JP2007116305A - Imaging apparatus and zoom magnification control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus and a zoom magnification control method whereby a zoom function can more effectively be utilized. <P>SOLUTION: When focusing on an object in response to half-depression of a shutter key is successful, even if the optical zoom magnification does not reach a telescopic side maximum magnification, the zoom magnification at that point of time is fixed (SA1 to SA4). Thereafter when a zoomup instruction is received, zoomup is executed wherein the electronic zoom magnification is increased while the optical zoom magnification is fixed (SA5 to SA9). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus suitable for use in a digital camera and a zoom magnification control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a digital still camera (DSC) that records image data of a subject imaged by an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS sensor on a recording medium such as a memory card, the image data is electronically stored with an optical zoom function using an imaging lens. There is a so-called “electronic zoom function” for enlarging and storing.

  Since the former optical zoom is optically zoomed, the image has a distortion peculiar to the lens, but the recorded image data itself does not deteriorate (decrease in resolution). On the other hand, in the latter electronic zoom, a part of the captured image data is cut out and enlarged and recorded to a predetermined image size by pixel interpolation, so that the image data to be recorded is clearly degraded (decrease in resolution). It is inevitable.

For this reason, in a digital still camera equipped with an optical zoom function and an electronic zoom function, when the zoom operation is performed in the telephoto direction, the optical zoom is performed first, and the zoom operation is continued beyond the limit of the optical zoom. The transition to electronic zoom has been made. Note that the reverse operation occurs when a zoom operation is performed in the wide-angle direction from the telephoto end. A technique related to this is described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below.
JP 2004-264873 A

  However, since the conventional electronic zoom is for securing a zoom magnification on the telephoto side that cannot be obtained by optical zoom as described above, it has the following problems.

  That is, depending on the lens configuration, the optical zoom may not be fully utilized. For example, even with a configuration capable of 5 × optical zoom, depending on the distance to the subject, the optical zoom magnification may not be used to the limit, for example, the optical zoom can be focused only up to 2 ×. Therefore, in such a case, there is a problem that the usable zoom magnification may be limited even though the electronic zoom function is provided.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and in an arrangement having a zoom function composed of an optical zoom and an electronic zoom, an imaging apparatus capable of more effectively utilizing the zoom function, and An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom magnification control method and a program used for realizing them.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention of claim 1, in an image pickup apparatus that picks up an image of a subject by an image pickup unit and has a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom, A setting means for setting an allowable limit of the zoom magnification, and in response to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the allowable limit set by the setting means, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed and the electronic zoom Control means for controlling the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction is provided.

  In such a configuration, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom remains fixed even when the zoom magnification of the optical zoom has reached the allowable limit set by the setting means, that is, even when the maximum magnification on the telephoto side has not been reached. In this state, the zoom magnification can be changed to the telephoto side together with the electronic zoom.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the photographing mode for close-up photographing, the control means responds to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction that exceeds an allowable limit set by the setting means. The zoom magnification of the electronic zoom is controlled in the telephoto direction with the zoom magnification of the zoom fixed.

  In such a configuration, even when the zoom magnification of the optical zoom does not reach the maximum magnification on the telephoto side when shooting in the close-up shooting mode, electronic zoom is performed with the optical zoom zoom magnification fixed. The zoom magnification changing operation to the telephoto side used together can be performed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the user further comprises instruction means for instructing the setting of the allowable limit by the setting means, and the setting means is instructed to set the allowable limit by the instruction means. The zoom magnification of the optical zoom at this time is set as the allowable limit.

  In such a configuration, it is possible to change the zoom magnification to the telephoto side using the electronic zoom in a state where the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed from the time point desired by the user. Further, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom to be fixed can be set to a desired zoom magnification.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the instruction for setting the allowable limit by the setting means by the instruction means includes a shooting notice prior to a shooting instruction for instructing the imaging of the recorded image by the imaging means. did.

