JP2006166027A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera capable of switching the number of photographing frames between one frame and a plurality of frames in one mirror drive sequence without changing the whole sequence time and changing an exposure state of each exposure at a prescribed interval thereby capable of photographing a desired moment with a simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera is characterized in including: an imaging element 14 for receiving a luminous flux from an object to image the object; an observation optical system for receiving the luminous flux from the object for observation of the object; a quick return mirror 5 moved between a first position at which the luminous flux of the object is guided to the observation optical system and a second position at which the mirror is retracted from the optical path of the luminous flux of the object to guide the luminous flux of the object to the imaging element; and a control circuit 40 for controlling the imaging element 14 to image the object for a plurality of numbers of imaging times for a prescribed period when the mirror 5 takes the second position, and differentiating each exposure amount of each imaging. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly to a single-lens reflex digital camera capable of continuous shooting.

Conventionally, in a single-lens reflex type camera (hereinafter abbreviated as a single-lens reflex camera), a quick return mirror built in one frame is moved once to an optical path retreat position to perform photographing. In addition, a camera that performs continuous shooting of a plurality of frames while keeping the quick return mirror raised for one release operation is known. With regard to this type of technology, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a camera that enables high-speed shooting of a plurality of frames with a single mirror drive while holding incident light of an optical system on the image sensor side. In addition, cameras that realize continuous shooting at about 8 frames / second in a so-called continuous shooting mode are also in practical use.
JP-A-8-278541

  By the way, when it is desired to capture a decisive moment in a subject moving at a high speed, a sports photograph, or the like, a deviation of several milliseconds to several tens of milliseconds may cause a situation in which the photographing timing is missed. Further, a camera capable of continuous shooting at about 8 frames / second has a shooting interval of 100 to 125 msec, and is highly likely to miss the timing described above.

  On the other hand, with regard to moving image shooting, in general, cameras on the market perform shooting every 1/60 sec. Even in this case, the shooting interval is 16.7 msec, and the response at high speed is insufficient. It is. Furthermore, in the case of moving images, there is still a problem that unnecessary shooting is performed because the photographer's intention to capture a moment is not met.

  An object of the present invention is to enable switching of the number of shots in one mirror drive sequence between one frame and a plurality of frames without changing the entire sequence time, and to change the exposure state of each exposure at a predetermined interval. Thus, it is possible to perform photographing in a desired exposure state with a simple operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the first aspect of the present invention, an imaging device that receives an image of a subject light and performs imaging, an observation optical system that receives the subject light beam and observes the subject, and a subject light beam that corresponds to the observation optical system. A reflection mirror that moves to a second position for retracting from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guiding the subject luminous flux to the imaging device, and a predetermined position where the reflection mirror is in the second position. And a control means for causing the imaging device to perform imaging a plurality of times during the period of time and making exposure amounts of the imaging different from each other.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, an imaging element that receives an image of a subject light beam and performs imaging, an observation optical system that receives the subject light beam and observes the subject, a first position that guides the subject light beam to the observation optical system, A reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the imaging element, and a predetermined period in which the reflecting mirror is in the second position with respect to the imaging sensor There is provided a digital camera comprising: a plurality of frame shooting mode means for performing a plurality of times of imaging; and a control means for differentiating exposure amounts of the respective images in the plurality of frame shooting mode means.

  In the third aspect of the present invention, an imaging device that receives an image of a subject light beam and performs imaging, an observation optical system that receives the subject light beam and observes the subject, a first position that guides the subject light beam to the observation optical system, A reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the imaging element, and a predetermined period in which the reflecting mirror is in the second position with respect to the imaging sensor Select one of the one-frame shooting mode for performing one-time imaging and the multiple-frame shooting mode for allowing the imaging device to perform a plurality of times of imaging during the predetermined period. Then, there is provided a digital camera having control means for performing control for making the exposure amounts of the plurality of times of imaging different from each other.

