JP2002084444A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device that can photograph an object under a proper photographing condition in the case of photographing a multiplex image on the premises of image composite processing such as blur control processing. SOLUTION: The image pickup device is provided with an image pickup means having an aperture 48 and an image pickup element 3 and with a mode setting means 102 that can set a multiplex image photographing mode in addition to a usual image pickup mode. When the multiplex image photographing mode is set, a photographing condition different from a photographing condition in a usual photographing mode is selected and the image pickup means picks up images under the selected photographing condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera having a multiple image shooting mode in addition to a normal shooting mode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a digital camera, there is known a digital camera having a multiple image photographing mode for obtaining one composite image from a plurality of photographed images. For example, JP-A-10-10
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8057 discloses, as a digital camera, a configuration in which an omnifocal image is created using a multiplex image photographed with a predetermined aperture value. That is, for example, a plurality of images having different focal lengths focused on the foreground and the background, respectively, are captured, and an omnifocal image in which each of the plurality of subjects is focused is created from the plurality of images.

A digital camera having a function of creating a blur control image in which the degree of blur of a part of a subject such as a foreground or a background is adjusted is also known.

[0004]

By the way, in the conventional digital camera, the multiplex image photographing for creating the omnifocal image and the blur control image is performed by setting the aperture, the exposure time, and the like to the same under ordinary photographing conditions. Had been done.

For this reason, even when photographing under photographing conditions suitable for multiplex image photographing is desired, this cannot be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is an imaging apparatus capable of performing imaging under suitable imaging conditions when performing multiple image imaging on the premise of performing image synthesis processing such as blur control processing. An object is to provide a device.

[0007]

The object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup means having an aperture and an image pickup device, a mode setting means capable of setting a multiplex image photographing mode in addition to a normal photographing mode, and the multiplex image photographing mode being set. In this case, the image capturing apparatus is provided with an image capturing control unit that switches to an image capturing condition different from the image capturing condition in the normal image capturing mode and causes the image capturing unit to capture a plurality of images. You.

In this image pickup apparatus, when performing multiple image photographing on the premise of performing synthesis processing such as blur control processing, photographing is performed by switching to photographing conditions different from those in the normal photographing mode. For this reason, it is possible to shoot an image under suitable shooting conditions suitable for a desired synthesis process.

[0009] As a specific example, when the multiple image shooting mode is set, the imaging control means sets the aperture value so that the exposure time of the image sensor becomes as short as possible within a range where an appropriate exposure amount can be obtained. There is an example of switching to a combination of the above and the exposure time. In this case, blurring of the image is reduced in the blur control mode.

Further, the aperture value may be switched to a constant value. In this case, the aperture value may be set to the maximum value or may be opened. Further, the exposure amount of the image sensor may be controlled by the exposure time of the image sensor, or may be controlled by an exposure adjustment filter.

As still another example, when the multiple image shooting mode is set, the image pickup control means sets the exposure time of the image pickup element longer than the limit of the exposure time in the normal shooting mode. . In the case of combining a plurality of images, the influence of noise due to the image sensor is less likely to occur, so that the limit of the exposure time can be made longer than in the normal shooting mode.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are an external perspective view and a rear view, respectively, showing a digital camera to which an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a digital camera, which is provided with a photographing lens 2, a finder window 5, a distance measuring window 101, and the like on the front surface of a camera body 1A. A CCD 3 as an image sensor for photoelectrically converting the obtained optical image is provided on the optical path of the photographing lens 2. Further, a release (shutter) button 4, a shooting mode setting key 8, a liquid crystal display panel 9, and the like are provided on an upper surface of the camera body 1A.
In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes a recording medium for storing image data, and reference numeral 7 denotes a recording medium insertion opening formed on a side surface of the camera body 1A.

The photographing mode setting key 8 is used by the photographer to set exposure conditions such as aperture priority and shutter speed priority while switching the macro photography, and further perform zoom setting while looking at the liquid crystal display panel 9. .

As shown in FIG. 2, an image processing mode setting key 102, a liquid crystal monitor 103 as a viewfinder, an electronic buzzer 104, and the like are provided on the back of the camera body 1A. The image processing mode setting key 102
Used when the photographer sets the normal photographing mode, a combined image mode (multi-image photographing mode) for creating an all-focus image or a blur control image while watching the liquid crystal monitor 103, and sets the amount of blur. Is done.

