JP2001257916A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera improved in operability capable of speedily, exactly and easily setting photographic conditions while holding various functions for image reproducing or the like. SOLUTION: This electronic camera is provided with plural condition class buttons 25, 26, 27... for designating the classes of photographic conditions to be set, at least two condition setting buttons 22 and 23 commonly corresponding to at least one photographic condition class for selectively inputting the photographic condition of a relevant class through turning operation in a class designating state concerning at least one photographic condition class among photographic condition classes capable of being designated by the plural condition class buttons, display means 7 for displaying images before and after photographing at least, and operation input means 24 one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally continuously located or provided for selecting the information of the image after photographing or the like and composed of two sets of vertical and horizontal input parts.

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 an operable portion of the camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electronic cameras have been highly digitized with the development of semiconductor technology, and various functions have been realized in relation to setting of photographing conditions, image reproduction after photographing, and the like. ing.

In addition to electronic cameras as well as silver halide cameras, various AF functions and AEs using semiconductor technology are applied.
A function is provided so that various photographing conditions can be set.

[0004] However, in the case of an electronic camera, since a captured image to be handled is electronic information, adjustment of ISO sensitivity, white balance processing, and the like can be performed electronically. Therefore, the number of items in which shooting conditions can be set is increasing as compared with silver halide cameras.

[0005] Further, in an electronic camera, it is possible to reproduce and display an image after photographing from a liquid crystal display device or the like provided in the camera main body. You can do. Various displays such as an electronic zoom display, an index display, and a slide show are also possible.

As described above, since the electronic camera is a combination of a programmable electronic device and an optical system, the electronic camera inherently has a larger number of functions than a silver halide camera, and
The number of functions is increasing in response to technological progress.

In a conventional electronic camera, a menu screen for selecting a function is displayed on a liquid crystal panel, and a function displayed on the menu is selected and confirmed by a direction selection input device such as a cross key, thereby increasing the number of functions. It corresponds to.

[0008]

Originally, cameras are animals,
It is used for photographing objects having movements and changes such as humans, vehicles, and landscapes. In order to capture an image of a moving or changing subject without missing a photo opportunity, it is necessary to set shooting conditions quickly and accurately.

However, in the method of selecting a function from the menu screen using the cross key, it is difficult to quickly set photographing conditions. As the number of functions of the camera increases, the number of sub-menu layers also increases, and operability is further increased. become worse.

Further, recent cameras are provided with automatic photographing modes such as a program photographing mode, and ordinary camera users often photograph in a program mode. The more the user performs, the more variously the photographing conditions are changed according to the subject. That is, the operability is required to be higher for a camera that can set a wider variety of shooting conditions. This is in order to enable quick and easy setting of the conditions so as not to miss a photo opportunity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has good operability to quickly, accurately and easily set photographing conditions while retaining various functions such as image reproduction. It is intended to provide an electronic camera.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera for photographing a subject in accordance with a plurality of set photographing conditions, and reproducing and displaying the photographed image. In the electronic camera, a plurality of condition type buttons for specifying the type of shooting condition to be set, and one or more shooting condition types among the shooting condition types that can be specified by the plurality of condition type buttons, in the type specification state. Two or more condition setting dials commonly corresponding to one or more shooting condition types for selectively inputting shooting conditions of the type by being rotated, and display means for displaying at least the image after shooting; Provided for selecting information such as an image after photographing that is continuously arranged or displayed in one dimension or two dimensions, and one set of left, right, top and bottom, or top, bottom, left and right An electronic camera and an operation input means comprising a set of input unit.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, it is possible to provide an electronic camera with good operability that can set shooting conditions quickly, accurately and easily while retaining various functions such as image reproduction. . That is, an electronic camera has a microprocessor, a liquid crystal panel, etc., and has various functions such as reproduction and processing of a reproduced image. a lot. The large number of functions makes it difficult to operate quickly and reliably. Therefore, in the electronic camera, a device for facilitating operability is required more than the silver halide camera. The present invention pays attention to this point, and the condition setting of the photographing system can be quickly and easily set by performing a combination of a condition type button and a condition setting dial, and two or more dials having the same function are arranged, The dial to be used can be selected according to the shooting situation and the photographer's preference. In addition, the electronic camera having various functions can be easily operated by using the operation input means (cross key) for reproduction after shooting and other operations.

