JP2005057540A - Program for digital camera control and digital camera control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program for digital camera control and a digital camera control system such that it never becomes less easy to identify and read a symbol indicating a control point even when the display state of an image is changed by image rotation etc. <P>SOLUTION: When a user presses a clockwise rotation button 442 while a finder image FI is displayed in a PC finder 405, the finder image FI rotates clockwise by 90°. Further, control points (range-finding point, light measuring point, and colorimetric point) shown by icons I1 to I5 and character strings C1 to C5 shift by following up the clockwise rotation of the finder image FI. Namely, the positions of the control points rotate clockwise by 90° on a center OF (OP). Furthermore, the display direction of the icons I1 to I5 and character strings C1 to C5 is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. In other words, the display direction of the icons I1 to I5 and character string C1 to C5 is fixed irrelevantly to the display state of the finder image FI. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera control program and a digital camera control system.

  With the recent development of electronic technology, digital cameras that acquire light images of subjects and generate image data have been widely used. Such a digital camera is provided with display means such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an electronic view finder (EVF). In many cases, the digital camera is configured to display an image acquired during shooting standby on the display unit as a live view. In addition, for the convenience of the user, the positions of control points such as distance measuring points, photometric points, and colorimetric points can be designated, and symbols indicating the control points are also superimposed on the live view. ing. For example, in Patent Document 3, a cursor indicating a distance measuring point and a photometric point specified by the user is superimposed on the live view, and when the live view is enlarged, the cursor is fixed to the image. A technique that enables both fixing to a screen is disclosed. Patent Documents 4 and 5 disclose a technique for superimposing and displaying a cursor indicating a distance measuring point whose position is specified by a user on a live view. Patent Document 6 discloses a technique for simultaneously displaying a distance measuring point and a photometric point in a finder. Patent Documents 7 and 8 disclose a technique that allows a user to specify the position of a control point.

  On the other hand, since an image handled by a digital camera is digital electronic data, the digital camera has a high affinity with a personal computer (PC). Therefore, it has been conventionally performed to control the digital camera with a personal computer using this characteristic of the digital camera. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying the same contents as the display means of a digital camera on a PC screen and making it possible to adjust the color balance of the digital camera using the PC. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for displaying a live view on a PC screen and superimposing a cursor indicating a distance measuring point designated by a user on the live view.

JP-A-11-308508 JP 2003-125273 A JP 2002-209134 A JP 2003-131115 A JP 2003-134358 A JP 2000-89336 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-18773 JP-A-9-258706

  However, when an image acquired by a digital camera is displayed on a PC screen, depending on the holding direction (horizontal position, vertical position) of the digital camera, the horizontal direction of the displayed subject may coincide with the horizontal direction of the PC screen. In some cases, the viewer of the image may feel uncomfortable. In order to prevent such a sense of incongruity, the display direction of the image displayed on the PC screen needs to be rotatable with respect to the PC screen. Further, when such rotation of the PC screen is performed, in order not to change the position of the designated control points with respect to the image, the positions of symbols indicating these control points also need to be rotated with respect to the PC screen. is there.

  On the other hand, in the conventional technique, a cursor or the like whose shape does not change by rotation is used as a symbol indicating a control point such as a distance measuring point, a photometric point, and a colorimetric point. However, the control point can be easily recognized. Therefore, it is also required to employ an icon or a character string whose shape changes due to rotation as a symbol indicating a control point. When such an icon or character string is used, if the icon or character string is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the image display direction, the shape of the icon changes and the icon identification function deteriorates, or the character string array There has been a problem that the direction changes and the interpretation of the character string is hindered.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve this problem, and a digital camera control program that does not deteriorate the identifiability or legibility of a symbol indicating a control point even when the image display state is changed by image rotation or the like. An object is to provide a digital camera control system.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a digital camera control device comprising display means for displaying an image acquired by a digital camera, and is executed by a computer provided in the digital camera control device. Responsive to a predetermined operation on the digital camera control device and a step of causing the digital camera control device to display a symbol indicating a target position for calculation for determining a shooting condition on the display means so as to be superimposed on the image. Changing the display state of the image, and changing the display position of the symbol in accordance with the change of the display state of the image while fixing the display direction of the symbol. This is a digital camera control program.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the program according to claim 1, wherein the symbol includes an icon and a character string for identifying the icon, and the character array of the character string is fixed, and the symbol The display position is changed in accordance with the change in the display state of the image.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera control program according to the first or second aspect, the change of the display state is rotation of the image.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera control program according to the first or second aspect, the change of the display state is enlargement or reduction of the image.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera control program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the calculation is a distance measurement calculation for autofocus control.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera control program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the calculation is a photometric calculation for automatic exposure control.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera control program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the calculation is a colorimetric calculation for white balance control.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the digital camera control program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the display state of the image is changed, the display state is indicated by the symbol. The image is updated based on a calculation result for determining a shooting condition at the calculation target position.

  Further, the invention of claim 9 is a digital camera control system, wherein an imaging unit that acquires an image, a computer including a display unit, and a data communication unit that transmits and receives data between the imaging unit and the computer. The computer displays a symbol indicating a target position for calculation for determining the photographing condition on the image superimposed on the image, and changes the display state of the image in response to a predetermined operation. In addition, the display position of the symbol can be changed following the change of the display state of the image while the display direction of the symbol is fixed.

  According to the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, even if the display state of the image is changed, the recognizability and the legibility of the symbol superimposed on the image are maintained. It is possible to prevent reading.

  According to the invention of claim 2, even if the display state of the image is changed, since the character arrangement of the character string is fixed, it is possible to prevent the user from misreading the character string.

  According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to prevent the user from misrecognizing the distance measuring point.

  According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to prevent the user from misrecognizing the photometric point.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously recognizing the colorimetric point.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, when the display state of the image is changed, the image based on the updated calculation target position can be browsed, so that the user can accurately recognize the photographed image. Become.

<Hardware configuration>
○ Overall composition;
The overall configuration of the digital camera control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. The digital camera control system 1 includes a digital camera 20 and a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “computer”) 30. The digital camera 20 and the computer 30 have a USB (Univeral Serial Bus) interface. The digital camera 20 and the computer 30 are connected by a USB cable 40. As a result, data can be transmitted and received between the digital camera 20 and the computer 30. Note that data transmission / reception between the digital camera 20 and the computer 30 may be performed using other wired data communication standards. Alternatively, it may be performed using a wireless data communication standard such as Bluetooth. In FIG. 1, a desktop type computer 30 is illustrated, but the computer 30 may be a notebook type or a portable information terminal type.

  The digital camera control system 1 is configured to be able to display a live view acquired by the digital camera 20 at predetermined time intervals on a display 31 provided in the computer 30. Further, the digital camera control system 1 includes a distance measuring point for autofocus control, a photometric point for automatic exposure control, and colorimetry for white balance control specified by the user on the live view displayed on the display 31. The point (hereinafter, the distance measuring point, the photometric point, and the color measuring point are collectively referred to as “control point”) is reflected in the operation of the digital camera 20, and the photographing conditions can be changed. Furthermore, the digital camera control system 1 can cause the digital camera 20 to execute a photographing operation by executing a predetermined operation in the computer 30.

