JP2008160406A - Photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing device capable of precisely discriminating a back light state. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing device includes: a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information showing the position of the photographing device; a weather information acquisition means for acquiring weather information showing weather in the position shown by the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means; a date information acquisition means for acquiring date information showing the present date; a sun position information deriving means for driving sun position information showing the position of the sum in the date shown by the date information acquired by the date information acquisition means; an existence determination means for determining whether the sun exists within the angle of view of the photographing apparatus or not on the basis of the sun position information derived by the sun position information deriving means; and a back light state determination means for discriminating a back light state on the basis of the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition means and the determination result of the determination means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device, and more particularly to an imaging device capable of avoiding problems caused by backlight imaging.

  In a photographing device such as a silver halide photographic camera or a digital camera, a phenomenon occurs in which the front of the subject appears dark when photographed in the backlit state where sunlight is shining from behind the subject toward the photographing device.

  In order to avoid such imaging problems due to the backlight state, the conventional technique divides the image indicated by the image data obtained by shooting into areas, and determines whether the backlight state is based on the integrated luminance value of each area. I was judging.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for eliminating the fact that a main subject is underexposed without performing exposure correction because the photographer was not aware of backlighting.
JP-A-8-95146

  However, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the backlight is in the process of determining whether or not the backlight is in the state disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, information regarding the weather at the time of shooting is not included. There was a problem that it was not possible.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can accurately determine whether or not a backlight is in a backlight state.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the photographing apparatus, and weather at the position indicated by the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. A weather information acquisition means for acquiring the weather information shown, a date information acquisition means for acquiring the date information indicating the current date, and a solar position indicating the position of the sun at the date indicated by the date information acquired by the date information acquisition means Solar position information deriving means for deriving information, presence determination means for determining whether or not the sun is present within the angle of view of the imaging device, based on the solar position information derived by the solar position information deriving means, Back light determination means for determining whether or not a backlight state is based on the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition means and the determination result by the presence determination means .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the position information acquisition unit acquires the position information indicating the position of the photographing apparatus, and the weather information acquisition unit displays the weather at the position indicated by the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit. The date and time information indicating the current date and time is acquired by the date and time information acquiring means, and the solar position information deriving means indicates the position of the sun at the date and time indicated by the date and time information acquired by the date and time information acquiring means. Sun position information is derived, and the presence determination means determines whether or not the sun exists within the angle of view of the photographing apparatus based on the sun position information derived by the sun position information deriving means, and the backlight determination means Since it is determined whether or not it is backlit based on the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition means and the determination result by the presence determination means, is it backlit or not Or it is possible to provide a photographing apparatus capable of accurately determining.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the backlight determination unit is configured to detect backlight when the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit indicates a clear sky and the presence of the sun is within the angle of view. Judged to be in a state.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine that the backlight is in the backlit state when the weather is fine weather where the backlight is particularly likely to occur.

  The invention of claim 3 further includes warning display means for displaying a warning indicating that the backlight is in the backlight state when the backlight judgment means determines that the backlight is in the backlight state.

  According to the invention of claim 3, as a result of displaying a warning when the backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state, the photographer can change the positional relationship between the subject and the sun, Problems due to backlighting can be avoided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure condition setting for setting an exposure condition for photographing a subject to a predetermined exposure condition for backlight photography when the backlight judgment means judges that the subject is in a backlight state. It further has means.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlighting condition, the exposure condition set for the backlighting is automatically set to the predetermined exposure condition, so that the trouble due to the backlighting can be avoided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, image processing predetermined for backlight photography is performed on image information obtained by photographing a subject when the backlight judgment means judges that the subject is in a backlight state. It further has an image processing means to execute.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlighting state, the image processing predetermined for backlighting is automatically executed, so that it is possible to avoid problems due to backlighting.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the image processing is at least one of backlight correction processing, white balance processing, luminance correction processing, and processing for increasing edge luminance in an image indicated by the image information.