A second invention for solving the problem is the electronic camera according to the first invention, wherein the condition setting dial is provided on a front surface and a rear surface of a camera housing, respectively.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, it is possible to more easily cope with the photographer's preference and photographing situation. That is, the condition setting dial is mainly operated by the index finger or the thumb. Which finger is easier to use depends on the person. Therefore, a dial is provided on the front surface of the housing in response to the forefinger operation, and on the rear surface of the housing in response to the thumb operation. There is also a dial that is easy to turn depending on the position of the button. Therefore, it is easier to use if they are commonly used.

Next, a third aspect of the present invention for solving the problem is as described in the first aspect, wherein the information selected by the operation input means from the menu screen displayed on the display means is:
The electronic camera is provided with a confirmation button for confirming the selection.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, the combination of the selection and confirmation button and the operation input means enables
Various selections and confirmations of the camera function as well as the selection of the reproduced image can be made.

A fourth invention for solving the problem is the electronic camera according to the first invention, further comprising a mode selection dial for selecting a camera state such as a photographing mode and a reproduction mode.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, quick and easy mode selection can be performed by the condition setting dial, and operability is further improved.

Next, a fifth invention for solving the problem is the fourth invention, wherein the two or more condition setting dials are:
Further, when a specific photographing mode such as a manual photographing mode is selected by a mode selection dial, the electronic camera corresponds to different photographing conditions such as an aperture and a shutter speed.

Since the present invention is provided with such means, it is possible to quickly set conditions while ensuring good operability even in a manual photographing mode having two setting parameters. it can.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration example of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the electronic camera 1, the light beam from the subject is
And is incident on the CCD of the photographing processing system 3 via the. The output from the CCD is A / D converted and output from the photographing processing system 3, and the A / D converted output is image-processed by the image processing controller 4 and recorded in the recording system 5 including a memory card and the like. It has become so.

The photographing processing system 3 includes a CCD, an imaging circuit, an A / D converter, and the like, and the recording system 5 includes a recording medium such as a memory card interface and a memory card body. As a recording medium, in addition to a memory card, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or a floppy (registered trademark) disk, or a magneto-optical disk such as an MO may be used. Although not shown, an image buffer including a RAM or the like is provided, and the image processing controller 4 uses the image buffer to perform image processing such as white balance processing, color processing, gamma correction, and sharpness adjustment.
EG compression processing and expansion processing are executed.

The image recorded on the memory card and the image processed can be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 7 for reproduction via the LCD driver 6. In addition, the reproduction liquid crystal panel 7 can display various images such as an image display at the time of panorama synthesis, an index display, and an electronic zoom display of the reproduction image.

On the reproduction liquid crystal panel 7, in addition to the reproduced image,
A menu screen is displayed, and various settings such as processing input and time setting relating to a captured image such as image reproduction, image processing, and deletion can be performed from the menu.

Various photographing-related information such as a photographing mode, photographing conditions, and the number of remaining photographable images is displayed on the control panel 8. A part of the photographing-related information is also displayed from the reproduction liquid crystal panel 7 and the finder information liquid crystal panel 9. The electronic camera 1 is an optical viewfinder (O
VF), and the finder information liquid crystal panel 9 is provided in a part of a finder display section 10 for displaying an image from the finder optical system 11.

The electronic camera 1 is provided with a system controller 13 for realizing an operation according to the operation of the photographer.

The system controller 13 is connected to the input unit 12
In accordance with the operation input from the CPU, the respective sections 2 to 9 are controlled in order to perform photographing / reproduction mode setting, photographing condition setting, photographing execution, image recording, reproduction display, reproduction image processing, and the like.

