JP2001251553A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To yield delicate conditions for photographing even if photographing is performed by using a strobe and to readily set the photographing conditions. SOLUTION: An electronic camera 1 for photographing an object by a semiconductor image pickup element 5 is provided with an auxiliary light irradiation means for irradiating the object with auxiliary light, an input processing means receiving the designation input of an object main part area and an object background area on the image of preliminary photographing and receiving the correction input of a photographing condition, when the preliminary photographing is performed to the object, a simulation means 61 simulating the object main part area and the object background area based on the result of preliminary photographing and a correction photographing condition received by the input processing means and obtaining the images of the respective areas and display means 14 and 41 for displaying the preliminarily photographed image or a simulation result image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly, to an electronic camera having a feature of setting photographing conditions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In photographing with a camera, various photographic expressions can be made by setting conditions such as an exposure condition, a shutter speed, an in-focus position, and composition. In particular, in a high-end device such as a silver halide single-lens reflex camera, it is possible to take various pictures requested by a photographer by changing various photographing conditions.

[0003] However, the photographing environment varies greatly depending on the lighting conditions, the subject, and the like, and it is difficult to completely grasp the conditions only with the naked eyes of the photographer. In some cases, it is difficult to predict how much a certain condition should be changed to change the photographing result. Therefore, when a full-scale photographing is conventionally performed with a silver halide camera, a kind of preliminary photographing, that is, a polar photographing is often performed. Then, by confirming the preliminary photograph, exposure correction, color temperature (flash or film), and the like are adjusted, and thereafter, actual photographing is performed.

In recent years, electronic cameras using a semiconductor image pickup device such as a CCD device have become widespread. The performance of recent electronic cameras has been improved, and many photographing conditions can be set like a silver halide single-lens reflex camera.

[0005]

Even when full-scale photographing is performed with an electronic camera, it is necessary to adjust various photographing conditions in order to match the photograph expression desired by the photographer.

However, in an electronic camera, a semiconductor image pickup device, mainly a CCD device, is used to acquire subject information.
It will be bound by the characteristics of the CD device. Also, C
Various image processing is applied to the CD output. However, since the content of the image processing and various correction coefficients differ depending on the model, the photographing characteristics differ for each camera.

Therefore, the tendency of the change of the photographing result with respect to the photographing condition is greatly affected by the difference of the camera model.
In some cases, it is difficult to properly capture an image desired by a photographer only by grasping the exposure conditions and the like by means of a conventional polar photographing or the like.

Further, in an electronic camera, since the latitude (exposure latitude) of a CCD device is narrow, it is more difficult to determine conditions for actual photographing than in a silver halide camera.

In addition to these situations, when flash photography is performed at night or during the daytime, it is more difficult to adjust the photography conditions.

Here, there are slow synchro photography and daylight synchro photography as main photographing techniques using a strobe. The slow sync is a shooting method in which the shutter speed is set to be slow in order to prevent the background from becoming too dark in night shooting. Daylight synchro is used to prevent a main subject from being too dark during the day. That is, this is a photographing technique in which the main subject is brightened with a strobe and the shutter speed is increased (or the aperture is reduced) in order to prevent the main subject from being pulled by the dark main subject and causing whitening.

When performing slow synchro or daylight synchro, in addition to the usual photographing conditions, a strobe light emission element is added, and the main subject and the background are affected differently by the strobe light. This is because the main subject is close and the background is far. Therefore, it is difficult to find the optimal photographing condition even if the preliminary photographing is performed.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide delicate conditions for actual photographing even when photographing is performed using a strobe. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can perform the operation.

A second object is that even when photographing is performed using a strobe, delicate conditions for actual photographing can be set, and the photographing conditions can be easily set. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera that can be used.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera for photographing a subject with a semiconductor image pickup device. When preliminary shooting is performed on a subject, input processing means for receiving a designation input of a subject main portion area and a subject background portion area on an image of the preliminary shooting, and receiving a correction input of a shooting condition, Simulation means for executing a simulation for each of the main subject area and the subject background area based on the preliminary shooting result and the corrected shooting conditions received by the input processing means, and acquiring an image of each area; And a display means for displaying a simulation result image.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, it is possible to simulate the image of the main subject and the background in the case of flash photography, respectively. It is possible to accurately set the conditions for the actual shooting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera for photographing a subject by using a semiconductor image pickup device, wherein auxiliary light irradiating means for irradiating the subject with auxiliary light and auxiliary light irradiating means are used. When the photographing preparation input is performed, the first image capturing is performed without irradiating the auxiliary light when the photographing preparation input is performed, and the auxiliary image capturing is performed by irradiating the auxiliary light when the capturing execution input is performed. Electronic camera comprising: a photographing execution unit for performing a photographing operation; and a subject separation unit that extracts a main part area of the subject by comparing the first captured image and the second captured image captured by the photography execution unit. It is.

According to the present invention, such a means is provided, so that when flash photography is performed, the main subject and the background can be easily separated. For example, the first release is input as a shooting preparation input, and the second release is input as a shooting execution input, for example, 2n.
d release is conceivable.

Next, a third aspect of the present invention for solving the problem is the above-mentioned second aspect, wherein preliminary photographing is executed by the photographing execution means and the second captured image is used as a preliminary photographed image. Input processing means for receiving a correction input of a shooting condition;
Based on the result of the preliminary photographing and the corrected photographing condition received by the input processing means, the subject main portion region and the subject background portion region, which is a portion obtained by subtracting the subject main portion region in the preliminary photographed image, The electronic camera includes a simulation unit that executes a simulation to obtain an image of each region and a display unit that displays a preliminary captured image or a simulation result image.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, it is possible to simulate the image of the main subject and the background in the case of flash photography, respectively. It is possible to accurately set the conditions for the actual shooting.