  In such a configuration, it is possible to change the zoom magnification to the telephoto side together with the electronic zoom while the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed, immediately before photographing the subject.

  Further, in the invention of claim 5, in accordance with an instruction for setting the allowable limit by the setting means by the setting means by the focus means for adjusting the focusing position of the optical image of the subject incident on the imaging means, Focus control means for controlling the focus means to adjust the in-focus position to an appropriate position, and the setting means can adjust the in-focus position to an appropriate position by the focus means in accordance with control by the focus control means. The zoom magnification of the optical zoom when successful is set as the allowable limit.

  In such a configuration, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom that is fixed when changing the zoom magnification to the telephoto side combined with the electronic zoom can be focused while the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed. The correct zoom magnification can be set without error.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the focus unit that adjusts the in-focus position of the optical image of the subject incident on the imaging unit, and the zoom unit when the stop of the zoom magnification is instructed by the instruction unit. A distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance to the subject, and a maximum zoom magnification in the optical zoom that enables the focus unit to adjust the focus position to an appropriate position based on the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit. And a setting unit that sets the maximum zoom magnification acquired by the magnification acquisition unit as the allowable limit.

  In such a configuration, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom that is fixed when changing the zoom magnification to the telephoto side combined with the electronic zoom can be focused while the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed. Can be set to a maximum range of magnification.

  In the invention of claim 7, the setting means is provided with a second instruction means for instructing release of the allowable limit being set.

  In such a configuration, it is possible to change the zoom magnification to the telephoto side together with the electronic zoom while the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed, only during a period required by the user.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a zoom magnification control method for an image pickup apparatus that picks up a subject with an image pickup means and has a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom, A step of setting an allowable limit of the zoom magnification in the direction and a request to change the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the set allowable limit, and the electronic zoom of the electronic zoom with the zoom magnification of the optical zoom being fixed. And a step of controlling the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction.

  According to this method, even when the zoom magnification of the optical zoom does not reach the maximum magnification on the telephoto side, the zoom magnification change to the telephoto side using the electronic zoom in combination with the zoom magnification of the optical zoom fixed The action can be performed.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer having an image pickup apparatus that picks up a subject with an image pickup means and has a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom. Setting means for setting an allowable limit of magnification, and zooming of the electronic zoom in a state where the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed in response to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the allowable limit set by the setting means A program was made to function as a control means for controlling the magnification in the telephoto direction.

  As described above, in the present invention, even when the zoom magnification of the optical zoom does not reach the maximum magnification on the telephoto side, zooming to the telephoto side combined with electronic zoom with the zoom magnification of the optical zoom fixed is used. A magnification change operation can be performed. Therefore, the zoom function can be used more effectively in a configuration having a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom. In addition, this is possible when shooting in a shooting mode for close-up shooting.

  In addition, the zoom magnification to the telephoto side can be changed at a time point desired by the user or immediately before the subject is photographed, or only during a period required by the user.

  In addition, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom that is fixed when the zoom magnification is changed to the telephoto side can be set without error to a desired zoom magnification or a zoom magnification capable of focusing on the subject.

  Furthermore, the zoom magnification of the optical zoom to be fixed can be set to the maximum magnification within a range where the subject can be focused.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a digital still camera common to the respective embodiments of the present invention. This digital still camera has a zoom function including an optical zoom and an electronic zoom, an automatic exposure (AE) function, and an autofocus (AF) function, and has the following configuration.

  That is, the lens block 1 is provided with a retractable optical system including a plurality of optical lenses including a shutter 3, a diaphragm 4, a zoom lens 5 and a focus lens 6 provided in a lens barrel 2 of the camera body. . The aperture of the diaphragm 4 can be controlled in two stages, an “open” state and an “aperture” state (predetermined opening), and the zoom lens 5 and the focus lens 6 are not shown in FIG. Therefore, it can be moved mechanically in the optical axis direction.