This digital camera 1 can record image data captured by the CCD 3 on a recording medium 6 in the same manner as a normal camera, and also has a function of creating an all-focus image from a plurality of images having different focal lengths. It has a blur control function for creating a blur control image.
The function of creating the blur control image is activated by operating the image processing mode setting key 102 to set the blur control mode.

FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the digital camera 1 in the blur control mode and the like.
FIG. 1 shows a so-called perspective conflict scene in which subjects 10 and 11 are present on a P plane and a Q plane, respectively.
For simplicity of description, the subjects 10 and 11 are shown as planar charts. The image 12 is an image obtained by focusing on the P surface, and a circle in the chart 10 as the foreground is clearly seen, and a star in the chart 11 as the background is blurred.
On the other hand, the image 13 is obtained by focusing on the Q plane, and the circle of the chart 10 as the foreground is blurred, and the mark of the chart 11 as the background is clearly shown.

In the composite image mode, these two images 1
From images 2 and 13, images 14 and 15 are created. The image 14 is a so-called all-in-focus image in which both the subjects 10 and 11 are focused. On the other hand, the image 15 is the chart 11 as the background.
Is a blur control image in which the degree of blur of the chart 10 as the foreground is emphasized more than the image 13 while focusing on.

Thus, in this digital camera 1,
An all-focus image or a blur control image in which the foreground or background blur is arbitrarily changed can be obtained from two or more images of the same scene shot with different focus planes (focus positions). .

The principle of creating an all-in-focus image is described in Patent Registration No. 28
No. 83648 and JP-A-10-108057, and a method of controlling the degree of blur is as follows.
JP-A-9-200508, and further, Kubota and Aizawa: "Registration Considering Rotation of Multi-Focus Image and High-Speed Reconstruction of Arbitrary-Focus Image by Inverse Filtering Method," IEICE-25 / IE99-25 (1999-07). ), Etc., and are well-known, so that the description is omitted here.

Further, in the above description, the distance distribution of the subject is two in the foreground and the background, and two images are taken. However, the distance distribution may be three in the foreground, the background, and the middle. It may be the above.

To use the function of creating an omnifocal image or a blur control image, an image processing mode setting key 10 is used.
2 can be set.

When the composite image mode is set by the image processing mode setting key 102 and the degree of blur is operated, the amount of blur is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 103 as “foreground focus, background blur large”, “foreground focus, background blur small”. , "Large foreground blur, focus on background", "small foreground blur, focus on background", and "all focus", so that the photographer can select a desired setting.

For example, to obtain the image 14, "all focus" may be set, and to obtain the image 15, "foreground blur large, background in-focus" may be set.

By the way, in the blur control mode,
Since the image expression effect by the aperture is performed in image processing after photographing, the setting of the aperture value can be determined regardless of the photographer's intention. In other words, by setting the shooting conditions such as the combination of the aperture and the exposure time to be different from the shooting conditions in the normal shooting mode, the blur control process can be simplified, the effect of the blur control can be increased, and the shooting conditions can be improved. And can be enlarged.

First, in the blur control mode,
A case in which no restriction is imposed on the aperture setting will be described.

The cause of the image not being sharp is not only blur but also image blur. Therefore, in the blur control process, it is impossible to determine whether the cause of the image not being sharp is a decrease in the sharpness due to the blur or a decrease in the sharpness due to the blur. The amount of exposure of the image sensor is determined by the aperture value and the exposure time of the image sensor.From the combination of the shortest exposure time and minimum aperture value to the combination of the longest exposure time and maximum aperture value, the aperture value and exposure By appropriately selecting a combination with time, it is possible to shoot with an appropriate exposure.

In order to reduce the image blur in the case where the aperture setting is not restricted in the blur control mode, the exposure time of the image pickup element (also referred to as the exposure integration time or simply the integration time) is set as much as possible. An algorithm may be adopted that provides a combination of an aperture value that becomes shorter and the shortest exposure time.

Next, a description will be given of a case where restrictions are set on the aperture setting.