  According to the invention of claim 6, as the image processing, at least one of the backlight correction processing, the white balance processing, and the processing for increasing the brightness of the edge in the image indicated by the image information can be executed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the position information, the weather information, and the date and time are associated with image information obtained by photographing a subject when the backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state. Information recording means for recording at least one of the information and the solar position information at the time of photographing is further included.

  According to the invention of claim 7, by recording information at the time of shooting, it can be used as a reference when correcting image data obtained by shooting later, and more suitable correction processing is executed. be able to.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an effect that it is possible to provide an imaging apparatus that can accurately determine whether or not the backlight is in the backlight state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a mode in which the photographing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera (hereinafter referred to as “digital camera”) will be described. In the following description, digital image data will be indicated when it is simply expressed as image data (image information).

  First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In front of the digital camera 10, a lens 21 for forming a subject image, a strobe 44 that emits light for irradiating the subject when necessary, and a viewfinder used to determine the composition of the subject to be photographed. 20 is provided. Further, on the upper surface of the digital camera 10, a release button (so-called shutter button) 56A that is pressed when shooting is performed, and a power switch 56B are provided.

  Note that the release button 56A of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment is pressed down to an intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “half-pressed state”) and to a final pressed position beyond the intermediate position. A two-stage pressing operation of a state (hereinafter referred to as a “fully pressed state”) can be detected.

  In the digital camera 10, the release button 56A is pressed halfway to activate the AE (Automatic Exposure) function to set the exposure state (shutter speed and aperture state), and then AF (Auto Focus (automatic focus) function works to control the focus, and then exposure (photographing) is performed when it is fully pressed.

  On the other hand, on the back of the digital camera 10, an eyepiece of the above-described finder 20, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “LCD”) 38 for displaying a photographed subject image, a menu screen, and the like are photographed. There is provided a mode changeover switch 56C that is slid and operated when setting a shooting mode that is a mode to be performed and a reproduction mode that is a mode for reproducing a subject image on the LCD 38.

  Further, on the back surface of the digital camera 10, a cross cursor button 56D and a forced light emission switch 56E that is pressed when setting the forced light emission mode, which is a mode for forcibly causing the flash 44 to emit light during photographing, are further provided. It has been.

  The cross-cursor button 56D has a total of five arrow keys indicating four upward, downward, left, and right directions of movement in the display area of the LCD 38 and a determination key positioned at the center of the four arrow keys. Consists of two keys.

  A LAN connector 62 and a USB connector 64 are provided on the side surface of the digital camera 10. The LAN connector 62 is an interface for connecting to a network such as the Internet, and the USB connector 64 is used when connecting to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer.

  Next, the configuration of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 22 including the lens 21 described above, a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) 24 disposed behind the optical axis of the lens, and an input analog signal. And an analog signal processing unit 26 that performs various analog signal processing.

  The digital camera 10 also performs an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as “ADC”) 28 that converts an input analog signal into digital data, and performs various digital signal processing on the input digital data. And a digital signal processing unit 30.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 has a built-in line buffer having a predetermined capacity, and also performs control to directly store the input digital data in a predetermined area of the memory 48 described later.

  The output terminal of the CCD 24 is connected to the input terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26, the output terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 28, and the output terminal of the ADC 28 is connected to the input terminal of the digital signal processing unit 30. . Accordingly, the analog signal indicating the subject image output from the CCD 24 is subjected to predetermined analog signal processing by the analog signal processing unit 26, converted into digital image data by the ADC 28, and then input to the digital signal processing unit 30.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 generates a signal for displaying a subject image, a menu screen or the like on the LCD 38 and supplies the signal to the LCD 38, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40 that controls the operation of the entire digital camera 10. A memory 48 for storing digital image data obtained by photographing, a memory interface 46 for controlling access to the memory 48, a network I / F (interface) 60, and a USB I / F (interface) 58. It is configured.

  Further, the digital camera 10 includes an external memory interface 50 for enabling the portable memory card 52 to be accessed by the digital camera 10, and a compression / decompression processing circuit 54 for performing compression processing and decompression processing on the digital image data. It is configured to include.

  In the digital camera 10 of the present embodiment, a VRAM (Video RAM), SRAM or DRAM, flash memory, or the like is used as the memory 48, and an xD picture card (registered trademark) is used as the memory card 52.

