JP2002335427A - Electronic still camera, and program used for it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic still camera configured to comprise an image display device that can enhance the convenience in a photographing operation while effectively utilizing the image display device and to provide a program used for it. SOLUTION: In photographing under a slow shutter whose exposure time is 1 second-several seconds, after a shutter button is depressed, a remaining time to complete the exposure is calculated and the calculated remaining time is displayed in a count-down way on a display screen G1 of the image display device. At the same time, a mark A to alert a user to a camera shake is displayed on the display screen G1 together with the remaining time. Furthermore, in bulb photographing, an elapsed time after the shutter button is depressed is measured, the elapsed time is displayed in a count-up way on the display screen G1 so as to enhance the convenience for the photographing needing a long exposure time by utilizing the image display device having not been utilized at all in the exposure time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an electronic still camera provided with an image display device such as a liquid crystal monitor capable of reproducing an image, and a program used therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, electronic still cameras which take an image of a subject using a CCD or MOS type solid-state imaging device and record it as image data on a recording medium such as a flash memory have been widely used. Among electronic still cameras, those equipped with an image display device capable of reproducing a captured image, for example, a liquid crystal monitor using a TFT or a low-temperature polysilicon TFT, pass through the image captured in a standby state to the image display device. It is displayed as an image and has a function as a view finder, and an operation screen and a setting screen when various functions are used are displayed to improve user convenience. Also, in such electronic still cameras, as in the case of conventional single-lens reflex cameras in silver halide cameras, some cameras allow the photographer to set the shutter speed and aperture and to perform bulb shooting that allows arbitrary long-time exposure. Many.

[0003]

However, although an electronic still camera having an image display device is easier to use than an electronic still camera having no image display device, for example, a set shutter speed (exposure time) is relatively high. When shooting with a long slow shutter (for example, one second to several seconds), or when shooting a night scene or the like with a bulb, while the shutter is pressed (for example, several tens of seconds to several minutes), the image display device displays a real-time through image Cannot be displayed. For this reason, even if it has an image display device, the convenience which can be provided to the photographer at the time of the photographing operation is naturally limited.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and in a configuration including an image display device,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic still camera capable of improving convenience during a shooting operation while effectively utilizing an image display device, and a program used therefor.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic still camera having an image display device for displaying a through image in a shooting standby state. Calculating means for calculating the remaining time until the end of shooting at the exposure time, and display control means for displaying time information indicating the remaining time calculated by the calculating means on the image display device. did.

In such a configuration, after the photographing operation is performed, that is, within the exposure time, time information indicating the remaining time until the end of the photographing, that is, information effective for the photographing operation is provided via the image display device. Provided to the photographer.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the display control means displays the time information on the image display device together with an anti-shake display for urging the user to pay attention to a camera shake.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the photographing of the computer of the electronic still camera having the image display device for displaying the through-the-lens image in the photographing standby state with a predetermined exposure time is completed. The program is a program for functioning as calculation means for calculating the remaining time up to the point in time and display control means for displaying on the image display device time information indicating the remaining time calculated by the calculation means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in an electronic still camera provided with an image display device for displaying a through-the-lens image in a photographing standby state, a timer for measuring an elapsed time from the start of photographing by the bulb photographing function. And display control means for displaying the measurement result by the time measuring means on the image display device.

In such a configuration, after the photographing operation is performed, that is, within the exposure time, information effective for the photographing operation, such as the elapsed time from the start of photographing, is provided to the photographer via the image display device.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the display control means causes the image display device to display the measurement result together with an anti-shake display for urging the user to pay attention to camera shake.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a computer included in an electronic still camera having an image display device for displaying a through image in a shooting standby state is provided. A program for functioning as a time measuring means for measuring and a display control means for displaying the measurement result by the time measuring means on the image display device.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view when the electronic still camera according to the present invention is viewed from the back side. This electronic still camera includes a photographing lens 2
Is provided, and an optical viewfinder 3 is
And an image display LCD 4 (image display device). A shutter key 5 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1.
And first and second used for setting and operation of various functions
Operation keys 6 and 7 are provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the electronic still camera. The electronic still camera converts the optical image of the subject formed by the photographing lens 2 into a CCD.
After the image signal is converted into an image signal by the digital camera 12, the image signal is finally stored as digital image data in the CompactFlash (registered trademark) memory (CF) 20. That is, the electronic still camera includes a lens driving circuit (Lenz) 11 for driving a focus lens constituting the photographing lens 2 and a TG (Ti
ming Generator 13, and a unit circuit 14 to which an analog image signal output from the CCD 12 is input. The unit circuit 14 includes a CDS that holds the input image signal and a gain adjustment amplifier (AG) that amplifies the image signal.
C), which is composed of an A / D converter for converting the amplified image signal into a digital image signal, and the output signal of the CCD 12 is sent to the DSP 15 as a digital signal via the unit circuit 14.