Kubota, Aizawa: "Registration considering multi-focal image rotation and high-speed reconstruction of arbitrary-focus image by inverse filter method". Blur control processing by IE99-25 (1999-07) In order to perform the control processing, blur characteristics in a captured image are required. For this reason, it is necessary to previously store blur characteristics as data in the imaging apparatus. Therefore, in such a blur control process, by setting the aperture value used for shooting in the blur control mode to a predetermined value, necessary data can be reduced, and the blur control process can be simplified. become.

On the other hand, in the blur control processing disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-200508, an image is analyzed and the subject is determined, so that an image with less blur is required. Therefore, in such a blur control process, an image with little blur can be obtained by fixing the aperture value used for shooting in the blur control mode to the maximum and keeping the aperture diameter to the minimum, and thus the accuracy of subject discrimination. And a stable blur control process can be performed. Also, when generating an omnifocal image, if the aperture value is fixed at the maximum and shooting is performed, blurring will be reduced, so that the in-focus image of all the subjects on the screen can be obtained with a smaller number of shootings than when the aperture value is set smaller. It has the advantage of being available.

Kubota, Aizawa: "Registration in consideration of rotation of multifocal image and high-speed reconstruction of inversely focused image by inverse filter method", such as IE99-25 (1999-07). In the method of comparing the degree of blur in a plurality of images obtained, it is desirable that the blur generated in each image is strong. Therefore, in this case, it is advantageous to set the aperture value small. For this reason, in this blur control mode, the blur control process can be optimized by setting the aperture value to the minimum, that is, setting the aperture to open.

Although all of the above are methods using a predetermined aperture value during blur control, a dedicated aperture different from the normal shooting mode may be used in a multiple image shooting mode such as a blur control mode. good. Hereinafter, a method of using a dedicated aperture in the blur control mode will be described.

In an out-of-focus object, light emitted from one point of the object does not converge at one point on the image forming surface but spreads out, but the shape of this expansion is the same as the shape of the aperture opening. It is almost equal.

FIG. 4 explains the relationship between the shape of the aperture opening and the blur characteristics. For example, in the image forming optical system 21 composed of one or more lenses, if a narrow and narrow slit-shaped aperture 22 is used, a light beam emitted from one point on the subject 23 that is out of focus is not reflected on the image forming surface of the CCD 3. Since the image has such a spread as 24, an image blurred only in the horizontal direction without blurring in the vertical direction can be obtained. It is desirable that the aperture shape of the aperture dedicated to the blur control mode is not rotationally symmetric with respect to the optical axis. Specifically, in order to generate blur only in the horizontal direction, a slit-like narrow aperture like the opening 22 is preferable, but other shapes such as an ellipse, an oval shape, a wedge shape, and a rectangle are used. Thereby, the tendency of blur can be changed. Moreover,
A plurality of openings may be provided.

By the way, a blur whose light intensity distribution is represented by a Gaussian function can be easily calculated by a two-dimensional blur applying filter. Therefore, it is assumed that the characteristics of the blur are known. Kubota, Aizawa : "Registration considering rotation of multifocal image and fast reconstruction by inverse filter method of arbitrary focus image" It is also used for blur control processing by IE99-25 (1999-07). In addition, the image is softly blurred and has a good blurring taste.

FIGS. 5 to 8 illustrate a method of realizing a blur expressed by a Gaussian function.

In the method shown in FIG. 5, a filter having a transmittance different from part to part, for example, a translucent filter 25 whose transmittance decreases from the center to the periphery is inserted at the stop position. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, by setting the light transmittance distribution 26 in the radial direction of the filter 25 substantially equal to the Gaussian function, the light intensity distribution of the blur becomes almost equal to the Gaussian function. As described above, by using a filter having different transmittances depending on portions, blur can be optimally controlled. Further, in the multiple image shooting mode, a blur different from that in the normal shooting mode can be produced by using a filter dedicated to blurring.

