JP2001008135A - Electronic camera and image printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select and display a most clear still image out of continuously photographed images without complicated operation. SOLUTION: When a release switch in a key switch part 24 for instructing the photographing of continuous images consisting of time-wise continued still images is depressed, a system controller 22 in the electronic camera photographs continuous images on the basis of the instruction, calculates the evaluation values of individual still images constituting continuous photographed images on the basis of respective photographing conditions, adds the calculated evaluation values to corresponding still images and records the evaluation values added to the still images in a memory card 18. When the output of the recorded continuously photographed images is instructed, the system controller 22 selects a still image in accordance with the evaluation values added to respective still images constituted of the continuously photographed images, reads out the selected still image from the memory card 18 and reproduces and outputs the still image on a TFT-LCD panel 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera having a continuous shooting function and an image printer for printing a continuous shot image taken by the electronic camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as the capacity of a recording medium (memory) is increased and the processing speed of a photographed image is increased, not only a still image but also a continuously photographed image composed of temporally continuous still images is photographed. Various electronic still cameras having a continuous shooting function have been commercialized.

[0003]

However, when a continuous shot image file composed of a large number of temporally continuous still images is obtained by the continuous shooting function, the entire continuous shot image file is converted into one moving image file. There is no problem in treating it as
If the continuous shooting function is used in order not to miss the desired shutter chance, or if the continuous shooting function is used because there is a fear that only one still image shooting will fail, the continuous shooting image file is used. It is necessary to select a shutter timing suitable or the one that gives the best image.

However, in general, in order to select an arbitrary still image from the continuously shot images, it is necessary to instruct frame forwarding in a reproduction mode to display each still image constituting the continuously shot images one by one. And the operation was very complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a still image with the best image among continuously shot images without any complicated operation. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera and an image printer which can be selectively displayed and provided for printing.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
First instructing means for instructing photographing of a continuously shot image composed of temporally continuous still images, photographing means for photographing a continuously photographed image by the first instructing means, and continuous photographing by the photographing means Calculating means for calculating an evaluation value from the shooting conditions for each still image constituting the image; recording means for adding the evaluation value calculated by the calculating means to the corresponding still image and recording the same on a medium; Second instructing means for instructing the output of the continuous shot images recorded on the medium, and a still image corresponding to the evaluation value added to each still image constituting the continuous shot images instructed by the second instruction means The image processing apparatus further includes a selection unit for selecting an image, and an output unit for reading and outputting the still image selected by the selection unit from the medium.

[0007] With this configuration, a still image, which is considered to have the best shooting conditions among continuous shot images, can be selectively read out and displayed or printed out without requiring any special operation. In addition, the labor for selecting a desired still image from the continuous shot images can be greatly simplified.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the calculating means uses at least one of a contrast value, an automatic focusing value, and an automatic exposure value as photographing conditions. I do.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect of the present invention, the evaluation value is calculated from the value used in ordinary still image shooting, so that no special calculation is required. In addition, the reliability of evaluation can be increased.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a preview for creating a preview image in which the number of constituent pixels is halved from individual still images constituting a continuous image taken by the image taking means. Further comprising an image creating means, wherein the recording means adds the evaluation value obtained by the calculating means and the image created by the preview image creating means to a corresponding still image and records the same on a medium; Performing a correlation operation on preview images added to each of the still images constituting the continuous image selected by the second instruction means to specify a still image range of still images having the same composition; A still image is selected from still images within the specified range according to the evaluation value.

With such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect of the present invention, for example, a still image other than the intended composition is included in the continuous shot image, and the still image is evaluated. Even when the value is higher than the evaluation value of the still image of the original composition, the influence can be removed, and a still image having the desired composition can be selected from the still images having the intended composition. Further, since the preview (thumbnail) image has a significantly smaller data amount than the main image, a correlation operation for determining a rough composition does not become a burden, and can be processed in a short time.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium mounting means for mounting a medium which is recorded as a continuous photographed image by adding an evaluation value calculated from its photographing condition to a temporally continuous still image, Instructing means for instructing the output of a continuous shot image recorded on the medium, and selection for selecting a still image in accordance with the evaluation value added to each still image constituting the continuous shot image instructed by the indicating means Means, and a printing means for reading out the still image selected by the selecting means from the medium and printing out the same.