  The lens block 1 includes a shutter actuator 7 that opens and closes the shutter 3, a diaphragm actuator 8 that drives the diaphragm 4, and a zoom motor 9 and a focus motor 10 that drive the zoom lens 5 and the focus lens 6 by the driving mechanism. The driving means of the present invention, and a zoom position detection sensor 11 and a focus position detection sensor 12 for detecting the movement positions of both lenses 5 and 6 are provided. The actuators 7 and 8 and the motors 9 and 10 are provided on the driver block 13 for the iris (Iris), shutter (Shutter), zoom (ZOOM), and focus (Focus) drivers 14 to 14, respectively. 17 is driven.

  The digital still camera is a CCD image pickup system block comprising a CCD 19, which is an image pickup means arranged behind the optical axis of the optical system, a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) / AD block 20, and a TG (Timing Generator) 21. 18. When the digital camera is set to the recording mode, the CCD 19 photoelectrically converts the light image of the subject imaged by the optical system, and scan-driven by the TG 21 to output a photoelectric conversion output for one screen at a certain period. . The CDS / AD block 20 performs noise removal by correlated double sampling and conversion to a digital signal with respect to an analog output signal that has been appropriately gain-adjusted for each RGB color component after being output from the CCD 19, and is a color process circuit 22 to output.

  The color process circuit 22 performs color process processing including pixel interpolation processing on the input image pickup signal, generates a digital luminance signal (Y) and color difference signals (Cb, Cr), and controls the entire digital camera. Output to. The CPU 23 is actually a microprocessor having an internal memory, various arithmetic processing circuits, a data input / output interface, and the like.

  The digital signal (image signal) sent to the CPU 23 is temporarily stored in the DRAM 24 and sent to the image display unit 25. The image display unit 25 is a display unit of the present invention including a video encoder, a VRAM, a liquid crystal monitor, and a drive circuit thereof. A video signal is generated by the video encoder based on a digital signal sent from the CPU 23, and a display image based on the video signal is generated. That is, a through image of the subject after being imaged by the CCD 19 and thinned to a predetermined number of pixels is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor.

  The key input unit 26 includes various keys such as a power key, a recording / playback mode changeover switch, a shutter key, a zoom key, and a menu key, and sends an operation signal to the CPU 23 according to the key operation by the user. For example, at the time of shooting operation in which the shutter key is pressed in the recording mode, a trigger signal indicating that is output to the CPU 23. The shutter key has a so-called half shutter function capable of performing a two-step operation of a half-press operation that allows a user to make a shooting advance notice and a full-press operation that instructs an actual shooting operation. Second instruction means.

  When the trigger signal is input, the CPU 23 reads out the image data for one screen captured from the CCD 19 in accordance with the trigger signal from the DRAM 24 for each basic unit called a basic block of 8 vertical pixels × 8 horizontal pixels for each of Y, Cb, and Cr components. The compressed data for one image compressed by DCT (Discrete Diffusion Transform) and encoding by the JPEG circuit 27 is stored in the image recording unit 28.

  Specifically, the image recording unit 28 includes a card interface and various nonvolatile memory cards that are connected to the CPU 23 via the card interface and are detachably attached to the camera body. The image data recorded in the image recording unit 28 is read by the CPU 23 in the reproduction mode, expanded by the JPEG circuit 27, and then displayed on the liquid crystal display monitor of the image display unit 25.

  Further, in the recording mode, the CPU 23 causes the lens control block 29 to generate drive signals to be sent to the drivers 14 to 17 of the driver block 13 described above, whereby the aperture of the diaphragm 4, the zoom lens 5 and the focus lens 6. And the opening / closing operation of the shutter 3 are controlled. When the autofocus mode is set as the focus mode, the focus lens 6 is controlled to the in-focus position by the contrast detection method. Further, the position detection information of the lenses 5 and 6 detected by the zoom position detection sensor 11 and the focus position detection sensor 12 is sequentially input to the CPU 23 via the lens control block 29.