Next, a fourth invention for solving the problem is the electronic camera according to the first or third invention, further comprising condition setting means for setting a corrected photographing condition for photographing.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, the flow from the preliminary photographing before photographing (so-called polar photographing) to the actual photographing can be executed by a series of processing. In particular,
In the case of flash photography, it is difficult to determine the conditions. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to correct the photography conditions by looking at the simulated image, set the modified conditions as they are, and execute the actual photography.

In a fifth aspect of the invention for solving the problem, the simulation means according to the first or third or fourth aspect is arranged such that, for the main part of the subject, the aperture value and the light emission amount of the auxiliary light irradiation means are determined. Is an electronic camera that calculates the brightness of the region based on the aperture value and calculates the brightness of the region based on the aperture value and the shutter speed for the subject background region.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, even if slow synchro shooting is to be performed, the shooting state can be predicted and studied in advance. In the slow synchro, the simulation is performed by focusing on the fact that the brightness of the main subject is determined by the amount of strobe light emission and the aperture, and the brightness of the background is determined by the aperture and shutter speed.

In a sixth aspect of the invention for solving the problem, in the first or third or fourth aspect, the simulation means includes an aperture value, a shutter speed, and an auxiliary light irradiation means for the main part of the subject. The electronic camera calculates the brightness of the area based on the light emission amount, and calculates the brightness of the area based on the aperture value and the shutter speed for the subject background area.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, even if the daylight synchro shooting is to be performed, the shooting state can be predicted and examined in advance. In the daylight synchro, the above-described simulation is performed by focusing on the fact that the brightness of the main subject is determined by the flash emission amount, the aperture, and the shutter speed, and the brightness of the background is determined by the aperture and the shutter speed.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. (First Embodiment of the Invention) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In this electronic camera 1, a light beam from a subject is transmitted through a lens system 2, a diaphragm 3, and a shutter 4 to a CC.
The light enters the D device 5 and charges are accumulated in each element of the CCD device 5. CCD device 5
Is provided with an imaging circuit 6, which is used for exposure, readout, element shutter, and gain adjustment (I
SO setting), power supply and the like are controlled. Further, the output from the CCD device 5 is once passed through the A / D converter 7 to the DR device.
After being stored in the AM (not shown), the image is converted into still image information (photographed image) for a photograph by the image processing unit 8 and stored in the buffer memory 9. The captured image is compressed (JPEG) by the compression / decompression unit 10 and stored in the recording medium 12 via the interface 11.
As the recording medium 12, a memory card using a flash memory, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like is used.

The image subjected to the still image processing by the image processing unit 8 is subjected to a confirmation image (RE) by the liquid crystal control unit 13 before being stored.
Image display LCD panel 14 on the back of the camera as C view)
(TFT panel). The recorded image once stored in the recording medium 12 is also subjected to decompression processing by the compression / decompression unit 10, temporarily stored in the buffer memory 9, and can be displayed on the image display liquid crystal panel 14.

The image processing unit 8 performs an averaging operation on all the read pixels so that the number of pixels corresponds to the designated image quality (SQ, HQ, SHQ, etc.), and performs pixel number conversion. Do. The processing unit 8 also performs white balance processing, color processing, gamma correction, sharpness adjustment, and the like. Further, the compression / expansion unit 10 executes a compression process at a compression ratio corresponding to the designated image quality. That is, the image quality is determined by the number of pixels converted by the image processing unit 8 and the compression ratio by the compression / decompression unit.

In this embodiment, a peeping type EVF (electronic viewfinder) is provided separately from the image display liquid crystal panel 14. That is, the A / D output is subjected to a moving image processing of 30 frames / sec in the finder image generation unit 71, and the moving image is displayed from the EVF liquid crystal panel 73 as a through image by the liquid crystal control unit 72. I have. The output from the finder image generator 71 can also be displayed on the image display liquid crystal panel 14. Thus, EVF is realized also in the image display liquid crystal panel 14.

The system controller 21 includes the AF mechanism 2
2. It controls various parts in the camera such as the strobe control circuit 23, the aperture mechanism, and the imaging circuit 6. Also, release button 2
4, accepts various operation inputs from various operation buttons such as the operation keys 25 and the enter button 26, and executes control according to the inputs. Further, various information such as a shooting mode and conditions, the number of remaining shootable images, and the like are displayed on a control panel (not shown).

The system controller 21 includes a photographing control section 31, a preliminary photographing / examination control section 32, a strobe control section 77 for controlling the strobe control circuit 23, and an exposure control section 78 for controlling the aperture mechanism. .

The photographing control section 31 controls each section of the camera based on the photographing conditions set in the photographing condition setting section 33, and provides necessary image processing parameters and the like. In addition,
The term “photographing conditions” used in the present specification includes not only photographing conditions in a narrow sense common to silver halide cameras, such as so-called exposure and shutter speed, but also image processing conditions such as white balance, color processing (color table), and gamma. Including.

The photographing control unit 31 performs the main photographing for the preliminary photographing, and when the frame guide is input, displays the image end of the preliminary photographing on the preliminary photographed image end display unit 75. Instruct to display from EVF.

Here, the preliminary photographed image end display unit 75
Both ends of the preliminary photographed image stored in the buffer memory 9 are cut out and given to the finder image generating unit 71 as a frame guide image to be displayed on the EVF. The EVF at this time may be a case where any of the EVF liquid crystal panel 73 and the image display liquid crystal panel 14 is used.

The exposure control unit 78 includes a CCD device 5
Based on the / D output and the photographing conditions set in the photographing condition setting unit 33, an exposure calculation is performed to determine and control the aperture, the shutter speed, or both.

The flash control unit 77 includes a photographing condition setting unit 3
A control command is given to the flash control circuit 23 based on the photographing condition set in Step 3. The control includes the presence or absence of light emission, light emission timing, light emission amount adjustment, and the like.