The control includes AF (automatic focusing), shutter speed setting, continuous shooting / single shooting setting, AE (automatic exposure), metering mode, exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity, white balance, strobe control, CCD control, In addition to image processing control such as image processing instructions, recording control, and image quality setting (hereinafter referred to as shooting-related control), playback image display, display image selection, electronic zoom,
Index display, panorama composition, image protection, control related to image display and processing such as image deletion (hereinafter referred to as playback-related control), and furthermore, clock setting, beep sound setting, print reservation setting, LCD panel brightness adjustment, etc. (Hereinafter referred to as other various setting controls).

In the electronic camera of this embodiment, the above three types of control (photography-related control, reproduction-related control, and other various setting controls) exist, and the method of inputting settings and operations differs depending on the control type.

The input related to the photographing-related control is performed by a condition setting dial and a condition type button. Such a setting process is called a photographing condition setting process. On the other hand, inputs related to the reproduction-related control and other various setting controls are performed from a menu screen displayed on the reproduction liquid crystal panel 7, and such setting processing is referred to as reproduction-related / other processing. The system controller 13 executes each of these setting processes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the system controller and the input unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input unit 12 is composed of a number of input devices such as buttons, dials, and keys. The appearance of each input device is shown in FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the appearance of the electronic camera of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the appearance of the electronic camera of the present embodiment.

The input devices shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 will be described.

Each input device is classified into several types according to its function and form.

1) Mode selection dial 21: Sets the camera status. The modes include a shooting mode (manual shooting mode M, shutter speed priority mode S, aperture priority mode A, program shooting mode P), playback mode, and print mode prt.

2) Operation dial: Also called a condition setting dial, there are a main dial 22 and a sub dial 23.
The sub dial 23 is provided for a person operating with the index finger, and the main dial 22 is provided for a person operating the thumb. The two dials 22 and 23 are for basically performing the same operation input, and one of them is used according to the photographer's preference. Shooting-related conditions are set by any of the operation dials and buttons or the combination of the mode selection dial and the operation dial (shooting condition setting processing).

3) Cross key 24: This is a two-dimensional direction selection input device, which can be selectively input in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. Used for selecting a playback image and selecting items on a menu screen (reproduction-related / other processing).

4) Various buttons: Buttons (a) related to setting of photographing conditions used in combination with the operation dial, buttons related to image reproduction or other various settings used in combination with the cross key 24, and buttons (b) thereof There is a button (c) having a certain function by itself.

The button (a) is a drive button 2
5. Flash switching button 26, WB mode set button 27, WB input button 28, image quality mode setting button 2
9, an SM / CF button 30, a +/- button 31, a photometric button 32, and the like.

The buttons (b) include an OK button (confirmation button) 33, a menu button 34, a protect button 35, a DEL button 36, an index button 37, and the like.

The release button 3 is used as the button (c).
8, backlight button 39, LCD monitor ON / OFF
There is a button 40 and the like.

FIG. 2 shows the relationship between each input device of the input section 12 and each function of the system controller 13.

As shown in the figure, the system controller 13 is provided with a photographing condition setting processing section 45, a reproduction-related / other processing section 46, and a mode switching processing section 47. In addition, the system controller 13 also accepts an operation input for the function realized by the button (c) and executes the corresponding control, but is not shown in FIG.

The photographing condition setting processing section 45 performs the above-described photographing condition setting processing, and realizes input reception by a combination of an operation dial of the main dial 22 or the sub dial 23 and a button. Also,
The photographing condition setting processing unit 45 includes a condition setting dial input receiving unit 48, and adjusts an input from the main dial 22 and an input from the sub dial 23.

The condition setting dial input receiving unit 48 receives input states of the main dial 22 and the sub dial 23, and performs dial input according to the dial setting position. Each setting function of the photographing condition setting processing unit 45 (not shown) Give to. The inputs from the two operation dials 22 and 23 are basically equivalent and realize the same function. That is, while various buttons (condition type buttons) are being pressed, parameter setting corresponding to the buttons can be performed by the operation dial. When none of the condition type buttons is pressed, the operation dial is a dial for changing the shutter speed and the aperture value in the shooting mode.

