JP2007005912A - Electronic imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic imaging apparatus capable of confirming an image after aberration correction processing on a preview image without the need for increasing the circuit scale. <P>SOLUTION: A detection piece 22 and a WIDE position detection switch 23 detect that a zoom moving lens group 15 is located in the vicinity of a prescribed focal distance. A distortion correction circuit 36 electrically corrects aberration caused by the zoom moving lens group 15 obtained by an imaging sensor 20. When the WIDE position detection switch 23 detects that the zoom moving lens group 15 is located at a wide angle position, a system controller 11 corrects the aberration by the distortion correction circuit 26. Further, the corrected preview image displayed on a liquid crystal monitor 30 is updated at a time interval corresponding to a processing time of the distortion correction circuit 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic imaging apparatus used for a mobile phone with a digital camera camera, and more particularly to an electronic imaging apparatus in which distortion of a zoom lens is corrected.

  The distortion and chromatic aberration characteristics of the zoom lens are set as appropriate at the optical design stage, for example, designed to maximize the distortion at the wide-angle end and within the allowable range at the intermediate and telephoto ends. Sometimes. When shooting using a zoom lens designed in such a scheme, it is not necessary to perform distortion correction processing from the intermediate region to the telephoto end, and it is only necessary to perform distortion correction processing in the region near the wide-angle end. .

  By the way, the distortion correction process in the electronic imaging apparatus is a digital calculation process for digital image data, and in the case of color and multiple pixels, the calculation amount increases depending on the degree of correction. For this reason, when the distortion correction processing is started, the drawing speed of the preview image (moving image) displayed during the shooting preparation operation is lowered, and the usability may be deteriorated.

For example, in a solid-state imaging camera using a zoom lens designed as described above, a detecting means for detecting that the area is in the vicinity of the wide-angle end is provided, and the distortion aberration of the image pickup signal is provided only when the detecting means is operating. A technique for operating a correction circuit that corrects the above has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a mode selection switch for controlling the operation of the distortion aberration correction circuit is provided, and this switch controls the distortion aberration correction operation of the zoom lens and displays the image pickup area recorded after the distortion aberration correction in an easy-to-understand manner. An electronic camera is known (for example, see Patent Document 2). In addition, there is a distortion correction table for through image display and still image recording, and even if a through image is displayed in a region where distortion aberration correction is required, the through image is corrected based on the through image display correction table. There is known a digital camera that displays a still image and records a still image corrected based on a distortion aberration correction table for recording a still image when recording a still image (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP-A-6-181530 JP-A-11-275444 JP 2004-128565 A

  However, in the camera described in Patent Document 1 described above, distortion correction operation is always performed near the wide-angle end, but no preview screen processing is suggested. Further, with the camera described in Patent Document 2, it is impossible to confirm in advance an image after distortion correction. Furthermore, in the camera described in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to prepare correction tables for through images and still images separately, and it is expected that the circuit scale will increase.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic imaging apparatus capable of confirming an image after distortion correction processing on a preview screen without increasing the circuit scale. To do.