The preliminary photographing / examination control unit 32 takes out the photographing conditions of the preliminary photographing from the photographing condition setting unit 33 of the photographing control unit 31 and sends them to the condition examination screen creating unit 41.
The examination conditions are acquired from the screen creating unit 41, and the photographing conditions for the actual photographing are set in the photographing condition setting unit 33. When the condition examination screen is displayed on the image display liquid crystal panel 14, the preliminary photographing / examination control unit 32 accepts inputs from the operation keys 25 and the enter button 26, and sets the examination conditions to the condition examination screen creation unit. Send to 41.

The condition examination screen creating unit 41 is a processing unit for examining and creating the photographing conditions of the main photographing based on the preliminary photographing result when the preliminary photographing is performed. Creation unit 43 and histogram creation unit 44
, A designated range creating unit 45, a condition receiving unit 46, and a study condition extracting unit 47.

The examination information holding unit 42 includes the original image holding unit 5
1. A processed image storage unit 52, a preliminary imaging condition storage unit 53, and a study condition storage unit 54 are provided. Original image holding unit 5
1, the CCD output before processing from the A / D converter 7 is input and held as original image data for performing a simulation. Further, the preliminary photographing condition holding unit 53 stores the preliminary photographing conditions acquired in the preliminary photographing.

Further, the examination information holding section 54 stores examination conditions for the main photographing input via the preliminary photographing / examination control section 32. The processed image holding unit 52 stores one or a plurality of processed images obtained by simulation or area designation.

The condition receiving unit 46 receives a study condition and an operation command via the preliminary photographing / examination control unit 32. That is, the study conditions are stored in the study information holding unit 42, and the operation command is sent to the screen creating unit 43, the histogram creating unit 44, the designated range creating unit 45, or the simulation unit 61.
Output to

The screen creating unit 43 includes the histogram creating unit 4
4. A condition examination screen is created based on information from the designated range creation unit 45 or the examination information holding unit 42, and is displayed from the image display liquid crystal panel 14. The condition examination screen includes a main condition examination screen, a subject background designation screen, an area designation screen, a histogram condition examination screen, and the like.

The histogram creating section 44 creates a histogram for the designated image and the designated study condition, and displays the histogram from the condition study screen.
Hand over to

The designated range creating unit 45 sets
When an area such as a main subject area and a background subject area in strobe shooting is designated, a display frame is created to create a display frame and display it from the condition examination screen.
Hand over to 3. When an area such as a focusing area or a photometry area is specified (screen area, one or more partial areas, spot areas, or the like), the display frame is created and transferred to the screen creating unit 43.

Upon receiving a command to reflect the examination conditions for the main photographing from the preliminary photographing / examination control section 32, the examination condition extracting section 47 extracts the examination conditions held in the examination condition holding section 42 and sends the examination conditions to the control section 32. hand over.

The simulation section 61 executes a simulation process when a simulation is necessary to reflect the examination conditions on the display image. The simulation section 61 includes a simulation request section 62 and a simulation execution section 63.

The simulation requesting unit 62 requests the simulation execution of an item for which the image processing unit 8 or the compression / expansion unit 10 has the processing function of the target simulation. Examples of requests to the image processing unit 8 include white balance processing, color adjustment, and sharpness. As for the image quality, the image processing unit 8 is requested to adjust the number of pixels, and the compression ratio is requested to the compression / expansion unit 10. The original image data and the conditions are stored in the examination information holding unit 42.
To get from.

On the other hand, the simulation executing section 63 executes, as a simulation, items determined by the processing up to the imaging circuit 6 and which cannot be reproduced by the image processing section 8 or the compression / decompression section 10. For example, slow synchro shooting, daylight synchro shooting, exposure correction, ISO sensitivity adjustment, and the like.

The operation keys 24 are used to perform various operation inputs, and are configured so that they can be input right, left, up, and down by cross-shaped input keys. Various operations can be performed using the operation key 2.
4, a function is selected from the menu screen displayed on the image display liquid crystal panel 14, and the function is selected and determined by the determination button 25. The photographing is executed by pressing the release button 23.

Next, the operation of the electronic camera according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. The operation of the electronic camera 1 according to the present invention will be described briefly. First, after execution of preliminary photographing for condition examination, the preliminary photographing condition and the preliminary photographing result are input to the condition examination screen creating unit 41. You. Using the condition examination screen created by the screen creation unit 41, the conditions of the main shooting are examined. After the photographing conditions for the main photographing are examined, the photographing conditions are taken out from the examination information holding unit 42 of the condition examination screen creating unit 41 and set again in the photographing condition setting unit 33 of the photographing control unit 31 in the system controller 21. Is done. Then, the next photographing (main photographing) is executed under the examined photographing conditions.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the schematic operation of the electronic camera according to the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, first, when the preliminary photographing is executed (s1), the processing shifts to the condition examination mode by the processing of the preliminary photographing / examination control section 32, and the condition examination screen creation section 41
The preliminary photographing result and the preliminary photographing condition are displayed on the condition examination screen created in (2) (s2).

Next, on the condition examination screen (main screen),
A study condition is input (s3), a simulation is executed as needed (s4), and a simulation image and a histogram are displayed (s5). When further studying the conditions, steps s3 to s5 are repeated (s
6).

FIG. 3 is a view showing a display example of the condition examination screen (main screen).

As shown in FIG. 3, the condition examination screen (main) is displayed on the image display liquid crystal panel 14, and includes a study condition display section 101 and a condition display / setting section 10.
2. It comprises a function execution button 103 and an image display unit 104.

The examination condition display section 101 is a title section for displaying a photographing condition under examination. In FIG. 3, the examination condition is exposure correction.