  The digital signal processing unit 30, the LCD interface 36, the CPU 40, the memory interface 46, the external memory interface 50, the compression / decompression processing circuit 54, the network I / F 60, and the USB I / F 58 are connected to each other via the system bus BUS. . Therefore, the CPU 40 controls the operation of the digital signal processing unit 30 and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54, displays various information via the LCD interface 36 to the LCD 38, the memory interface 46 to the memory 48 and the memory card 52, and the external memory interface. 50 can be accessed each.

  Further, the CPU 40 can exchange various data with the network via the network I / F 60 and the LAN connector 62, and further variously with the personal computer via the USB I / F 58 and the USB connector 64. Data can be exchanged.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 includes a timing generator 32 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 24 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 24, and the driving of the CCD 24 is controlled by the CPU 40 via the timing generator 32.

  Further, the digital camera 10 is provided with a motor drive unit 34, and driving of a focus adjustment motor, a zoom motor, and an aperture drive motor (not shown) provided in the optical unit 22 is also controlled by the CPU 40 via the motor drive unit 34. The

  In other words, the lens 21 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of lenses, is configured as a zoom lens that can change (magnify) the focal length, and includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown). The lens drive mechanism includes the focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor, and these motors are each driven by a drive signal supplied from the motor drive unit 34 under the control of the CPU 40.

  Further, the release button 56A, the power switch 56B, the mode changeover switch 56C, the cross cursor button 56D, and the forced light emission switch 56E (generally referred to as “operation unit 56” in the figure) are connected to the CPU 40, and the CPU 40. Can always grasp the operation state of the operation unit 56.

  In addition, the digital camera 10 includes a charging unit 42 that is interposed between the strobe 44 and the CPU 40 and charges power for causing the strobe 44 to emit light under the control of the CPU 40. Further, the strobe 44 is also connected to the CPU 40, and the light emission of the strobe 44 is controlled by the CPU 40.

  Further, an electronic compass 66, a tilt sensor 68, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 70 are connected to the CPU 40.

  The CPU 40 can acquire azimuth information indicating the azimuth toward the digital camera 10 from the electronic compass 66 as an angle with the predetermined azimuth as a reference. Further, the CPU 40 can acquire inclination information indicating the degree of inclination of the digital camera 10 with respect to the ground as an angle from the inclination sensor 68.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the electronic compass 66 is configured such that, for example, the north direction is 0 °, the east direction is 90 °, the south direction is 180 °, and the west direction is 270 °. Is output to the CPU 40 as an angle θ. The tilt sensor 68 outputs the degree of tilt of the digital camera 10 with respect to the ground as an angle φ, as shown in FIG.

  Further, the CPU 40 can acquire position information indicating the position of the digital camera 10 from the GPS receiver 70. In the present embodiment, latitude and longitude are used as position information, but altitude may be further included in position information.

  Next, an overall operation at the time of shooting of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

  First, the CCD 24 performs imaging through the optical unit 22 and sequentially outputs analog signals for R (red), G (green), and B (blue) indicating the subject image to the analog signal processing unit 26. The analog signal processing unit 26 performs analog signal processing such as correlated double sampling processing on the analog signal input from the CCD 24 and sequentially outputs the analog signal to the ADC 28.

  The ADC 28 converts the R, G, and B analog signals input from the analog signal processing unit 26 into 12-bit R, G, and B signals and sequentially outputs them to the digital signal processing unit 30. The digital signal processing unit 30 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 28 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores the digital image data directly in a predetermined area of the memory 48.

  Digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 is read out by the digital signal processing unit 30 under the control of the CPU 40, and a white balance is adjusted by applying a digital gain according to a predetermined physical quantity. Processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate digital image data of predetermined bits, for example, 8 bits.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 performs YC signal processing on the generated digital image data of predetermined bits to generate a luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”), and a YC signal. Are stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the memory 48.

  The LCD 38 is configured to display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 24 and can be used as a finder. When the LCD 38 is used as a finder, the LCD 38 is generated. The YC signals thus output are sequentially output to the LCD 38 via the LCD interface 36. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 38.