At this time, the condition setting dial input receiving unit 4
Reference numeral 8 assigns the function of the operation dial as follows.
First, when the mode selection dial 21 is set to the program shooting mode P, the main / sub dial 2
Each of the functions 2 and 23 functions to select a combination of an aperture value and a shutter speed. When the mode selection dial 21 is set to the aperture priority mode A, both the main / sub dials 22 and 23 allow an aperture value to be selected. Further, when the mode selection dial 21 is set to the shutter speed priority mode S, both the main / sub dials 22 and 23 select the shutter speed. Only in the manual shooting mode, the condition setting dial input receiving unit 48 assigns different functions to the main dial 22 for setting the shutter speed and the sub dial 23 for setting the aperture. In manual shooting, since there are two parameters to be set, each is dedicated. Note that the combination of main → shutter and sub → aperture in the manual shooting mode can be reversed by setting from the menu screen.

Any one of the operation dials is set as a default dial in the condition setting dial input receiving unit 48. The default dial setting is the menu screen, four-way controller 24 and OK button 3
Reproduction-related / other processing unit 46 by setting input via 3
Accepted at The default dial is a dial whose input is prioritized when the two operation dials 22 and 23 are operated simultaneously. Note that, as a modification, only the default operation dial of the main dial 22 and the sub dial 23 may be always enabled.

Further, in order to prevent confusion of the operation and to make the operation uniform, when an operation input is performed on either the main dial or the sub dial, the other is input within a predetermined short time (for example, about 2 seconds). Even if an operation input is made with the dial of, the condition setting dial input receiving unit 48 determines that the operation input is an erroneous operation and ignores the operation input.

The setting processing assigned to the photographing condition setting processing section 25 focuses on operability from the viewpoint of quick operation and easy photographing. This is because the photographing conditions can be quickly set in response to a change in the subject. Further, not only quickness but also operability such that operation can be performed without looking at the camera body as much as possible so that photographing can be continued while confirming a subject. This high-speed operability and confirmation-free operability are realized as a combination of a button-type input device and an operation dial, and the ability to display shooting conditions from the finder display unit 10.

That is, those who are familiar with the operation of the camera can immediately recognize the position and operate the buttons based on the relative relationship with the camera grip and the lens.
The operation dial can also be operated instantaneously by always putting a thumb or forefinger. The change condition by rotating the operation dial is displayed as a condition from the finder display unit 10, so that the condition can be confirmed without keeping an eye on the subject. In addition, even when the user checks his / her condition on the control panel while keeping his / her eyes away from the subject, the condition can be set in a very short time, so that there are few problems.

In the camera of the present embodiment, the same operation can be performed from either the main dial 22 or the sub dial 23, so that the condition can be freely changed and set according to the preference of the camera user and the situation of the subject. I can do it. As a modification, a second sub-dial having the same function as the sub-dial 23 may be provided on the bottom of the camera body. This second sub-dial is useful when the camera is rotated by 90 degrees for photographing.

In order to ensure quickness and easiness of the photographing-related operation, the photographing condition setting processing section 45 handles only the photographing condition setting-related processing as described above.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing examples of various processing types, input devices used for inputting the processing settings, and setting operation methods.

As shown in the figure, all the operations belonging to the processing related to the setting of the photographing conditions are performed by using the operation dials and buttons, and the operations performed by using the operation dials and buttons include: No extra processing other than photography-related is assigned.

Next, the reproduction-related / other processing section 46 performs the above-described reproduction-related / other processing, and corresponds to a case where a function is selected and input using the menu screen and the cross key 24. These do not require quick operation, such as image settings such as reproduction and deletion, and other settings. That is, the emphasis is on quick operation and easy operation even for unfamiliar inputs, rather than quick operation. Specifically, by following a hierarchically arranged sub-menu in accordance with the menu (sub-menu) instruction, it is possible to easily input an error-free operation. I can do it.

The main processing handled by the reproduction-related / other processing section 46 is shown in the items of reproduction-related and other various settings in FIG. In order to further improve the speed and operability of the shooting condition setting relationship, input functions other than those related to shooting are handled by the reproduction-related / other processing unit 46 as much as possible.