The condition display / setting unit 102 is a button for displaying the latest study condition and for setting the study condition. By selecting one of the condition display / setting units 102 with the operation key 25 and confirming it with the confirm button 26, the examination condition shown in FIG. 3 can be selected and input (selected). Each button of the condition display / setting unit 102 displays and selects a numerical value (including not only the original numerical value but also a shooting mode, an image quality display, a white balance mode selection, a strobe mode selection, etc.), In some cases, an area such as focusing is specified. For numeric selection,
By confirming the button, selectable numerical values and the like are displayed so as to be selectable. In the case of area designation, an area designation screen is displayed (not shown), and the area is designated using the screen.

The function execution button 103 is used to execute a simulation, display a histogram, reflect examination conditions in actual photographing, display preliminary photographed images and conditions, display a focus range and a photometry area on a display image, and display a display image. Buttons for executing various functions such as enlargement / reduction. For example, when the reflection button of the examination condition is pressed, the latest photographing condition shown in the condition display / setting unit 102 is set in the photographing control unit 31 for the main photographing.

The image display unit 104 displays a preliminary photographed image and an image corresponding to the examined condition, and is provided with a condition display column 105 for displaying a study condition. In the present embodiment, the image display unit 104 is provided at four locations, ie, upper left, upper right, lower left, and upper right, and an image under the same examination conditions is always displayed except for a preliminary captured image. Of each image, the upper left is a reference image, and changes from this reference image are sequentially shown on the upper left display, upper right display, lower left display, and upper right display (only three images in the figure). At the time of the first display, the preliminary photographed image is displayed on the upper left display section.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the examination condition "exposure correction" is selected, and the exposure correction value is sequentially changed to -2.0, ± 0, +2.0 from the reference image to the latest image. ing. The image display unit 104 displays simulation result images corresponding to the examination conditions. The details of the simulation will be described later.

FIG. 4 shows a condition examination screen (histogram screen).
It is a figure showing the example of a display of.

This screen is displayed by selecting and confirming the display of the histogram, which is one of the function execution buttons 103 on the main screen.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the histogram screen, an examination condition display section 111, an image display section 112, a histogram display section 114, a condition change button 116, a simulation execution button 117, and a return button 118 to the main screen are provided. Can be The image display unit 112 and the histogram display unit 114 respectively have the condition display fields 11
3,115 are provided. The latest image corresponding to the examination condition is displayed on the image display unit 112, and a histogram of the latest image is displayed on the histogram display unit 114.
The horizontal axis of the histogram display unit 114 is the luminance, and the vertical axis is the frequency of the luminance. Further, the histogram display section 114 shows an appropriate area of the luminance range corresponding to the characteristics of the CCD device 5 and the like.

As shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2, when the conditions have been sufficiently examined and it is determined that the camera user does not need to input any more examination conditions (s6), the examination conditions are changed. It is determined whether or not to reflect the actual photographing (s7).

When the examination conditions are not reflected, (s
7), the condition examination screen is closed, the conditions are appropriately set according to the judgment of the camera user, and the actual photographing or the like is executed (s9).

On the other hand, when the examination conditions are reflected, the reflection condition reflection button on the condition examination screen (main) is selected and confirmed, and the latest examination conditions at that time are stored in the examination condition storage unit 5.
4 and set in the photographing condition setting unit 33 of the photographing control unit 31 (s8). Although not shown in FIG. 2, the camera user may further perform the condition study (s3 to s5) and reflect the study condition again.

When the conditions for the main photographing are determined, the condition examination screen is closed, and the main photographing and the like are executed under the photographing conditions set in the photographing condition setting section 33 (s9).

In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the overall processing of this embodiment has been described. Next, the condition examination processing (s2 to s6) in FIG. 2 will be described more specifically.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the condition examination processing in this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, first, the condition examination image (main) is displayed (t1; s2 in FIG. 2), and it is determined whether or not the examination condition items (exposure correction, ISO sensitivity, etc.) are changed. It is determined (t2). When the examination condition item is changed, an image corresponding to the latest examination condition is used as the first reference image in the examination condition as the image display unit 104 in the upper left column.
(T3). This change operation is performed by selecting and confirming shooting conditions other than the examination conditions at that time in the condition display / setting unit 102. Note that, at the very beginning, the preliminary photographed image is displayed as the reference image.

Next, when the examination condition selected at that time is input (t4; yes), it is determined whether or not a simulation is necessary to obtain an image corresponding to the examination condition (t5). If no in step t4, the process proceeds to step t11. Step t4 includes a process of inputting a study condition and a process of determining whether a study condition has been input.

Next, when a simulation is required (t5), a simulation for obtaining an image corresponding to the examination condition is executed by the simulation unit 61 (t6), and the simulation image is displayed together with the examination condition on the image display unit 104. (T7). On the other hand, if the examination condition input in step s4 is a photometric area, a focused area, or the like and simulation is not required (t5), the designated range such as the photometric area created by the designated The image is combined with the image to be displayed by the creating unit 43 and displayed on the image display unit 104 together with the image (t7).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing types of study conditions.

In the case of the study conditions for performing the simulation shown in FIG. 11, the processing of steps t6 and t7 is executed. Further, in the case of the examination condition in which the simulation is not performed, the processing of Step t8 is executed. In the case of specifying an area where no simulation is performed, the area can be specified in a spot, an area of an arbitrary size, or the entire screen.

Next, when the image display section 104 on the condition examination screen (main) becomes full (four places) by the image display at step t7 or t8, each display image is shifted, and the reference image becomes one. The condition is changed to a new one (t10).

Next, when a histogram is displayed (t11), a histogram process is executed, and a histogram screen shown in FIG. 4 is developed (t12). When returning to the main screen from the histogram screen, the process proceeds to step t13 (step s6 in FIG. 2). If histogram display is not performed in step t11, step t13
It is determined whether or not further condition examination is performed. If further conditions are to be considered, step t2
If not, the process proceeds to step s7 in FIG.

