JP2005242160A - Photographing control method and photographing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the image quality of a series of photographed images in autobracketing photography by performing appropriate exposure control meeting the state of stationary light in the so-called autobracketing photography of continuously photographing the same subject at a plurality of different exposure levels. <P>SOLUTION: If the subject illuminance level S of the stationary light detected by a stationary light detecting section 1 is within a reference range according to the photographing system 100, a photographing controller 2 controls the respective exposure levels in the autobracketing photography by changing flash light emitting quantity and shutter open time. When the subject illuminance level S of the stationary light is smaller than the reference lower limit value, the photographing controller 2 controls the respective exposure levels in the autobracketing photography by changing the flush light emitting quantity. Or when the subject illuminance level S of the stationary light is greater than the reference upper limit value, the photographing controller 2 controls the respective exposure levels in the autobracketing photography by changing the shutter open time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing control method and a photographing system that change a combination of a flash emission amount and a shutter opening time and perform a series of photographing of the same subject with a plurality of different exposure amounts.

  Conventionally, an auto bracket function (exposure bracket function) that continuously takes multiple photos with different exposure amounts by changing the exposure amount in steps by changing the exposure conditions such as aperture value and shutter opening time. Cameras equipped with are known.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for changing the exposure amount according to the flash emission amount in auto bracket photography. Further, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a camera that includes a flash bracket function that increases or decreases a flash emission amount with respect to a reference value for each flash shooting, and displays a flash bracket dimming correction amount. ing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-196985 JP 2000-75371 A

  However, conventionally, in auto bracket shooting, when changing the exposure amount by changing the aperture value, the focus may change in continuous shooting. In addition, when performing exposure control by changing the amount of exposure depending on the amount of stroboscopic light, the state of steady light such as illumination light or sunlight that is stably irradiated to the subject is not considered in addition to the flash of the stroboscope. It was.

  An object of the present invention is to perform appropriate exposure control according to the state of steady light in so-called auto bracket shooting, in which the same subject is continuously shot with a plurality of different exposure amounts. It is to improve the image quality.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an imaging control method according to the first aspect of the present invention provides:
In a shooting control method for continuously shooting the same subject by changing a plurality of different exposure amounts,
The exposure amount in the photographing is controlled by changing the combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The illuminance level of the subject by the stationary light is detected, and the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed based on the detected illuminance level of the subject by the stationary light.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2,
The aperture value or the light transmission amount of an optical filter that is detachable in the optical axis path or the optical density of which can be controlled is changed, the change of the aperture value or the light transmission amount of the optical filter, and the steady state The combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time is changed based on the illuminance level of the light subject.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The color temperature of the steady light is detected, and control is performed so that the flash light approximates the color temperature of the detected steady light.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A color temperature of the steady light is detected, and a flash light source having a color temperature closest to the detected color temperature is selectively emitted from a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating flash light of a plurality of different color temperatures. Alternatively, control is performed so as to increase the light emission amount as compared with other flash light sources.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The irradiation direction of the steady light is detected, and the direction of the flash light source is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected irradiation direction of the steady light.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The flash light source is detected from the plurality of flash light sources for detecting the irradiation direction of the steady light and irradiating the flash light from a plurality of different directions, and the flash light source closest to the detected steady light irradiation direction is selected. Control is performed so that light is selectively emitted or the amount of light emission is increased compared to other flash light sources.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An imaging apparatus having a semiconductor device having a photoconductive effect as an imaging element is used for the imaging.

The invention according to claim 9 is:
An imaging system comprising: an imaging unit that captures an object; a light emitting unit that irradiates the subject with flash light; and an imaging control unit that controls to continuously capture the same subject by changing a plurality of different exposure amounts. Because
The photographing control unit is characterized in that the plurality of different exposure amounts are changed by changing a combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 9,
It has a steady light detector that detects the illuminance level of the subject by the steady light,
The photographing control unit is characterized in that the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed based on the detected illuminance level of the subject by the steady light.

The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 10,
A diaphragm or an optical filter that can be attached to and detached from the optical axis path or whose optical density can be controlled,
The photographing control unit, based on a change in the aperture value or a light transmission amount of the optical filter, and an illuminance level of the detected steady light subject, the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time, It is characterized by changing the combination.

The invention according to claim 12 is the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
A color temperature detector for detecting the color temperature of the stationary light;
The photographing control unit controls the flash light so as to approximate the color temperature of the detected steady light.