  In a fourth aspect of the present invention, an imaging device that receives an image of a subject light beam and performs imaging, an observation optical system that receives the subject light beam and observes the subject, a first position that guides the subject light beam to the observation optical system, A reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the imaging element, and a predetermined period in which the reflecting mirror is in the second position with respect to the imaging sensor One-frame shooting mode means for performing one-time imaging, multi-frame shooting mode means for performing imaging a plurality of times on the image sensor during the predetermined period, the one-frame shooting mode and the plurality of frame shooting mode means When the multiple frame shooting mode means is selected by the selection of the shooting mode selection means and the shooting mode selection means, the exposure amount of each of the multiple times of shooting is mutually determined. Digital camera is provided, characterized in that a control means for controlling to vary.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the digital camera is a single-lens reflex camera.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the exposure amount of each of the plurality of times of imaging is different from each other by controlling the amount of strobe light. .

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the digital camera according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the control means further changes an exposure amount for each imaging at regular intervals.

  According to the present invention, the number of shots in one mirror drive sequence can be switched between one frame and a plurality of frames without changing the entire sequence time, and the exposure state of each exposure is changed at a predetermined interval. It is possible to provide a digital camera that can capture a desired moment with a simple operation.

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

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 1A is a front view of the digital camera, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the digital camera. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 viewed from the back side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the digital camera 1 is a single-lens reflex camera including a body unit 2 and a lens unit 3 that can be attached to the body unit 2.

  That is, the lens unit 3 is composed of a plurality of lenses, and has a photographing lens 4 for guiding a photographing light beam to an imaging element 14 (described later) in the body unit 2.

  On the other hand, in the body unit 2, a battery 10 that supplies power to each part in the body unit 2 is provided. A quick return mirror (reflection mirror) 5 that reflects the photographic light beam is disposed on the optical path of the photographic light beam that has passed through the photographic lens 4, and a finder screen is provided on the optical path of the reflected light of the quick return mirror 5. 6, a pentaprism 7 and an eyepiece optical system 8 are disposed. A photometric unit 9 is provided in the vicinity of the eyepiece optical system 8. Further, a distance measuring mirror 11 is provided behind the quick return mirror 5, and a distance measuring unit 12 for performing automatic distance measurement is provided on the optical path of the reflected light from the distance measuring mirror 11. ing. The central portion of the quick return mirror 5 is a half mirror, and a part of the light beam is transmitted when the quick return mirror 5 is down (position shown; first position). When the quick return mirror 5 is up (second position), the distance measuring mirror 11 is folded. Further, behind the quick return mirror 5, on the optical path of the photographing light beam, a focal plane shutter 13, an image pickup device (imager) 14 such as a CCD for photoelectrically converting a subject image that has passed through the optical system, and this image pickup. A main circuit board 15 provided with the elements 14 and the like, and a monitor 16 for displaying a subject image captured by the imaging element 14 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 20, the shutter button 21, the sub dial 22, the shooting mode dial 23, the main switch 24, and the shooting number button 27 are provided on the upper surface of the body unit 2 of the digital camera 1. Is provided. A finder eyepiece 26, a monitor 16, and a main dial 25 are provided on the back surface of the body unit 2.

  More specifically, the display unit 20 is for displaying shooting information and the like of the camera. The shutter button 21 is used to perform a shooting operation of the camera, and includes a two-stage release switch. The main dial 25 and the sub dial 22 are dials for selecting various modes and numerical values. The main switch 24 is a switch for switching on / off the power of the digital camera. The shooting mode dial 23 is a dial for selecting an exposure control method, for example, an exposure control method such as program AE, aperture priority AE, shutter speed priority AE, or manual. The number of shots button 27 is a button for setting the number of frames for continuous shooting. For example, in the initial state, one frame shooting is performed. When the number of shots button 27 is pressed once, three frame shooting is performed. When the button is pressed twice, five frame shooting is performed. When the button is pressed three times, the number of frames is set to return to the initial state. Is done. Regarding the setting of the number of shots, the desired number of shots can be set by a combination of operations of the shot number button 27 and the main dial 24. The exposure amount can be set by a combination of the exposure amount variable mode button and the operation of the main dial 24. In addition, various modes (for example, strobe mode) and numerical values can be selected by combining the main dial 24 and the sub dial 22.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the electric system of the digital camera in the first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the digital camera 1 according to this embodiment includes the body unit 2 and the lens unit 3. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