  That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a zoom lens that requires correction of distortion near a predetermined focal length, an area detection unit that detects that the zoom lens is near a predetermined focal length, and the zoom lens. The zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length by the correction means capable of inputting the output signal of the imaging means arranged on the focal plane and electrically correcting distortion caused by the zoom lens, and the area detecting means. The control means for correcting the distortion aberration by the correction means, the preview image output from the correction means, and the image display means for reproducing and displaying the recorded image. The preview image displayed on the display means is updated at a time interval corresponding to the processing time of the correction means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the predetermined focal length is a focal length at a wide angle end.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interchangeable lens type electronic imaging apparatus having an interchangeable lens mount, wherein an output signal of the imaging means is input and distortion generated by the mounted interchangeable lens is electrically detected. Correction means capable of correcting, image display means for reproducing and displaying a preview image output from the correction means and a recorded image, and detection means for detecting that an interchangeable lens having a distortion exceeding a predetermined amount is attached. When the detection unit detects that an interchangeable lens having a distortion amount exceeding a predetermined amount is attached, the correction unit corrects the distortion aberration with the start of the shooting preparation operation with the preview. Control means, and the preview image is updated at a time interval corresponding to the processing time of the correction means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging device having a still image single shooting / continuous shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode, a zoom lens having a maximum distortion near a predetermined focal length, and the zoom An area detection means for detecting that the lens is in the vicinity of the predetermined focal length and an output signal of an imaging means arranged on the focal plane of the zoom lens are inputted, and distortion aberration caused by the zoom lens is electrically corrected. When the possible correction means and the area detection means detect that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of the predetermined focal length, the correction means corrects the distortion, and the moving image shooting mode and the still image continuous shooting are performed. And a control means for prohibiting the photographing operation in the photographing mode.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4, wherein the predetermined focal length is a focal length at the wide-angle end.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a zoom lens that requires distortion correction in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length, detection means for detecting that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length, and a focal plane of the zoom lens. An image pickup means for picking up an image, a correction means for electrically correcting distortion caused by the zoom lens based on an output signal of the image pickup means, and a subject image obtained by the image pickup means are reproduced. When the image display means to display and the detection means detect that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length, the correction means corrects distortion and limits the focal length range of the zoom lens. And a control means.

  The invention described in claim 7 is the invention described in claim 6, wherein the predetermined focal length is a focal length at a wide angle end.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interchangeable lens type electronic imaging device including an interchangeable lens mount, an imaging unit that obtains an imaging signal from a subject image incident through the interchangeable lens, and the imaging unit. Correction means for electrically correcting distortion generated by an attached interchangeable lens from an image pickup signal, image display means for reproducing and displaying a subject image obtained by the image pickup means, and distortion aberration exceeding a predetermined amount A detecting means for detecting that the interchangeable lens is mounted, and correcting the distortion by the correcting means when the detecting means detects that the mounted interchangeable lens has a distortion exceeding a predetermined amount. And control means for limiting the focal length of the interchangeable lens.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic imaging apparatus capable of confirming an image after distortion correction processing on a preview screen without increasing the circuit scale.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a shutter button 3 for performing a photographing operation is provided on an upper surface portion of a housing 2 that is an exterior of the digital camera 1. A housing 2 that is the front surface of the digital camera 1 is provided with a flash device 4 and a finder optical system 5, and a protective glass 6 a for the imaging optical system 6. The protective glass 6a is a window for taking in the imaging optical system 6 a light beam from a subject (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the digital camera shown in FIG.
In FIG. 2, a system controller 11 functions as a control unit that controls the entire digital camera, and is connected to a zoom driving motor 13 and an AF driving motor 14 via a motor driver circuit 12. . The zoom driving motor 13 is a motor for moving the zoom movable lens group 15 along the lens barrel 16 in the optical axis direction. The zoom movable lens group 15 moves between the fixed front lens 17 and the AF imaging rear lens 18, and the AF driving motor 14 is configured to move the AF imaging rear lens 18. This is for adjusting the position and focusing the subject distance.

  A light beam from a subject (not shown) is an imaging sensor constituted by a CCD or the like mounted on an electric board 19 through a protective glass 7, a front lens 17, a zoom movable lens group 15, and an AF imaging rear lens 18. 20 is imaged. Further, the zoom movable lens group 15 is provided with a detection piece 22 for detecting its position. On the wide-angle (WIDE) side of the lens barrel 16, a WIDE-side detection switch 23 for detecting the position of the zoom movable lens group 15 in contact with the detection piece 22 is provided. Details of the detection piece 22 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 will be described later.