With such a configuration, a still image which is considered to have the best shooting condition among the continuously shot images can be selectively read out and printed out without requiring any special operation. The labor for selecting a desired still image from images can be greatly simplified.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium mounting means for mounting a medium which is recorded as a continuous shot image in which shooting conditions are added to temporally continuous still images.
Instructing means for instructing the output of a continuous shot image recorded on the medium, and calculating means for calculating an evaluation value from each of the photographing conditions added to each of the still images constituting the continuous shot image instructed by the indicating means Selecting means for selecting a still image in accordance with the evaluation value obtained by the calculating means, and printing means for reading out the still image selected by the selecting means from the medium and printing out the same. .

With such a configuration, a still image which is considered to have the best shooting condition during continuous shooting recording can be selectively read out and printed out without requiring any special operation. The labor for selecting a desired still image from images can be greatly simplified. Also, in order to calculate an evaluation value from the shooting conditions of each still image on the printer side, it is common for many electronic cameras to add shooting condition data to an image. It can support many models.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic still camera having a continuous shooting function will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a specific circuit configuration of the electronic camera is illustrated with reference to FIG. In the same figure, in the recording mode, the optical image of the subject is
An image is formed on a CD 12, and the output of the CCD 12 is A / D
After being digitized for each pixel by the converter 13, it is sent to the image processing circuit 14.

The image processing circuit 14 includes the A / D converter 1
The image data of the digital value sent from 3 is sent to the buffer memory 15 after appropriately performing pixel thinning processing and the like under the control of the system controller 22 described later.

The buffer memory 15 stores a plurality of pieces of image data in a bitmap format. The image data stored in the buffer memory 15 is stored in a predetermined file format, such as JPEG, by a compression circuit 16 as needed. The file is compressed and converted into a file, and then sent to the medium control circuit 17 to be written on a memory card 18 which is a recording medium of the electronic camera 1 and which is detachably mounted.

When it is desired to monitor the photographed contents in the recording mode, the buffer memory 15 transmits the number of pixels from the buffer memory 15 to the display control circuit 19 in order to use the TFT-LCD panel 20 which also functions as an EVF (electronic viewfinder). Is read out, and the display control circuit 19 drives the color TFT-LCD panel 20 with the backlight based on the image data to display the contents picked up by the CCD 12 in real time. Let it.

On the other hand, in the reproduction mode, the memory card 1
8 is selectively read out by the medium control circuit 17 by the medium control circuit 17, decompressed by the decompression circuit 21 in a procedure opposite to the processing in the compression circuit 16, and decompressed into a bitmap format. It is stored in the buffer memory 15.

The image data stored in the buffer memory 15 is read out to the display control circuit 19 and the display control circuit 1
Reference numeral 9 denotes a TFT-LCD panel 2 based on the image data.
By driving 0 to display, the recorded image is reproduced and displayed.

The operations of the CCD 12, the A / D converter 13, the image processing circuit 14, the buffer memory 15, the compression circuit 16, the medium control circuit 17, the display control circuit 19, and the decompression circuit 21 are all performed by the system controller 22. Has overall control.

The system controller 22 controls the operation of all circuits of the electronic camera. The system controller 22 is also connected to a strobe control circuit 23, a key switch (SW) unit 24, and a guide panel 25, and controls them.

The strobe control circuit 23 drives the strobe 26 with a flash under the control of the system controller 22 when shooting a still image.