  The lens unit 2 includes a lens motor unit 30, a lens driving circuit 31, an aperture motor unit 32, an aperture driving circuit 33, and an in-lens data memory 34. The lens motor unit 30 is a unit for moving the photographing lens 4 described above in the optical axis direction. The movement of the lens motor unit 30 in the optical axis direction is controlled via a lens driving circuit 31 from a control circuit 40 (described later) in the body unit 2. The aperture motor unit 32 is controlled from the control circuit 40 via the aperture drive circuit 33 and drives an aperture that limits the light beam incident on the image sensor 14. The in-lens data memory 34 stores various data used in the lens unit 3 such as the F value and focal length of the photographing lens 4. Each part in the lens unit 3 is controlled in accordance with a command from the control circuit 40 in the body unit 2.

  On the other hand, the body unit 2 has a control circuit 40 that controls each part in the digital camera 1. The control circuit 40 includes an imaging device (imager) 14, a mirror drive circuit 41, a shutter drive circuit 43, a distance measurement circuit 45, a photometry circuit 46, a memory 47, a storage circuit 48, a switch input unit 50, a display drive circuit 51, The image display circuit 53, the strobe drive circuit 57, the lens drive circuit 31 in the lens unit 3, the aperture drive circuit 33, and the in-lens data memory 34 are connected. The image sensor 14 is composed of an imager capable of high-speed readout with multiple channels. The mirror drive circuit 41 is for driving the motor unit 42, and when the motor unit 42 is driven, the quick return mirror 5 is rotationally moved to the up position and the down position. The shutter drive circuit 43 is a circuit for driving the shutter unit 44 constituting the focal plane shutter 13. By driving the shutter unit 44, the opening and closing of the focal plane shutter 13, that is, the shutter speed is controlled. The distance measuring circuit 45 is for driving the distance measuring unit 12, and the distance from the digital camera 1 to a subject (not shown) is measured by driving the distance measuring unit 12. The photometry circuit 46 is a circuit for driving the photometry unit 9. The photometric circuit 46 performs photometric processing based on the light flux from the pentaprism 7. The memory 47 temporarily stores predetermined control parameters necessary for camera control and photographing data before writing to a recording medium, and is provided so as to be accessible from the control circuit 40. The recording circuit 48 is a circuit for recording an image picked up by the image pickup device 14 on a recording medium 49 as data. The switch input unit 50 includes a shutter button 21, a sub dial 22, a shooting mode dial 23, a main switch 24, a shooting number button 27, and the like. The display drive circuit 51 is a circuit for driving the display unit 52 including the display unit 20 provided on the upper surface of the camera. The image display circuit 53 is a circuit for driving a monitor unit 54 including the monitor 16 provided on the back side of the camera. The strobe drive circuit 57 is a circuit for driving and controlling the strobe light emitting unit 58.

  The control means described in the claims corresponds to the control circuit 40 and the like, and the single frame shooting mode means and the multiple frame shooting mode means correspond to the switch input unit 50 and the like.

  Next, with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 4, the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode (three-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate.

  In the figure, tB indicates the image disappearance time of the finder, tI1 is the interval between the first frame and the second frame, tI2 is the interval between the second frame and the third frame (tI1 = tI2 = 3.3 msec), and t1 is one frame shooting. Release time lag until t2, t2 is the release time lag until the second frame shooting (corresponding to the standard release time lag), t3 is the release time lag until the third frame shooting, t12 is the appropriate exposure time, t11 is the exposure time for the first frame shooting (= T12 + 0.5EV) and t13 mean the exposure time (= t12−0.5EV) of the third frame, respectively.