  Here, when the release button 56A is half-pressed by the user, after the AE function is activated and the exposure state is set as described above, the AF function is activated and focus control is performed, and then the fully-pressed state is continued. In this case, the YC signal stored in the memory 48 at this time is compressed in a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, JPEG format) by the compression / decompression processing circuit 54 and then passed through the external memory interface 50. To the memory card 52. If the memory card 52 is not provided, it is recorded in the memory 48.

  Hereinafter, a process executed at the time of shooting in the digital camera 10 will be described using a flowchart. The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process for displaying a warning when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlight state.

  First, in step 101 in the figure, the CPU 40 executes backlight determination processing. This backlight determination process is a process for setting a backlight flag indicating whether or not the backlight state is ON when it is determined to be in the backlight state, and will be described in detail later. If the backlight state is not determined, the backlight flag is set to off.

  In the next step 102, the CPU 40 determines whether or not the backlight flag is on. If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 102, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, a warning is displayed in step 103, and then the process ends. The warning display in step 103 is performed by a visual display for displaying a warning on the LCD 38 or the like, or an audible display for displaying a warning by a sound by providing a speaker or the like.

  By displaying the warning in this way, the photographer can shoot while changing the positional relationship between the subject and the sun, so that problems due to backlight shooting can be avoided. The process shown in FIG. 4 is a process that can be executed by either a silver halide photographic camera or a digital camera.

  Next, the backlight determination process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the backlight determination process. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the backlight determination process.

  First, in step 201, the CPU 40 acquires position information indicating the position of the digital camera 10 by the GPS receiver 70. Here, the latitude and longitude of the digital camera 10 are acquired as position information (see FIG. 6: “Position of Digital Camera”).

  In the next step 202, the CPU 40 acquires weather information indicating the weather at the position indicated by the acquired position information from a predetermined server on the network via the network I / F 60.

  When the weather information is acquired, the CPU 40 determines in step 203 whether or not the weather indicated by the weather information is sunny. If a negative determination is made, the backlight cannot enter the backlight state because the sun is not coming out, so the backlight flag is turned off in step 210 and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the CPU 40 makes an affirmative determination in step 203, the CPU 40 acquires date and time information in step 204. This date / time information includes the year, month, day, and time, and may be acquired from the date / time information managed in the digital camera 10, or may be acquired using an NTP (Network Time Protocol), the GPS receiving unit 70, or the like. You may do it.

  In the next step 205, the CPU 40 derives solar position information indicating the position of the sun at the date and time indicated by the acquired date and time information. This solar position information is derived from date and time information by calculation, and is, for example, latitude and longitude.

  Next, the CPU 40 acquires azimuth information from the electronic compass 66 in step 206, and acquires tilt information from the tilt sensor 68 in step 207. The angle of view of the digital camera 10 is determined from the azimuth information and the tilt information, and the CPU 40 determines whether or not the sun exists within the angle of view in the next step 208.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the angle of view spreads in a conical shape, so that the common part between the inside of the cone and a plane whose normal vector is the “vector indicating the orientation of the digital camera” is defined. The CPU 40 determines that the backlight is in the backlit state when a point on the line segment connecting the sun and the digital camera 10 exists within the angle of view.

  If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 208, the backlight flag is turned off in step 210. If the determination is affirmative, the backlight flag is turned on in step 209, and the process ends.

  In the above-described processing, the angle of view is the inside of the black ellipse in FIG. 6, but the angle of view here may be a range that is slightly larger or smaller than the original angle of view. . For example, in the case of clear sky with no clouds, there is a high possibility that sunlight will shine from a range that does not fall within the original angle of view, so avoiding backlight conditions by setting a range larger than the original angle of view as the angle of view in the above processing It becomes possible to do. Conversely, when there are many clouds, the possibility of sunlight shining down to the original angle of view is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the backlight state even if a range smaller than the original angle of view is used as the angle of view in the above processing. There is a case.