  The flash memory 30 is a rewritable non-volatile memory. The flash memory 30 causes the CPU 23 to control the above-described units, and causes the CPU 23 to perform the processing described later when taking a still image in the recording mode. A program for functioning as setting means, control means, focus means, focus control means, and other various data are stored.

  Next, a zoom operation at the time of still image shooting in the recording mode in the digital camera having the above configuration will be described. Here, the case where the present invention is implemented only as an example will be described when the photographing mode in which the effect of the present invention is most remarkable, that is, the macro mode mainly provided for close-up photographing is set. .

  In other words, the zoom operation of the present embodiment is based on the operation of securing the zoom magnification on the telephoto side that cannot be obtained by optical zoom by electronic zoom, as in the conventional case. Perform the operation along.

  On the other hand, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are flowcharts showing the processing contents according to the present invention executed by the CPU 23 when the macro mode is set as the photographing mode.

  As will be described below, the CPU 23 sequentially confirms the operation state of the shutter key in the macro mode as in the normal shooting mode, and when the shutter key is half-pressed (YES in step SA1), the AE control is performed for shooting. And AF control is started (step SA2). Then, AE and AF control are continued until focusing on the subject by AF control is completed (NO in step SA3), and when focusing is completed (YES in step SA3), the magnification is changed to the telephoto side of the optical zoom. Is temporarily locked, that is, the driving of the zoom lens 5 in response to a zoom-up request is temporarily stopped, and a through image is displayed with a message, a mark, etc. for informing the user that the state has been shifted to that state. It is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor screen of the image display unit 25 (step SA4).

  Subsequently, when there is a zoom key operation in such a locked state (YES in step SA5) and it is a zoom-up operation (“UP” in step SA6), the electronic zoom function is enabled at this point, and a request is made. Change (increase) the electronic zoom magnification. That is, even if the optical zoom magnification at that time does not reach the maximum (the position of the zoom lens 5 is at the tele end), zooming (image enlargement) by the electronic zoom function is performed (step SA7). Conversely, when the operation of the zoom key is a zoom-down operation (“DOWN” in step SA6), first, it is confirmed whether or not the zoom magnification at that time is in the electronic zoom area. In step SA8, YES, and in step SA7, the electronic zoom magnification is changed (lowered in this case) as required. If it is not the electronic zoom area (NO in step SA8), the optical zoom magnification is changed according to the request (step SA9). That is, when changing the zoom magnification from the telephoto side to the wide angle side, the electronic zoom magnification is first lowered.

  Until the shutter key is half-pressed again (NO in step SA10), the process returns to step SA5, and the zoom operation different from that in the case where the above-described normal shooting mode is set corresponds to the user's zoom operation. To do. When the shutter key is pressed halfway again (YES in step SA10), as shown in FIG. 3, the optical zoom is released from the locked state and the display of the message or mark displayed in step SA4 is terminated. (Step SA11).

  Subsequently, the AE / AF lock is performed, that is, the operation state of the shutter key is confirmed (step SA13) while maintaining the contents of the exposure control and focus control at that time (step SA12). If the half-pressed state continues (“half-pressed” in step SA13), when the shutter key is fully pressed (“full-pressed” in step SA13), shooting processing is executed to capture the subject. The captured image is compressed and recorded, and the image file is recorded (step SA14). If the half-pressed state is released without fully pressing the shutter key (“half-press released” in step SA14), the process directly returns to step SA1. Thereafter, the above-described processing is repeated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when shooting in the macro mode, if the shutter key is pressed halfway, even if the optical zoom magnification does not reach the maximum telephoto magnification, the optical zoom at that time An operation for changing the zoom magnification to the telephoto side (hereinafter referred to as a specific zoom-up operation) can be performed using electronic zoom in a state where the magnification is fixed. Therefore, even when close-up shooting is performed, shooting at a larger zoom magnification can be performed regardless of the distance to the subject. That is, the zoom function can be used more effectively.