  When the shutter button 21 is pressed and the second release is turned on, the control circuit 40 drives the aperture motor to rotate forward after a predetermined time to narrow the aperture (not shown), and further starts the quick return mirror 5 up. Then, when the quick return mirror 5 is completely raised, the control circuit 40 drives the focal plane shutter 13 included in the shutter unit 44 by the shutter driving circuit 43 to be in the open state, and the release time lags t1, t2, t3. The image sensor 14 performs three consecutive imaging operations.

  That is, in the continuous shooting mode, the control circuit 40 performs a total of three times at the shooting timing in the normal shooting mode, twice before and after the timing, and at a predetermined interval tI1, tI2 (= 3.3 msec). It will be controlled to perform the shooting of the number of times.

  Further, the control circuit is configured so that the exposure time of each photographing is t11 (= t12 + 0.5EV) in the first photographing, t12 in the second photographing, and t13 (= t12−0.5EV) in the third photographing. 40 controls each part. In other words, while focusing on the timing control of shooting and not moving at high speed, shooting in a desired exposure state can be realized in an instant for a subject that has changed.

  Although the quick return mirror 5 is increased by the finder image disappearance time, the control circuit 40 lowers the quick return mirror 5, reversely drives the aperture motor to return the aperture to the initial state, and turns on the motor to release the shutter. The unit 44 is mechanically charged, thus ending all operations. In order to realize the above photographing operation, this embodiment employs an imager with an element shutter capable of continuous shooting at about 300 frames / sec.

  Next, with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 5, the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode (5-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate. In FIG. 6, tB indicates the finder image disappearance time, tI1 is the interval between the first frame and the second frame, tI2 is the interval between the second frame and the third frame, and tI3 is the third frame and the fourth frame. Interval, tI4 is the interval between frames 4 and 5 (tI1 = tI2 = tI3 = tI4 = 2.0 msec), t1 is the release time lag until 1 frame shooting, t2 is the release time lag until 2 frames shooting, t3 is 3 frames Release time lag until shooting (equivalent to the standard release time lag), t4 is the release time lag until 4 frames, t5 is the release time lag until 5 frames, t13 is the appropriate exposure time, t11 is the exposure time for the first frame (= T13 + (2/3) EV), t12 is the exposure time of the second frame (= t13 + (1/3) EV), t14 is the exposure time of the fourth frame (= t13− (1/3) EV), t15 means the exposure time (= t13- (2/3) EV) for the fifth shot, respectively. It is.

  When the shutter button 21 is pressed and the second release is turned on, the control circuit 40 drives the aperture motor to rotate forward after a predetermined time to narrow the aperture (not shown), and further starts the quick return mirror 5 up. When the quick return mirror 5 is completely raised, the control circuit 40 drives the focal plane shutter 13 included in the shutter unit 44 by the shutter drive circuit 43 to be in the open state, and the release time lags t1, t2, t3, t4. , T5, the image sensor 14 performs five consecutive imaging operations. That is, in the continuous shooting mode, the control circuit 40 once at the basic timing in the normal shooting mode, before and after the basic timing, twice at the timings of the predetermined intervals tI2 and tI3, before and after the basic timing, and at the predetermined interval tI1 + tI2 , TI3 + tI4, and control is performed so that a total of five shootings are performed twice.

  Further, the exposure time of each shooting is t11 (= t13 + (2/3) EV) in the first shooting, t12 (= t13 + (1/3) EV) in the second shooting, t13 in the third shooting, The control circuit 40 controls each part so that t14 (= t13− (1/3) EV) is obtained in the fourth photographing and t15 (= t13− (2/3) EV) in the fifth photographing. In other words, while focusing on the timing control of shooting and not moving at high speed, shooting in a desired exposure state can be realized in an instant for a subject that has changed.

  Although the quick return mirror 5 is increased by the finder image disappearance time, the control circuit 40 lowers the quick return mirror 5, reversely drives the aperture motor to return the aperture to the initial state, and turns on the motor to release the shutter. The unit 44 is mechanically charged, thus ending all operations. In order to realize the above photographing operation, this embodiment employs an imager with an element shutter capable of continuous shooting at about 500 frames / sec.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the photographing operation by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. Here, FIGS. 1 to 3 are referred to as appropriate.

