JP2005080250A - Digital camera and animation photographing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera and animation photographing method in which a noise with lens driving can be avoided from being recorded. <P>SOLUTION: While animation photographing with audio information recording is performed in a digital camera 10, when the execution instruction of at least one of either AF (auto-focus) control or optical zooming is inputted from a user by operating to an operation section 56, a CPU 32 temporarily stops relevant animation photographing and controls an operation corresponding to the execution instruction to be performed during that stop. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera and a moving image shooting method, and more particularly to a digital camera having a function of shooting a moving image with recording of audio information and a moving image shooting method of the digital camera.

  In recent years, the demand for digital cameras has increased rapidly with the increase in resolution of imaging devices such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors. Recently, a large number of digital cameras capable of shooting moving images with recording of audio information have been commercialized.

  Incidentally, many digital cameras of this type are provided with an AF (Auto Focus) function, and a focusing operation by the AF function (hereinafter referred to as “AF operation”) is generally performed. This is done by adjusting the position of a lens provided to form a subject image.

  Therefore, when video shooting with recording of audio information is performed with this type of digital camera, the driving sound of the motor for adjusting the position of the lens by the AF operation and the transmission mechanism from the motor to the lens Driving sound is recorded as noise simultaneously with the moving image.

  In particular, recent digital electronic still cameras and digital video cameras are becoming smaller and the distance between these noise sources and the audio microphone is very short, so the noise is so large that it cannot be ignored. In many cases.

  In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that focus control is performed before the start of moving image shooting during moving image shooting with audio recording, and an in-focus shift amount is determined when moving image shooting is performed. When the out-of-focus amount is out of the allowable range, a display corresponding to the out-of-focus amount is displayed, and the in-focus control is performed when an instruction to execute the in-focus control is given by operating a predetermined key. Technology is disclosed.

According to this technique, since the AF operation that is automatically executed at the time of moving image shooting is prohibited, it is possible to prevent the lens drive sound accompanying the AF operation from being recorded as noise.
JP 2002-10123 A

  However, since the technique according to Patent Document 1 prohibits the automatic AF operation at the time of moving image shooting, it is possible to avoid recording noise due to the AF operation, but the execution instruction of the focus control is predetermined. When the key operation is performed, the focus control is performed. Therefore, there is a problem in that noise due to the focus control in this case is recorded.

  On the other hand, many digital cameras equipped with a zoom lens and equipped with an optical zoom function using the zoom lens have been commercialized in recent years. Even when the change is made, the driving sound of the zoom lens driving motor and the driving sound of the transmission mechanism from the motor to the lens may be recorded simultaneously with the moving image as noise.

  However, the technique according to Patent Document 1 does not consider any noise during zooming due to the optical zoom, and thus has a problem that noise due to driving of the zoom lens is recorded.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera and a moving image photographing method capable of avoiding recording of noise accompanying driving of a lens.

  In order to achieve the above object, the digital camera according to claim 1 is a digital camera having a function of shooting a moving image with recording of audio information, and performs focusing control and shooting when the moving image is shot. An instruction input unit for inputting an execution instruction for at least one of the optical zoom operations; and when the execution instruction is input by the instruction input unit, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped, and the execution instruction is performed during the stop period. Control means for controlling to perform an operation according to the above.

  According to the digital camera of the first aspect, by the instruction input means for inputting an execution instruction of at least one of the focus control and the optical zoom operation when moving image shooting accompanied with recording of audio information is performed. When the execution instruction is input, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped by the control unit, and the operation according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period.

  As described above, according to the digital camera of the first aspect, when an instruction to execute at least one of the focus control and the optical zoom operation is input when shooting a moving image with recording of audio information, Since the video recording is temporarily stopped and the operation according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period, recording of the noise accompanying the driving of the lens when performing the operation according to the execution instruction Can be avoided.

  In the present invention, when an execution instruction is input by the instruction input means and at least one of the focusing control and the optical zoom operation is executed, the recording of the moving image during the execution period is interrupted. Since the moving image is not so meaningful as described below, there is no particular problem.

  In other words, when focus control is performed due to a focus shift, the focus is gradually shifted from the out-of-focus state to the in-focus state. It makes no sense. In addition, when changing the zoom magnification of the optical zoom during movie shooting, the shooting magnification of the image fluctuates until the desired zoom magnification is reached, so it is not very meaningful to record a movie during that period. It becomes.