  In addition, a specific zoom-up operation can be performed immediately before photographing the subject. At the same time, the specific zoom-up operation can be terminated at an arbitrary time by half-pressing the shutter key. In other words, it can be made possible only during a necessary period.

  In addition, since the optical zoom magnification that is fixed during a specific zoom-up operation is the zoom magnification when AF is successful, it can be set without error to the zoom magnification that allows the subject to be focused.

  In this embodiment, it is possible to instruct the start and end of a specific zoom-up operation by half-pressing the shutter key, but this can be performed by a predetermined key operation other than the shutter key. Also good. Even in such a case, the zoom magnification desired by the user can be set as the optical zoom magnification that is fixed during the specific zoom-up operation.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, in the digital still camera shown in FIG. 1, the flash memory 30 causes the CPU 23 to perform a process described later, and the focus position-distance table 101 shown in FIG. 5, data constituting the zoom position-shootable range table 102 shown in FIG. 5 is stored, and the CPU 23 sets the setting means, control means, focus means, focus control means, distance acquisition means, magnification acquisition means of the present invention. It functions as.

  In the focus position-distance table 101 (FIG. 4), the zoom lens 5 has a plurality of stages of zoom positions from the wide end “1” to the tele end “n” (more specifically, the focal length of the zoom lens 5). 6 is a table showing the relationship between the subject distance at which the in-focus state can be secured by the movement of the focus lens 6 and the focus position (the position of the focus lens 6). Note that the subject distance is from infinity (∞) to the nearest (1 cm), and the subject distance of 50 cm to 1 cm is the macro area that can be focused only when the macro mode is set as the shooting mode. is there. However, it varies depending on the zoom position (optical zoom magnification). The focus position data (Ftable (1, 1) to Ftable (n, n)) is a theoretical value calculated in advance according to the characteristics of the optical system described above, and depending on the zoom position, Some data does not exist corresponding to the distance in the macro area. The zoom position-photographable distance table 102 (FIG. 5) is a table showing the zoom position and the near point and the far point of the subject distance at which a focused state corresponding to each zoom position can be secured. The near point data (s1 to sn) and the far point data (d1 to dn) are also theoretical values.

  Next, a zoom operation at the time of still image shooting in the recording mode in the present embodiment will be described. Here, the case where the present invention is implemented only as an example will be described when the photographing mode in which the effect of the present invention is most remarkable, that is, the macro mode mainly provided for close-up photographing is set. .

  That is, the zoom operation of the present embodiment is also based on the operation of securing the zoom magnification on the telephoto side that cannot be obtained by optical zoom by electronic zoom, as in the first embodiment. The operation according to the above basics is performed.

  On the other hand, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are flowcharts showing the processing contents according to the present invention executed by the CPU 23 when the macro mode is set as the photographing mode.

  As will be described below, the CPU 23 sequentially checks the operation state of the shutter key in the macro mode as in the normal shooting mode, and when the shutter key is half-pressed (YES in step SB1), the AE control is performed for shooting. , And AF control is started (step SB2).

  Then, AE and AF control are continued until focusing on the subject by AF control is completed (NO in step SB3). When focusing is completed (YES in step SB3), the subject remains in focus. The maximum optical zoom magnification capable of photographing, that is, the telephoto limit magnification is acquired and stored in the internal work memory of the CPU 23, and the telephoto limit magnification is displayed as an image display displaying a through image. It is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor screen of the unit 25 (step SB4). Thereby, magnification control is started toward the telephoto side of the optical zoom.

  Here, the telephoto limit magnification is obtained based on the zoom position (zoom lens 5) and the focus position (position of the focus lens 6) at that time from the focus position-distance table 101 (FIG. 4). Further, in the zoom position-shootable distance table 102 (FIG. 5), the zoom position on the tele side is searched for most among the zoom positions where the near point distance is equal to or less than the subject distance. The display of the telephoto limit magnification on the liquid crystal monitor screen is not shown, but for example, a number indicating it or a zoom bar generally used for displaying the zoom magnification, that is, one end is the wide end (W) and the other end Is performed using an indicator that divides the bar-shaped scale with the tele end (T) into an optical zoom region and an electronic zoom region.