  First, after setting the flag N to 0 (step S1), when the shutter button 21 is half-pressed and the first release (hereinafter abbreviated as 1R) is turned on (step S2), distance measurement by the distance measurement unit 12 is performed. Photometry is performed by the photometry unit 9 (steps S3 and S4), the exposure amount is determined (step S5), and it is determined whether the subject brightness is sufficient (whether it is below a predetermined threshold) (step S4). If it is not sufficient, the flash emission amount calculation is performed (step S7), the flag F for flash emission is set to 1 (step S8), the process proceeds to step S9, and the second release by fully pressing the shutter button 21 ( Hereinafter, steps S1 to S8 are repeated until 2R is abbreviated.

  When 2R is turned on (step S9), the quick return mirror 5 is raised and the lens is narrowed down (step S10), and a timer is started for a set time to be described later (step S11). It is determined whether or not the continuous shooting mode (multiple frame shooting mode) is set (step S12).

  If it is not in the continuous shooting mode, a predetermined time from the mirror up is set so that the mirror 5 can be raised and complete imaging can be performed, and waiting until the set time elapses (step S13). In order to discharge unnecessary charges, the image pickup device is reset (step S14), the shutter front curtain magnet included in the shutter unit 44 is turned off (step S15), and the state of the flag F related to the strobe light emission is detected (step S16). ), When F = 1, strobe light is emitted by the strobe light emitting unit 58 (step S17). On the other hand, after this strobe light emission or when F = 0 in step S16, the shutter rear curtain magnet is turned off (step S18), the data of the image sensor 14 is read (step S19), and the steps after step S34 are performed. Proceed to processing.

  On the other hand, in the continuous shooting mode, the shutter front curtain magnet included in the shutter unit 44 is turned off (step S20), and it waits until the set time elapses (step S21). Is reset (step S22), and the state of the flag F relating to the strobe light emission is detected (step S23). If F = 1, the strobe light emission unit 58 performs strobe light emission (step S24). On the other hand, if F = 0, the data of the image sensor 14 is read (step S25), it is determined whether or not the processing of steps S22 to S25 has been repeated for the number of exposure settings, and the number of exposure settings has been completed. If not, it is determined whether or not bracket shooting is performed (step S28). If bracket shooting is not performed, the process returns to step S23 to repeat the above operation.

  On the other hand, when bracket shooting is performed, the state of the flag N is detected (step S29). When N = 0, calculation of ALPHA = (EX-1) / 2 (EX; number of bracket shooting frames) is performed. Perform (step S30), and then proceed to step S31. Then, exposure amount = appropriate exposure amount + ALPHA × correction exposure amount (step S31), ALPHA = ALPHA-1 (step S32), N = 1 (step S33), and then the process returns to step S23 to perform the above operation. repeat.

  That is, in this example, the control circuit 40 adjusts so that an odd number of times of shooting is performed while changing the exposure amount by 1/2 EV. When the processing is completed for the number of exposure settings, the shutter rear curtain magnet is turned off (step S27), and the process proceeds to step S34 and subsequent steps.

  Thus, the quick return mirror 5 is lowered and the lens aperture is opened (step S34), mechanical charging is performed (step S35), the flag F relating to strobe light emission is set to 0 (step S36), and this operation is terminated.

  As described above in detail, according to the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the exposure time at the time of each shooting can be changed when shooting a plurality of frames, so that one quick return is possible. In a digital camera capable of switching the number of shots during the operation of the mirror 5, the exposure state desired by the user in an instant is applied to a subject that does not move at high speed but is subject to change while placing importance on the shooting timing control. Shooting at will be realized.

(Second embodiment)
Since the configuration of the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the same components will be described with the same reference numerals.

  First, with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 7, the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode (three-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate.