○ Computer;
The configuration of the computer 30 will be described. The computer 30 includes a display 31 that functions as a display unit, a computer main body 32, an input keyboard 33, and a mouse 34. The mouse 34 is a pointing device that can transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the movement of the casing to the computer main body 32. The user can move the display position of the mouse cursor displayed on the display 31 by operating the housing of the mouse 34. Further, the mouse 34 has a left mouse button 34 a and a right mouse button 34 b, and an electric signal corresponding to the pressing operation of these mouse buttons can be transmitted to the computer main body 32. Hereinafter, pressing operations of the left mouse button 34a and the right mouse button 34b by the user are referred to as “left click” and “right click”, respectively.

  Further, the configuration of the computer main body 32 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. The computer main body 32 includes a CPU 321 and a memory 322, and also includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 323 as a storage unit and a display control unit 324 that controls display on the display 31. The hard disk drive 323 is installed with an OS (Operating System) 323 a based on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that defines basic operations of the computer 30. In the OS 323a, an API (Application Program Interface) that handles graphics rendering processing on the display 31 is mounted. The hard disk drive 323 is installed with a digital camera control program 323 b for causing the computer 30 to execute control of the digital camera 20. The digital camera control program 323b realizes live view display on the display 31 and various symbols described later using an API. However, it is not always necessary to use the API implemented in the OS 323a for display on the display means, and the digital camera control program 323b realizes drawing by directly controlling hardware such as the display control unit 324. It is also acceptable. Further, the computer main body 32 is provided with a USB interface 325 for connecting various external devices such as the digital camera 20. The computer main body 32 is provided with an input / output interface 326 for connecting a keyboard 33 and a mouse 34.

○ Digital camera;
The configuration of the digital camera 20 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. The digital camera 20 includes a photographing lens 201 that acquires a light image from a subject. The photographing lens 201 is configured such that the focusing lens can be moved in the optical axis direction by a lens driving unit 202. For this reason, in the digital camera 20, the focusing state of the optical image of the subject can be changed by moving the focusing lens.

  The light image acquired by the photographic lens 201 forms an image on a light receiving surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 204 that is an image sensor after passing through the diaphragm 203. The diaphragm 203 is configured such that the diaphragm diameter can be changed by the diaphragm driving unit 205. Therefore, in the digital camera 20, the amount of light incident on the CCD 204 can be controlled by changing the aperture diameter.

  The CCD 204 photoelectrically converts the optical image formed on the light receiving surface into an image signal having R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color components, and outputs the image signal to the amplifying unit 206. The image signal is a signal sequence of pixel signals corresponding to the amount of light received by the light receiving elements (pixels) constituting the CCD 204. Exposure in the CCD 204 is performed in synchronization with a reference clock input from the CCD drive unit 207. Further, the CCD driving unit 207 generates a reference clock based on a control signal input from the first microcomputer 240.

  In the digital camera 20, exposure control is performed by changing the exposure time of the CCD 204 corresponding to the aperture diameter and shutter speed.

  The amplifying unit 206 adjusts the signal level of the image signal input from the CCD 204. The amplification unit 206 includes a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit and an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit. The CDS circuit reduces sampling noise of the image signal. The AGC circuit adjusts the signal level of the image signal.

  The A / D conversion unit 208 converts the analog image signal input from the amplification unit 206 into a digital image signal, and outputs the digital image signal to the first microcomputer 240 as image data.

  The first microcomputer 240 is a digital signal processor (DSP) that performs image processing of a digital image signal. More specifically, the first microcomputer 240 includes a black level correction circuit 241 that performs black level correction, a white balance circuit 242 that performs white balance adjustment, and a γ correction circuit 243 that performs gradation conversion. Yes. Note that the white balance circuit 242 performs white balance adjustment using a level conversion table input from the color measurement unit 233 of the second microcomputer 230 described later.

  A RAM 209 connected to the first microcomputer 240 temporarily stores image data that has been subjected to digital signal processing by the first microcomputer 240. The RAM 209 has a storage capacity capable of storing image data for at least one frame.

  A finder LCD 212 and a back LCD 213 are connected to the first microcomputer 240 via LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) drivers 210 and 211, respectively. The viewfinder LCD 212 is an electronic viewfinder provided at a predetermined position of the digital camera 20. The back LCD 213 is a liquid crystal monitor provided on the back of the digital camera 20. Image data stored in the RAM 209 is transferred to the LCD drivers 210 and 211. The finder LCD 212 and the back LCD 213 can display an image related to the image data as a live view. Further, image data stored in a memory card 215 described later is transferred to the LCD drivers 210 and 211 via the card driver 214. On the finder LCD 212 and the back LCD 213, an image related to the image data can be displayed as a reproduced image.

  A memory card 215 is connected to the first microcomputer 240 via a card driver 214. In the memory card 215, image data relating to an image taken by the digital camera 20 is compressed by the JPEG method and stored.

  Further, the first microcomputer 240 is connected to a USB interface 216 for enabling data transmission / reception with the computer 30 according to the USB standard.

  The second microcomputer 230 of the digital camera 20 is a control processor that mainly performs overall control of the entire operation of the digital camera 20.

  A switch group 250 is connected to the second microcomputer 230. The microcomputer 230 detects the state of the switch group 250 and reflects the change in the state on the operation of the digital camera 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the switch group 250 includes a power switch 251, a release button 252, and an operation mode changeover switch 253.

  When the second microcomputer 230 detects pressing of the power switch 251 as a push button switch, the second microcomputer 230 sequentially switches the operation state of the digital camera 20 between power on and power off.

  The release button 252 is a two-stage push button switch that can distinguish between a half-pressed state (hereinafter referred to as “S1 state”) and a fully-pressed state (hereinafter referred to as “S2 state”). is there. When the second microcomputer 230 detects that the release button 252 is in the S1 state, the distance measurement calculation, photometry calculation, and color measurement calculation at a control point designated by the user of the digital camera 20 or a predetermined control point. In addition, using these calculation results, an imaging condition determination operation such as autofocus control, automatic exposure control, and white balance control of the digital camera 20 is executed. That is, the S1 state is a trigger for the shooting preparation operation in the digital camera 20. On the other hand, when the second microcomputer 230 detects that the release button 252 is in the S2 state, the second microcomputer 230 causes the digital camera 20 to perform the main photographing operation.