The invention according to claim 13 is the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
A color temperature detector for detecting the color temperature of the stationary light;
The light emitting unit includes a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating a plurality of flash lights having different color temperatures,
The photographing control unit selectively emits a flash light source having a color temperature closest to the detected color temperature from the plurality of flash light sources, or increases a light emission amount as compared with other flash light sources. It is characterized by control.

The invention according to claim 14 is the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 13,
A stationary light irradiation direction detection unit for detecting the irradiation direction of the stationary light;
The photographing control unit controls the direction of the flash light source of the light emitting unit so that the irradiation direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected irradiation direction of the steady light.

The invention according to claim 15 is the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 13,
A stationary light irradiation direction detector for detecting the irradiation direction of the stationary light;
The light emitting unit has a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating flash light from a plurality of different directions,
The photographing control unit selectively emits a flash light source whose flash light irradiation direction is closest to the detected steady light irradiation direction from among the plurality of flash light sources, or emits light compared to other flash light sources. It is characterized by controlling to increase the amount.

The invention according to claim 16 is the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 15,
The imaging unit includes a semiconductor device having a photoconductive effect as an imaging element.

  According to the first and ninth aspects of the present invention, when the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed, a plurality of different exposure amounts are changed to continuously photograph the same subject. Perform exposure control. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate exposure control according to the state of steady light using a combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time, and focus between a series of images obtained by continuous shooting. The image quality can be stabilized without any change.

  According to the second and tenth aspects of the present invention, the illuminance level of the subject by the steady light is detected, and the combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time is based on the detected illuminance level of the subject by the steady light. Since the exposure amount is controlled by changing the exposure amount, it is possible to appropriately control the exposure amount according to the state of the steady light at the time of photographing.

  According to the third and eleventh aspects of the present invention, the aperture value or the optical transmission amount of the optical filter that can be attached to and detached from the optical axis path or the optical density of which can be controlled is changed. Based on the change in the light transmission amount of the filter and the illuminance level of the subject of the steady light, the exposure amount is controlled by changing the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time. Therefore, it is possible to increase the variable amount of exposure in a series of shootings, compared to changing the exposure only by the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time, and luminance information with a wider dynamic range. Can be obtained.

  According to the fourth and twelfth aspects of the present invention, since the color temperature of the steady light is detected and the flash light is controlled so as to approximate the color temperature of the detected steady light, the color temperature of the flash light and the steady light are controlled. The color temperature can be reduced and the image quality can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claims 5 and 13, the color temperature of the steady light is detected and the closest to the color temperature detected from among the plurality of flash light sources for irradiating the flash light with the plurality of different color temperatures. Since the flash light source with the color temperature is selectively emitted or controlled so as to increase the light emission amount as compared with other flash light sources, the color temperature of the flash light and the color temperature of the steady light can be reduced. Therefore, the image quality can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claims 6 and 14, the direction of the flash light source is detected so that the direction of the steady light is detected and the direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected direction of the steady light. Since the control is performed, the difference between the irradiation direction of the flash light and the irradiation direction of the steady light can be reduced, and the image quality can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claims 7 and 15, the irradiation direction of the steady light is detected, and the irradiation direction of the flash light is detected from the plurality of flash light sources for irradiating the flash light from a plurality of different directions. The flash light source closest to the steady light irradiation direction is selectively emitted or controlled to increase the amount of light emission compared to other flash light sources, so the difference between the flash light irradiation direction and the steady light irradiation direction Can be reduced, and the image quality can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claims 8 and 16, the effect of extending the dynamic range is great when a photographing apparatus such as a digital camera having a semiconductor device having a photoconductive action as an imaging element is used for photographing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of an imaging system 100 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the imaging system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging system 100 includes a stationary light detection unit 1, an imaging control unit 2, an imaging unit 3, a flash light emitting unit 4, an operation unit 5, and the like.

  The steady light detection unit 1 is composed of, for example, an illuminometer, detects the illuminance level of the subject by the steady light (subject illuminance level S of steady light), and outputs the detection result to the imaging control unit 2.

The imaging control unit 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, and the like.
The CPU 21 reads the system program and various processing programs stored in the ROM 22 and develops them in the RAM 23, controls each part of the photographing system 100 according to the developed programs, and performs various processes including an auto bracket photographing control process described later. Execute.