  In addition to the motor driver circuit 12 and the WIDE side detection switch 23, the system controller 11 includes a shutter button 3, a CCD interface circuit 25 to which the image sensor 20 is connected, and a photographing changeover switch. (SW) 27 is connected. When the input image (still image) is distorted as shown in FIG. 3A, the distortion correction circuit 26 corrects the distortion as shown in FIG. It is a circuit to output. The shooting changeover switch 27 is a switch for switching between moving image shooting and still image shooting.

  The shutter button 3 is composed of a two-stage switch of a first release switch and a second release switch. When the shutter button 3 is half-pressed, the first release switch is turned on to perform photometric processing or measurement. Shooting preparation operations such as distance processing are executed. Further, when the shutter button 3 is fully pressed, the second release switch is turned on and the exposure operation is executed.

  Further, a liquid crystal monitor 30 is connected to the system controller 11 via a liquid crystal monitor drive circuit 29, and a flash memory 32, SDRAM 33 and recording medium 34 as a storage area, a zoom switch (SW) 35, a power switch (SW) ) 36 is connected. These are configured to provide an electronic recording display function. A power source 37 is connected to the power switch 36 as a battery. The preview image as a through image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 is updated at a time interval corresponding to the processing time of the distortion correction circuit 26.

  Next, operations of the zoom movable lens group 15 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows an example of a state in which the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the telephoto (TELE) side during still image shooting. FIG. 4A shows the lens barrel 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23. (B) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example of a state in which the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the wide-angle (WIDE) side during still image shooting. FIG. 5A shows the lens barrel 16 and the WIDE-side detection switch 23. FIG. 6B is a diagram schematically showing the position of the contact between the detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the zoom movable lens group 15 is not on the wide-angle side, for example, on the telephoto side, the contact piece 23a of the detection piece 22 and the WIDE-side detection switch 23 is not in contact. That is, the WIDE side detection switch 23 is in an off state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the zoom movable lens group 15 is at a still image correction image switching point that is a predetermined position on the wide angle side, the contact 23 a of the detection piece 22 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 comes into contact. Accordingly, the WIDE side detection switch 23 is turned on, and the system controller 11 is notified that the zoom movable lens group 15 has reached the wide-angle side still image correction image switching point. The wide-angle side of the still image corrected image switching point is an area that needs to be corrected by the distortion correction circuit 26.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a state where the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the telephoto (TELE) side at the time of moving image shooting. FIG. 6A shows the lens barrel 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23. (B) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. FIG. FIG. 7 shows an example of a state where the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the wide-angle (WIDE) side during moving image shooting. FIG. 7A shows the lens barrel 16 and the WIDE-side detection switch 23. FIG. 4B is a diagram schematically showing the position of the contact between the detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the zoom movable lens group 15 is not on the wide angle side, for example, on the telephoto side, the contact piece 23a of the detection piece 22 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 is not in contact. That is, the WIDE side detection switch 23 is in an off state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the zoom movable lens group 15 is on the wide-angle side with respect to the moving image capturing range, the contact piece 23a of the detection piece 22 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 comes into contact. Accordingly, the WIDE side detection switch 23 is turned on, and the system controller 11 is notified that the zoom movable lens group 15 has reached the wide-angle side still image correction image switching point.

  Since the region on the wide angle side from the still image corrected image switching point exceeds the moving image capturing range, distortion correction is necessary. However, in the case of a moving image, since the processing by the distortion correction circuit is complicated and expensive, in the present invention, the zoom movable lens group 15 is stopped at a position on the wide angle side where correction by the distortion correction circuit is not required. ing. However, even in the case of a moving image, correction processing by the distortion correction circuit 26 is performed only at the beginning.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along the optical axis showing the optical configuration of the lens barrel 16 of FIG. 2 and its peripheral part.
As shown in FIG. 8, the electronic imaging device of the present embodiment includes a plurality of lenses and a CCD that is an imaging sensor in order from the object side within a lens barrel 16. In FIG. 8, I is the imaging surface of the CCD. Between the zoom lens and the imaging surface I, a planar flat optical low-pass filter 42 and a protective glass 20a are provided. The zoom lens includes an objective lens G1, an objective lens group G2, an aperture 41, a zoom lens group G3, and an imaging lens G4 in order from the object side (left side in the drawing).