  The operation mode changeover switch 253 is a rotary switch that can change the electrical connection state in three ways. The user can change the operation mode of the digital camera 20 in three ways of “REC”, “PLAY”, and “PC connection” by rotating the knob 253a of the operation mode changeover switch 253. “PLAY” is an operation mode in which image data stored in the memory card 215 is read and reproduced and displayed on the finder LCD 212 and the rear LCD 213. “REC” is an operation mode for photographing with the digital camera 20 alone. Therefore, when the operation mode is “REC”, in the shooting standby state, images acquired by the CCD 204 at predetermined time intervals are displayed as live views on the finder LCD 212 and the rear LCD 213, and the release button 252 is in the S1 state. Taking the above as a trigger, the above-described shooting preparation is performed, and when the release button 252 is in the S2 state, the actual shooting preparation is performed. On the other hand, “PC connection” is an operation mode in which the digital camera 20 is controlled by the computer 30 using the digital camera control program 323b. Details of this control will be described later.

  The second microcomputer 230 includes a distance measuring unit 231 that performs a distance measurement calculation and a light measurement unit 232 that performs a light measurement calculation. The distance measurement unit 231 performs distance measurement calculation at a distance measurement point designated by the user or a predetermined distance measurement point, and outputs a control signal to the lens driving unit 202 to realize a focused state at the distance measurement point. . The photometry unit 232 performs photometry calculation at a photometry point designated by the user or a predetermined photometry point, and outputs a control signal to the aperture drive unit 205 and the CCD drive unit 207 to realize proper exposure at the photometry point.

  The second microcomputer 2303 includes a color measurement unit 233 that performs color measurement calculation. The color measurement unit 233 performs color measurement calculation at a color measurement point designated by a user or a predetermined color measurement point, and outputs a level conversion table to the white balance circuit 242 to realize white balance at the color measurement point.

<User interface screen>
In the digital camera control system 1, the digital camera 20 is controlled by performing a predetermined operation on the GUI screen displayed on the display 31. More specifically, when a digital camera control program 323b installed in the computer 30 is started up, a rectangular window displayed on the display 31 is predetermined using a keyboard 33 or a mouse 34 functioning as input means. The digital camera 20 is controlled by performing the above operation.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a window 400 displayed on the display 31 when the digital camera control program 323b is started. In the following description, moving the mouse cursor KR to the position of a virtual button displayed on the display 31 and left-clicking is expressed as “pressing”.

  The window 400 includes a strip-shaped title bar 401 displayed at the uppermost end of the window 400 and a window main body 402 displayed below the title bar 401. On the left end of the title bar 401, a window name 403 “digital camera control system” is displayed. A button group 404 for operating the window 400 is prepared at the right end of the title bar 401. The button group 404 includes a maximize button 404a, a minimize button 404b, and a close button 404c. When the user presses these buttons, a program for maximizing, minimizing, and controlling the digital camera of the window 400, respectively. It is possible to cause the computer 30 to execute processing for ending 323b.

  A PC finder 405 is provided at the upper left portion of the window main body 402. On the PC finder 405, an image acquired by the digital camera 20 is displayed as a finder image FI in an overlay manner. In this finder image FI, icons I1 to I5 for specifying a distance measuring point, a photometric point, and a colorimetric point and character strings C1 to C5 for identifying the icon are superimposed.

  The upper right portion of the window main body 402 is a display area 410 for a screen selection mode setting radio button. In the display area 410, three item character strings 412 to 414 "focus point", "AE area", and "white balance" are displayed below the title character string 411 "screen selection mode". Further, alternative radio buttons R1 to R3 are displayed at the head of the item character strings 412 to 414. The user moves the mouse cursor KR to the position of the first radio button of the item character string corresponding to the desired screen selection mode and left-clicks the mouse 34, whereby the operation mode of the digital camera control program 323b is changed to the screen. The selection mode can be set. At this time, the first radio button (here, radio button R2) of the character string corresponding to the set screen selection mode can be visually recognized as being selected.

  Below the display area 410 is a display area 420 of a white balance mode setting combo box. In the display area 420, a rectangular combo box 422 is displayed below the title character string 421 of “white balance mode”. The user can display a list of selectable white balance modes on the display 31 by pressing the button 423 at the right end of the combo box 422. Further, the user can select one white balance mode from the displayed list of items. In the present embodiment, six types of white balance modes of “screen selection WB”, “auto”, “daylight”, “incandescent lamp”, “fluorescent lamp”, and “cloudy sky” can be selected. .

  A release button 430 is displayed below the display area 420. The user can cause the digital camera 20 to perform the main photographing operation by pressing the release button 430.

  Below the PC finder 405, a left rotation button 441, a right rotation button 442, an enlarge button 443, and a reduce button 444 are displayed. When the user presses the left rotation button 441 or the right rotation button 442, the viewfinder image FI displayed in the area inside the PC finder 405 is moved 90 degrees in the left direction (counterclockwise) or right direction (clockwise). ° Can be rotated. The user can enlarge or reduce the viewfinder image FI by pressing the enlargement button 443 or the reduction button 444. In other words, in the digital camera control system 1, the display state of the finder image FI in the PC finder 405 is changed in response to pressing operations of the left rotation button 441, right rotation button 442, enlarge button 443, and reduce button 444. Will be.

  Below the left rotation button 441 and the right rotation button 442 is a display area 450 of a setting position tracking check box. In the display area 450, a character string 451 “setting position tracking” is displayed. A check box CB1 is displayed at the top of the character string 451. When the user moves the mouse cursor KR to the position of the check box CB1 and left-clicks the mouse 34, the check CK is displayed inside the check box CB1 (check box ON) and not displayed (check box) OFF) can be switched.

  Below the enlargement button 443 and the reduction button 444 is a display area 460 for a focus point enlargement check box. In the display area 460, a character string 461 “focus point expansion” is displayed. A check box CB2 is displayed at the top of the character string 461. The user can switch between the state where the check CK is displayed in the check box CB2 (check box ON) and the state where the check CK is not displayed (check box OFF) in the same manner as in the case of the check box CB1 following the set position. is there. When the check CK is displayed, the enlargement / reduction center at the time of enlargement or reduction of the finder image FI is a distance measuring point (a point indicated by the icon I1), and when the check CK is not displayed, the finder image FI is enlarged. Alternatively, the center of enlargement / reduction at the time of reduction becomes the center OF of the finder image FI.

  A lower left portion of the window main body 402 is a display area 470 for a storage destination input box. In the display area 470, a character string 471 “directory to be saved” is displayed. Further, below the character string 471, a storage destination input box 472 for inputting a storage destination directory of image data acquired by actual photographing is displayed. Further, a storage destination reference button 473 is displayed on the right side. The user can designate a save destination directory by pressing a save destination reference button 473 and executing a predetermined operation in another window (dialog box) (not shown).

  A connection button 480 is provided at the lower right portion of the window main body 402. The user presses the connection button 480 so that the digital camera 20 can be controlled from the computer 30.

<Manual setting of distance measuring point, photometric point and color measuring point>
In the digital camera control system 1, it is possible to manually set a distance measuring point, a photometric point, and a color measuring point at the time of shooting. Hereinafter, this manual setting method will be described with reference to the window 400 of FIG.