Next, the mode switching processing section 47 receives an input from the mode selection dial 21 and converts the input content into a photographing condition setting processing section 45 and a reproduction-related / other processing section 4.
6 is notified. Photographing condition setting processing unit 4
5 and the reproduction-related / other processing unit 46 execute various processes shown in FIG. 5 and the like in accordance with the notification and the input from another input device.

In the electronic camera configured as described above, the photographing and reproducing operations are performed by accepting the operation of the photographing system by any operation dial and various buttons, and the operations of the reproducing system and others by the menu screen and the cross key 24 and the like. Alternatively, it operates to realize various functions such as various settings.

As described above, the electronic camera according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with two operation dials, various condition type buttons, and the cross key 24, and separates the photographing condition system and the reproduction system from each other. Since the input is performed by the operation system, the photographing conditions can be set quickly, accurately, and easily while retaining many functions unique to the electronic camera such as image reproduction. In particular, since two operation dials having the same function are provided, optimal operation can be performed according to the photographer's preference and shooting conditions, and good operability can be ensured.

In the electronic camera of this embodiment, when the shooting mode is the manual shooting mode, the shutter speed is assigned to the main dial 22 and the aperture is assigned to the sub dial 23. , Aperture) can be set at the same time, and the parameters can be set in a short period of time.

When the shooting mode is aperture priority or shutter priority, there is only one parameter to be set, so the same function is assigned to both operation dials 22 and 23, and parameter setting can be performed from either dial. The possible benefits are obtained.

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

The method described in the embodiment includes, as programs (software means) which can be executed by a computer (computer), for example, a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO), semiconductor memory (R
OM, 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. The recording medium referred to in the present specification is not limited to a medium for distribution, but includes a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or a semiconductor memory provided in a computer or a device connected via a network.

[0068]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, an electronic camera with good operability that can set shooting conditions quickly, accurately and easily while retaining various functions such as image reproduction. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of a system controller and an input unit.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary top view showing the appearance of the electronic camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary rear view showing the appearance of the electronic camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of various types of processing, input devices used for inputting the processing settings, and setting operation methods thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electronic camera 2 photographic optical system 3 photographic processing system 4 image processing controller 5 recording system 6 LCD driver 7 liquid crystal panel for reproduction 8 control panel 9 finder information liquid crystal panel 10 finder display unit 11 Viewfinder optical system 12 Input unit 13 System controller 21 Mode selection dial 22 Main dial 23 Sub dial 24 Cross key 25 Drive button 26 Flash switch button 27 WB mode set button 28 WB input button 29 Picture quality mode setting button 30 ... SM / CF button 31 ... + /-button 32 ... Metering button 33 ... OK button 34 ... Menu button 35 ... Protect button 36 ... DEL button 37 ... Index button 38 ... Release button 39 ... Backlight button 4 ... LCD monitor ON / OFF button

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An electronic camera configured to photograph an object in accordance with a plurality of set photographing conditions and to reproduce and display an image after photographing, a plurality of condition types for specifying a type of photographing condition to be set. A button and, among one or more shooting condition types that can be specified by the plurality of condition type buttons, select and input a shooting condition in the type by performing a rotating operation in a type specifying state with respect to one or more shooting condition types Two or more condition setting dials commonly corresponding to one or more photographing condition types; display means for displaying at least the photographed image; and one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally continuously arranged or displayed after-photographing And operation input means provided for selecting information such as images of the above and provided with one set of left, right, up and down or two sets of up, down, left and right Electronic camera which is characterized. 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the condition setting dial is provided on each of a front surface and a rear surface of a camera housing. 3. The information selected by the operation input means from a menu screen displayed on the display means,
2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising a confirmation button for confirming the selection. 4. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising a mode selection dial for selecting a camera state such as a shooting mode and a reproduction mode. 5. The two or more condition setting dials further correspond to different photographing conditions such as an aperture and a shutter speed when a specific photographing mode such as a manual photographing mode is selected by the mode selection dial. The electronic camera according to claim 4, wherein the electronic camera is operated.