Next, the simulation processing will be described in detail.

The study conditions to be subjected to the simulation are shown in FIG. 6, which are further classified into three types as shown in FIG.

The first type is a simulation that can be realized by the functions of the image processing unit 8 and the compression / decompression unit 10, and includes a change in white balance conditions, a change in image quality, a change in the color table type, a change in the γ table, and the like. These processes are realized by the functions of the image processing unit 8 and the compression / decompression unit 10 at the request of the simulation request unit 62.
In addition, these can reproduce the same image as the real one by the A / D output data stored in the original image storage unit 51 of the study information holding unit 42 without actually performing the actual shooting.

The second type includes an exposure value (EV value), an aperture value (AV value), a shutter speed (TV value), and an ISO sensitivity (S
The image simulation is performed using the relationship (EV = AV + TV = SV + BV) between the V value) and the absolute value of the subject brightness (BV value). Exposure compensation and ISO
A simulation image is generated by changing the sensitivity. This simulation is executed by the simulation executing unit 63, and an image that is the same as that of the actual shooting is not always obtained, but an image that is likely to be large by the actual shooting is obtained.

In the third type, first, an area is specified on an image to be simulated, and then the first or second type of simulation is executed. For example, when specifying a photometry area, what kind of image can be obtained by performing photometry in a certain area. What kind of image can be obtained by designating an area where the white balance should be considered and further designating the color temperature of that area? Also,
For example, an image having a composition different from that of the preliminary captured image is obtained by digital zoom. In order to execute the third type of simulation, it is necessary to specify an area. A subject background specification screen (FIG. 9
14) and an area designation screen (not shown) are prepared. In the case of slow synchro shooting or data light synchro shooting shown in FIG. 6, an exposure simulation is performed for each of the main subject and the background. Therefore, in this case, the exposure relational expression is used as in the case of the second type.

Next, the processing flow for this simulation will be described. That is, step t6 in FIG.
Is the contents of the processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating details of the simulation processing.

When the simulation is started, first,
The simulation unit 61 extracts all the latest examination conditions from the preliminary photographing condition storage unit 53 and the study condition storage unit 54 of the study condition storage unit 41 (u1).

Next, it is determined whether or not the simulation is possible for the examination condition item to be simulated based on the latest processed image (display image) (u2).

If simulation is possible, (u
2) The latest processed image is extracted from the processed image storage unit 52 of the study condition holding unit 42 as the original image data for simulation (u3).

In some cases, such as for improving the image quality, it is not possible to execute a simulation based on a pre-shot image or a processed image after image processing. In this case (u2), A / D output image data that has not been subjected to any image processing is extracted from the original image storage unit 51 of the study condition holding unit 42 as original image data for simulation (u4).

Next, it is determined whether or not there is a portion where the simulation processing is performed by the image processing section 8 or the compression / decompression section 10 as in the first type (u5). here,
When executed by the image processing unit 8 or the like (u5), the simulation request unit 62 sends a request for simulation together with necessary conditions such as original image data and shooting conditions, and the simulation is executed (u6).

Next, when a process that cannot be executed by the image processing unit 8 or the like is included (u7), the simulation is executed by the simulation execution unit 63 (u).
8).

The simulation image finally obtained is stored in the processed image storage unit 52 as the latest processed image, and sent to the screen creating unit 43 as an image to be displayed on the image display unit 104 or the like (u9). The screen creating unit 4 creates and displays a display screen using the received processing screen (step t7 in FIG. 5).

Although various processes have been described above for examining the conditions, it is necessary to execute special condition input processing such as designation of a main subject and simulation processing corresponding to the flash synchro mode for flash photography control. Therefore, these will be described in more detail.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing when the condition study input is subject designation.

The process shown in FIG. 13 shows the process of step t5 in the flowchart of FIG.

That is, after the condition examination items are determined in step t2 or t3 in FIG. 5, it is first determined whether or not examination conditions are input (v1). If no study condition is input, the process proceeds to step t11 in FIG. On the other hand, when the examination condition is input, the process proceeds to step v2.

In step v2, the type of the examination condition item is determined, and if the type is "strobe mode designation" shown in FIG. 3 and "slow synchro" shooting or "daylight synchro" shooting has been selected. , The subsequent processes of steps v3 to v9 are executed, and the main subject is designated. On the other hand, when the type of the study condition item is other than the above, study condition input corresponding to each item is performed (v1
0), and proceed to step t5 in FIG.

When the process proceeds from step v2 to step v3, first, the subject background designation screen is expanded and displayed from the main screen (v3).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of a subject background designation screen.

As shown in the figure, the subject background designation screen includes an examination condition display section 121, an image display section 122, a subject frame display button 123, and a background frame display button 1
24, a frame position change button 125, a size change button 126, a frame cancel button 127, and a return button 128 for returning to the main screen. From this screen, it is possible to specify the area of the main subject portion and the background portion. Here, a simulation is performed later for each of the designated main subject area and the background area.

First, when the subject frame display button 123 is selected with the operation key 25 and confirmed with the decision key 26, the subject (main subject) frame 131 is displayed on the image displayed on the image display unit 122 (FIG. 8: v4). When the position change button 125 is selected and confirmed, the subject frame 131 can be moved by the operation keys 25. When the size change button 126 is selected and confirmed, the subject frame 131 can be resized by the operation keys 25. Note that when the determination key 26 is pressed in the movable state or the size changeable state, the state of the subject frame 131 is determined. In this manner, the subject frame 13
1, that is, the position and size of the main subject area are specified (v5).

Next, when the background frame display button 124 is selected and confirmed, the background frame 132 is displayed on the image (v6).

The position and size of the background frame 132 are specified by the position change button 125 and the size change button 126 in the same manner as for the subject frame 131 (v7), and the background area is determined.