○ Ranging point;
The manual setting of the ranging point is performed in a state where the “focus point” (radio button R1) is selected in the screen selection mode setting radio buttons R1 to R3. The user can designate the position of the mouse cursor KR as a distance measurement point by moving the mouse cursor KR on the finder image FI and performing a left click with the “focus point” selected. . An icon I1 is superimposed and displayed at the position of the distance measuring point of the finder image FI, and a character string C1 for identifying the type of control point indicated by the icon is superimposed and displayed near the icon I1. In the finder image FI of FIG. 4, “FP” is displayed as the character string C1.

  Only one distance measuring point can be manually set in the finder image FI. For this reason, when the AF point setting operation is further performed on the finder image FI in which the AF point has already been manually set, the AF point that was originally set manually is deleted, and a new AF point setting operation is performed. A corresponding distance measuring point is set in the finder image FI. In addition, the manually set distance measuring point can be deleted by moving the mouse cursor KR to the position of the icon I1 indicating the distance measuring point and right-clicking.

○ Metering point;
The manual setting of the photometry point is performed in a state where the “AE area” (radio button R2) is selected in the screen selection mode setting radio buttons R1 to R3. The user can set the position of the mouse cursor KR as a photometric point by moving the mouse cursor KR over the finder image FI and performing a left click with the “AE area” selected. Icons I2 to I4 are superimposed and displayed near the photometric points of the finder image FI, and character strings C2 to C4 for identifying the type of control point indicated by the icons are superimposed and displayed near the icons I2 to I4. . As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of photometric points can be set. In the finder image FI of FIG. 4, three photometric points identified by “AE1”, “AE2”, and “AE3” are set. Has been. These photometry points can be deleted by moving the mouse cursor KR to the positions of icons I2 to I4 indicating the photometry points and right-clicking.

○ Colorimetric point;
The setting of the colorimetric point is performed with “white balance” (radio button R3) selected in the screen selection mode setting radio buttons R1 to R3. The user operation for manually setting and deleting the color measurement point is the same as that for the distance measurement point. The character string C5 for identifying the colorimetric point is “WB”.

○ Icons and character strings;
Hereinafter, the icons I1 to I5 and the character strings C1 to C5 will be described. In this embodiment, the icon I1 indicating the distance measuring point, the icons I2 to I4 indicating the photometric point, and the icon I5 indicating the colorimetric point are all the same, and are dropper illustrations. Therefore, here, the icon I1 indicating the distance measuring point and the character string C1 will be mainly described with reference to the enlarged view of FIG. 5, and the redundant description of the remaining icons and character strings will be omitted.

  The dropper SP as the icon I1 is superimposed and displayed on the finder image FI in a state inclined from the vertical direction to the right direction. The tip E of the dropper SP indicates the position of the distance measuring point (a photometric point in the case of icons I2 to I4 and a colorimetric point in the case of icon I5).

  In the upper right part of the head H of the dropper SP, the character string C1 is displayed in a horizontal writing format from the left direction to the right direction, and the upward direction of the character is the upward direction of the PC finder 405. It is displayed superimposed on the image FI. In other words, the character string C1 is superimposed and displayed on the finder image FI in a specific direction and arrangement that are expected to be most easily read by the user.

  The illustration of the icon is not limited to the dropper, but may be another one. Furthermore, the icon I1 indicating the distance measurement point, the icons I2 to I4 indicating the photometry point, and the icon I5 indicating the color measurement point are not necessarily the same and may be different.

<Left / right rotation and enlargement / reduction of viewfinder image>
In the digital camera control program 323b, the finder image FI displayed on the PC finder 405 can be rotated left / right and enlarged / reduced. Hereinafter, an operation method for causing the digital camera control system 1 to perform left rotation / right rotation and enlargement / reduction of the finder image FI and a change in the display state of the finder image FI when the operation is performed will be described.

  When the finder image FI is displayed in the area inside the PC finder 405, the center OF of the finder image and the center OP of the PC finder 405 coincide with each other. The coincident center OF (OP) can be a rotation center when the viewfinder image is rotated to the left or right and a center of enlargement / reduction when the viewfinder image is enlarged / reduced.

○ Left rotation / right rotation;
In the digital camera control system 1, both the left rotation and the right rotation of the finder image FI can be executed. However, changes in the display state of the finder image FI, the icons I1 to I5, and the character strings C1 to C5 are the same except for the rotation direction. Therefore, in the following description, changes in these display states in the case of right rotation will be described in detail, and detailed descriptions on changes in these display states in the case of left rotation will be omitted.

  6 and 7 show changes in the display state of the finder image FI when the user presses the right rotation button 442 while the finder image FI is displayed on the PC finder 405. FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a change in display state when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a change in display state when the setting position tracking check box is ON. As apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, the change in the display state of the finder image FI itself is the same regardless of whether the setting position tracking check box is ON or OFF. Specifically, in any case, when the user presses the right rotation button 442 while the finder image FI is displayed on the PC finder 405, the finder image FI is rotated 90 degrees in the right direction. However, changes in the display states of the icons I1 to I5 and the character strings C1 to C5 superimposed on the finder image FI differ depending on whether the setting position tracking check box is ON or OFF.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the positions of the control points such as the distance measuring point, the photometric point, and the color measuring point are fixed with respect to the PC finder 405, and the right side of the finder image FI. It is not following the rotation. Therefore, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP that specifies the position of the control point on the finder image FI is also fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. In other words, the position of the control point with respect to the finder image FI is changed by the right rotation of the finder image FI.

  On the other hand, when the setting position tracking check box is ON, the position of the control point is not fixed with respect to the PC finder 405 and changes following the right rotation of the finder image FI. In other words, the position of the control point rotates 90 ° rightward with the center OF (OP) as the center of rotation. Therefore, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP is also rotated 90 ° rightward about the center OF (OP). For this reason, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP with respect to the finder image FI does not change even when the finder image FI is rotated clockwise.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the position of the icons I1 to I5 (the tip E of the dropper SP) moves with respect to the PC finder 405 with the setting position tracking check box ON, the right from the vertical direction. The display direction of the symbols such as the dropper SP and the character strings C <b> 1 to C <b> 5 inclined in the direction (in other words, the display posture of these individual symbols) is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. In other words, the display directions of the icons I1 to I5 and the character strings C1 to C5 are constant with respect to the PC finder 405 regardless of the display state of the finder image FI. The direction of the character arrangement in the character strings C1 to C5 is also constant regardless of the display state of the finder image FI. By performing such display, it is possible to prevent the user from misidentifying the icons I1 to I5, and it is possible to prevent the character strings C1 to C5 from being misread regardless of the display state of the finder image FI. .

  The change in the display state of the finder image FI, the icons I1 to I5, and the character strings C1 to C5 that occurs when the user presses the left rotation button 441 changes the rotation direction in the change in the display state in the case of the right rotation described above. This corresponds to the case of changing from right rotation to left rotation.

