of causing a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light based on the electrical signal output by the light emission control step. Shooting control function to perform bracket shooting that continuously performs multiple shooting by one release operation,
A light emission condition determination function for determining a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle;
Based on the light emission condition, a light emission control function for outputting an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographing,
Based on the electrical signal output by the light emission control function, a light emission drive function of causing a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting members and a power storage unit individually provided for each of the light emitting members to emit light,
A control program for an imaging apparatus, comprising: a charging function for charging a power storage unit corresponding to another light emitting member during a light emitting operation of one light emitting member. Shooting control function to perform bracket shooting that continuously performs multiple shooting by one release operation,
A light emission condition determination function for determining a light emission condition including a light emission position or an irradiation angle;
Based on the light emission condition, a light emission control function for outputting an electric signal for controlling the light emission of the flash for each one of the plurality of photographing,
A control program for an image pickup apparatus, comprising: a light emission drive function for causing a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light based on an electrical signal output by the light emission control function.

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