The objective lens G1 includes a single biconvex positive lens L1, and has a positive refractive power as a whole. The objective lens group G2 is composed of a biconcave negative lens L2 ₁ and a biconvex positive lens L2 _{2 in} order from the object side, and has a negative refracting power as a whole. Zoom lens group G3 includes a biconvex positive lens L3 _1, has a biconvex positive lens L3 _2, is composed of a cemented lens of a biconcave negative lens L3 _3, a positive refractive power as a whole . The zoom lens group G3 corresponds to the zoom movable lens group 15 in FIG. Further, the imaging lens G4 includes a positive meniscus lens L4 ₁ having a convex surface facing the object side and a positive meniscus lens L4 ₂ having a convex surface facing the object side.

  The objective lens G1 and the objective lens group G2 are fixed to the lens barrel 16, and the zoom lens group G3 and the imaging lens G4 are fixed to the zoom frame 40 and the imaging frame 40a in the lens barrel 16, respectively. . The zoom frame 40 and the imaging frame 40a are slidable in the optical axis direction along guide pins formed in the lens barrel 16, respectively. When the zoom frame 40 moves along the guide pin 43 in the optical axis direction, the zoom magnification changes, and similarly, the subject image is formed on the image sensor 20 by moving the imaging frame 40a.

  A WIDE side detection switch 23 is provided outside the lens barrel 16, and a pressing piece 44 as a contact point of the switch 23 is provided at a predetermined position in the lens barrel 16. When the pressing piece 44 comes into contact with a detection piece (not shown) provided on the guide pin 43, it can be seen that the zoom frame 40 has reached the detection position. The WIDE side detection switch 23 is connected to the system controller 11 via a switch (SW) lead wire 46.

At the time of focusing on an object point at infinity, when zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the position of the objective lens G1 is fixed, the objective lens group G2 is moved to the image side, and the position of the diaphragm 41 is fixed. The zoom lens group G3 moves monotonously toward the object side, and the position of the imaging lens G4 is fixed. Further, during the focusing operation, the imaging lens G4 moves on the optical axis. The aspherical surface is formed on the object side surface of the biconvex positive lens L1 in the objective lens G1, on both sides of the biconcave negative lens L2 _{1 in} the objective lens group G2, and on both sides of the biconvex positive lens L3 _{1 in} the zoom lens group G3. Is provided.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing distortion aberration when the zoom lens described above is focused on an object point at infinity. (A) is a wide-angle end, (b) is an intermediate, (c) is a telephoto end, and (d) is a telephoto end. Between the wide-angle end and the middle, (e) shows the state between the middle and the telephoto end, respectively. According to this, it can be seen that distortion becomes large at the widest angle side. Accordingly, it is assumed that the WIDE side detection switch 23 is set at a predetermined position near the middle of the wide-angle side of the zoom lens, as shown in FIG.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10, the photographing operation of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  When the power switch 36 of the digital camera 1 is turned on, this sequence is started. First, in step S1, display of a through image is started. Next, in steps S2 and S3, it is determined whether or not the zoom switch 35 has been operated. If a zoom-up (UP) operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S4, where the zoom drive motor 13 is driven by a predetermined amount in accordance with the zoom-up operation, and the zoom movable lens group 15 is telephoto from the wide-angle side. Moved to the side. When the zoom down (DOWN) operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S5, the zoom drive motor 13 is driven by a predetermined amount in accordance with the zoom down operation, and the zoom movable lens group 15 is moved from the telephoto side to the wide angle side. Moved to.