The key switch unit 24 includes a release switch for photographing the still image and the continuous shot image, various modes such as a recording mode and a reproduction mode, a still image mode and a continuous shot image mode in a recording mode, and an image quality setting mode. It has a mode setting switch for setting, a power switch, a cursor key switch, and an LCD display switch for switching on / off the display on the TFT-LCD panel 20, and sends the operation signal directly to the system controller 22. .

The guide panel 25 displays and outputs various operation states of the electronic camera as described above based on a drive control signal from the system controller 22.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

Here, the operation modes of the electronic camera include a recording (REC) mode and a reproduction (PLAY) mode. In the recording mode, any one of a continuous image and a still image temporally continuous is set. It is assumed that the image can be switched and photographed. It is assumed that a maximum of 20 continuous shot images can be obtained in, for example, 4 images per second × 5 seconds maximum.

The still image file is in JPEG format (extension .jpg), and the continuous image file is motion JP
In the EG format (extension .mjp), date and time information at that time is recorded as a file name on the memory card 18 as a medium.

First, the processing in the recording mode will be described.

FIG. 2 mainly shows the contents of processing by the system controller 22 in the recording mode. At first, it is determined whether or not a photographing instruction has been given based on whether or not the release switch of the key switch section 24 has been operated. (Step A01) If there is no operation, it is determined whether or not an operation of a mode setting switch for switching between shooting of a still image and shooting of a continuous shot image has been made (Step A0).
2) is repeatedly executed to wait for these inputs.

If it is determined in step A02 that the mode setting switch for switching between shooting of a still image and shooting of a continuously shot image has been operated, the still image mode and the continuous shooting mode are correspondingly operated. Switching between the image mode and the image mode is set (step A03).
The process returns to the standby process from 1.

If it is determined in step A01 that the release switch has been operated, then it is determined whether or not the still image mode is set at that time (step A0).
4) If the still image mode is set, a still image photographing process is executed in response to the operation of the release switch (step A05), and thereafter, the step A is executed.
Return to 01.

FIG. 3 shows a subroutine of this still image photographing processing. The distance to the subject image at that time is measured immediately based on the switch operation (step B).
01), the proper exposure is measured (step B02), and the proper white balance is adjusted (step B0).
3) If necessary, the strobe control circuit 23 causes the strobe 26 to emit light and shoot a still image (step B04).

In this case, image data obtained from the CCD 12 by photographing is digitized by the A / D converter 13 for each constituent pixel, and the image processing circuit 14 appropriately converts the pixel data according to the image quality set at that time. After the thinning or the like is performed, the data is stored in the buffer memory 15 and then compressed.
In step 6, data compression such as ADCT and Huffman coding based on JPEG is performed to create a file (step B0).
5).

At this time, an operation is performed using an operation formula prepared in advance based on the contrast value of the image data, the automatic focusing value (distance value) obtained in steps B01 and B02, and the automatic exposure value. Then, the evaluation value of the photographed still image is calculated (step B06), and then a thumbnail image is created as a preview image in which the constituent pixels are significantly thinned out from the image data (step B07).

Then, the evaluation value and the thumbnail image are added to the image data file of the data-compressed still image, and the date and time information at that time is stored in the memory card 18 by the medium control circuit 17 as a file name, for example, " 1
9990309101030.jpg (meaning a JPEG file recorded at 10:10:30 on March 9, 1999) (step B08), and this subroutine is terminated and the processing of FIG. Return.

If it is determined in step A04 in FIG. 2 that the operation of the release switch has been performed in the continuous image mode instead of the still image mode, the release switch is operated in response to the operation of the release switch. The photographing process of the continuous shot image is executed (Step A06), and thereafter, the process returns to Step A01.

FIG. 4 shows a subroutine of the photographing process of the continuous photographed image. The distance to the subject image at that time is immediately measured based on the switch operation (step C).
01), the proper exposure is measured (step C02), and the proper white balance is adjusted (step C0).
3) If necessary, the strobe control circuit 23 causes the strobe 26 to emit light and shoot a still image (step C04).