  The ROM 22 is configured by a semiconductor nonvolatile memory or the like, and stores in advance a system program corresponding to the imaging system 100, various processing programs, various data referred to by the CPU 21 in these programs, and the like.

  FIG. 2 shows a data storage example of the exposure condition table A 221 to the exposure condition table C 223 stored in the ROM 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the exposure condition table A221 to the exposure condition table C223 include exposure information indicating each exposure amount when shooting the same subject with a plurality of different exposure amounts, that is, when performing auto bracket shooting. As exposure conditions for realizing shooting with each exposure amount, a combination of flash light emission amount information indicating the flash light emission amount and shutter open time information indicating the shutter open time is stored in association with each other.

  The exposure condition table A221 shown in FIG. 2 (a) shows the exposure amounts set in advance when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is within a preset reference range. The combination of the flash light amount information and the shutter opening time information for realizing the shooting is associated and stored.

  The exposure condition table B222 shown in FIG. 2 (b) shows each exposure amount set in advance when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is smaller than a preset reference lower limit value. The combination of the flash light amount information and the shutter opening time information for realizing the shooting is associated and stored.

  The exposure condition table C223 shown in FIG. 2 (c) shows each exposure amount set in advance when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is larger than a preset reference upper limit value. The combination of the flash light amount information and the shutter opening time information for realizing the shooting is associated and stored.

  Note that the reference lower limit value of the subject light illuminance level S of the steady light is a threshold prepared in advance to distinguish whether or not the steady light is in an extremely small state with respect to the flash light. The reference upper limit value of the subject light illuminance level S of the steady light is a threshold prepared in advance to distinguish whether the steady light is in an extremely large state with respect to the flash light.

  In each table of FIGS. 2A to 2C, the appropriate exposure amount in shooting that is a reference in auto bracket shooting is set to “0”, and the appropriate exposure amount that becomes “0” is changed by 1 EV. It is a table supposing the case where imaging | photography with the exposure amount of a step is performed. The appropriate exposure amount for the reference shooting is set in the shooting system 100 in advance, but may be set by the user from the operation unit 5 or set based on the photometric result of the subject luminance. It may be. Further, in the photographing system 100, a combination of the reference flash emission amount and the reference shutter opening time for realizing an appropriate exposure amount for photographing that is a reference for auto bracket photographing is set in advance for each subject illuminance level S of steady light. It is assumed that Flash emission amount information associated with each exposure amount in auto bracket shooting is indicated by a change amount (magnification) with respect to the reference flash emission amount. The shutter opening time information associated with each exposure amount in auto bracket shooting is indicated by the amount of change (magnification) with respect to the reference shutter opening time. Note that the plurality of exposure amounts in auto bracket shooting are not limited to five levels, and the amount of change in each exposure amount is not limited to this.

  The RAM 23 forms a work area that temporarily stores a system program executed by the CPU 21 as a buffer, various processing programs, data being processed in each processing, processing results, and the like.

  The photographing unit 3 is a digital camera, and has a photoconductive function such as an imaging optical lens unit including a focusing lens, a zoom lens, a shutter, and an aperture, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). It is composed of a photoelectric conversion unit including an image sensor made of a semiconductor device, an A / D converter, a compression circuit, a memory (none of which is shown), and the like. The photographing unit 3 is connected to the photographing control unit 2, images a subject based on the control from the photographing control unit 2, performs photoelectric conversion and A / D conversion on the captured image, and compresses the obtained digital image information. And record it in memory.

  The flash light emitting unit 4 includes a flash light source, and irradiates the subject with flash light based on the control of the photographing control unit 2.

  The operation unit 5 includes a power switch, a release switch, various mode conversion switches, a zoom lever, various setting buttons, and the like, and outputs an operation signal from the user to the photographing control unit 2.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the auto bracket shooting control process executed by the shooting control unit 2. This auto bracket shooting control process is realized by software processing in cooperation with the CPU 21 and a program stored in the ROM 22, and is executed when auto bracket shooting is instructed from the operation unit 5. .

  The auto bracket shooting control process shown in FIG. 3 controls the exposure amount by changing the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time as an exposure condition, and realizes a series of shooting with a plurality of different exposure amounts. It is.