  If the zoom movable lens group 15 is moved in step S4 or S5, it is determined in step S6 whether or not the region requires correction of distortion. This is determined based on the state of the WIDE side detection switch 23. As a result, if the WIDE detection switch 23 is turned on, correction is necessary. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S7, and the correction display flag is set ("1"). On the other hand, if the WIDE side detection switch 23 is OFF in step S6, no correction is required, and the process proceeds to step S8, where the correction display flag is reset (“0”). After step S7 or S8, the process proceeds to step S1 and the above-described processing operation is repeated.

  If the zoom switch 35 is not operated in steps S2 and S3, or if the operation of the zoom switch 35 is finished, the process proceeds to step S9, and the state of the shutter button 3 is determined. If the shutter button 3 is not half-pressed, the process proceeds to step S1 and the above processing operation is repeated. When the shutter button 3 is half-pressed, that is, when the first release switch is turned on, the process proceeds to step S10 and the AF imaging rear lens 18 is driven via the AF driving motor 14. Thus, the AF operation is executed.

  Next, in step S11, the correction display flag set in step S7 or S8 is determined. If the correction display flag is set (“1”), the process proceeds to step S12. Then, the distortion correction circuit 26 is operated, and a corrected image as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 for a predetermined time. In this case, even in moving image shooting, distortion correction is performed on the first image, and the corrected image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30. Subsequently, in step S13, the zoom driving motor 13 is driven by a predetermined amount, and the zoom movable lens group 15 is moved from the wide angle side to the telephoto side. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S6. That is, the zoom movable lens group 15 is moved to a position (still image correction image switching point) where distortion correction is not required on the wide angle side.

  When it is determined in step S11 that the correction display flag is reset (“0”), the process proceeds to step S14, and the captured image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 without being corrected. . Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the state of the shutter button 3 is again determined. Here, the state of the second release switch, which is the state where the shutter button 3 is fully pressed, is determined. And it waits until a 2nd release switch is turned on, and if it is turned on, it will transfer to step S16. In step S <b> 16, the image formed on the image sensor 20 is read and subjected to image compression, and then recorded on the recording medium 34. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1.

  In this way, only when it is necessary to correct distortion by the WIDE side detection switch, this is corrected, and when the shutter button is half-pressed, it is switched to a through image and displayed. In addition, in the case of a moving image, the zoom operation is performed within a range in which the distortion correction processing is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a sense of incongruity that occurs when switching between an actual image and a through image.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the first embodiment described above, an example of a digital camera having a zoom lens has been described. However, in the second embodiment, a digital camera having a WIDE / TELE interchangeable lens capable of switching only wide angle / telephoto is described. It is an example.

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. The basic configuration of the digital camera is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, and the basic shooting operation is also the same. is there. Accordingly, for these configurations and operations, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts, and illustration and description thereof are omitted.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of a digital camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 11, a system controller 11 as a control means for controlling the entire digital camera 50 includes a WIDE lens detection switch 58, an AF actuator 55 via an AF driving circuit 56, and a distortion correction circuit 26. A shutter half-press detection switch (SW) 62 and an AFON / switching switch (SW) 63 are connected to each other. Further, the system controller 11 includes an imaging sensor 20 via a distortion correction circuit 26 and a CCD interface circuit 25, a liquid crystal monitor 30 via a liquid crystal monitor drive circuit 29, a flash memory 32, an SDRAM 33 and a recording medium 34, and a zoom switch (SW ) 35 and a power switch (SW) 36 are connected.

  A WIDE / TELE interchangeable lens unit 52 is attached to the front surface of the digital camera 50. FIG. 12 shows the structure of the WIDE / TELE interchangeable lens unit (hereinafter abbreviated as an interchangeable lens unit) 52 and its peripheral part, in which (a) is an external view, and (b) is A in (a). FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line -A ′.

  A main body side mount receiving portion 51 a for mounting the interchangeable lens unit 52 is provided in the approximate center of the front surface of the digital camera 50. The mount receiver 51a is provided with a mount screw 65a for mounting the interchangeable lens unit 52 and a contact 59a for electrical connection. A WIDE lens detection switch 58 is provided in the vicinity of the main body side mount receiving portion 51a. The switch lead 58a constituting the WIDE lens detection switch 58 is engaged with the wide detection piece 60a on the interchangeable lens unit 52 side, thereby detecting that the interchangeable lens unit 52 is switched to the wide angle side.