In the method shown in FIG. 7, a stop 27 having a variable aperture area is used.
By adjusting the opening area of the aperture 7, it is possible to obtain a blur characteristic that cannot be realized by a normal aperture. When the operation characteristic diagram 28 of FIG. 8 is set so that the aperture time becomes a Gaussian function of the radial position at an arbitrary point on the stop plane,
A blur characteristic approximated by a Gaussian function can be realized. A similar effect can be obtained by controlling not only the aperture but also a shutter mechanism for controlling the exposure time and a shutter mechanism also serving as the aperture.

In a camera in which exposure control is performed by changing both the aperture and the integration time in normal photographing, if the aperture condition is fixed in the blur control mode, the exposure control is performed only by the integration time. The exposure adjustment range is limited. Therefore, in the blur control mode, in order to stably obtain an image with proper exposure, it is important to perform shooting under dedicated exposure determination conditions different from normal shooting.

In general, as the integration time of a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD increases, the noise due to the device increases. Therefore, the maximum value of the integration time is set in consideration of the amount of noise generated on the screen. In the method of synthesizing a plurality of images, the influence of noise is reduced, so that the maximum value of the integration time can be made longer than that in normal shooting. Even if the amount of light is smaller than during normal shooting, shooting can be performed with proper exposure, so this is particularly effective when the aperture value is fixed to the maximum in the blur control mode.

Also, ND (neutral density)
An exposure adjustment filter such as a filter is built in, and the exposure adjustment range can be expanded by selecting from a plurality of filters or switching the presence or absence of the filter according to the amount of light. Even if the amount of light is larger than when there is no exposure adjustment filter, shooting can be performed with proper exposure, and this is particularly effective when the aperture is fixed to be open in the blur control mode.

FIG. 9 shows an optical system capable of switching the presence or absence of an exposure adjustment filter in the optical path.

If the shortest integration time that can be set or the integration time set by the photographer is excessive, the light amount adjusting filter 29 is inserted into the optical path. The insertion position may be either before or after the photographing lens, or in the middle of a plurality of lenses.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the digital camera 1, wherein thin arrows indicate the flow of control data, and thick arrows indicate the flow of image data.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a CPU, which stores the photographing conditions when the release button 4 is pressed, the setting state of the photographing mode setting key 8, and the like, and displays the exposure conditions and the like on the liquid crystal display panel 9. . Furthermore, CPU4
0 drives the photographing lens 2 via the photographing lens driving unit 46 based on the distance measurement result from the distance measuring unit 44 so as to focus on an appropriate subject, while moving the diaphragm 48 via the diaphragm driving unit 47. Control. Further, when the composite image mode (multiplex image shooting mode) is set, the CPU 40 controls the aperture 48 and the exposure adjustment filter 50 via the aperture driving unit 47 and the filter driving unit 49, and the normal imaging mode is set. Switch to different shooting conditions. In addition, the CPU 40 controls the entire digital camera 1 as a whole.

The analog image signal from the CCD 3 is converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 41 and is temporarily stored in an image memory (RAM) 42. C
The PU 40 stores the image data read from the image memory (RAM) 42 on the recording medium 6.

The synthesizing section 43 creates an image corresponding to the setting of the image processing mode, out of a plurality of images having different focal lengths, out of an all-focus image and a blur control image.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts of the photographing sequence in the first embodiment of the digital camera 1 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10.

Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described based on. In the following description and drawings, steps are abbreviated as S.

If the release button 4 is pressed in S1 (the determination in S1 is YES), the CPU 40 reads and stores the photographing conditions and the image processing mode at that time in S2. Then, in S3, the subject distance is measured by the distance measuring unit 44. The distance measuring unit 44 and the photometric unit 45 described later may be shared by the image pickup device.

Next, in S4, it is determined whether or not the composite image mode is set as the image processing mode, and if the composite image mode is set (the determination in S4 is YE
S), in S4-1, it is determined whether or not the blur control mode is set. If the blur control mode is set (the determination in S4-1 is YES), S in FIG.
Proceed to 13. If the blur control mode has not been set (NO in S4-1), omnifocal shooting and omnifocal image creation processing are performed in S4-2, and the process returns to S1. In S4, if the composite image mode is not set (NO in S4), the normal photographing mode is set, so in S5, the function of the composite processing unit 43 is turned off (the image data passes without being processed). ).