  First, based on various shooting condition settings (for example, aperture, shooting sensitivity (signal amplification factor), shooting magnification, color balance adjustment, focus condition, etc.) set in advance from the operation unit 5, shooting of each part of the shooting unit 3 is performed. Conditions are determined and output to the photographing unit 3 (step S1). Next, the steady light detection unit 1 detects the subject illuminance level S of the steady light (step S2).

  When the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is within a preset reference range (step S3; YES), the exposure condition table A221 shown in FIG. A combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time is determined as an exposure condition for realizing each of the plurality of exposure amounts (step S4). Based on the determined shooting conditions and exposure conditions, the shooting unit 3 and the flash light emitting unit 4 are controlled to perform shooting (step S8). The combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed based on the exposure condition table A221 until the entire shooting is completed, and the shooting is repeated. When all the shootings are completed (step S9; YES), This process ends.

  When the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is not within the preset reference range (step S3; NO) and is smaller than the reference lower limit value (step S5; YES), FIG. The exposure condition table B222 shown in (b) is read, and the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time is determined as the exposure condition for realizing each of the plurality of exposure amounts (step S6). Based on the determined shooting conditions and exposure conditions, the shooting unit 3 and the flash light emitting unit 4 are controlled to perform shooting (step S8). Until the entire shooting of a series of shots is completed, the flash emission amount is changed based on the exposure condition table B222, and the shooting is repeated. When all the shootings are finished (step S9; YES), this process is finished.

  When the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is not within the preset reference range (step S3; NO) and is not smaller than the reference lower limit value (step S5; NO), that is, the reference When it is larger than the upper limit value, the exposure condition table C223 shown in FIG. 2C is read, and the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time is determined as the exposure condition for realizing each of the plurality of exposure amounts. (Step S7). Based on the determined shooting conditions and exposure conditions, the shooting unit 3 and the flash light emitting unit 4 are controlled to perform shooting (step S8). Until the entire shooting of a series of shots is completed, the shutter release time is changed based on the exposure condition table C223, the shooting is repeated, and when all the shots are completed (step S9; YES), this process ends.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, a change in the flash light emission amount L, a change in the exposure amount EV due to a change in the shutter opening time T, and a change in the flash light F and the steady light G in the exposure amount EV will be described.
FIG. 4A is a graph showing changes in the exposure amount EV due to changes in the shutter opening time T and changes in the flash light F and the steady light G in the exposure amount EV. As shown in FIG. 4A, as the shutter opening time T becomes longer, the exposure amount EV and the steady light G increase at a constant rate, but the flash light F does not change. That is, by controlling the flash emission amount L to be constant and changing the shutter opening time T, exposure control using only steady light becomes possible.
FIG. 4B is a graph showing changes in the exposure amount EV due to changes in the flash emission amount L and changes in the flash light F and the steady light G in the exposure amount EV. As shown in FIG. 4B, as the flash light emission amount L increases, the exposure amount EV and the flash light F increase at a constant rate, but the steady light G does not change. That is, by controlling the shutter opening time T and changing the flash emission amount L, exposure control using only flash light is possible.
FIG. 4C is a graph showing changes in the exposure amount EV due to changes in the shutter opening time T and the flash emission amount L, and changes in the flash light F and the steady light G in the exposure amount EV. As shown in FIG. 4C, as the shutter opening time T and the flash emission amount L increase, the exposure amount EV, the steady light amount G, and the flash light F increase at a constant rate. In other words, by changing the shutter opening time T and the flash light emission amount L, exposure control using steady light and flash light can be performed.

  In FIG. 3, when the stationary light subject illuminance level S detected by the stationary light detection unit 1 is smaller than the reference lower limit value, that is, when the stationary light subject illuminance level S is extremely small, the shutter opening time is changed. Since it is difficult to obtain a change in the exposure amount due to the above, it is possible to realize the photographing with each exposure amount in the auto bracket photographing by suppressing the change in the shutter opening time and controlling the flash light emission amount. On the contrary, when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the stationary light detection unit 1 is larger than the reference upper limit value, that is, when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light is sufficiently large, the flash emission amount is not changed. In both cases, the change in exposure can be obtained only by the change in the steady light due to the change in the shutter opening time, so that the flash light is controlled by changing the shutter opening time by suppressing the change in the flash emission amount. It is possible to perform auto bracket photography using the steady light, which is used to minimize shadows.