  Note that when shooting a movie, the shooting scene is frequently switched. However, if the execution instruction is input by the instruction input means of the present invention at the time of switching each shooting scene, the moving image recording without a sense of incongruity is performed. This is preferable.

  Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, as in the second aspect of the present invention, the first input means for inputting the execution instruction for the shooting preparation operation in the first operation, and the second operation performed continuously after the first operation. It is preferable to further include a photographing instruction input means having a second input means for inputting a photographing operation execution instruction, and the instruction input means is also used as the first input means in the photographing instruction input means. As a result, it is possible to input an execution instruction for at least one of the focus control and the optical zoom operation by a continuous operation from the operation for inputting the execution instruction of the moving image shooting operation to the shooting instruction input means. The execution instruction can be input with good operability and in a short time.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 3, the control means in the invention described in claim 2 is configured such that when the instruction input means executes an optical zoom operation execution instruction, the imaging instruction input means It is preferable to determine that the execution of the optical zoom operation has been completed when the operation on the first input means is performed. As a result, the end of execution of the optical zoom operation can be input with good operability and in a short time.

  Further, as in the invention according to claim 4, the control means of the present invention controls so that aperture-priority automatic exposure control in which the aperture value is set to a maximum value according to the shooting conditions is executed during the moving image shooting. It is preferable to do. As a result, the depth of field can be maximized and the amount of focus deviation can be greatly suppressed, so that the frequency of performing focus control can be greatly reduced. The continuous shooting period of shooting can be extended.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, a moving image shooting method according to claim 5 is a moving image shooting method in a digital camera having a function of shooting a moving image with recording of audio information. When the execution instruction of at least one of the focus control and the optical zoom operation is input when the camera is in motion, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped, and the operation according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period It is.

  Therefore, according to the moving image photographing method of the fifth aspect, the digital camera can be operated in the same manner as the first aspect of the invention. Therefore, as with the first aspect of the invention, the driving of the lens is accompanied. Noise recording can be avoided.

  According to the digital camera and the moving image shooting method of the present invention, when an instruction to execute at least one of the focus control and the optical zoom operation is input during moving image shooting with recording of audio information, Since shooting is temporarily stopped and operation according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period, recording of noise accompanying driving of the lens when performing the operation according to the execution instruction is avoided. The effect that it can do is acquired.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera having a still image shooting function and a moving image shooting function with recording of audio information will be described.

[First Embodiment]
First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the front of the digital camera 10 is provided with a lens 12 for forming a subject image and a finder 70 used for determining the composition of the subject to be photographed. The upper surface of the digital camera 10 is provided with a release button 56A that is pressed by the user when shooting is performed, and a power switch 56B.

  Note that the release button 56A according to the present embodiment is in a state where it is pressed down to an intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “half-pressed state”), and in a state where it is pressed down to a final pressed position that exceeds the intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “herein”) The two-stage pressing operation of “fully pressed state” is configured to be detectable by two built-in switches. Here, the two switches correspond to the first input means and the second input means of the present invention. Specifically, a switch for detecting a half-pressed state is the first input means of the present invention. The switches for detecting the fully pressed state correspond to the second input means of the present invention.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the exposure state (shutter speed, aperture state) is set by operating the AE (Automatic Exposure) function by pressing the release button 56A halfway. After that, the AF function is activated to control the focus, and then exposure (photographing) is performed when the button is fully pressed.

  The digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment has a shutter priority AE mode in which an appropriate aperture value is automatically determined based on a designated shutter speed value and the brightness of the subject, and the designated aperture value and the subject's brightness. Any of the aperture priority AE modes in which the shutter speed is automatically determined according to the brightness can be selectively set, and when the AE function is activated, the exposure state is set in the set AE mode. Will be set.

  On the other hand, on the back of the digital camera 10, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “the eyepiece” of the finder 70 and a subject image, various menu screens, messages, etc. indicated by the digital image data obtained by photographing). 30), a still image shooting mode that is a mode for shooting still images, a moving image shooting mode that is a mode for shooting moving images, and a mode for displaying (reproducing) a subject image on the LCD 30. A mode changeover switch 56C that is slid to set any one of the playback modes, four arrow keys indicating the four directions of movement in the display area of the LCD 30, up, down, left, and right, and the four And a cross-cursor button 56D configured to include a total of five keys of the enter key positioned at the center of the arrow key. To have.