  The interchangeable lens unit 52 includes a front lens 53 and an AF imaging rear lens 54 inside, and the lens is switched by an AF actuator 55. On the side attached to the camera body, there are a mounting screw 65b screwed with the mounting screw 65a, a contact 59b for electrical connection with the contact 59a, and a wide detection piece 60 engaged with the switch lead 58a. Is formed.

  Next, the AFON and changeover switch 63 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 13 to 15 illustrate the configuration of the AFON and changeover switch 63. FIG. 13 (a) is a configuration diagram in the off state, FIG. 13 (b) is a circuit diagram in the state (a), and FIG. FIG. 15B is a circuit diagram of the state of FIG. 15A, FIG. 15A is a circuit diagram of the continuous shooting state, and FIG. 15B is a circuit diagram of the state of FIG. It is.

  First, in the state shown in FIG. 13 (a), the contacts 72a and 72b of the peristaltic electrode 72 to which the operation member 71 slidable in the direction of the arrow B is attached are the center electrode 73 and the fixed electrodes 74a and 74b. There is no contact. As shown in FIG. 13B, this is an off state in which the switching terminal 77a is not connected to either the one-shot shooting terminal 77b or the continuous shooting terminal 77c.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 14A, it is assumed that the operation member 71 is slid in the illustrated arrow B ₁ direction by the user's finger 70. In this state, the contact 72 a of the peristaltic electrode 72 is in contact with the fixed electrode 74 a and the contact 72 b is in contact with the center electrode 73. That is, as shown in FIG. 14B, the switching terminal 77a is in conduction with the one-shot photographing terminal 77b. This is the one-shot shooting state. In this state, when the finger 70 is released from the operating member 71, the return spring 75 automatically returns the position from the one-shot shooting state to the off state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), by the user's finger 70, the operating member 71 and is slid in the arrow B ₂ direction. In this state, the contact 72a of the peristaltic electrode 72 is in contact with the center electrode 73, and the contact 72b is in contact with the fixed electrode 74b. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B, the switching terminal 77a is in a conductive state with the terminal 77c for continuous shooting. This is a continuous shooting state. In this case, since there is no return spring on the side of the fixed electrode 74b for continuous shooting, the peristaltic electrode 72 does not move even when the finger 70 moves away from the operation member 71, and the continuous shooting state is maintained as it is.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 16, the photographing operation of the digital camera in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  When the power switch 36 of the digital camera 50 is turned on, this sequence is started. First, in step S21, display of a through image is started. Next, in steps S22 and S23, the state of the AFON and changeover switch 63 is determined. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, if the AFON and changeover switch 63 are switched to the continuous shooting state, the process proceeds to step S24, and the AF function operation for continuous shooting is executed. If the AFON and changeover switch 63 is switched to the one-shot shooting state, the process proceeds to step S25, and the auto-focus function operation for one-shot shooting is executed. Furthermore, when the AFON and changeover switch 63 is in the OFF state in steps S22 and S23, the process proceeds to step S21 and the above-described processing operation is repeated.

  If the autofocus function operation is executed in step S24 or S25, it is determined in step S26 whether or not distortion correction is necessary. This is determined based on the state of the WIDE lens detection switch 58. As a result, if the WIDE lens detection switch 58 is turned on, correction is necessary, so that the process proceeds to step S27 and the correction display flag is set. On the other hand, if the WIDE lens detection switch 58 is OFF in step S26, there is no need for correction, so the process proceeds to step S28 and the correction display flag is reset.