  As described above, according to the photographing system 100, when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is within the reference range, the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed. As a result, the change in exposure during auto bracket shooting is realized. When the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is smaller than the reference lower limit value, a change in the exposure amount in auto bracket shooting is realized by changing the flash emission amount. When the subject illuminance level S of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 is larger than the reference upper limit value, a change in the exposure amount in auto bracket shooting is realized by changing the shutter opening time.

  Therefore, it is possible to realize shooting with a plurality of different exposure amounts by appropriately controlling the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time according to the state of the steady light. At this time, if the steady light is equal to or higher than the reference, it is possible to realize the control that suppresses the use of the flash light by utilizing the steady light. In addition, since the aperture value is not changed in order to change the exposure amount, the focus state does not change at all in a series of photographed images, and the image quality can be stabilized. In addition, in an imaging apparatus having a photoconductive semiconductor device such as a digital camera as an imaging element, the dynamic range of one imaging is clearly limited. As shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to obtain an image having a wide dynamic range by synthesizing a series of images.

  It should be noted that the illumination level of the subject for constant light is almost constant, and the data for the level of subject illumination for steady light is obtained (for example, in an imaging studio or the like, the amount of illumination light is controlled to be substantially constant). In such a case, the data may be used, and detection by the stationary light detector 1 is not essential.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, the case where exposure control is performed only by the change in the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time has been described. However, in order to obtain luminance information of a wider dynamic range, the aperture value and optical filter By changing exposure conditions other than the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time such as the transmission amount, the variable amount of the exposure amount in a series of photographing can be increased. In the following, description will be made by taking as an example a case where a change in aperture value is used for exposure control in addition to the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time.

  In the first modification, the ROM 22 further stores a reference flash emission amount table 224 shown in FIG. 6A and a reference shutter opening time table 225 shown in FIG. 6B. The reference flash emission amount table 224 includes a reference flash emission amount and a reference shutter opening time for realizing an appropriate exposure amount in shooting that becomes a reference of a series of shooting for each combination of the subject illumination level S and the aperture value of the steady light. Among these combinations, information indicating the reference flash emission amount is stored. Information on each reference flash emission amount is shown here as a change from a preset flash emission amount. The reference shutter opening time table 225 includes a reference flash emission amount and a reference shutter opening time for realizing an appropriate exposure amount in shooting that becomes a reference of a series of shooting for each combination of the subject illumination level S and the aperture value of the steady light. Among these combinations, information indicating the reference shutter opening time is stored. Information on each reference shutter opening time is indicated here by a change amount from a preset shutter opening time.

  Here, generally, when the subject illuminance levels S of the steady light are the same, it is necessary to shorten the shutter opening time for obtaining a proper exposure as the aperture is opened (F value is small). Further, the longer the shutter opening time, the greater the contribution to exposure of the steady light to the flash light (see FIG. 4A). The combination of the reference flash emission amount and the reference shutter opening time is a reference condition set so as to suppress (decrease) the change width as much as possible, with the flash emission amount as the first priority and the shutter opening time as the second priority. It is.

  When exposure control is performed with the reference flash emission amount and the reference shutter opening time for each combination of the subject light level S and the aperture value of the steady light set in the reference flash emission amount table 224 and the reference shutter opening time table 225 When the ratio between the steady light and the flash light is obtained, the ratio is as shown in the steady light / flash light table 226 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, when the subject illuminance level S of the steady light is the same level, the ratio of the steady light to the flash light increases as the aperture value increases. When the aperture value is the same, the subject of the steady light As the illuminance level S increases, the ratio of stationary light to flash light increases. That is, when changing the aperture value, the ratio of the steady light to the flash light in the exposure cannot be determined only by the subject illuminance level S of the steady light.

Therefore, in a series of shooting of auto bracket shooting when changing the aperture value, the CPU 21 of the shooting control unit 2
Steady light / flash light ≦ 0.2 ... Exposure condition table B222
0.2 ≦ stationary light / flash light ≦ 5.0... Exposure condition table A221
Stationary light / flash light ≧ 5.0 ... Exposure condition table C223
In accordance with exposure conditions (here, the aperture value) other than the steady-state subject illuminance level S and the shutter opening time, a series of shootings is performed by determining the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time with reference to FIG. Thus, it becomes possible to appropriately control the exposure by changing the combination of the flash emission amount and the shutter opening time. As a result, it is possible to increase the variable amount of exposure in a series of photographing, and to obtain subject luminance information with a wider dynamic range.