  On the back of the digital camera 10, a menu key 56E that is pressed to display the main menu screen on the LCD 30 and a zoom switch 56F that is operated to zoom (enlarge and reduce) the subject image during shooting. And are provided. The zoom switch 56F corresponds to the position “T” in the figure and is operated when enlarging the subject image. The zoom switch 56F corresponds to the position “W” in the figure and corresponds to the subject image. And a wide switch that is operated when the image is reduced.

  Next, the configuration of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 13 including the lens 12 described above, and a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) disposed behind the optical axis of the lens 12. 14, a correlated double sampling circuit (hereinafter referred to as “CDS”) 16, and an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as “ADC”) 18 that converts an input analog signal into digital data. The output terminal of the CCD 14 is connected to the input terminal of the CDS 16, and the output terminal of the CDS 16 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 18.

  Here, the correlated double sampling processing by the CDS 16 is a feed included in the output signal for each pixel of the solid-state image sensor for the purpose of reducing noise (particularly thermal noise) included in the output signal of the solid-state image sensor. This is processing for obtaining accurate pixel data by taking the difference between the through component level and the pixel signal component level.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 has a line buffer having a predetermined capacity and an image input controller 20 that performs control for directly storing the input digital image data in a predetermined area of the second memory 40 described later, and the digital image data. An image signal processing circuit 22 that performs various image processing, a compression / decompression processing circuit 24 that performs compression processing on the digital image data in a predetermined compression format, and performs expansion processing on the compressed digital image data, and a digital image And a display control circuit 28 that generates a signal for causing the LCD 30 to display an image or a menu screen indicated by the data and supplies the signal to the LCD 30. The input terminal of the image input controller 20 is connected to the output terminal of the ADC 18.

  In addition, the digital camera 10 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 32 that controls the operation of the entire digital camera 10 and physical quantities required to operate the AF function (in this embodiment, an image obtained by imaging with the CCD 14). AF evaluation circuit 34 for detecting a high frequency component of the luminance of the image) and a physical quantity required for operating the AE function and the AWB (Automatic White Balance) function (in this embodiment, imaging by the CCD 14). And an AE / AWB detection circuit 36 for detecting the brightness indicating the brightness of the image obtained by (1).

  Further, the digital camera 10 stores a first memory 38 constituted by an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) used as a work area when the CPU 32 executes various processes, and digital image data obtained mainly by photographing. A second memory 40 configured by VRAM (Video RAM), a media controller 42 for enabling the digital camera 10 to access a recording medium 42A configured by Smart Media (R), and audio. The microphone 60 which converts into an analog audio | voice signal and ADC62 which converts the analog audio | voice signal obtained by the microphone 60 into digital audio | voice data are provided.

  Image input controller 20, image signal processing circuit 22, compression / decompression processing circuit 24, display control circuit 28, CPU 32, AF detection circuit 34, AE / AWB detection circuit 36, first memory 38, second memory 40, medium The controller 42 and the ADC 62 are connected to each other via a bus BUS.

  Therefore, the CPU 32 detects the operations of the image input controller 20, the image signal processing circuit 22, the compression / expansion processing circuit 24, and the display control circuit 28, and the AF detection circuit 34 and the AE / AWB detection circuit 36. Acquisition of physical quantities, access to the first memory 38 and the second memory 40, access to the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42, and acquisition of digital audio data via the microphone 60 and ADC 62, respectively. It can be carried out.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 is provided with a timing generator 48 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 14 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 14. The timing generator 48 has an input terminal connected to the CPU 32 and an output terminal connected to the CCD 14, and the driving of the CCD 14 is controlled by the CPU 32 via the timing generator 48.

  Further, the CPU 32 is connected to an input terminal of the motor drive unit 50, and an output terminal of the motor drive unit 50 is connected to a focus adjustment motor, a zoom motor, and an aperture drive motor provided in the optical unit 13.

  The lens 12 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of lenses, is configured as a zoom lens that can change (magnify) the focal length, and includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown). The lens drive mechanism includes the focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor. The focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor are each supplied with a drive signal supplied from the motor drive unit 50 under the control of the CPU 32. Driven by.

  When changing the optical zoom magnification, the CPU 32 controls the zoom motor to change the focal length of the lens 12.

  Further, the CPU 32 performs focusing control by driving and controlling the focus adjustment motor so that the contrast of an image obtained by imaging by the CCD 14 is maximized. In other words, the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment employs a so-called TTL (Through The Lens) method in which the lens position is set so that the contrast of the read image is maximized as the focus control. .