In this case, the image data obtained from the CCD 12 by photographing is digitized by the A / D converter 13 for each constituent pixel, and the image processing circuit 14 appropriately converts the pixel data according to the image quality set at that time. After the thinning or the like is performed, the data is stored in the buffer memory 15 and then compressed.
In step S6, data compression such as ADCT and Huffman coding based on JPEG is performed to create a file (step C0).
5).

At this time, an operation is performed using an arithmetic expression prepared in advance based on the contrast value of the image data, the automatic focusing value (distance value) obtained in steps C01 and C02, and the automatic exposure value. Then, an evaluation value of the photographed still image is calculated (step C06), and then a thumbnail image is created as a preview image in which constituent pixels are significantly thinned out from the image data (step C07).

Then, the evaluation value and the thumbnail image are added to the image data file of the data compressed still image, and the date and time information at that time is recorded as a file name on the memory card 18 by the medium control circuit 17 ( Step C08).

Thereafter, it is confirmed that the release switch is still operated (step C09), and furthermore, it is confirmed that the elapsed time from the start of the continuous shooting has not reached the previously limited 5 seconds. While (Step C1
0), and waits for the next shooting timing based on the continuous shooting speed (4 pictures / second), that is, 0.25 seconds after the previous shooting (step C11), and determines that the next shooting timing has come. At this point, the processing from step C01 is repeated again.

In this manner, until it is determined in step C09 that the operation of the release switch has been released, or in step C10, it is determined that the elapsed time from the start of continuous shooting has reached the previously limited 5 seconds. During this time, the processes of steps C01 to C11 are repeatedly executed, and the JPEG files of a plurality of temporally continuous still images are recorded on the memory card 18.

If it is determined in step C09 that the operation of the release switch has been released, or if it is determined in step C10 that the elapsed time from the start of continuous shooting has reached a previously limited 5 seconds, At that time, the shooting of the continuous shot images is terminated, and as a post-process, a JPEG file of a plurality of temporally continuous still images recorded on the memory card 18 is set as a motion JPEG file, and the date and time information at that time is used as a file name, For example, "19999030
9101035.mjp (10:01 on March 9, 1999
(Meaning a motion JPEG file recorded at 0 minutes and 35 seconds) "(step C12), and this subroutine is completed to return to the processing of FIG.

Next, as described above, the memory card 18
The operation of displaying and outputting the image file recorded in the playback mode in the playback mode will be described.

FIG. 5 shows the processing contents from the state where the reproduction mode is set by the mode setting switch of the key switch section 24. As shown in the figure, at the beginning of the mode setting, the latest file is set from the file names of a plurality of image data files recorded on the memory card 18 (step D01).

Next, it is determined whether or not the file of the selected latest image data is a continuous shot image based on whether or not the extension of the file name is ".mjp" (step D02).

Here, when it is determined that the selected image data file is a continuous shot image, a thumbnail image of each of a plurality of still image files constituting the file of the continuous shot image is used to select a temporally adjacent image file. Is performed, and a continuous range of images whose correlation value is within a preset threshold value is determined as a range having the same composition (step D03).

In this case, since the correlation operation is performed using a thumbnail image having a significantly smaller data amount, instead of the original still image file itself, the system controller 22 performs a correlation operation for determining a rough composition. There is no burden, and processing can be performed in a very short time.

Next, among the still image data files within the range having the same composition, the file having the highest added evaluation value is selected as a still image representing the same continuous shot image (step D04).

The selected still image data file is read from the memory card 18 by the medium control circuit 17, expanded by the expansion circuit 21, expanded into a bitmap format, and stored in the buffer memory 15.

The image data stored in the buffer memory 15 is read out by the display control circuit 19, and the display control circuit 1
9 to reproduce and display on the TFT-LCD panel 20 (step D05).

If it is determined in step D02 that the file of the selected image data is not a continuous image but a still image, and the extension of the file name is ".jpg", the process proceeds to step D03. , D04 are omitted and the data of the selected still image is directly read out from the memory card 18 in step D05 and the TFT-
It is displayed on the LCD panel 20.