  The contents of the reference flash emission amount table 224 and the reference shutter opening time table 225 include the flash emission amount and the shutter speed according to the exposure conditions (here, the aperture) other than the subject illumination level S of the steady light and the shutter opening time. This is shown as an example for carrying out the process of performing exposure control by changing the combination, and is not limited to this.

  Moreover, in the said modification 1, although demonstrated taking the example of the change of an aperture value as exposure conditions other than flash emission amount and shutter opening time, it is not limited to this, For example, it can attach or detach in an optical axis path | route. Alternatively, the exposure variable amount may be increased by using a change in the light transmission amount of the optical filter capable of controlling the optical density. In this case, it is possible to obtain a series of captured images whose focus state does not change at all.

(Modification 2)
Hereinafter, Modification 2 of the above embodiment will be described.
When shooting using flash light, the closer the flash light state is to the steady light state, the higher the reproducibility of the actual scene and the better the image quality.

  Therefore, in the photographing system 100, the flash light emitting unit 4 includes a plurality of flash light sources that can irradiate a plurality of flash lights having different color temperatures, and the photographing system 100 includes the color of steady light such as a color thermometer. A color temperature detection unit for detecting temperature is provided. The photographing control unit 2 selectively emits a flash light source capable of emitting flash light having a color temperature closest to the color temperature of the steady light detected by the color temperature detection unit when photographing. Control is performed so as to increase the amount of light emission compared to other flash light sources.

  Alternatively, in the photographing system 100, the flash light emitting unit 4 is configured to be able to adjust the color temperature of the flash light with a filter or the like, and the photographing system 100 is a color temperature that detects the color temperature of the steady light, such as a color thermometer. It is set as the structure provided with a detection part. The photographing control unit 2 further controls the color temperature of the flash light so that the color temperature approximates the color temperature of the steady light detected by the steady light detection unit 1 when photographing.

  Thereby, the difference between the color temperature of the flash light and the color temperature of the steady light can be reduced, and the image quality can be improved.

  In the photographing system 100, the flash light emitting unit 4 includes a plurality of flash light sources that irradiate flash light in different directions, and the photographing system 100 detects the steady light irradiation direction for detecting the steady light irradiation direction. It is set as the structure provided with a detection part. Then, the photographing control unit 2 further includes a flash light source in which the irradiation direction of the flash light is closest to the irradiation direction of the steady light according to the irradiation direction of the steady light detected by the steady light irradiation direction detection unit when performing the photographing. Is controlled to emit light selectively, or to increase the light emission amount as compared with other flash light sources.

  Alternatively, in the photographing system 100, the flash light emitting unit 4 includes a moving mechanism that changes the direction of the flash light source, and the photographing system 100 includes a steady light irradiation direction detection unit that detects the irradiation direction of the steady light. The configuration. Then, when shooting, the shooting control unit 2 further controls the direction of the flash light source so that the irradiation direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected irradiation direction of the steady light.

  Thereby, the difference between the irradiation direction of the flash light and the irradiation direction of the steady light can be reduced, and the image quality can be improved.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the description content in the above embodiment and each modification is a preferred example of the photographed image processing system 100 according to the present invention, and is not limited thereto. Absent.
For example, in the first embodiment, the photographing unit 3 has been described as a digital camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a silver salt camera using a film.

  In addition, the detailed configuration and detailed operation of the imaging system 100 can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a photographing system 100 according to the present invention. (A) is a figure which shows the example of data storage of exposure condition table A221, (b) is a figure which shows the example of data storage of exposure condition table B222, (c) is a figure which shows the example of data storage of exposure condition table C223. It is. 4 is a flowchart showing an auto bracket shooting control process executed by a CPU 21 of the shooting control unit 2. (A) is a graph showing a change in exposure amount EV due to a change in shutter opening time T and a change in flash light F and steady light G in the exposure amount EV, and (b) is an exposure amount due to a change in flash emission amount L. A graph showing the change in EV and the change in flash light F and steady light G in exposure EV, (c) shows the change in exposure EV and exposure EV due to the change in shutter opening time T and flash emission L 6 is a graph showing changes in flash light F and stationary light G. It is a schematic diagram which shows the process in which a series of images obtained by auto bracket photography are synthesized to obtain a composite image with a wide dynamic range. (A) is a figure which shows the example of data storage of the reference | standard flash light emission amount table 224, (b) is a figure which shows the example of data storage of the reference | standard shutter open | release time table 225, (c) is the stationary light / flash light table 226. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100 Imaging System 1 Steady Light Detection Unit 2 Imaging Control Unit 21 CPU
22 ROM
221 Exposure condition table A
222 Exposure condition table B
223 Exposure condition table C
3 Shooting unit 4 Flash emission unit 5 Operation unit