  In the figure, tB indicates the image disappearance time of the finder, tI1 is the interval between the first frame and the second frame, tI2 is the interval between the second frame and the third frame (tI1 = tI2 = 3.3 msec), and t1 is one frame shooting. Release time lag until t2, t2 is the release time lag until the two-frame shooting (corresponding to the standard release time lag), t3 is the release time lag until the three-frame shooting, ts1 to ts3 are the strobe light emission times (here, ts1 = ts2 = ts3) ).

  When the shutter button 21 is pressed and the second release is turned on, the control circuit 40 drives the aperture motor to rotate forward after a predetermined time to narrow the aperture (not shown), and further starts the quick return mirror 5 up. Then, when the quick return mirror 5 is completely raised, the control circuit 40 drives the focal plane shutter 13 included in the shutter unit 44 by the shutter driving circuit 43 to be in the open state, and the release time lags t1, t2, t3. The image sensor 14 performs three consecutive imaging operations.

  That is, in the continuous shooting mode, the control circuit 40 performs a total of three times at the shooting timing in the normal shooting mode, twice before and after the timing, and at a predetermined interval tI1, tI2 (for example, 3.3 msec). It will be controlled to perform the number of times of shooting.

  At this time, the strobe light is emitted in a predetermined strobe light emission time (here, ts1 = ts2 = ts3) in synchronization with the timing of each photographing.

  In addition to this, by controlling the exposure time as shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, while focusing on the timing control of photographing and not moving at high speed, there is a change. You may make it implement | achieve imaging | photography with the exposure state which one desires in a moment about a to-be-photographed object.

  Although the quick return mirror 5 is increased by the finder image disappearance time, the control circuit 40 lowers the quick return mirror 5, reversely drives the aperture motor to return the aperture to the initial state, and turns on the motor to release the shutter. The unit 44 is mechanically charged, thus ending all operations. In order to realize the above photographing operation, this embodiment employs an imager with an element shutter capable of continuous shooting at about 300 frames / sec.

  First, with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 8, a shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode (three-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate.

  In the figure, tB indicates the image disappearance time of the finder, tI1 is the interval between the first frame and the second frame, tI2 is the interval between the second frame and the third frame (for example, tI1 = tI2 = 3.3 msec), and t1 is 1. Release time lag until frame shooting, t2 is the release time lag until 2 frames shooting (corresponding to the standard release time lag), t3 is the release time lag until 3 frames shooting, ts1 to ts3 are the strobe lighting time (here, ts2 is appropriate) Strobe light emission time, ts1 = ts2 + 0.5EV, ts3 = ts2 + 0.5EV). However, it is not limited to these relationships.

  When the shutter button 21 is pressed and the second release is turned on, the control circuit 40 drives the aperture motor to rotate forward after a predetermined time to narrow the aperture (not shown), and further starts the quick return mirror 5 up. Then, when the quick return mirror 5 is completely raised, the control circuit 40 drives the focal plane shutter 13 included in the shutter unit 44 by the shutter driving circuit 43 to be in the open state, and the release time lags t1, t2, t3. The image sensor 14 performs three consecutive imaging operations.

  That is, in the continuous shooting mode, the control circuit 40 performs a total of 3 times, once at the shooting timing in the normal shooting mode, twice before and after the timing, and at a predetermined interval tI1, tI2 (for example, 3.3 msec). It will be controlled to perform the number of times of shooting.

  At this time, in synchronization with the timing of each shooting, the flash is emitted at the flash emission time ts1 (= ts2 + 0.5EV), ts2, ts3 (= ts2-0.5EV). As a result, the exposure condition of each of the photographing frames that are continuously exposed changes, so that it is possible to select a desired photographing frame among them.

  In addition to this, by controlling the exposure time as shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, while focusing on the timing control of photographing and not moving at high speed, there is a change. You may make it implement | achieve imaging | photography with the exposure state which one desires in a moment about a to-be-photographed object.