  Next, the right rotation described above will be described by defining an orthogonal coordinate system XY that is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. As shown in FIG. 8, the origin O of the orthogonal coordinate system XY is the position of the center OF (OP), the X axis is defined in the horizontal direction of the PC finder 405, and the Y axis is defined in the vertical direction of the PC finder 405.

  Here, using the position vector u = (x, y) on the orthogonal coordinate system XY, the finder images FI before and after the right rotation are expressed by PF (u) and PF ′ (u), respectively. Further, the icon Ik and the character string Ck (k = 1 to 5; k is a natural number) before and after the clockwise rotation are expressed as PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u), respectively. Here, the icon Ik and the character string Ck are treated as being integrated. Further, PF (u), PF ′ (u), PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u) are image information such as luminance values.

  Further, the positions indicating the control points of the icon Ik and the character string Ck, that is, the positions before and after the clockwise rotation of the tip E of the dropper SP are set as vk and vk ′, respectively. In addition, an operator Rr expressing right rotation on the orthogonal coordinate system XY is defined.

  With this definition, in the case where the setting position tracking check box is ON, the relationship between PF (u) and PF ′ (u) and the relationship between vk and vk ′ are expressed by Equation (1) and Equation (2). Indicated.

  Here, Expression (1) is a relational expression that expresses the right rotation of the finder image FI, and Expression (2) is a relational expression that expresses the rotation of the control point.

  However, the relationship between PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u) is not expressed in a form similar to Expressions (1) and (2), but is expressed by Expression (3).

  Here, the expression (3) expresses that the icon Ik and the character string Ck are not changed as seen from the position of the control point. That is, Expression (3) expresses that the unique shapes of the icon Ik and the character string Ck are invariant to the right rotation, and the display direction of the icon Ik and the character string Ck is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. doing.

  On the other hand, when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the relationship between PF (u) and PF ′ (u) and the relationship between vk and vk ′ are expressed by equations (4) and (5).

  Here, Expression (4) is a relational expression that represents the right rotation of the finder image FI, and Expression (5) is a relational expression that represents the non-rotation of the control point (fixed with respect to the PC finder 405).

  Further, the relationship between PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u) is expressed by Expression (6).

  Expression (6) is also a relational expression expressing non-rotation (fixed to the PC finder 405; non-rotation) of the icon Ik and the character string Ck.

  Here, the operator Rr indicating the right rotation has been described as an example, but this operator can of course be replaced by the operator Rl indicating the left rotation. More generally, the operator Rr can be replaced with an operator R (α) indicating rotation of an arbitrary angle α, and indicates an operation that does not change the size of the finder image FI, such as left-right inversion or up-down inversion. The operator R can also be replaced. Even in such a case, as described above, the user can be prevented from misidentifying the icons I1 to I5, and the character strings C1 to C5 can be easily read regardless of the display state of the finder image FI.

○ Enlargement / reduction;
In the digital camera control system 1, in addition to the left rotation and right rotation of the finder image FI described above, both enlargement and reduction of the finder image FI can be executed. In the following description, changes in the display state of the finder image FI, icons, and character strings when the finder image FI is enlarged will be described first, and changes in the display state when the finder image FI is reduced will be described subsequently. To do.

  9 and 10 show changes in the display state of the finder image FI when the user presses the enlarge button 443 while the finder image FI is displayed on the PC finder 405. FIG. Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a change in the display state when the set position following check box is OFF, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a change in the display state when the set position following check box is ON. 9 and 10, only the icon I2 and the character string C2 are displayed for the sake of brevity.

  As is clear from FIGS. 9 and 10, the change in the display state of the finder image FI itself is the same regardless of whether the setting position tracking check box is ON or OFF. Specifically, in any case, when the user presses the enlargement button 443 while the viewfinder image FI is displayed on the PC viewfinder 405, the viewfinder image FI is enlarged by 10% in terms of distance based on the enlargement / reduction center. Is done. Here, since the entire image enlarged in the area inside the PC finder 405 cannot be displayed, only the portion that can be displayed in the display area is displayed on the PC finder 405. Therefore, in this case, the peripheral portion of the finder image FI before enlargement is trimmed and is not displayed on the PC finder 405. The enlargement / reduction center is a distance measuring point when the focus point check box CB2 has a check CK, and the center OF (OP) when there is no check.

  On the other hand, the change in the display state of the icon I2 and the character string C2 superimposed on the finder image FI differs depending on whether the setting position tracking check box is ON or OFF.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the position of the control point is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405 and is not following the enlargement of the finder image FI. Therefore, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP that specifies the position of the control point on the finder image FI is also fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. In other words, the position of the control point with respect to the finder image FI is moved to a position near the enlargement / reduction center by enlargement of the finder image FI.

  On the other hand, when the setting position tracking check box is ON, the position of the control point is not fixed with respect to the PC finder 405 and changes following the enlargement of the finder image FI. That is, the position of the control point is increased by 10% in the distance from the enlargement / reduction center with the direction from the enlargement / reduction center unchanged. Therefore, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP is also increased by 10% in the distance from the enlargement / reduction center with the direction from the enlargement / reduction center unchanged. For this reason, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP with respect to the finder image FI does not change even when the finder image FI is enlarged. However, when the position of the control point after enlargement determined in this way is outside the display area of the PC finder 405, the control point is moved to a position L where the line segment connecting the position and the enlargement / reduction center intersects the display area. Moved.

  In the present embodiment, even when the setting position tracking check box is ON and the position of the icon I2 (tip E of the dropper SP) is moved with respect to the PC finder 405, the dropper is inclined from the vertical direction to the right. The display direction (display orientation) of the SP and character string C2 is fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. In other words, the display direction of the icon I2 and the character string C2 is constant regardless of the display state of the finder image FI. Further, the sizes of the icon I2 and the character string C2 are unchanged before and after the finder image FI is enlarged. By performing such display, the user can be prevented from misidentifying the icon I2, and the character string C2 can be easily read regardless of the display state of the finder image FI.

Next, a change in the display state of the finder image FI when the user presses the reduction button 444 while the finder image FI is displayed on the PC finder 405 will be described. In this case, regardless of whether the setting position tracking check box is ON or OFF, the finder image FI is reduced by 10% based on the enlargement / reduction center. Further, when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the position of the control point is fixed with respect to the viewfinder as in the case of enlargement. On the other hand, the position of the control point is reduced by 10% when the set position tracking check box is ON, with the direction from the enlargement / reduction center unchanged. For this reason, the position of the tip E of the dropper SP with respect to the finder image FI does not change even when the finder image FI is reduced. In the case of reduction, unlike the case of enlargement, the protrusion of the finder image FI from the display area of the PC finder 405 is out of consideration.
Subsequently, the above-described enlargement will be described using the orthogonal coordinate system XY and the position vector u = (x, y) defined above.