  Subsequently, after the magnification restriction is started toward the telephoto side of the optical zoom, until the sitter key is half-pressed again (NO in step SB12), whether or not the zoom key is operated is repeatedly confirmed. If there is a zoom key operation and it is a zoom-up operation (YES in step SB5, “UP” in step SB6), the optical zoom magnification at that time is not the telephoto limit magnification (in step SB7). NO), the optical zoom magnification is changed within a range in which the telephoto limit magnification is maximized as required (step SB8). That is, the zoom magnification is increased by a normal zoom operation. Conversely, if the optical zoom magnification at that time is the telephoto limit magnification (YES in step SB7), the electronic zoom function is enabled and the electronic zoom magnification is changed (increased) as required. That is, even if the optical zoom magnification at that time does not reach the maximum (the position of the zoom lens 5 is at the tele end), zoom (image enlargement) is performed by the electronic zoom function (step SB10).

  When the operation of the zoom key is a zoom-down operation (YES in step SB5, “DOWN” in step SB6), first, it is confirmed whether or not the zoom magnification at that time is in the electronic zoom area. If so (YES in step SB9), in step Sb10, the electronic zoom magnification is changed (lowered in this case) as required. If it is not the electronic zoom area (NO in step SB9), the optical zoom magnification is changed according to the request (step SB11). That is, when changing the zoom magnification from the telephoto side to the wide angle side, the electronic zoom magnification is first lowered.

  Until the shutter key is half-pressed again (NO in step SB12), the process returns to step SB5, and a zoom operation different from that in the case where the normal shooting mode described above is set corresponds to the user's zoom operation. To do. Thereafter, when the shutter key is pressed halfway again (YES in step SB12), as shown in FIG. 7, the telephoto limit magnification stored (set) in step SB4 is erased, and the optical zoom is set to the telephoto side. The magnification restriction is canceled and the display of the telephoto limit magnification on the liquid crystal monitor screen is ended (step SB13).

  Subsequently, the AE / AF lock is performed, that is, the operation state of the shutter key is confirmed (step SB15) while maintaining the contents of the exposure control and focus control at that time (step SB14). If the half-pressed state continues (“half-pressed” in step SB15), when the shutter key is fully pressed (“full-pressed” in step SB15), shooting processing is executed to image the subject. The captured image is compressed and recorded, and the image file is recorded (step SB16). If the half-pressed state is released without fully pressing the shutter key (“half-press released” in step SB15), the process directly returns to step SB1. Thereafter, the above-described processing is repeated.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when shooting in the macro mode, if the shutter key is pressed halfway, the optical zoom magnification does not reach the maximum magnification on the telephoto side. Even so, it is possible to perform a specific zoom-up operation (an operation for changing the zoom magnification to the telephoto side together with electronic zoom in a state where the optical zoom magnification at that time is fixed). Therefore, even when close-up shooting is performed, shooting at a larger zoom magnification can be performed regardless of the distance to the subject. That is, the zoom function can be used more effectively. Other effects can be obtained in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, the optical zoom magnification that is fixed during a specific zoom-up operation is not simply the zoom magnification when AF succeeds as in the first embodiment, but the subject at that time is focused. It is set to the telephoto limit magnification which is the maximum optical zoom magnification at which it is possible to shoot with matching. Therefore, it is possible to always perform shooting at as large a zoom magnification as possible.

