JP2007134754A - Photographing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing apparatus in which photographing conditions of the same contents can be established without the need for any special operations so long as a removable recording medium of the same type for recording photographed images is loaded to the photographing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: When the recording medium 3 is loaded to the apparatus main body at interruption of power, a CPU 1 of the photographing apparatus stores photographing conditions established at present into a last memory LM together with medium identification information read from the recording medium 3 as the photographing conditions at a final photographing. At application of power, the CPU 1 compares the medium identification information read from the recording medium 3 with the medium identification information stored in the last memory LM, and reads the photographing conditions which are stored in the last memory LM and made to correspond to the medium identification information, and establishes the read photographing conditions as the present photographing conditions when a result of the comparison indicates coincidence. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and a program for performing photographing control based on an arbitrarily set current photographing condition.

Generally, in a digital camera (photographing device), “shutter priority”, “aperture value”, “shutter speed”, “flash”, “image size”, “image quality”, “exposure correction”, “white balance”, “ Various shooting conditions such as “continuous shooting” are arbitrarily set for shooting.
In order to improve the troublesome work of setting such shooting conditions, conventionally, two shutter buttons are provided corresponding to two removable memory cards in which shooting conditions are recorded, and one shutter button is provided. When the operation is performed, shooting is performed under the shooting conditions read from the memory card associated with the memory card. On the other hand, when the shutter button is operated, the memory card associated with the photographing is performed. A technique (digital camera) is known that performs shooting under the read shooting conditions (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-160915 A

In the digital camera of this Patent Document 1, it is substantially equivalent to preparing two cameras, but if the correspondence between the memory card and the shutter button is wrong, it is impossible to shoot under the desired shooting conditions. In addition, the structure of the camera itself has to be significantly changed, such as a structure in which two memory cards can be mounted or a structure in which two shutter buttons are provided.
By the way, when the photographer, shooting environment, subject, etc. change, the shooting conditions are changed accordingly, but if the photographer is the same, unless the shooting environment, subject, etc. change significantly, It is common to shoot under normal shooting conditions. On the other hand, even for the same shooting environment and subject, if the photographer is different, it is common to change the shooting conditions to suit his / her preference.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to set shooting conditions having the same contents without performing a special operation if removable recording media for recording shot images are the same.

The invention described in claim 1 is a photographing apparatus that performs photographing control based on an arbitrarily set current photographing condition, and whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body. And a storage unit that associates the currently set shooting conditions with the media identification information read and acquired from the recording medium when the determination unit determines that the recording medium is mounted. And when the discriminating unit determines that the recording medium is mounted between the time when the power is turned on and the first shooting is started, the medium identification information read from the recording medium and the storage are stored. And the stored shooting conditions are set as the current shooting conditions when they match. Characterized by comprising a setting means for.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 1 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 10).

The invention described in claim 1 described above may be as follows.
The storage means stores and saves the shooting conditions currently set at the time of power-off in association with the media identification information as shooting conditions at the time of final shooting, and the setting means stores the last shooting stored and saved when the power is turned on. The current shooting condition is read out and set as the current shooting condition.

  Note that the timing for saving the shooting conditions is not limited to when the power is turned off. For example, the shooting conditions are saved when the shooting mode (REC mode) is switched to the playback mode (PLAY mode) or when a recording medium is loaded. Also good. Further, every time an image is taken, every time an image is stored in a recording medium, and every time a photographing condition is changed, the photographing condition may be updated and written (overwrite updated) to the recording medium. On the other hand, the timing for setting the shooting condition at the time of the final shooting as the current shooting condition is not limited to when the power is turned on, for example, when the playback mode (PLAY mode) is switched to the shooting mode (REC mode) / the recording medium is You may make it set when it mounts | wears.

  Designating means for arbitrarily selecting and specifying the shooting condition to be stored from among a plurality of currently set shooting conditions is provided, and the storing means includes the specifying means from among the plurality of currently set shooting conditions. The imaging condition designated by the above is selected and stored and saved (the invention according to claim 3).

The invention described in claim 4 is a photographing apparatus that performs photographing control based on an arbitrarily set current photographing condition, and whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body. A discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not a recording medium is mounted by the discriminating unit, a media writing unit for writing the currently set shooting conditions to the recording medium, And setting means for reading out the shooting conditions from the recording medium and setting the current shooting conditions when the determination unit determines that the recording medium is mounted by the time the recording is started. Features.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 4 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 11).

The invention described in claim 4 described above may be as follows.
The media writing means writes the shooting conditions currently set at the time of power-off to the recording medium as shooting conditions at the time of final shooting, and the setting means reads the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting from the recording medium when the power is turned on. Is set as the photographing condition (the invention according to claim 5).

  As in the case described above, the timing for writing the shooting conditions to the recording medium is not limited to when the power is turned off. For example, when the shooting mode (REC mode) is switched to the playback mode (PLAY mode) or the recording medium is It may be when it is attached. Further, every time an image is taken, every time an image is stored in a recording medium, and every time a photographing condition is changed, the photographing condition may be updated and written (overwrite updated) to the recording medium. On the other hand, the timing for setting the shooting condition at the time of the final shooting as the current shooting condition is not limited to when the power is turned on, for example, when the playback mode (PLAY mode) is switched to the shooting mode (REC mode) / the recording medium is You may make it set when it mounts | wears.