Subsequently, in step S6, the photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving unit 46 so as to focus on an appropriate subject, based on the distance measurement result. The luminance is measured, the aperture value and the exposure time are set in S8, and the aperture is driven by the aperture drive unit 47 to the determined aperture diameter in S9.

In step S10, the exposure is integrated by the CCD 3 for a predetermined time, and the image data is read out in step S11.
The read image data is A / D
The data is converted into digital data by the converter 41 and
2 is temporarily stored. In S12, the CPU 40
The image data of 42 is read and recorded on the recording medium 6, and the process returns to S1 to move to the next photographing.

If the result of the determination in S4-1 is that the blur control mode is set (the determination in S4-1 is YE
S), in S13 of FIG. 12, first, the blur amount is set in the synthesizing processing unit 43, and in S14, the exposure determination algorithm is switched and changed for blur control. In S15, the luminance of the subject is measured by the photometry unit 45, the combination of the aperture value and the exposure integration time is determined in S16, and the aperture is driven by the aperture drive unit 47 to have the determined aperture diameter in S17. Then, the photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving section 46 so as to focus on the first object in S18,
In step 9, exposure integration is performed only for the time determined by the CCD.
To read the image data. The read image data is
The data is converted into digital data by the A / D converter 41 in a pipeline manner, and is temporarily stored in the RAM 42. next,
In step S21, the photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving unit 46 so as to focus on the second object.
At 22, exposure integration is performed for a time determined by the CCD 3, and S 2 is performed.
At 3, the image data is read. The read image data is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 41 by a pipeline method, and is temporarily stored in a RAM 42. Then, in S24, the CPU 40 reads out the image data in the RAM 42, performs the blur control process in the synthesizing processing unit 43, records the image data in the recording medium 6 in S25, and returns to S1 to move to the next imaging.

FIG. 13 is a part of a flowchart of an imaging sequence of the digital camera 1 according to the second embodiment.
Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the blur control mode is not set, the operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

If the blur control mode is set in S4-1, first, the blur amount is set in the synthesis processing unit 43 in S26, and the limit of the exposure integration time is changed to the blur control mode in S27. In S28, the luminance of the subject is measured by the photometry unit 45. In S29, the aperture value is set to a predetermined aperture value dedicated for blur control, and in S30, the combination of the exposure adjustment filter and the integration time is determined. Next, in step S31, the aperture is driven by the aperture driving unit 47 to have the determined opening diameter, and in step S32, the exposure adjustment filter 50 is set by the filter driving unit 49. Then, in S33, to focus on the first subject,
The photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving unit 46,
In S34, exposure integration is performed for the time determined by the CCD3, and
At 35, the image data is read. The read image data is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 41 by a pipeline method, and is temporarily stored in a RAM 42. Next, the photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving unit 46 in S36 so as to focus on the second object, and S37 is performed.
Exposure integration is performed for a time determined by the CCD 3, and image data is read out in S38. The read image data is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 41 by a pipeline method, and is temporarily stored in a RAM 42. And S
In step 39, the CPU 40 reads out the image data in the RAM 42, performs the blur control process in the synthesizing processing unit 43, records the image data in the recording medium 6 in step S40, and returns to step S1 to move to the next shooting.

FIG. 14 is a part of a flowchart of an imaging sequence of the digital camera 1 according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the blur control mode is not set, the operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

If the blur control mode has been set in S4-1 (the determination in S4-1 is YES), first, in S4
In 1, the blur amount is set in the synthesis processing unit 43, and in S 42
Change the integration time limit for aperture control with. S
At 43, the luminance of the subject is measured by the photometry unit 45, and at S44, a combination of the exposure adjustment filter and the integration time is determined based on the average aperture value calculated from the aperture operation diagram. The exposure adjusting filter 50 is set. Then, in S46, the photographic lens 2 is driven through the photographic lens driving unit 46 so as to focus on the first subject, and in S4
After setting the aperture to the initial position in step 7, in step S48 C
Exposure integration on CD3 is started. In S49, CC
After the aperture is driven in accordance with a predetermined operation diagram during the exposure integration in D, the exposure integration in the CCD 3 is terminated in S50, and the process proceeds to S5.
At step 1, image data is read. The read image data is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 41 by a pipeline method, and is temporarily stored in a RAM 42. Next, the photographing lens 2 is driven through the photographing lens driving unit 46 in S52 so as to focus on the second object, and the processing proceeds to S53.
To set the aperture to the initial position,
The exposure integration of D3 is started. In step S55, the diaphragm is driven in accordance with a predetermined operation diagram during exposure integration in the CCD.
Exposure integration in the CCD 3 is completed at 56, and image data is read at S57. The read image data is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 41 by a pipeline method, and is temporarily stored in a RAM 42. And S58
In step, the CPU 40 reads out the image data from the RAM, performs the blur control process in the combining processing unit 43, records the image data in the recording medium 6 in step S59, and returns to step S1 to move to the next photographing.