  Next, the exposure process and the process of adjusting the white balance when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlight state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step 301, the CPU 40 executes a backlight determination process (see FIG. 5). In the next step 302, the CPU 40 determines whether or not the backlight flag is on. If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 302, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, the exposure process is executed in step 303, the white balance process is executed in step 304, and then the process ends.

  Note that the exposure process in step 303 is a process that is set in advance for backlighting that adjusts exposure conditions (shutter speed, aperture) so that the main subject does not become dark. The white balance process in step 304 is performed in the evening. This is a process predetermined for backlight photographing that adjusts the white balance so that a special light source such as can be reproduced. These processes are processes executed by a general digital camera as a backlight correction process.

  Note that the above-described process is a process that is executed before shooting, and therefore the S / N ratio generated by the correction process may be increased as compared with the case where the correction process is performed on image data after shooting. it can. Further, the process shown in FIG. 7 is a process that can be executed by either a silver halide photographic camera or a digital camera.

  Next, processing for correcting the luminance of image data obtained by photographing when photographing in a backlight state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step 401, the CPU 40 executes a backlight determination process (see FIG. 5). In the next step 402, the CPU 40 determines whether or not the backlight flag is on. If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 402, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, in step 403, the execution of imaging is waited for, and in the next step 404, the luminance is applied to the image data obtained by the imaging. The correction process is executed, and the subsequent process ends. Note that the luminance correction process in step 404 is a process that is predetermined for backlight photography in which image data is corrected so that the luminance level of the main subject is appropriate. This luminance correction process is also a common digital camera. It is a process being executed.

  Next, a brightness correction process and an edge enhancement process for image data obtained by shooting when shooting in a backlight state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step 501, the CPU 40 executes a backlight determination process (see FIG. 5). In the next step 502, the CPU 40 determines whether or not the backlight flag is on. If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 502, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, in step 503, execution of shooting is waited for, and in the next step 504, the luminance is applied to the image data obtained by shooting. Execute correction processing. The brightness correction process in step 504 is the brightness correction process described with reference to FIG. In the next step 505, the CPU 40 executes edge enhancement processing on the image data obtained by photographing. The edge emphasis process in step 505 is a process predetermined for backlight photographing, and is a process of determining a place where a luminance difference is large as an edge generated by backlight and making it shine in a star shape or the like.

  Note that the processing described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 is processing that is executed after shooting, so that it is difficult to execute main image discrimination, processing correction, and the like that are difficult to execute before shooting. Can be added.

  There is a backlight correction process in addition to the processes described in the above flowcharts. This backlight correction process is a process for setting exposure conditions set in advance for backlight shooting, white balance process, brightness correction process, etc. This process is a combination of a plurality of processes.

  Next, a process for recording shooting conditions such as the position information together with image data obtained by shooting when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlit state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step 601, the CPU 40 executes a backlight determination process (see FIG. 5). In the next step 602, the CPU 40 determines whether or not the backlight flag is on. If the CPU 40 makes a negative determination in step 602, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, it is determined in step 603 whether or not shooting has been performed.

  If the CPU 40 determines that the image has been shot, in step 604, the shooting condition is recorded in association with the image data obtained by shooting. The memory 48 or the memory card 52 is used to record the shooting conditions. Moreover, the imaging conditions here are information at the time of imaging of at least one of position information, weather information, date and time information, and the sun position information.

  The shooting conditions may further include azimuth information and tilt information, or may include information related to shooting itself such as shutter speed, aperture value, ISO sensitivity, and the like.

  Recording the shooting conditions in this way can be used as a reference when correcting image data obtained by shooting later, and more appropriate correction processing can be executed.