The DSP 15 performs various digital signal processing such as color processing and compression / expansion processing. In a photographing standby state in which a photographing mode is set, the SDRAM 16 operates as a working memory and is sent from the unit circuit 14. A display signal is generated from the imaging signal. The generated display signal is sent to the LCD block 17 including the image display LCD 4 and its driving circuit, and is displayed on the image display LCD 4 as a through image. Further, the DSP 15 includes a key input unit 18 including the above-described shutter key 5, the first and second operation keys 6, 7 and a power key (not shown) for outputting a key input signal corresponding to the operation of each key to the DSP. Also, a strobe light 19 for emitting photographing auxiliary light is connected. DSP15
When the shutter key 5 is depressed in the photographing standby state, the photographing data transmitted from the unit circuit 14 is compressed and stored in the compact flash memory 20. Further, it reads out and expands the image stored in the compact flash memory 20 as needed to generate a display signal.

The operation of each of the above components in the electronic still camera is controlled by the CPU 21. The CPU 21
According to the program stored in the ROM 22, it functions as the calculating means, the time measuring means, and the display control means of the present invention, and controls each part while using the SDRAM 16 as a working memory. Further, the CPU 21 controls the charge accumulation time, that is, the exposure time (shutter speed) in the CCD 12 at the time of shooting, so that the CCD 12 functions as an electronic shutter.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a control procedure by the CPU 21 in the above-mentioned electronic still camera from when a photographing mode is set by a user until photographing is completed.

The CPU 21 sets the photographing mode,
The image is captured by the CCD 12 (step S
1) The captured image is displayed on the image display LCD 4 as a through image (step S2), and this is repeated until the shutter key 5 is pressed (N in step S3).
O). If the shutter key 5 is pressed during this time (YES in step S3), the set content of the shutter speed set at that time is confirmed, and if it is neither a slow shutter nor a valve (steps S4 and S9 are not performed). (No in both cases), the image captured at that time is compressed by the DSP 15 and stored in the compact flash memory 20 (step S13), thereby completing one shot.

On the other hand, when the slow shutter is set as the shutter speed (YE in step S4)
S), measurement of the time elapsed since the shutter key 5 was pressed is started (step S5). Subsequently, the elapsed time is subtracted from the exposure time (set exposure time) set for the slow shutter, and the remaining exposure time is sequentially calculated (step S6), and the calculation result (remaining time) is displayed on the image display LC.
D4 is displayed (step S7), and this is repeated until the set exposure time is reached (NO in step S8).

FIG. 4 shows a remaining time display screen G1 displayed by the image display LCD 4 during that time, and a change thereof. This figure shows a case where the set exposure time is 10 seconds. In the present embodiment, the image display L
The remaining time is displayed on the CD 4 in a countdown manner in units of seconds, together with a shake mark A for calling attention to a shake during shooting, that is, during the exposure time. Thereby, the photographer can know the time from when the shutter key 5 is pressed to when the photographing is completed, that is, the time when the user has to be patient without moving the apparatus main body 1.

Then, while the processing of steps S6 and S7 is repeated, if the elapsed time since the shutter key 5 is pressed reaches the set exposure time (YE in step S8).
S), the capture of the image (charge accumulation) by the CCD 12 is completed, and the captured image is stored in the compact flash memory 20 (step S13), thereby ending one photographing process.

On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S9 is YES and the setting content of the shutter speed at the time when the shutter key 5 is pressed is the valve, the elapsed time since the pressing of the shutter key 5 is measured. Is started (step S10), and the measured elapsed time is used as an image display L
The image is displayed on the CD 4 (step S11), and is repeatedly performed until the photographing operation by the shutter key 5 is completed (NO in step S12).

FIG. 5 shows an elapsed time display screen G2 displayed by the image display LCD 4 during that time, and a change thereof. In the present embodiment, the elapsed time is counted up and displayed in units of seconds on the image display LCD 4 together with a shake mark A similar to the remaining time display screen G1 shown in FIG. Thereby, the photographer can know the duration of the shooting operation by the shutter key 5, that is, the exposure time at that time.