  Although the quick return mirror 5 is increased by the finder image disappearance time, the control circuit 40 lowers the quick return mirror 5, reversely drives the aperture motor to return the aperture to the initial state, and turns on the motor to release the shutter. The unit 44 is mechanically charged, thus ending all operations. In order to realize the above photographing operation, this embodiment employs an imager with an element shutter capable of continuous shooting at about 300 frames / sec.

  Next, with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 9, the shooting operation in the continuous shooting mode (5-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate. In FIG. 6, tB indicates the finder image disappearance time, tI1 is the interval between the first frame and the second frame, tI2 is the interval between the second frame and the third frame, and tI3 is the third frame and the fourth frame. Interval, tI4 is the interval between frames 4 and 5 (tI1 = tI2 = tI3 = tI4 = 2.0 msec), t1 is the release time lag until 1 frame shooting, t2 is the release time lag until 2 frames shooting, t3 is 3 frames Release time lag until shooting (corresponding to a standard release time lag), t4 is a release time lag until 4 frames shooting, and t5 is a release time lag until 5 frames shooting.

  Furthermore, ts3 is the appropriate flash firing time, t11 is the flash firing time for the first frame (= ts3 + (2/3) EV), and ts2 is the flash firing time for the second frame (= ts3 + (1/3) EV), ts4 is the flash emission time for the fourth frame (= ts3− (1/3) EV), and ts5 is the flash emission time for the fifth frame (= ts3− (2/3) EV). I mean.

  When the shutter button 21 is pressed and the second release is turned on, the control circuit 40 drives the aperture motor to rotate forward after a predetermined time to narrow the aperture (not shown), and further starts the quick return mirror 5 up. When the quick return mirror 5 is completely raised, the control circuit 40 drives the focal plane shutter 13 included in the shutter unit 44 by the shutter drive circuit 43 to be in the open state, and the release time lags t1, t2, t3, t4. , T5, the image sensor 14 performs five consecutive imaging operations. That is, in the continuous shooting mode, the control circuit 40 once at the basic timing in the normal shooting mode, before and after the basic timing, twice at the timings of the predetermined intervals tI2 and tI3, before and after the basic timing, and at the predetermined interval tI1 + tI2 , TI3 + tI4, and control is performed so that a total of five shootings are performed twice.

  Furthermore, the strobe flashing time for each shooting is ts1 (= ts3 + (2/3) EV) in the first shooting, ts2 (= ts3 + (1/3) EV) in the second shooting, and the third shooting. Then, the control circuit 40 controls each part so that ts3 (= ts3− (1/3) EV) in the fourth shooting and ts5 (= ts3− (2/3) EV) in the fifth shooting. To do. In other words, each frame can be shot under a reliable strobe, so it is possible to shoot a subject with a desired exposure in an instant even though it is not moving at high speed. Is done.

  Although the quick return mirror 5 is increased by the finder image disappearance time, the control circuit 40 lowers the quick return mirror 5, reversely drives the aperture motor to return the aperture to the initial state, and turns on the motor to release the shutter. The unit 44 is mechanically charged, thus ending all operations. In order to realize the above photographing operation, this embodiment employs an imager with an element shutter capable of continuous shooting at about 500 frames / sec.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10, the photographing operation by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. Here, FIGS. 1 to 3 are referred to as appropriate.

  To explain by adding different step numbers only to the differences from FIG. 6, in this flow, the strobe proper light emission amount is calculated in step S50.

  Furthermore, it differs from the first embodiment in that the amount of strobe light emission is adjusted in step S51. That is, when bracket shooting is performed, the state of the flag N is detected. When N = 0, ALPHA = (EX-1) / 2 (EX; number of bracket shooting frames), and then the amount of flash emission = Appropriate strobe emission amount + ALPHA × strobe correction emission amount (step S51), ALPHA = ALPHA-1 (step S32), N = 1 (step S33), and then the process returns to step S23 to repeat the above operation. That is, in this example, the control circuit 40 adjusts the flash light emission amount so that the flash light emission unit 58 performs the flash light emission in accordance with odd-number shooting while changing the flash light emission amount by 1/2 EV.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, according to the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the strobe light emission time at the time of each photographing in the case of performing the multiple frame photographing. In a digital camera capable of switching the number of shots during the operation of one quick return mirror 5, a subject that does not move at high speed but has a change can be instantly desired. Shooting in the exposed state is realized.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above-described technique can be applied not only to a digital camera but also to various devices that perform imaging using an image sensor.