  The processing flow of each flowchart described above is an example, and the processing order may be changed, new steps may be added, or unnecessary steps may be deleted without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say, you can.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other cameras such as a digital video camera and a silver halide photographic camera are used. Needless to say, it can be applied.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the position of the digital camera 10 is acquired using GPS has been described. However, conventionally known position specifying means such as PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) is applied. It can be set as a form to do. In this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the digital camera 10 is connected to the network by wire such as the network I / F 60, but may be connected to the network wirelessly.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the position information acquisition means (step 201) for acquiring position information indicating the position of the photographing apparatus (digital camera 10), and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means Acquired by the weather information acquisition means (step 202) for acquiring the weather information indicating the weather at the indicated position, the date information acquisition means (step 204) for acquiring the date information indicating the current date and time, and the date information acquisition means Based on the solar position information derived by the solar position information deriving means (step 205) for deriving the solar position information indicating the position of the sun at the date and time indicated by the date and time information, and the angle of view of the photographing apparatus. Presence determination means (step 208) for determining whether or not the sun is present in the sky, and the weather information acquisition means Information, and a, a backlight determining means (step 209, 210) for determining whether a backlit state based on the determination result by the presence judging means.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the backlight determination means indicates that the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition means indicates a clear sky (Y in step 203), and the presence determination means indicates that the sun is present within the angle of view. If yes (Y in Step 208), it is determined that the backlight is in the backlight state.

  Further, the present embodiment further includes warning display means (step 103) for displaying a warning indicating that the backlight is in the backlight state when the backlight judgment means determines that the backlight is in the backlight state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the backlight determining unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state, the exposure condition setting unit sets the exposure condition for shooting the subject to a predetermined exposure condition for backlight shooting. (Step 303).

  Further, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that the backlight is in the backlight state by the backlight determining unit, image processing predetermined for backlight shooting is performed on the image information obtained by shooting the subject. Image processing means (step 304, step 404, step 505).

  In the present embodiment, the image processing is at least one of backlight correction processing, white balance processing, luminance correction processing, and processing for increasing edge luminance in the image indicated by the image information.

  In the present embodiment, the position information, the weather information, and the date / time information are associated with image information obtained by photographing a subject when the backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state. And information recording means (step 604) for recording information at the time of photographing at least one of the sun position information.

It is an external view which shows the structure on the external appearance of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the angle obtained with an electronic compass and an inclination sensor. It is a flowchart which shows the process which displays a warning, when it is judged that it is a backlight state. It is a flowchart which shows a backlight determination process. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a backlight determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the process which adjusts an exposure process and white balance when it is a backlight state. It is a flowchart which shows the process which correct | amends a brightness | luminance when image | photographed in the backlight state. It is a flowchart which shows the brightness | luminance correction process and the process which emphasizes an edge, when image | photographing in the backlight state. It is a flowchart which shows the process which records imaging conditions with the image data obtained by imaging | photography.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital camera 40 CPU
60 Network I / F
66 Electronic compass 68 Tilt sensor 70 GPS receiver

Claims (7)

Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the photographing apparatus;
Weather information acquisition means for acquiring weather information indicating the weather at the position indicated by the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means;
Date and time information acquisition means for acquiring date and time information indicating the current date and time;
Solar position information deriving means for deriving solar position information indicating the position of the sun at the date and time indicated by the date and time information acquired by the date and time information acquiring means;
Presence determination means for determining whether or not the sun is present within the angle of view of the imaging device based on the solar position information derived by the solar position information deriving means;
Back light determination means for determining whether or not a backlight state is based on the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition means and the determination result by the presence determination means;
A photographing apparatus having   2. The backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in a backlight state when the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit indicates a clear sky and the sun exists in the angle of view by the presence determination unit. The imaging device described in 1.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a warning display unit that displays a warning indicating that the backlight is in the backlight state when the backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state.   2. An exposure condition setting unit that sets an exposure condition for photographing a subject to a predetermined exposure condition for backlight photographing when the backlight determining unit determines that the subject is in a backlight state. Item 4. The photographing device according to any one of Items 3 to 3.   Claims further comprising image processing means for executing image processing predetermined for backlight photographing on image information obtained by photographing a subject when the backlight judgment means determines that the subject is in a backlight state. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image processing is at least one of backlight correction processing, white balance processing, luminance correction processing, and processing for increasing edge luminance in an image indicated by the image information.   Of the position information, the weather information, the date / time information, and the sun position information, in association with image information obtained by photographing a subject when the backlight determination unit determines that the backlight is in the backlight state. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information recording unit that records information at the time of photographing.

Images