Claims (16)

In a shooting control method for continuously shooting the same subject by changing a plurality of different exposure amounts,
A photographing control method, wherein the exposure amount in the photographing is controlled by changing a combination of a flash light emission amount and a shutter opening time.   The illuminance level of the subject by stationary light is detected, and the combination of the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time is changed based on the detected illuminance level of the subject by stationary light. The shooting control method according to 1.   The aperture value or the light transmission amount of an optical filter that is detachable in the optical axis path or the optical density of which can be controlled is changed, the change of the aperture value or the light transmission amount of the optical filter, and the steady state The photographing control method according to claim 2, wherein a combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time is changed based on an illuminance level of a light subject.   4. The photographing control according to claim 1, wherein a color temperature of the steady light is detected and control is performed so that the flash light approximates the detected color temperature of the steady light. 5. Method.   A color temperature of the steady light is detected, and a flash light source having a color temperature closest to the detected color temperature is selectively emitted from a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating flash light of a plurality of different color temperatures. 4. The photographing control method according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so that the amount of light emission is increased as compared with other flash light sources.   2. The direction of the flash light source is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the steady light is detected and the irradiation direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected irradiation direction of the steady light. The imaging | photography control method as described in any one of -5.   The flash light source is detected from the plurality of flash light sources for detecting the irradiation direction of the steady light and irradiating the flash light from a plurality of different directions, and the flash light source closest to the detected steady light irradiation direction is selected. 6. The photographing control method according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed so that the light emission is selectively performed or the light emission amount is increased as compared with other flash light sources.   The imaging control method according to claim 1, wherein an imaging apparatus having a semiconductor device having a photoconductive effect as an imaging element is used for the imaging. An imaging system comprising: an imaging unit that captures an object; a light emitting unit that irradiates the subject with flash light; and an imaging control unit that controls to continuously capture the same subject by changing a plurality of different exposure amounts. Because
The photographing system is characterized in that the plurality of different exposure amounts are changed by changing a combination of a light emission amount of the flash light and a shutter opening time. It has a steady light detector that detects the illuminance level of the subject by the steady light,
The photographing according to claim 9, wherein the photographing control unit changes a combination of the light emission amount of the flash light and the shutter opening time based on the illuminance level of the subject by the detected steady light. system. A diaphragm or an optical filter that can be attached to and detached from the optical axis path or whose optical density can be controlled,
The photographing control unit, based on a change in the aperture value or a light transmission amount of the optical filter, and an illuminance level of the detected steady light subject, the flash light emission amount and the shutter opening time, The imaging system according to claim 10, wherein the combination is changed. A color temperature detector for detecting the color temperature of the stationary light;
The imaging system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the imaging control unit controls the flash light to approximate a color temperature of the detected steady light. A color temperature detector for detecting the color temperature of the stationary light;
The light emitting unit includes a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating a plurality of flash lights having different color temperatures,
The photographing control unit selectively emits a flash light source having a color temperature closest to the detected color temperature from the plurality of flash light sources, or increases a light emission amount as compared with other flash light sources. It controls, The imaging | photography system as described in any one of Claims 9-11 characterized by the above-mentioned. A stationary light irradiation direction detection unit for detecting the irradiation direction of the stationary light;
The shooting control unit controls the direction of the flash light source of the light emitting unit so that the irradiation direction of the flash light is substantially the same as the detected irradiation direction of the steady light. The imaging system according to any one of ˜13. A stationary light irradiation direction detection unit for detecting the irradiation direction of the stationary light;
The light emitting unit has a plurality of flash light sources for irradiating flash light from a plurality of different directions,
The photographing control unit selectively emits a flash light source whose flash light irradiation direction is closest to the detected steady light irradiation direction from among the plurality of flash light sources, or emits light compared to other flash light sources. The imaging system according to claim 9, wherein the imaging system is controlled to increase the amount.   The imaging system according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the imaging unit includes a semiconductor device having a photoconductive effect as an imaging element.

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