  In the present embodiment, the telephoto limit magnification is obtained using the focus position-distance table 101 (FIG. 4) and the zoom position-photographable distance table 102 (FIG. 5). The limit magnification may be obtained by calculation. Furthermore, the subject distance required at that time may be a distance detected by a distance measuring sensor that detects the distance to the subject, for example, unlike the present embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the digital still camera is provided with a macro mode for close-up shooting as a shooting mode, and only when the macro mode is set. Although the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and even in shooting modes other than the macro mode, the lens configuration is such that the optical zoom magnification cannot be used to the limit depending on the distance to the subject. The present invention may be implemented regardless of the shooting mode type. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a device that does not have the macro mode described above as long as it has a zoom function including an optical zoom and an electronic zoom.

  Further, although the case where the present invention is applied to a digital still camera has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applied to other imaging devices such as a digital video camera, and further to an imaging device configured not to record captured images. be able to.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the digital still camera common to each embodiment which concerns on this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing contents of a CPU during still image shooting in the macro mode according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data structure of a zoom position-photographable range acquisition table. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data structure of a focus lens position-distance conversion table. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of CPU at the time of still image photography by the macro mode in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart following FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lens block 5 Zoom lens 6 Focus lens 9 Zoom motor 10 Focus motor 11 Zoom position detection sensor 12 Focus position detection sensor 19 CCD
23 CPU
25 Image display unit 26 Key input unit 28 Image recording unit 29 Lens control block 30 Flash memory

Claims (9)

In an image pickup apparatus that picks up a subject with an image pickup means and has a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom,
Setting means for setting an allowable limit of zoom magnification in the telephoto direction in the optical zoom;
Control means for controlling the zoom magnification of the electronic zoom in the telephoto direction in a state where the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed in response to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the allowable limit set by the setting means. An image pickup apparatus comprising:   In the photographing mode for close-up photography, the control unit is configured to fix the electronic zoom in a state in which the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed in response to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the allowable limit set by the setting unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the zoom magnification is controlled in the telephoto direction. A user comprises instruction means for instructing the setting of the allowable limit by the setting means;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets a zoom magnification of the optical zoom when the setting of the allowable limit is instructed by the instruction unit as the allowable limit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the instruction for setting the allowable limit by the setting unit by the instruction unit includes a shooting notice prior to a shooting instruction for instructing to capture a recorded image by the imaging unit. Focusing means for adjusting a focus position of an optical image of a subject incident on the imaging means;
A focus control unit that controls the focus unit and adjusts the in-focus position to an appropriate position in response to an instruction to set the allowable limit by the setting unit by the instruction unit;
The setting means sets the zoom magnification of the optical zoom when the adjustment of the in-focus position to the appropriate position by the focus means as a result of the control by the focus control means is set as the allowable limit. Item 5. The imaging apparatus according to Item 3 or 4. Focusing means for adjusting a focus position of an optical image of a subject incident on the imaging means;
Distance acquisition means for acquiring a distance to the subject when the instruction means instructs to stop control of the zoom magnification;
Magnification acquisition means for acquiring a maximum zoom magnification in the optical zoom that enables adjustment of the in-focus position to an appropriate position by the focus means based on the distance acquired by the distance acquisition means;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setting unit sets the maximum zoom magnification acquired by the magnification acquisition unit as the allowable limit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a second instruction unit that instructs the setting unit to release the allowable limit being set. A zoom magnification control method in an image pickup apparatus that picks up a subject with an image pickup means and has a zoom function such as an optical zoom and an electronic zoom,
Setting an allowable limit of zoom magnification in the telephoto direction in the optical zoom; and
Controlling the zoom magnification of the electronic zoom in the telephoto direction with the zoom magnification of the optical zoom being fixed when there is a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding a set allowable limit. An imaging device that is characterized. A computer having an image pickup apparatus that picks up an object with an image pickup means and has a zoom function such as optical zoom and electronic zoom,
Setting means for setting an allowable limit of zoom magnification in the telephoto direction in the optical zoom;
As control means for controlling the zoom magnification of the electronic zoom in the telephoto direction in a state where the zoom magnification of the optical zoom is fixed in response to a request for changing the zoom magnification in the telephoto direction exceeding the allowable limit set by the setting means. A program to make it work.

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