In the above embodiment, the synthesis processing unit 4
The digital camera 1 is provided in the digital camera 1 to perform a synthesizing process for creating a blur control image or the like in the digital camera. The processing may be performed by a processing device.

[0064]

According to the present invention, when performing multiple image shooting, the shooting condition is switched to a shooting condition different from the shooting condition in the normal shooting mode, so that the image is shot under shooting conditions suitable for synthesis processing such as blur control processing. Thus, it is possible to obtain the information, and thereby to improve the efficiency of the synthesis processing.

In particular, by switching to a combination of the aperture value and the exposure time so that the exposure time of the image sensor becomes as short as possible in a range where the proper exposure amount with the aperture opened can be obtained, the influence of blurring can be obtained. Image can be obtained.

Also, by setting the aperture value to a constant value, for example, the maximum value or opening the aperture value, the necessary blur characteristic data can be reduced depending on the method of the blur control processing.
There are effects such as simplification of the blur control process, improvement of the accuracy of subject discrimination, and execution of an appropriate blur process.

When the exposure time of the image sensor is set to be longer than the limit of the exposure time in the normal photographing mode, the photographing can be performed with the proper exposure even if the light amount is smaller than that in the normal photographing mode.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a digital camera to which an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the digital camera.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an image synthesis process.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical system having a slit-shaped stop aperture.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical system in a state where a translucent filter is inserted at a stop position.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a filter and transmittance.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical system including a variable aperture area stop.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an aperture area variable stop and a relationship between an exposure integration time and an aperture ratio.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical system capable of switching the presence or absence of an exposure adjustment filter.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the digital camera.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the digital camera.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing subsequent to C in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating processing according to the second embodiment, following C in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing according to the third embodiment, following FIG. 11C.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ········· Digital camera (imaging device) 3 ······· CCD 40 ······ CPU (imaging control means) 43 ········ Synthesis processing unit 48 Aperture 102 Image processing mode setting key

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 15/00 G03B 15/00 GH M 19/02 19/02 (72) Inventor Noriyuki Okisu Osaka Osaka International Building Minolta, Inc. 2-3-1-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Morimoto Osaka International Building Minolta, Inc. 2-3-1-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka (72) Inventor Hiroaki Kubo 2-3-113 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Keiji Tamai 2-3-13-Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Osaka International Building Minolta F term (reference) 2H002 AB02 FB02 FB23 FB24 FB28 FB33 GA04 GA06 GA07 GA21 GA43 HA01 JA07 2H054 AA01 BB12 5C022 AA13 AB21 AB68 AC02 AC03 AC32 AC42 AC5 4 AC55 AC56 AC69 AC74

Claims (4)

[Claims] An imaging unit having an aperture and an image sensor; a mode selection unit capable of setting a multiplex image shooting mode in addition to a normal imaging mode; and the normal imaging when the multiplex image shooting mode is set. An imaging control unit that switches an imaging condition different from an imaging condition in a mode and causes the imaging unit to capture a plurality of images. 2. When a multiple image shooting mode is set, the imaging control means sets an aperture value such that an exposure time of an image sensor becomes as short as possible in a range where an appropriate exposure amount can be obtained. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is switched to a combination with an exposure time. 3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the multiple image pickup mode is set, the image pickup control means switches the aperture value to a constant value. 4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the multiple image capturing mode is set, the image capturing control unit sets the exposure time of the image capturing element to be longer than the limit of the exposure time in the normal image capturing mode. Imaging device.