  Further, the operation unit 56 including the release button 56A, the power switch 56B, the mode switch 56C, the cross cursor button 56D, the menu key 56E, and the zoom switch 56F is connected to the CPU 32. The CPU 32 includes these operation units 56. It is possible to always grasp the operation state for each part included in the.

  Next, an overall operation at the time of shooting of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

  First, an image is picked up by the CCD 14 via the optical unit 13, and signals indicating the subject image are sequentially output from the CCD 14. The signals output from the CCD 14 are sequentially input to the CDS 16 and subjected to correlated double sampling processing, and then input to the ADC 18. The ADC 18 receives R (red), G (green), and B (input from the CDS 16. The blue signal is converted into 12-bit R, G, and B signals (digital image data) and output to the image input controller 20.

  The image input controller 20 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 18 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores it in a predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  Digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the second memory 40 is read out by the image signal processing circuit 22 under the control of the CPU 32, and a digital gain corresponding to the physical quantity detected by the AE / AWB detection circuit 36 is added to these. In addition to white balance adjustment, gamma processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate 8-bit digital image data, and further YC signal processing is performed to obtain luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”). And the YC signal is stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the second memory 40.

  The LCD 30 is configured so that it can display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 14 and can be used as a finder. In this way, the LCD 30 is used as a finder. The generated YC signal is sequentially output to the LCD 30 via the display control circuit 28. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 30.

  When the still image shooting mode is set, the AF function is activated after the AE function is activated and the exposure state is set as described above at the timing when the release button 56A is half-pressed by the user. The YC signal stored in the second memory 40 at that time when the in-focus control is performed and then fully pressed is applied to a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, the compression / decompression processing circuit 24). , JPEG format) and then recorded on the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42.

  On the other hand, when the moving image shooting mode is set, the YC signal stored in the second memory 40 from that point in time is compressed in time series at a predetermined time when the release button 56A is fully pressed. After being compressed in a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, Motion JPEG format) by the decompression processing circuit 24, recording is sequentially performed on the recording medium 42A via the media controller 42, and the release button 56A is fully pressed again. The recording operation is finished at the timing.

  The above is a simple flow of the overall operation at the time of shooting of the digital camera 10. Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the operation when the moving image shooting mode particularly related to the present invention is set will be further described. This will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the moving image shooting mode processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the moving image shooting mode is set by the mode changeover switch 56C.

  First, in step 100, as the AE mode, an aperture priority AE mode that sets a maximum aperture value (a state in which the aperture is most contracted) according to shooting conditions such as a shooting environment and setting conditions is set. Thereby, in the AE operation performed thereafter, the shutter speed is determined in a state where the aperture area of the diaphragm is minimized according to the photographing conditions. Therefore, the depth of field in the subsequent shooting can be set to the maximum depth according to the shooting conditions, and the execution frequency of the AF operation according to the focus shift can be minimized.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, as exposure conditions that can be set in the digital camera 10, when the shutter speed is five steps from B-2 to B + 2, and the aperture value is five steps from A-2 to A + 2, The selection condition when the exposure value (so-called EV value) corresponding to the shooting condition is indicated by a straight line in the figure is that the aperture value is the maximum value A + 2 indicating the exposure value, and the shutter speed is the minimum speed indicating the exposure value. B-2.

  In the next step 102, the process waits until the release button 56A is half-pressed, and in the next step 104, the exposure state is set by performing the AE operation in the aperture priority AE mode set in step 100 above. Then, the focus control is performed by performing the AF operation in the next step 106.

  In the next step 108, it is determined whether or not the release button 56A has shifted from the half-pressed state to the fully-pressed state. If a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 110 and the release button 56A returns to the unpressed state. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 108. If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 102. If the determination in step 108 is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 112.

  By repeating the above steps 102 to 110, AF control is performed after the AE control in the aperture priority AE mode is performed at the timing when the release button 56A is half-pressed, and then the release button 56A is half-pressed. When the release button 56A returns from the half-pressed state to the non-pressed state, the operation waits for the release button 56A. Become.

  In step 112, the YC signal stored in the second memory 40 is compressed by the compression / expansion processing circuit 24 in time series every predetermined period (in this embodiment, 1/20 second) and then recorded on the recording medium 42A. Start movie recording.

  In the next step 114, the process waits until the release button 56A is half-pressed. In the next step 116, it is determined whether the release button 56A has shifted from the half-pressed state to the fully-pressed state. If YES, the process proceeds to step 118.