In the subject background designating method of the present embodiment, the main subject cannot be completely separated from the background.
The main subject and a partial area of the background are cut out by a frame of a predetermined shape (square), and the cut out portion is simulated (FIGS. 11 and 12).

If it is necessary to further modify one or both of the designated area of the main subject and the background (v8), the process returns to step v4 and the processes of steps v4 to v7 are repeated. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to correct the designated area (v
8), the return button 128 is selected and confirmed, and the screen returns to the main condition examination screen (v9). Then, the process proceeds to the simulation process (FIG. 5: t5, t6).

When the daylight synchro or the slow synchro is specified as the strobe mode condition, the simulation is executed in a different way in the main subject area and the background area. However, as described above, the exposure value (EV) is a value between the aperture value (AV), the shutter speed (TV), the film sensitivity value (SV), and the subject brightness absolute value (BV). There is a relationship of SV + BV, and the point that the simulation is executed based on this relationship is the same as in the normal exposure simulation.

Slow synchro: Simulation is performed for the main subject ignoring the shutter speed, and for the background, simulation is performed ignoring the flash emission.
In night photography using slow sync, the surroundings are dark, so the effect of the shutter speed can be neglected for a main subject (short distance) that is strongly affected by the strobe light, while the strobe light does not reach a distant background.

Daylight synchro: Simulation for main subject taking into account all factors, and for background, simulation ignoring strobe light emission.
This is because the background portion is far and the strobe light does not reach and can be ignored.

Based on the above concept, step u8 in FIG. 7, which is the main processing of the simulation execution in the case of slow synchro or daylight synchro, will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of step u8 in FIG. 7 in the stage of executing the flash photography simulation.

First, it is determined whether the flash mode is data write sync or slow sync (w).
1) In the case of daylight sync, a simulation is executed for the area in the background frame based on the latest processed image information and shooting conditions while ignoring the strobe effect (w2). Further, a simulation is performed on the area within the subject frame based on the latest processed image information and the shooting conditions while considering the strobe effect (w3).

On the other hand, in the case of slow synchronization in step w1, a simulation is executed for the area in the background frame based on the latest processed image information and photographing conditions while ignoring the strobe effect (w4).
Further, with respect to the area in the subject frame, a simulation is executed based on the latest processed image information and the shooting conditions while considering the strobe effect and ignoring the shutter speed (w5).

Although not particularly shown, if neither daylight synchronization nor slow synchronization is performed in step w1, the corresponding simulation is executed without considering the conditions of steps w2 to w5.

Further, the fact that the daylight synchro shooting or the slow synchro shooting is performed does not necessarily require that the condition examination item at that time be the strobe mode. If data writing or slow synchro is set in the strobe mode at a certain stage, and the main subject area and the background area are designated, unless the conditions are canceled, the subsequent simulations are performed on these conditions as a whole.
Therefore, for example, after designating data write sync, the examination condition item is changed to strobe light amount correction, and various simulations are performed (FIG. 11). For example, after designating slow sync, various simulations are performed using the shutter speed as a study condition. (FIG. 12).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a simulation execution example when the daylight sync photographing conditions are set.

In the example shown in the figure, when the flash light amount correction value is set to ± 0 in daylight synchro photography, the face of the main subject becomes too bright, so the simulation is performed with the flash light amount correction value set to −2. As a result, an image with no overexposure of the face portion of the main subject can be obtained.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a simulation execution example when the slow synchro photographing condition is set.

In the example shown in the figure, if the shutter speed is increased in slow light synchro photography, the background becomes too dark, so the shutter speed is reduced. In this case,
It can be seen that the background portion can be photographed to some extent bright without largely changing the main subject.

As described above, the main subject and the background area are designated using the subject background designation screen, and various related examination conditions are examined by executing the simulation.

Various examination conditions (photographing conditions) including the strobe mode conditions thus obtained are set in the photographing control unit 33 as the photographing conditions of the main photographing. As a result, the exposure control and the strobe light emission control by the exposure control unit 78 and the strobe control unit 77 are executed in the main photographing based on the set area designation conditions.

In the main photographing, in order to sufficiently reflect the examination result, the same composition (screen configuration) as the preliminary photographing is used.
It is desirable that the photographing be performed.

The first countermeasure against this is to fix the camera on a tripod from the preliminary photographing to the end of the main photographing.
In other words, all the conditions are examined while the tripod is fixed.

The second method is a preliminary photographed image edge display section 7
5, the end image in the preliminary photographed image is displayed on the EVF liquid crystal panel 73 or the EVF of the image display liquid crystal panel 14 as a frame guide, and the actual subject is matched with the preliminary photographed image using the frame guide.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a frame guide on the EVF.

FIG. 14A shows a state where the displayed frame guide 131 does not match the current EVF image. On the other hand, FIG. 13B shows a state where the frame guide 141 matches the actual EVF image.

In the second method, the frame guide 14
1, the main photographed image and the preliminary photographed image can be matched, so that it is not necessary to fix the camera to a tripod between the preliminary photographing and the main photographing.

Further, as a modification of the second method, EVF
It is also conceivable to display a preliminary captured image on the image as an overlay.

Next, the condition examination process of FIG. 2 (s2 to s6)
In FIG. 5, a description will be given of a portion whose description is omitted.

In FIG. 3, the function execution button 103 includes a “preliminary photographed image display button” and a “designated range display button”.
And “enlargement / reduction buttons”. By selecting and confirming these, corresponding functions are executed. When the "preliminary photographed image display button" is selected and confirmed, the preliminary photographed image is displayed as the reference image, and the condition can be examined again. When the “specified range display button” is selected and confirmed, an area such as a focus area is displayed on the image on the image display unit 103. Further, when the “enlarge / reduce button” is selected and confirmed, the latest display image is enlarged and displayed. For example, the display image is enlarged to the size of four of the image display unit 104 in FIG. The processing corresponding to each function execution button 103 is performed between steps s2 and s3, between s5 and s6, and s in FIG.
It may be performed at any time between 6 and s7.