  Here, the finder images FI before and after enlargement are expressed by PF (u) and PF ″ (u), respectively. Further, the icon Ik and the character string Ck before and after enlargement are denoted as PIk (u) and PIk ″ (u), respectively. Again, the icon Ik and the character string Ck are treated as being integrated. Further, PF (u), PF ′ (u), PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u) are image information such as luminance values.

  Further, the positions indicating the control points of the icon Ik and the character string Ck, that is, the positions before and after the enlargement of the tip end portion E of the dropper SP are respectively represented by vk and vk ″ as position vectors. In addition, an operator El that expresses enlargement on the orthogonal coordinate system XY is defined.

  With this definition, in the case where the setting position tracking check box is ON, the relationship between PF (u) and PF ″ (u) and the relationship between vk and vk ″ are expressed by equations (1) and (2 (7) and (8).

  Here, Expression (7) is a relational expression that expresses the enlargement of the finder image FI, and Expression (8) is a relational expression that expresses the movement of the control point following the enlargement of the finder image FI.

  However, the relationship between PIk (u) and PIk ″ (u) is not expressed in a form similar to Expression (7) and Expression (8), but is expressed by Expression (9).

  Here, Expression (9) expresses that the icon Ik and the character string Ck are not changed as seen from the position of the control point. That is, the unique shape of the icon Ik and the character string Ck is invariant to enlargement, and the expression (9) indicates that the size and display direction of the icon Ik and the character string Ck are fixed with respect to the PC finder 405. expressing.

  On the other hand, when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the relationship between PF (u) and PF ′ (u) and the relationship between vk and vk ″ are expressed by equations (10) and (11).

  Here, Expression (10) is a relational expression that expresses enlargement of the finder image FI, and Expression (11) is a relational expression that expresses no movement of the control point (fixed with respect to the PC finder 405).

  Further, the relationship between PIk (u) and PIk ′ (u) is expressed by Expression (12).

  Expression (12) is also a relational expression expressing no movement (fixed to the PC finder 405) of the icon Ik and the character string Ck.

  As described above, in the case of enlarging the finder image FI, when the position vk ″ of the control point indicated by the equation (8) is outside the display area of the PC finder 405, the position is set in the display area. Processing to move to the end is performed.

  Here, the operator El indicating 10% enlargement has been described as an example, but this operator can of course be replaced with an operator indicating enlargement or reduction at an arbitrary magnification in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Even in such a case, as described above, the user can be prevented from misidentifying the icons I1 to I5, and the character strings C1 to C5 can be easily read regardless of the display state of the finder image FI.

<Operation of digital camera control program>
The operation of the digital camera control program 323b will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation of the digital camera control program 323b. FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15 are flowcharts illustrating subroutines corresponding to control point addition operation, enlargement operation, reduction operation, and release operation, respectively, included in the overall operation of the digital camera control program 323b. .

○ Shooting condition change operation of digital camera control program;
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, when the digital camera control program 323b is started, the operation flow moves to step S1, which is the first step.

In step S1, whether or not an event has occurred is detected. Here, “event” means various operations on the GUI screen of the computer. More specifically, “event” means the following operations (a) to (j).
(A) pressing the connection button 480;
(B) Left click on the PC finder (moving the mouse cursor KR over the finder image FI and left clicking);
(C) Right-clicking on the PC finder (moving the mouse cursor KR over the finder image FI and right-clicking);
(D) depressing the right rotation button 442;
(E) Depress left rotation button 441;
(F) Press the enlarge button 443 (g) Press the reduce button 444 (h) Press the reference button 473;
(I) Press release button 430;
(J) Depressing the close button 404c;
If the occurrence of these events is not detected in step S1, the operation flow returns to step S1 and the detection of the occurrence of the event is repeated. On the other hand, when occurrence of these events is detected in step S1, branch processing according to the type of the detected event is executed. More specifically, when the above events (a) to (i) are detected, the operation flow moves to step S2 to step S10, respectively. When the event (j), that is, pressing of the close button 404c is detected, the operation flow of the digital camera control program 323b ends.

  In step S <b> 2 that is executed by pressing the connection button 480 as a trigger, the digital camera control program 323 b causes the computer to read the operation mode of the digital camera 20. If the read mode is the “PC connection” mode, the operation flow moves to step S11. On the other hand, when the read operation mode is other than the PC connection mode, the operation flow returns to step S1.

  In step S11, the digital camera control program 323b causes the computer 30 to execute connection with the digital camera 20. As a result, a connection is established between the computer 30 and the digital camera 20, and the digital camera 20 can be controlled by the computer 30 by the digital camera control program 323b. That is, the live view acquired by the digital camera 20 can be displayed on the PC finder 405, and the shooting conditions are changed by reflecting the distance measuring point, photometric point and colorimetric point set on the live view on the digital camera 20. It becomes possible to do.

  When the operation mode of the digital camera 20 is in the PC connection mode and the pressing of the connection button 480 is detected by the above-described step S2 and step S11, the connection between the computer 30 and the digital camera 20 is established. become.

  Step S3, which is executed by moving the mouse cursor KR over the viewfinder image FI and left-clicking, is a control point adding operation subroutine. In this subroutine, after the control point is added, the operation flow returns to step S1. The details of the control point addition operation will be described later.

  In step S4, which is executed by moving the mouse cursor KR over the finder image FI and right-clicking, a branching process is performed depending on whether a photometric point exists at the right-click position. When the photometric point exists, the operation flow moves to the next step S12. On the other hand, when there is no photometric point, the operation flow returns to step S1 without changing the photometric point. In step S12, the photometry point existing at the right click position is deleted. That is, in response to the right click, the digital camera control program 323b deletes the icon and the character string superimposed on the right click position of the finder image FI and automatically deletes the photometric point. Reflect in exposure control. After the process in step S12 is completed, the operation flow returns to the first step S1.

  By these steps S3 to S4 and S12, the manual setting operation of the control points described when the user interface is described is realized.

  In step S5, which is executed when the right rotation button 442 is pressed as a trigger, the digital camera control program 323b rotates the finder image FI 90 degrees to the right using the API.

  In step S13 following step S5, branch processing is performed by turning ON and OFF the setting position tracking check box. That is, when the setting position tracking check box is ON, the operation flow moves to step S14, and when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the operation flow moves to step S15.

  In step S14, the control point is moved so as to follow the finder image FI rotated to the right in step S5. That is, the position of the control point, the icon indicating the control point, and the character string with respect to the PC finder 405 is rotated to the right. However, in the case of this rotation, as described above, the display direction of icons and characters with respect to the PC finder 405 does not change.

  On the other hand, in step S6 executed with the left rotation button 441 being pressed as a trigger, the digital camera control program 323b rotates the finder image FI by 90 ° in the left direction using the API.

  In step S16 following step S6, branch processing is performed by turning ON / OFF the setting position tracking check box as in step S13. That is, when the setting position tracking check box is ON, the operation flow moves to step S17, and when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the operation flow moves to step S15.