In this reproduction display mode, the currently displayed image is switched to another one depending on whether or not the "→" key or "←" key of the key switch section 24 is operated. Waiting for an operation to be performed (step D0
6, D07).

If it is determined in step D06 that the "→" key has been operated, it is determined that this is an operation for instructing display switching to a newer image file.
After selecting the file name of the image data recorded on the memory card 18 to which the newest date and time information is added from the currently displayed image data (step D08), the process returns to step D02 again. Execute the process.

Similarly, when it is determined that the "←" key has been operated, it is determined that this is an operation for instructing display switching to an older image file, and the file name of the image data recorded on the memory card 18 is determined. In step D09, the one with the date and time information that is older than the currently displayed image data is selected (step D09), and the processing from step D02 is executed again.

As described above, a still image which is considered to have the best shooting condition during continuous shooting can be selectively read out and displayed / reproduced without requiring any special operation. The labor for selecting a still image can be greatly simplified.

Further, since a contrast value, an automatic focusing value, and an automatic exposure value are used as the photographing conditions, and an evaluation value is calculated from a general value used in normal still image photographing, a special value is calculated. No calculation is required, and the reliability of the evaluation can be increased.

In addition, even when a still image other than the intended composition is included in the continuous shot image and the evaluation value of the still image is higher than the evaluation value of the still image of the original composition, the influence is removed. Then, it is possible to select an image having a high evaluation value from a range that is considered to be the same composition that is continuous in time by the image correlation operation using the thumbnail image.

In the above embodiment, the memory card 1
Although the case where a still image having a high evaluation value is selected from the continuous shot images recorded in No. 8 and reproduced and displayed is described, this electronic camera is line-connected to a printer device to print out any still image. However, since a still image to be printed out is selected on the electronic camera side, the same operability can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an image printer will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a specific circuit configuration of the image printer will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, a memory card 18 on which image data is recorded by photographing with an electronic camera is connected to a memory read control circuit 31 by being inserted into a memory card slot of the image printer.

The memory read control circuit 31 reads a file of arbitrary image data from the memory card 18, performs processing such as data decompression, develops the file into a bitmap format, and stores it in the frame memory 32.

The frame memory 32 stores still image data for one screen, and the stored contents are read out to the thermal transfer printing section 33 and the display circuit 34.

The thermal transfer printing section 33 is, for example, a sublimation type thermal transfer printer, and prints out image data sent from the frame memory 32 on a special paper and discharges it.

The display circuit 34 drives the color TFT-LCD panel 35 with backlight based on the image data read from the frame memory 32 to display the contents selectively read from the memory card 18. Display.

However, the memory read control circuit 31,
The control unit 36 controls all operations of the frame memory 32 and the thermal transfer printing unit 33.

The control unit 36 receives the operations of the "← / →" key 37 for selecting an image and the "print" key 38 for instructing execution of printing, and controls the operation of all the circuits of the image printer. Do.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

Here, the memory card 18 inserted in the memory card slot is stored in the JPEG format (extension .jp).
g) Still image data file and motion JPEG
A data file of a continuously shot image of the format (extension .mjp) is recorded for each data file in a mixed manner with the date and time information at the time of shooting as a file name. It is assumed that a thumbnail image and an evaluation value are added in advance to each of the still images constituting.

FIG. 7 shows the processing contents from the state where the memory card 18 is inserted into the memory card slot and the power of the image printer is automatically turned on. As shown in FIG.
Out of a plurality of image data files recorded in the file (step E0)
1).

Next, it is determined whether or not the file of the selected latest image data is a continuous shot image based on whether or not the extension of the file name is “.mjp” (step E02).

Here, if it is determined that the selected image data file is a continuous shot image, a thumbnail image of each of a plurality of still image files constituting the file of the continuous shot image is used to select a temporally adjacent image file. Is performed to obtain a correlation, and a continuous range of images whose correlation value is within a preset threshold value is determined as a range having the same composition (step E03).