As described above, the electronic camera according to the embodiment of the present invention displays the preliminary photographing result on the liquid crystal panel, and can input the corrected photographing condition (consideration condition) while checking the preliminary photographed image. In addition, since the image simulation is performed by designating the main subject and the background part in the preliminary photographed image respectively, even if photographing is performed using a strobe, delicate conditions for actual photographing are set. It can be performed.

Further, since the studied photographing conditions can be set in the photographing condition setting section 33 and reflected in the actual photographing,
It is possible to easily set the photographing conditions of the main photographing, and it is possible to carry out from the preliminary photographing to the examination of the conditions and further to the main photographing by a series of flow processing.

Therefore, even when full-scale photographing is performed by an electronic camera, the photograph expression desired by the photographer can be easily realized.

Further, since quick condition setting can be performed, C
It is possible to easily correct the photographing conditions corresponding to the characteristics of the CD device. In addition, even in an electronic camera having a narrow latitude (exposure latitude) of a CCD device, it is possible to appropriately set conditions for actual photographing.

(Second Embodiment of the Invention) In the first embodiment, the simulation of the entire image is not possible by completely separating the main subject from the background portion. In the present embodiment, the main subject can be completely extracted and separated from the examination image so that the entire image can be simulated even in the case of daylight synchro.

The electronic camera of this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a subject extracting function by image processing is added to the designated range creating section 45 of the condition study screen creating section 41.

The designated range creating section 45 operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In addition, when a subject background separation execution input is made, the designated range creating section 45 performs edge detection processing, color spread direction detection, and the like on the subject at the frame position. Image processing is performed, and the range of the designated subject is specified to be a main subject area.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a subject background designation screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the subject background designation screen is replaced with the subject background separation execution button 130 instead of the size change button.
And the same configuration as the subject background designation screen of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

In this designation screen, when the subject frame display button 124 is selected and confirmed, the subject frame 131 is displayed as shown in FIG. When the position of this frame 131 is determined according to the main subject and the subject background separation execution button 130 is selected and executed, FIG.
As shown in (b), image processing is performed on the selected subject, and the subject area is specified.

[0139] This subject specification can be executed for a plurality of subjects. For example, in FIG. 14B, the subject area is designated for the middle person among the three persons, but the subject area can be designated for the other two persons by repeating the same processing as described above. .

In the above case, the main subject side is designated and subjected to image processing for extraction and separation. By selecting and confirming the background frame display button, the background side is designated. The background area can be extracted and separated. Also in this case, a plurality of backgrounds can be specified.

In the present embodiment, the region conditions of the subject background are set as described above, and the operation is the same as in the first embodiment. Note that when the simulation is performed, it is determined that all the areas other than the part where the main subject is designated are the background areas. Therefore, unlike the case of FIGS. 11 and 12 of the first embodiment, the simulation can be performed for the entire image. it can. The same applies to the case where the background side is specified.

As described above, the electronic camera according to the embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and furthermore, the range of the designated main subject is designated by the designated range creation unit 45.
, And the photographing conditions are set with the specified range as the designated area, so that the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the area is automatically adjusted according to the main subject shape. You can make a specification. Therefore, a simulation of slow synchro or daylight synchro shooting can be executed for the entire image, thereby making it possible to set shooting conditions more easily and accurately.

(Third Embodiment of the Invention) This embodiment provides a second method for completely separating a main subject from a background portion. In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the main subject can be completely extracted and separated from the examination image, so that the entire image can be simulated even in the case of daylight synchro or the like.

The electronic camera of this embodiment captures the first image without firing the strobe in response to the 1st release which is the shooting preparation input at the time of flash shooting, and switches to the 2nd release which is the shooting execution input. Correspondingly, the photographing control unit 31 includes a photographing execution unit (not shown) for emitting a second image by emitting a strobe light, and further includes a first captured image captured by the photographing execution unit and a second captured image. And a subject separation unit (not shown) for extracting a subject region and a background region by comparing the captured image with the first and second images using the subject and background extracted by the subject separation unit.
In addition to being configured to be able to execute various simulations in the second embodiment, it is configured similarly to the first embodiment.

More specifically, the subject separating means determines that the place where the brightness changes in the first captured image and the second captured image is the main subject. This is because the background portion is hardly affected by the strobe light emission at night photography or the like. Also, in the main subject determination, if there is only a change below a certain threshold even if there is a change in brightness, that part is determined to be the background. By appropriately adjusting the threshold value, appropriate subject separation can be performed.

As described above, the electronic camera according to the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, and further includes a photographing execution unit and a subject separation unit, and includes first and second images. Since the location where the brightness has changed by a certain amount or more during the capture is determined to be the main subject, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the subject to photography can be obtained.
The background can be easily and reliably separated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the process of FIG. 2, when no is determined in step s6, that is, when all the conditions have been examined, the examination conditions are reflected for the actual photographing. It is not limited to such cases. During the examination of the conditions between steps s3 to s6, the examination conditions at that point may be appropriately reflected for the actual photographing.

In the condition examination screen shown in FIG. 3, the image display unit 104 can display four images. However, if the number of images is large, one image becomes small.
The image may be displayed.

The method described in the embodiment can be implemented by a computer (computer) as a program (software means) such as a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.)
It can be stored in a recording medium such as an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, etc.), semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and can also be transmitted and distributed via a communication medium. The program stored on the medium side includes a setting program for causing the computer to execute software means (including not only the execution program but also tables and data structures) to be executed in the computer. A computer that realizes the present apparatus reads a program recorded on a recording medium, and in some cases, constructs software means by using a setting program, and executes the above-described processing by controlling the operation of the software means. In addition,
The recording medium referred to in this specification is not limited to a medium for distribution, but also includes a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or a semiconductor memory provided in a computer or a device connected via a network.