  In step S17, the control point is moved so as to follow the finder image FI rotated to the left in step S16. That is, the position of the control point, the icon indicating the control point, and the character string with respect to the PC finder 405 is rotated counterclockwise. However, in the case of this rotation, as described above, the left rotation is performed so that the display direction of the icons and characters with respect to the PC finder 405 does not change.

  By the steps S5 to S6, S13 to S14, and S16 to S17 described above, the control point movement following the rotation of the finder image FI is performed only when the setting position tracking check box is ON.

  Steps S7 and S8 executed by pressing the enlargement button 443 and the reduction button 444 as a trigger are subroutines for the enlargement operation and the reduction operation. After the enlargement operation in step S7 or the reduction operation in step S8, the operation flow moves to step S15. Details of the enlargement operation and the reduction operation will be described later.

  In step S15 executed when the left rotation button 441, the right rotation button 442, the enlargement button 443 and the reduction button 444 are pressed, that is, an operation for changing the display state of the finder image FI is performed, in step S15, the display state is changed. The control points indicated by the icons I1 to I5 and the character strings C1 to C5 are reflected on the digital camera 20. Then, the digital camera 20 performs distance measurement calculation, photometry calculation, and color measurement calculation at the reflected control points. Further, the digital camera 20 performs autofocus control, exposure control, and white balance control based on the results of the distance measurement calculation, photometry calculation, and colorimetry calculation, and transfers newly acquired image data to the computer 30. The computer 30 displays the image data obtained from the digital camera 20 on the PC finder 405. Thereby, the display content of the PC finder 405 is updated. Note that the image data used for updating the PC finder 405 in step S15 does not necessarily have to be re-acquired in the digital camera 20, and the computer adjusts the brightness and color balance of the already acquired image data. The image data generated by executing in step 30 may be used. In other words, the photometry calculation and the color measurement calculation performed by the digital camera 20 may be executed in a pseudo manner by the computer 30.

  In step S9, which is executed with the press of the reference button 473 as a trigger, selection of a save destination directory is executed in the above-described dialog box. In step S18 following step S9, the selected directory is inserted into the storage destination input box, and the operation flow returns to step S1.

  In step S <b> 10 that is executed when the release button 430 is pressed as a trigger, the digital camera control program 323 b causes the digital camera 20 to send a signal for instructing shooting to the digital camera 20 to execute shooting preparation and shooting. Let Details of the operation of the subroutine in step S10 will be described later. After the process of step S10 is completed, the operation flow returns to step S1.

○ Control point addition operation;
Hereinafter, the control point adding operation subroutine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the first step S101, a branch process is executed according to the selected screen selection mode. More specifically, when the screen selection mode is “focus point”, the operation flow moves to step S102, and when the screen selection mode is “white balance”, the operation flow moves to step S103, and the screen selection mode When is “AE area”, the operation flow proceeds to step S104. The branch process in step S101 means that the type of control point to be manually added differs depending on the selected screen selection mode.

  Steps S102 and S105 to S106 are an operation flow for realizing manual setting of distance measuring points.

  In step S102, a branching process is performed depending on the presence / absence of a manually set distance measuring point. That is, if the distance measuring point has already been manually set, the process proceeds to step S106, and if the distance measuring point has not been manually set, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, after adding a distance measuring point to the left click position of the finder image FI, the control point adding subroutine is terminated. On the other hand, in step S106, the existing distance measuring point is deleted and a new distance measuring point is set at the left click position of the finder image FI (change of the distance measuring point). Thereafter, the operation flow for adding control points is terminated.

  Steps S103 and S107 to S108 are an operation flow for realizing manual setting of colorimetric points, and processing similar to the operation flow for realizing manual setting of distance measuring points described above is executed.

  In step S103, a branching process is performed depending on the presence or absence of a color measurement point that has already been manually set. That is, if the colorimetric point has already been manually set, the process proceeds to step S1087. If the colorimetric point has not been manually set, the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, after adding a colorimetric point to the left click position, the control point addition subroutine is terminated. On the other hand, in step S108, the existing color measurement point is deleted, and a new color measurement point is set at the left click position (change of the color measurement point). Thereafter, the operation flow for adding control points is terminated.

  Step S104 is an operation flow for realizing manual setting of the photometric point. In the present embodiment, since a plurality of photometric points can be set, processing different from the distance measuring point and the colorimetric point is executed. . That is, in step S104, a photometry point is added to the left click position, and the operation flow for adding a control point is terminated.

○ Enlargement operation;
In the following, the enlargement operation subroutine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S201, branch processing is performed by turning on and off the focus point enlargement check box. That is, if the focus point enlargement check box is ON, the process proceeds to step S202. If the focus point enlargement check box is OFF, the process proceeds to step S203.

  In step S203, 10% enlargement of the finder image FI is executed with the center OF (OP) of the finder image FI as the enlargement center, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S204. On the other hand, in step S202, 10% enlargement of the finder image FI is executed with the focus point as the enlargement center, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S204. Through steps S201 to S203, the enlargement center of the finder image FI can be made different depending on the presence or absence of the check CK in the focus point enlargement check box CB2.

  In step S204, branch processing is executed by turning on and off the setting position tracking check box. That is, if the setting position tracking check box is ON, the process proceeds to step S205. If the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the operation flow of the enlargement operation is terminated without executing the control point movement process of steps S205 to S207.

  In step S205, the positions of the control points such as the distance measuring point, the photometric point, and the colorimetric point are moved so that the position with respect to the enlarged finder image FI does not change, and the operation flow moves to the next step S206.

  In step S206, a branching process is performed depending on whether or not the control point moved in step S205 is present in the display area of the PC finder 405. If it exists in the display area, the subroutine for the enlargement operation is terminated, and if it does not exist (if it protrudes), the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, the control point is moved to the end of the PC finder 405 as described above, and then the enlargement operation subroutine is terminated. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the manually set control points from disappearing from the display area of the PC finder 405 as the finder image FI is enlarged.

○ Reduction operation;
Hereinafter, the subtraction operation subroutine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The reduction operation subroutine is similar to the enlargement operation subroutine. However, since the control point does not take into consideration that the control point protrudes from the PC finder 405, steps corresponding to steps S206 to S207 of the enlargement operation subroutine are excluded. Does not exist.

  In the first step S301, branch processing is performed by turning on and off the focus point enlargement check box. That is, when the focus point enlargement check box is ON, the process proceeds to step S302, and when the focus point enlargement check box is OFF, the process proceeds to step S303.

  In step S303, 10% reduction of the finder image FI is executed with the center OF (OP) of the finder image FI as the reduction center, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S304. On the other hand, in step S302, 10% reduction of the finder image is executed with the focus detection point as the reduction center, and the operation flow moves to the next step S304.

  In step 304, branch processing is executed by turning ON / OFF the setting position tracking check box. That is, when the setting position tracking check box is ON, the process proceeds to step S305, and when the setting position tracking check box is OFF, the operation flow of the reduction operation ends.