In this case, since the correlation calculation is performed using a thumbnail image having a significantly smaller data amount, instead of the original image file of the still image, the correlation calculation for determining the rough composition is performed by the control unit 36. There is no burden, and processing can be performed in a very short time.

Next, among the still image data files within the range having the same composition, the file having the highest added evaluation value is selected as a still image representing the same continuous shot image (step E04).

The data file of the selected still image is stored in the memory card 1 by the memory read control circuit 31.
8 and expanded into a bitmap format and stored in the frame memory 32.

The image data stored in the frame memory 32 is read out to the display circuit 34 while appropriately thinning out the pixels.
Then, a reproduction display is performed in step 5 (step E05).

If it is determined in step E02 that the file of the selected image data is not a continuous image but a still image, and the extension of the file name is ".jpg", the process proceeds to step E03. , E04 are omitted and the selected still image data is read out from the memory card 18 directly in step E05, and the TFT-L
It is displayed on the CD panel 35.

In the state where the reproduction display is being performed, "←
It is determined whether or not an operation for switching the currently displayed image to another one has been performed based on whether or not the “→” key or the “←” key has been operated with the “/ →” key 37 (step). E06, E07), and it is determined whether or not a key operation for instructing the print output of the still image displayed by the “print” key 38 has been performed (step E0).
8) is repeated to wait for these key inputs.

If it is determined in step E06 that the "→" key of the "← / →" key 37 has been operated, it is determined that this is an operation for instructing display switching to a newer image file, and the memory card After selecting the file name of the image data recorded in step 18 which has the newer date and time information than the currently displayed image data (step E09), the process returns to step E0.
2 is executed.

Similarly, if it is determined at step E07 that the "←" key of the "← / →" key 37 has been operated, it is determined that this is an operation for instructing display switching to an older image file, and the memory card After selecting the file name of the image data recorded in step 18 which has the date and time information one older than the currently displayed image data (step E10), the processing from step E02 is performed again. Execute.

If it is determined in step E08 that the "print" key 38 has been operated, the bitmap still image stored in the frame memory 32 at that time is fully utilized to make full use of the thermal transfer printing unit 33. To print out on dedicated paper (step E11), and then return to the processing from step E02.

As described above, it is possible to selectively read out and print out a still image, which is considered to have the best shooting conditions among continuous shot images composed of temporally continuous still images, without requiring any special operation. Therefore, it is possible to greatly simplify the work for selecting a desired still image from the continuous shot images.

In the above-described embodiment, the still images recorded on the memory card 18 and the individual still images constituting the continuous shot images have been described as having their evaluation values added in advance. In place of the evaluation value, shooting conditions such as a contrast value, an automatic focusing value, and an automatic exposure value are added. Particularly, when a continuous shot image is selected, each still image constituting the continuous shot image is added. An evaluation value may be calculated from shooting conditions, and a still image having the highest evaluation value may be selected and displayed as a representative of the continuous shot image.

In this manner, since the addition of the photographing conditions and the like to the image data as data is generally performed by many electronic cameras, the type of the electronic camera that has photographed the image is limited. Without having to do so, it is possible to select and print images with high evaluation.

At this time, since the evaluation value is calculated from a general value used in normal still image shooting, no special calculation is required, and the reliability of the evaluation can be increased.