[0151]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera capable of setting delicate conditions for actual photographing even when photographing using a strobe. Can be.

Further, according to the present invention, even when photographing is performed using a strobe, delicate conditions for actual photographing can be set, and the photographing conditions can be easily set. An electronic camera capable of being provided can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a schematic operation in the electronic camera of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a display example of a condition examination screen (main screen).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a condition examination screen (histogram screen).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a condition examination process in detail.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing types of study conditions.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating details of a simulation process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing when the condition study input is subject specification.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a display example of a subject background designation screen.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of step u8 in FIG. 7 at the stage of executing the flash photography simulation.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a simulation execution example when daylight synchro shooting conditions are set.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a simulation execution example when slow synchro shooting conditions are set.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a frame guide on the EVF.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a subject background designation screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic camera 2 ... Lens system 3 ... Aperture 4 ... Shutter 5 ... CCD device 6 ... Imaging circuit 7 ... A / D converter 8 ... Image processing unit 9 ... Buffer memory 10 ... Compression / expansion unit 11 ... Interface 12 ... Recording medium DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Liquid crystal control part 14 ... Image display liquid crystal panel 21 ... System controller 22 ... AF mechanism 23 ... Strobe control circuit 24 ... Release button 25 ... Operation key 26 ... Confirm button 31 ... Shooting control part 32 ... Preliminary shooting / examination control part 33 … Photographing condition setting unit 41… condition study screen creation unit 42… study information storage unit 43… screen creation unit 44… histogram creation unit 45… designated range creation unit 46… condition reception unit 47… study condition extraction unit 51… original image retention Unit 52: processed image holding unit 53: preliminary photographing condition holding unit 54: examination condition holding unit 61: simulation unit 62 ... Simulation requesting unit 63 Simulation execution unit 71 Finder image generation unit 72 Liquid crystal control unit 73 EVF liquid crystal panel 75 Preliminary photographed image end display unit 77 Strobe control unit 78 Exposure control unit 101 Examination condition display unit 102 ... condition display / setting unit 103 ... function execution button 104 ... image display unit 111 ... examination condition display unit 112 ... image display unit 114 ... histogram display unit 116 ... condition change button 117 ... simulation execution button 118 ... return button to the main screen 121 ... Examination condition display section 122 ... Image display section 123 ... Subject frame display button 124 ... Background frame display button 125 ... Frame position change button 126 ... Size change button 127 ... Frame cancel button 128 ... Return button to the main screen 130 ... Subject Background Execution button 131 ... object frame 132 ... background frame 141 ... frame guide

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 19/02 G03B 19/02 5C023 H04N 5/225 H04N 5/225 FA 5/238 5/238 Z 5 / 262 5/262 5/265 5/265 F-term (reference) 2H002 AB04 CD12 CD13 DB02 DB06 DB24 FB02 FB22 FB27 FB51 FB55 FB56 FB57 FB70 FB84 GA26 GA27 GA28 GA68 HA11 JA07 2H053 AA01 AB03 AD21 AD23 DA03 2H054 AA01 A02A102A AA08 AA22 AA23 AA41 AA42 AA52 AA57 AA66 AA71 AB17 AB21 BA01 BA27 BB08 BB22 CA01 5C022 AA13 AB03 AB12 AB15 AB17 AB28 AC01 AC03 AC11 AC13 AC42 AC51 AC69 5C023 AA02 AA06 AA07 AA08 AA11 AA31 AA08 AA31 AA08 AA11 AA08 AA11 AA18 AA11 AA18 AA11

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electronic camera for photographing a subject with a semiconductor image pickup device, comprising: an auxiliary light irradiating unit for irradiating the subject with auxiliary light; An input processing means for receiving a designation input of a subject main portion area and a subject background portion area on a captured image, and receiving a correction input of a shooting condition; a result of the preliminary shooting and a correction shooting condition received by the input processing means; Simulation means for executing a simulation for each of the subject main portion area and the subject background portion area, and acquiring images of the respective areas, and display means for displaying the preliminary photographed image or the simulation result image. An electronic camera, characterized in that: 2. An electronic camera for photographing a subject with a semiconductor image pickup device, wherein: an auxiliary light irradiating unit for irradiating the subject with auxiliary light; A photographing execution unit that performs first image capture without irradiation of auxiliary light when a preparation input is performed, and performs second light capture by irradiating auxiliary light when a photographing execution input is performed; An electronic camera, comprising: a subject separating unit that extracts a main part region of a subject by comparing a first captured image and a second captured image captured by a unit. 3. An input processing means for executing a preliminary photographing by the photographing executing means and receiving a correction input of a photographing condition when the second captured image is used as a preliminary photographed image; Based on the shooting result and the corrected shooting condition received by the input processing means, the subject main portion region and the subject background portion region, which is a portion obtained by subtracting the subject main portion region in the preliminary shot image, The electronic camera according to claim 2, further comprising: a simulation unit configured to execute a simulation to acquire an image of each area; and a display unit configured to display the preliminary photographed image or the simulation result image. 4. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising condition setting means for setting the corrected photographing condition for photographing. 5. The simulation means calculates brightness of the subject main part area based on an aperture value and a light emission amount of the auxiliary light irradiating means for the subject main part area. 5. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein brightness of the area is calculated based on the aperture value and a shutter speed. 6. The subject background area region is calculated based on an aperture value, a shutter speed, and a light emission amount of the auxiliary light irradiating unit for the subject main portion region. 5. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the brightness of the area is calculated based on the aperture value and the shutter speed.