  In step 118, it is determined whether or not the release button 56A has returned to the non-pressed state. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 116. If an affirmative determination is made, the user instructs the execution of AF control. Is transferred to step 120. That is, the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to instruct execution of AF control by pressing the release button 56A halfway during shooting in the moving image shooting mode.

  In step 120, the AF setting process routine shown in FIG. 5 is executed. In the AF setting processing routine according to the present embodiment, first, moving image shooting is temporarily stopped in step 200, and focusing control is performed by performing an AF operation in the next step 202.

  Then, after the focusing control is completed, the moving image shooting stopped in step 200 is resumed in step 204, and then the AF setting processing routine is ended, and the process proceeds to step 114 of the moving image shooting mode processing program.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 116 is affirmative, that is, if the release button 56A shifts from the half-pressed state to the fully-pressed state, it is assumed that an instruction to end moving image shooting has been input by the user. After moving to 122 and ending the moving image shooting, the moving image shooting mode processing program is ended.

  The operations when the still image shooting mode of the digital camera 10 is set and when the playback mode is set are the same as those of a normal digital camera, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, when an instruction to perform AF control is input while performing moving image shooting with recording of audio information, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped. Since the control for performing the AF control according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period, it is possible to avoid the recording of noise accompanying the driving of the lens during the AF control.

  In the present embodiment, the first input means for inputting the execution instruction for the shooting preparation operation in the first operation, and the first input unit for inputting the execution instruction for the shooting operation in the second operation performed continuously after the first operation. Since the first input means of the release button 56A having two input means is also used as means for inputting the execution instruction of the AF control, an operation for inputting the execution instruction of the moving image shooting operation to the release button 56A. The execution instruction of AF control can be input by continuous operation from, and the execution instruction can be input in a short time with good operability.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when taking a moving image, control is performed so that aperture priority AE control is performed in which the aperture value is set to the maximum value according to the shooting conditions, so that the depth of field is maximized. In addition, since the amount of out-of-focus can be greatly suppressed, the frequency of AF control execution can be greatly reduced, and as a result, the continuous shooting period of moving image shooting can be extended.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the case has been described in which the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped and the AF control is performed when an instruction to execute the AF control is input by the user during the moving image shooting. In the second embodiment, when a user inputs an optical zoom operation execution instruction during moving image shooting, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped to perform control for the optical zoom operation. A form is demonstrated. The configuration of the digital camera according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the digital camera 10 according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here. The operations other than the case where the moving image shooting mode of the digital camera 10 according to this embodiment is set are also the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment when the moving image shooting mode is set will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of the moving image shooting mode processing program executed by the CPU 32 when the moving image shooting mode is set by the mode changeover switch 56C, and a step for performing the same processing as FIG. Are denoted by the same step numbers as in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the moving image shooting mode processing program executed in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment executes the optical zoom setting processing routine in step 121 instead of executing the AF setting processing routine in step 120. Only the moving image shooting mode processing program according to the first embodiment is different. Hereinafter, the optical zoom setting process routine will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 300, moving image shooting is temporarily stopped, and in step 302, AF control is performed by performing an AF operation.

  In the next step 304, it is determined whether or not the zoom switch 56F has been operated by the user. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 306. If the tele switch of the zoom switch 56F is operated, the optical switch is selected. Control is performed to increase the zoom magnification by a predetermined value. When the wide switch is operated, zooming by optical zoom is performed by performing control to decrease the optical zoom magnification by a predetermined value, and then the process proceeds to step 308. . Needless to say, the change of the optical zoom magnification in step 306 is performed within the range of the optical zoom magnification that can be set in the digital camera 10.

  In step 308, focusing control is performed by performing an AF operation, and then the process returns to step 304.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 304, that is, if the zoom switch 56F is not operated by the user, the process proceeds to step 310 to determine whether or not the release button 56A is half pressed by the user. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step 304. If an affirmative determination is made, it is assumed that an instruction input indicating that the zooming operation using the optical zoom has been completed is performed by the user. Migrate to

  In step 312, the moving image shooting stopped in step 300 is resumed, and then the present optical zoom setting processing routine is terminated, and the flow proceeds to step 114 of the moving image shooting mode processing program.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, when an instruction to perform an optical zoom operation is input while shooting a movie with recording of audio information, the movie shooting is temporarily stopped. Since the control is performed so as to perform the optical zoom operation according to the execution instruction during the stop period, it is possible to avoid the recording of noise accompanying the driving of the lens when performing the optical zoom operation.