  In step S305. The positions of control points such as a distance measuring point, a photometric point, and a colorimetric point are moved so that the position with respect to the reduced finder image FI does not change, and the operation flow of the reduction operation is completed.

○ Release operation;
The release operation subroutine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the first step S401, a branching process is performed depending on the presence or absence of a distance measuring point that has already been manually set. That is, if the ranging point has already been manually set, the process proceeds to step S402. If the ranging point has not been manually set, the process proceeds to step S403.

  Steps S402 and S403 are both steps for causing the digital camera 20 to achieve focusing, but the positions at which the distance measurement calculation is performed are different. In step S403, a distance measurement calculation is performed at a predetermined distance measurement point set at the center of the finder image FI, and autofocus control (AF) is performed by the digital camera 20. On the other hand, in step S <b> 402, distance measurement calculation is executed at a manually set distance measuring point, and autofocus control (AF) is performed in the digital camera 20. Note that the setting position of the predetermined distance measuring point is arbitrary and does not necessarily need to be at the center of the finder image FI. After step S402 or step S403 ends, the operation flow moves to the next step S404.

  Steps S404 to S406 are steps related to automatic exposure control (AE), and processing similar to steps S401 to S403 related to autofocus is executed.

  In step S404, a branching process is performed depending on the presence or absence of a photometric point that has already been manually set. That is, if the photometric point has already been manually set, the process proceeds to step S406, and if the photometric point has not been set, the process proceeds to step S405.

  In step S405, photometry calculation is executed at a predetermined photometry point, and automatic exposure control is executed so that the digital camera 20 achieves proper exposure. The predetermined metering point is not particularly limited, but here, a metering method called center-weighted average metering that measures the brightness of the entire screen on average while focusing on the center of the screen is adopted. To do. Of course, the photometry method in step S405 may be multi-division photometry, or spot photometry with the center of the screen as the photometry point.

  On the other hand, in step S406, photometry calculation is executed at a photometry point that has already been manually set, and automatic exposure control is executed in the digital camera 20. When a plurality of photometry points are set, the average value of the photometry results at the plurality of photometry points is used for automatic exposure control.

  After the process of step S405 or step S406 is completed, the operation flow moves to step S407.

  Steps S407 to S411 are steps related to white balance control. In these steps, processing according to the setting content of the white balance mode combo box 422 is executed.

  In step S407, a branching process is executed depending on the presence or absence of a color measurement point that has already been manually set. That is, if the colorimetric point has already been manually set, the operation flow moves to step S408, and if the colorimetric point has not been manually set, the operation flow moves to step S409.

  In step S409, white balance adjustment is executed in the mode selected in the white balance mode setting combo box 422, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S412.

  In step S408, branch processing is executed depending on whether or not the screen selection WB is selected in the white balance mode setting combo box 422. If the screen selection WB is selected, the operation flow moves to step S411. If any other mode is selected, the operation flow moves to step S410.

  In step S410, white balance adjustment is executed in the mode selected in the white balance mode setting combo box 422, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S412. In this case, the manually set color measurement point is not taken into consideration.

  On the other hand, in step S411, white balance adjustment is executed so that the set colorimetric point becomes an achromatic color, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S412.

  In step S412, the actual shooting operation is executed in the digital camera 20, and the operation flow proceeds to the next step S413.

  In step S413, the photographed image is saved in the save destination directory set in the save destination input box, and the release operation subroutine ends.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the digital camera 20 and the computer 30 are separated from each other, and an example in which data communication can be performed between the digital camera 20 and the computer 30 by a USB interface has been illustrated. You may implement the function which is equivalent to. That is, the above-described digital camera control program 323b may be executed by an embedded control computer capable of communicating data with the imaging system such as the photographing lens 201 and the CCD 204.

1 is a schematic diagram of a digital camera control system 1 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer 30. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera 20. FIG. It is a figure which illustrates window 400 displayed on display 31, when digital camera control program 323b is started. It is a figure expanding and explaining icon I1 and character string C1. It is a figure explaining the change of the display state of the finder image FI that occurs in response to pressing of the right rotation button 442 when the setting position tracking check box is OFF. It is a figure explaining the change of the display state of the finder image FI that occurs in response to pressing of the right rotation button 442 when the setting position tracking check box is ON. It is a figure explaining the relationship between PC finder 405 and orthogonal coordinate system XY. It is a figure explaining the change of the display state of the finder image FI that occurs in response to pressing of the enlargement button 443 when the setting position tracking check box is OFF. It is a figure explaining the change of the display state of the finder image FI that occurs in response to pressing of the enlargement button 443 when the setting position tracking check box is ON. It is a flowchart explaining the whole operation | movement of the digital camera control program 323b. It is a flowchart explaining the subroutine corresponding to control point addition operation | movement. It is a flowchart explaining the subroutine corresponding to expansion operation. It is a flowchart explaining the subroutine corresponding to reduction operation | movement. It is a flowchart explaining a subroutine corresponding to a release operation.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital Camera Control System 20 Digital Camera 30 Personal Computer (Computer)
405 PC finder I1 to I5 Icon C1 to C5 Character string OF, OP Center FI Finder image

Claims (9)

In a digital camera control device comprising display means for displaying an image acquired by a digital camera, the digital camera control device is executed by being executed by a computer provided in the digital camera control device.
A step of superimposing a symbol indicating a target position for calculation for determining a photographing condition on the image and displaying the symbol on the display unit;
Changing the display state of the image in response to a predetermined operation on the digital camera control device;
Changing the display position of the symbol following the change of the display state of the image while fixing the display direction of the symbol;
A program for controlling a digital camera, characterized in that The program according to claim 1,
The symbol includes an icon and a character string for identifying the icon;
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the display position of the symbol is changed following the change of the display state of the image while the character arrangement of the character string is fixed. In the digital camera control program according to claim 1 or 2,
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the change of the display state is rotation of the image. In the digital camera control program according to claim 1 or 2,
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the change of the display state is enlargement or reduction of the image. In the digital camera control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the calculation is a ranging calculation for autofocus control. In the digital camera control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the calculation is a photometric calculation for automatic exposure control. In the digital camera control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A digital camera control program, wherein the calculation is a colorimetric calculation for white balance control. In the digital camera control program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
When the display state of the image is changed,
A program for controlling a digital camera, wherein the image is updated based on a calculation result for determining a photographing condition at a target position of the calculation after the display state is changed, which is indicated by the symbol. A digital camera control system,
An imaging unit for acquiring an image;
A computer comprising display means;
Data communication means for transmitting and receiving data between the imaging unit and the computer;
With
The computer is
A symbol indicating a target position for calculation for determining a shooting condition is superimposed on the image and displayed on the display means;
The display state of the image is changed in response to a predetermined operation, and the display position of the symbol can be changed following the change of the display state of the image while the display direction of the symbol is fixed. A digital camera control system.

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