(A) is a front view of the digital camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a side view of a digital camera. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the digital camera of FIG. 1 from the back side. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the electric system of the digital camera in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 4 is a time chart for explaining in detail a shooting operation in a continuous shooting mode (three-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a time chart for explaining in detail a shooting operation in a continuous shooting mode (5-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart for explaining in more detail a photographing operation by the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a time chart explaining in detail the photography operation at the time of the continuous shooting mode (three frames photography) by the digital camera concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a time chart explaining in detail the photography operation at the time of the continuous shooting mode (three frames photography) by the digital camera concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a time chart explaining in detail the imaging operation in the continuous shooting mode (5-frame shooting) by the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in more detail the photographing operation by the digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 2 ... Body unit, 3 ... Lens unit, 4 ... Shooting lens, 5 ... Quick return mirror, 6 ... Finder screen, 7 ... Penta prism, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Eyepiece optical system, 9 ... Photometry unit, 10 ... Battery, 11 ... Mirror for distance measurement, 12 ... Distance measurement unit, 13 ... Focal plane shutter, 14 ... Image sensor, 15 ... main circuit board, 16 ... monitor, 17 ... strobe unit.

Claims (7)

An image sensor that picks up an image by receiving a subject light beam;
An observation optical system for observing the subject by receiving the subject luminous flux;
A first position for guiding the subject luminous flux to the observation optical system; a reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the image sensor;
Control means for causing the imaging device to perform imaging a plurality of times during a predetermined period in which the reflection mirror is in the second position, and to make each exposure amount different from each other;
A digital camera comprising: An image sensor that picks up an image by receiving a subject light beam;
An observation optical system for observing the subject by receiving the subject luminous flux;
A first position for guiding the subject luminous flux to the observation optical system; a reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the image sensor;
A plurality of frames shooting mode means for causing the imaging element to perform imaging a plurality of times during a predetermined period in which the reflection mirror is in the second position;
In the above-mentioned multiple frame shooting mode means, control means for making the exposure amounts of the respective images different from each other;
A digital camera comprising: An image sensor that picks up an image by receiving a subject light beam;
An observation optical system for observing the subject by receiving the subject luminous flux;
A first position for guiding the subject luminous flux to the observation optical system; a reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the image sensor;
A single-frame shooting mode in which the imaging element performs one imaging in a predetermined period in which the reflection mirror is in the second position, and a plurality of imagings in the imaging element in the predetermined period. A plurality of frame shooting mode, and when the multiple frame shooting mode is selected, a control means for performing control for different exposure amounts of the plurality of times of imaging,
A digital camera comprising: An image sensor that picks up an image by receiving a subject light beam;
An observation optical system for observing the subject by receiving the subject luminous flux;
A first position for guiding the subject luminous flux to the observation optical system; a reflecting mirror that is movable to a second position to retract the subject luminous flux from the optical path of the subject luminous flux and guide the subject luminous flux to the image sensor;
One-frame shooting mode means for causing the imaging device to perform one imaging in a predetermined period in which the reflecting mirror is in the second position;
A plurality of frame shooting mode means for causing the imaging element to perform imaging a plurality of times during the predetermined period;
A shooting mode selection means for executing either the single frame shooting mode or the multiple frame shooting mode means;
Control means for performing control to make the exposure amounts of the plurality of times of imaging different from each other when the plurality of frame shooting mode means is selected by the selection of the shooting mode selection means;
A digital camera comprising:   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is a single-lens reflex camera.   6. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein exposure amounts of the plurality of times of imaging are made different from each other by controlling a strobe light amount.   5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means further changes the exposure amount for each imaging at a constant interval.

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