The first and second embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be variously limited without departing from the scope of the invention. And

[0090]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a still image, which is considered to have the best shooting condition among continuous shot images, is selectively read out without any special operation and output for display or printout. Therefore, the time and effort for selecting a desired still image from the continuous shot images can be greatly simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, since the evaluation value is calculated from the value used in normal still image shooting, a special calculation is required. And increase the reliability of the evaluation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, for example, in a continuous shot image,
Even when a still image other than the intended composition is included and the evaluation value of the still image is higher than the evaluation value of the still image of the original composition, the effect is removed and the still image having the intended composition is removed. From among them, the one with the higher evaluation value can be selected. Further, since the preview (thumbnail) image has a significantly smaller data amount than the main image, a correlation operation for determining a rough composition does not become a burden, and can be processed in a short time.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to selectively read out and print out a still image which is considered to have the best shooting condition among continuous shot images without requiring any special operation. The labor for selecting a desired still image from the continuous shot images can be greatly simplified.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to selectively read out and print out a still image which is considered to have the best shooting condition in continuous shooting recording without requiring any special operation. The labor for selecting a desired still image from the continuous shot images can be greatly simplified. Also,
In order to calculate an evaluation value from the shooting conditions of each still image on the printer side, it is a common practice with many electronic cameras to add shooting condition data to an image, so that more electronic cameras It can correspond to the model.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing contents in a recording mode according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of a still image photographing process in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of a shooting process of a continuous shot image of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing contents in a reproduction mode according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of an image printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing contents of print output according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Optical lens system 12 ... CCD 13 ... A / D converter 14 ... Image processing circuit 15 ... Buffer memory 16 ... Compression circuit 17 ... Medium control circuit 18 ... Memory card 19 ... Display control circuit 20 ... TFT-LCD panel 21 ... Expansion circuit 22 ... System controller 23 ... Strobe control circuit 24 ... Key switch unit 25 ... Guide panel 26 ... Strobe 31 ... Memory read control circuit 32 ... Frame memory 33 ... Heat transfer print unit 34 ... Display circuit 35 ... TFT-LCD panel 36 ... Control unit 37 ... "← / →" key 38 ... "Print" key

Claims (5)

[Claims] A first instruction means for instructing the photographing of a continuous image composed of temporally continuous still images; a photographing means for photographing a continuous photographed image by the first instruction means; Calculating means for calculating an evaluation value from the shooting conditions for each still image constituting the continuous shot images to be shot; adding the evaluation value calculated by the calculating means to the corresponding still image and recording the image on a medium Recording means; second instructing means for instructing output of a continuous shot image recorded on the medium; evaluation attached to each still image constituting the continuous shot image instructed by the second indicating means An electronic camera, comprising: a selection unit that selects a still image according to a value; and an output unit that reads out the still image selected by the selection unit from the medium and outputs the still image. 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein said calculating means uses at least one of a contrast value, an automatic focusing value, and an automatic exposure value as a photographing condition.
→ Since the evaluation value is calculated from the value used in normal still image shooting, no special calculation is required, and the reliability of the evaluation can be increased. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a preview image generating unit configured to generate a preview image in which the number of constituent pixels is halved from individual still images constituting the continuous image captured by the capturing unit. The evaluation value obtained by the means and the image created by the preview image creating means are added to a corresponding still image and recorded on a medium, and the selecting means converts the continuous shot image selected by the second instruction means. By performing a correlation operation on the preview images added to each of the still images to be configured, the still image range of the still images having the same composition is specified, and the still image within the specified range is selected according to the evaluation value. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein a still image is selected. 4. A medium mounting means for mounting a medium recorded as a continuous shot image in which an evaluation value calculated from the photographing condition is added to each temporally continuous still image, and a medium recorded on the medium. Instructing means for instructing output of a continuous shot image; selecting means for selecting a still image in accordance with an evaluation value added to each still image forming the continuous shot image instructed by the instructing means; And a printing means for reading out the still image selected from the above medium from the medium and printing out the image. 5. A medium mounting means for mounting a medium recorded as a continuous photographed image in which the photographing conditions are added to temporally continuous still images, and an output of the continuous photographed image recorded on the medium. Instructing means for instructing, calculating means for calculating an evaluation value from each of the photographing conditions added to each of the still images constituting the continuous shot image instructed by the instructing means, An image printer apparatus comprising: a selection unit that selects a still image by using the selection unit; and a printing unit that reads the still image selected by the selection unit from the medium and prints out the still image.