  In the present embodiment, the first input means for inputting the execution instruction for the shooting preparation operation in the first operation, and the first input unit for inputting the execution instruction for the shooting operation in the second operation performed continuously after the first operation. Since the first input means of the release button 56A having two input means is also used as means for inputting the execution instruction of the optical zoom operation, the instruction for executing the shooting operation of the moving image to the release button 56A is input. The execution instruction of the optical zoom operation can be input by continuous operation from the operation, and the execution instruction can be input with good operability and in a short time.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, it is determined that the execution of the optical zoom operation has been completed when the release button 56A has been operated on the first input means. It is possible to input instructions with good performance and in a short time.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when taking a moving image, control is performed so that aperture priority AE control is performed in which the aperture value is set to the maximum value according to the shooting conditions, so that the depth of field is maximized. In addition, since the amount of out-of-focus can be greatly suppressed, the frequency of AF control execution can be greatly reduced, and as a result, the continuous shooting period of moving image shooting can be extended.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the control for changing the zoom magnification of the optical zoom and the AF control are performed in the optical zoom setting processing routine (see FIG. 7) has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to adopt a form in which only control for changing the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is performed without performing AF control.

  That is, in the present embodiment, since AE control is performed in the aperture priority AE mode in which the maximum aperture value (a state in which the aperture is most contracted) according to the shooting conditions is performed, the depth of field is as much as possible. In many cases, it is deep and no noticeable out-of-focus occurs. In this case, it is extremely effective in reducing the processing load to perform only zooming by optical zoom without performing AF control.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the AE control is performed by setting the shutter speed and the aperture value has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sensitivity of the CCD 14 is set in addition to the aperture value setting. It is possible to adopt a form in which adjustment is performed, and it is also possible to adopt a form in which adjustment is performed by adjusting the sensitivity of the CCD 14 in addition to setting the shutter speed and aperture value. In this case, a reduction in shutter speed can be suppressed, so that the occurrence of camera shake can be suppressed.

  The configuration of the digital camera 10 according to each of the above embodiments (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is merely an example, and it is needless to say that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the dedicated zoom switch 56F is applied as a switch operated when performing zooming by optical zoom has been described. However, a switch or button having a predetermined role, such as the cross cursor button 56D. You may make it apply combining these. In this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of operability that switches, buttons, and the like that are also used are applied in consideration of the operation mode of the digital camera 10.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the release button 56A capable of two-stage pressing operation is applied as the instruction input means of the present invention has been described. However, other switches, buttons, and the like may be applied. Needless to say.

  Furthermore, the processing flow of the various processing programs described in the above embodiments (see FIGS. 3 and 5 to 7) is also an example, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say.

It is an external view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera 10 which concerns on embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric system of the digital camera 10. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the moving image shooting mode processing program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a graph of the shutter speed-aperture value used for description of the aperture priority AE mode according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of AF setting process routine which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the moving image shooting mode processing program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the optical zoom setting process routine which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital camera 32 CPU (control means)
56A Release button (instruction input means, first input means, second input means, photographing instruction input means)
56F zoom switch

Claims (5)

A digital camera having a function of taking a video with recording of audio information,
Instruction input means for inputting an execution instruction of at least one of focusing control and optical zoom operation when performing the moving image shooting;
Control means for temporarily stopping the moving image shooting when the execution instruction is input by the instruction input means, and performing control according to the execution instruction during the stop period;
Digital camera equipped with. An imaging instruction having a first input means for inputting an execution instruction for an imaging preparation operation in a first operation and a second input means for inputting an execution instruction for an imaging operation in a second operation performed continuously after the first operation. An input means;
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the instruction input unit is also used as the first input unit in the photographing instruction input unit. When the instruction input unit inputs an optical zoom operation execution instruction, the control unit finishes the optical zoom operation when the photographing instruction input unit is operated on the first input unit. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the digital camera is determined to have been. 4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further performs control so that aperture-priority automatic exposure control is performed in which the aperture value is set to a maximum value corresponding to a shooting condition during the video shooting. Digital camera. A video shooting method in a digital camera having a function of shooting a video with recording of audio information,
When an instruction to execute at least one of focusing control and optical zoom operation is input during the moving image shooting, the moving image shooting is temporarily stopped, and an operation according to the execution instruction is performed during the stop period. Control how to do the movie shooting method.

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