  After step S27 or S28, the process proceeds to step S29, and the state of the shutter button 3 is determined. If the shutter button 3 is not half-pressed here, the process proceeds to step S21, and the above-described processing operation is repeated. When the shutter button 3 is half-pressed, that is, when the first release switch is turned on, the process proceeds to step S30, and the correction display flag set in step S27 or S28 is determined. If the correction display flag is set (“1”), the process proceeds to step S31. Then, the distortion correction circuit 26 is operated, and a corrected image as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 for a predetermined time. Subsequently, in step S32, the lens in the interchangeable lens unit 52 is driven by a predetermined amount and moved from the wide angle side to the telephoto side. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26. This is moved to a position where the WIDE lens detection switch 58 is not turned on, that is, a position where the interchangeable lens does not require distortion correction on the wide angle side (still image correction image switching point). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26.

  On the other hand, if the correction display flag is reset (“0”) in step S30, the process proceeds to step S33, and the captured image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 30 without being corrected. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, the state of the shutter button 3 is again determined. Here, the state of the second release switch, which is the state where the shutter button 3 is fully pressed, is determined. And it waits until a 2nd release switch is turned on, and if it is turned on, it will transfer to step S35. In step S <b> 35, the image formed on the image sensor 20 is read and subjected to image compression, and then recorded on the recording medium 34. Then, after the AF function operation is turned off in step S36, the process proceeds to step S21.

  In this way, only when it is necessary to correct distortion by the WIDE side detection switch, this is corrected, and when the shutter button is half-pressed, it is switched to a through image and displayed. In addition, in the case of a moving image, the wide angle side is stopped at a position where distortion correction processing is not performed, so that it is possible to reduce a sense of incongruity that occurs when switching between an actual image and a through image.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the constituent elements of the invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed typically the internal structure of the digital camera shown by FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a distortion image input to the distortion correction circuit 26 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a correction image output from the distortion correction circuit 26. The operation of the zoom movable lens group 15 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 will be described, and an example of a state in which the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the telephoto (TELE) side during still image shooting is shown. The figure which showed the lens frame 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23, (b) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. The operation of the zoom movable lens group 15 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 will be described, and an example of a state where the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the wide angle (WIDE) side during still image shooting is shown. The figure which showed the lens frame 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23, (b) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. The operation of the zoom movable lens group 15 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 will be described, and an example of a state in which the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the telephoto (TELE) side during moving image shooting is shown. The figure which showed the frame 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23, (b) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. The operation of the zoom movable lens group 15 and the WIDE side detection switch 23 will be described, and an example of a state in which the zoom movable lens group 15 is positioned on the wide angle (WIDE) side at the time of moving image shooting is shown. The figure which showed the frame 16 and the WIDE side detection switch 23, (b) is the figure which showed typically the position of the contact of a detection piece and the WIDE side detection switch 23. It is sectional drawing which follows the optical axis which shows the optical structure of the lens barrel 16 of FIG. 2, and its peripheral part. This shows distortion aberration when the zoom lens is focused on an object point at infinity. (A) is at the wide-angle end, (b) is at the middle, (c) is at the telephoto end, and (d) is between the wide-angle end and the middle. (E) is the figure which each showed the state between a middle and a telephoto end. 5 is a flowchart for describing a photographing operation of the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed typically the internal structure of the digital camera by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The structure of the WIDE / TELE interchangeable lens unit 52 and its peripheral part is shown. (A) is an external view, and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view along the line AA ′ in (a). The configuration of the AFON and the changeover switch 63 will be described, where (a) is a configuration diagram in the off state, and (b) is a circuit diagram in the state (a). The configuration of the AFON and the changeover switch 63 will be described, in which (a) is a configuration diagram in a one-shot (single shooting) shooting state, and (b) is a circuit diagram in the state (a). The configuration of the AFON and the changeover switch 63 will be described, where (a) is a configuration diagram in a continuous shooting state, and (b) is a circuit diagram in the state (a). It is a flowchart explaining the imaging | photography operation | movement of the digital camera in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 2 housing, 3 ... Shutter button, 6 ... Imaging optical system, 11 ... System controller, 12 ... Motor driver circuit, 13 ... Zoom drive motor, 14 ... AF drive motor, 15 ... Zoom movable lens group , 16: Lens frame, 17: Front lens, 18: AF imaging rear lens, 19: Electric substrate, 20: Imaging sensor, 22: Detection piece, 23: WIDE side detection switch, 25: CCD interface circuit , 26 ... distortion correction circuit, 27 ... shooting changeover switch (SW), 29 ... liquid crystal monitor drive circuit, 30 ... liquid crystal monitor, 32 ... FlashMemory, 33 ... SDRAM, 34 ... recording medium, 35 ... zoom switch (SW), 36 ... Power switch (SW), 37 ... Power supply.