When the photographing operation using the shutter key 5 is completed while repeating the processing in step S11 (YES in step S12), the image capturing is completed, and the captured image is stored in the compact flash memory 20.
(Step S13), thereby ending one photographing process.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the time remaining until the exposure is completed is notified to the photographer at the time of shooting with the slow shutter, and the elapsed time from the start of the exposure at the time of bulb shooting. Is notified to the photographer, it is possible to improve the convenience when performing a shooting operation with a long exposure time. Moreover, by providing information effective for the photographing operation such as the remaining time and the elapsed time by using the image display LCD 4 which has not been used at all during the exposure time, the image display LCD 4 can be effectively used. Can be planned. Thus, it is not necessary to separately provide a display device for displaying information effective for the photographing operation such as the remaining time and the elapsed time. In addition, since the image display LCD 4, which is relatively large in size and capable of various displays, displays effective information for the photographing operation such as the remaining time and the elapsed time, the degree of freedom in displaying the information increases. It becomes easy to appeal to the visual sense of. Further, the effect can be obtained even if only one of the display of the remaining time at the time of shooting with the slow shutter and the display of the elapsed time at the time of bulb shooting is performed.

In this embodiment, the remaining time until the completion of the exposure at the time of shooting with the slow shutter is displayed on the image display LCD 4 together with the camera shake mark A (see FIG. 4). May be displayed only with the remaining time, or may be displayed together with character information such as "Caution for camera shake". Also, the remaining time is displayed in seconds, but for example, "1.00" or "2.9"
For example, 5 "" may be displayed in finer increments of time. The same applies to the case where the elapsed time from the start of exposure at the time of bulb shooting is displayed on the image display LCD 4.

The time remaining until the exposure is completed does not necessarily need to be directly displayed as time, and time information indicating the remaining time may be displayed graphically. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are diagrams showing an example in that case. That is, the remaining time display screen G3 in FIG.
Is an example of the case where the remaining time is indicated by an hourglass, and the remaining time display screen G4 of FIG. 7 is an example of the case where the remaining time is indicated by a pie chart. The remaining time display screen G
In the case of displaying 3, G4, the photographer is asked to press the shutter key 5 to complete shooting.
In other words, it is possible to intuitively inform the user of the time during which the user must be patient without moving the apparatus body 1. Therefore, the same effect as in the case where the remaining time display screen G1 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed can be obtained.

[0028]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, information useful for the photographing operation, such as time information indicating the remaining time until the end of the photographing, is displayed within the exposure time. Because it was provided to the photographer via the device, while trying to effectively use the image display device within the exposure time that was not conventionally used at all,
It is possible to improve the convenience for the photographer during the photographing operation.

Further, by using the program of the third aspect, the invention of the first aspect can be implemented in an existing electronic still camera equipped with a computer.

In the invention according to the fourth and fifth aspects, information effective for a photographing operation such as an elapsed time from the start of photographing is provided to the photographer via the image display device within the exposure time. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively use the image display device within the exposure time, which has not been used at all, and to improve the convenience for the photographer at the time of the shooting operation.

Further, by using the program according to the sixth aspect, the invention according to the fourth aspect can be implemented in an existing electronic still camera equipped with a computer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic still camera.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in a shooting mode by a CPU.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a remaining time display screen displayed on the image display LCD and a change in the display content.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an elapsed time display screen displayed on the image display LCD and a change in the display content.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another remaining time display screen and a change in the display content thereof.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another remaining time display screen and a change in the display content thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device main body 3 Optical viewfinder 4 LCD for image display 5 Shutter key 12 CCD 21 CPU 22 ROM G1 Remaining time display screen G2 Elapsed time display screen

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electronic still camera equipped with an image display device for displaying a through image in a shooting standby state, a calculating means for calculating a remaining time until the end of shooting with a predetermined exposure time, Display control means for displaying, on the image display device, time information indicating the remaining time calculated by the calculation means. 2. The display control means according to claim 1, wherein
The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein the electronic still camera is displayed on the image display device together with an anti-shake display that prompts attention of camera shake. 3. A computer having an electronic still camera equipped with an image display device for displaying a through-the-lens image in a shooting standby state, comprising: a calculating means for calculating a remaining time until the end of shooting with a predetermined exposure time. And a program for causing the image display device to function as display control means for displaying time information indicating the remaining time calculated by the calculation means. 4. An electronic still camera provided with an image display device for displaying a through image in a shooting standby state, wherein: a timer means for measuring an elapsed time from the start of shooting by a bulb shooting function; An electronic still camera, comprising: display control means for displaying the image on the image display device. 5. The display control means according to claim 1, wherein
The electronic still camera according to claim 4, wherein the electronic still camera is displayed on the image display device together with an anti-shake display that prompts attention of camera shake. 6. A computer provided in an electronic still camera having an image display device for displaying a through image in a photographing standby state, comprising: a time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from a start of photographing by a bulb photographing function; A program for functioning as display control means for displaying a measurement result on the image display device.