Claims (8)

A zoom lens that requires distortion correction near a predetermined focal length;
Area detecting means for detecting that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length;
A correction unit that inputs an output signal of an imaging unit disposed on a focal plane of the zoom lens, and that can electrically correct distortion aberration caused by the zoom lens;
Control means for performing correction of distortion by the correction means when the area detection means detects that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length;
Image display means for reproducing and displaying a preview image output from the correction means and a recorded image;
Comprising
The electronic image pickup apparatus, wherein the preview image displayed on the image display means is updated at a time interval corresponding to the processing time of the correction means.   The electronic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined focal length is a focal length at a wide-angle end. An interchangeable lens type electronic imaging device having an interchangeable lens mount,
A correction means for inputting an output signal of the imaging means and capable of electrically correcting distortion generated by the attached interchangeable lens;
Image display means for reproducing and displaying the preview image output from the correction means and the recorded image;
Detecting means for detecting that an interchangeable lens having distortion exceeding a predetermined amount is mounted;
When the detection unit detects that an interchangeable lens having a distortion amount exceeding a predetermined amount is attached, a control unit that corrects the distortion aberration by the correction unit at the start of the photographing preparation operation with a preview. When,
Comprising
The electronic image pickup apparatus, wherein the preview image is updated at a time interval corresponding to a processing time of the correction unit. An electronic imaging device having a still image single shooting / continuous shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode,
A zoom lens with maximum distortion near a predetermined focal length;
Area detecting means for detecting that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of the predetermined focal length;
A correction unit that inputs an output signal of an imaging unit disposed on a focal plane of the zoom lens, and that can electrically correct distortion aberration caused by the zoom lens;
When the area detecting unit detects that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of the predetermined focal length, the correcting unit corrects the distortion aberration and performs the shooting operation in the moving image shooting mode and the still image continuous shooting mode. Control means to prohibit,
An electronic imaging apparatus comprising:   The electronic imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined focal length is a focal length at a wide-angle end. A zoom lens that requires distortion correction near a predetermined focal length;
Detecting means for detecting that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length;
An image pickup means for picking up an image disposed on the focal plane of the zoom lens;
Correction means for electrically correcting distortion caused by the zoom lens based on the output signal of the imaging means;
Image display means for reproducing and displaying the subject image obtained by the imaging means;
Control means for correcting the distortion by the correcting means and limiting the focal length range of the zoom lens when the detecting means detects that the zoom lens is in the vicinity of a predetermined focal length;
An electronic imaging apparatus comprising:   The electronic imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined focal length is a focal length at a wide angle end. An interchangeable lens type electronic imaging device having an interchangeable lens mount,
An imaging means for obtaining an imaging signal from a subject image incident via an interchangeable lens;
Correction means for electrically correcting distortion generated by the attached interchangeable lens from the imaging signal of the imaging means;
Image display means for reproducing and displaying the subject image obtained by the imaging means;
Detecting means for detecting that an interchangeable lens having distortion exceeding a predetermined amount is mounted;
Control means for correcting the distortion by the correcting means and limiting the focal length of the interchangeable lens when the detecting means detects that the mounted interchangeable lens has a distortion exceeding a predetermined amount. When,
An electronic imaging apparatus comprising:

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