  When there is provided guidance information output means for outputting guidance information for inquiring whether or not to set the shooting conditions acquired via the recording medium, and when a positive response indicating that setting is possible is received The setting means reads the shooting condition from the recording medium and sets it as the current shooting condition (the invention according to claim 6).

The invention described in claim 7 is a photographing apparatus that performs photographing control based on an arbitrarily set current photographing condition, and whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body. A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a recording medium is mounted by the discriminating means, and a media writing means for adding a shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition to the shot image and writing it on the recording medium; When it is determined that the recording medium is installed by the determination means after the power is turned on, the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition added to the shot image is read from the recording medium. And setting means for reading out and setting as current shooting conditions.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 7 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 12).

  The setting means reads a shooting parameter indicating a shooting condition added to the last shot image from the recording medium and sets it as the current shooting condition.

  The setting means reads a shooting parameter indicating a shooting condition added to a shot image reproduced and displayed last from the recording medium and sets it as the current shooting condition.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the recording medium is attached to the apparatus main body, the currently set shooting condition and the medium identification information read from the recording medium are stored in association with each other, and this time The media identification information read from the recording media and the stored media identification information are compared after the power is turned on until the first shooting is started. Since the current shooting conditions are set as the current shooting conditions, it is not necessary to install multiple memory cards as in the past, or multiple shutter buttons, and if the recording media are the same, The photographing conditions having the same contents can be reliably set without performing any special operation.

  For example, if you use a dedicated recording medium for each photographer, you can shoot with shooting conditions that suit your preferences without having to change the shooting conditions set by the previous photographer. Also, even if you are the same photographer, if you prepare multiple recording media corresponding to the shooting target or shooting purpose, such as for people shooting, landscape shooting, etc., just replace the recording media, In other words, it is possible to obtain a high practical effect, for example, it is possible to perform shooting under shooting conditions suitable for a shooting target or shooting purpose by simply using different recording media.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect of the invention described above, the shooting condition currently set when the power is turned off is associated with the media identification information as the shooting condition at the time of the final shooting. Saved and saved, and when the power is turned on, the shooting conditions at the time of the last shooting are read and set as the current shooting conditions, so the shooting conditions at the last shooting in the previous power-on period are saved. In addition, this photographing condition can be automatically restored at the next power-on. In other words, it is possible to save information when the power is turned off and restore information when the power is turned on, as in the so-called suspend / resume method or the last memory function. In some cases, it is only necessary to attach a recording medium.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to having the same effect as the invention described in claim 3, when a shooting condition to be saved is arbitrarily selected and specified from a plurality of currently set shooting conditions, Since only the specified shooting conditions are saved, it can be divided into save targets and non-save targets from a plurality of currently set shooting conditions, and only the shooting conditions desired by the user are saved. Is possible. For example, even if various shooting conditions are temporarily set to perform special shooting, only the minimum necessary shooting conditions are saved, so the minimum shooting conditions are set for the next shooting. be able to.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a recording medium is mounted, the currently set shooting conditions are written to the recording medium, and the first shooting is started after the current power is turned on. In the meantime, the shooting conditions are read from the recording media and set as the current shooting conditions, so that it is not necessary to install multiple memory cards or provide multiple shutter buttons as in the past. If the same, the shooting conditions with the same contents can be set without any special operation, and it is not necessary to store the shooting conditions on the main unit, saving internal memory. Become. Furthermore, by using different recording media, it is possible for each photographer to shoot under shooting conditions that suit his / her preference, and to shoot under shooting conditions suitable for the shooting target or shooting purpose.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the same effect as the invention described in claim 4 described above, the shooting condition currently set at the time of power-off is written on the recording medium as the shooting condition at the time of final shooting, Since the setting means reads the shooting conditions at the time of the final shooting from the recording medium when the power is turned on and sets the current shooting conditions as described above, the setting means in the previous power-on period as in the second aspect of the invention described above. You can save the shooting conditions at the time of the last shooting and automatically restore the shooting conditions when the power is turned on next time. It is possible to continue to set the shooting conditions when the image is taken after resuming.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 4 described above, the guide information for inquiring whether to set the shooting condition acquired via the recording medium is output. When a setting response is received in response to this setting availability inquiry, the shooting conditions are read from the recording medium and set as the current shooting conditions, so that the user (photographer) Can arbitrarily select whether to set shooting conditions in the recording medium or to set standard shooting conditions prepared as default values on the main body side. The shooting conditions acquired from the recording medium 3 are displayed in a list, and when any shooting condition is selected and specified from the list screen, the specified shooting condition is acquired and set as the current shooting condition. You may make it do.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the recording medium is attached, a shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition is added to the shot image and written to the recording medium. When the recording media is installed from the start to the first shooting, the shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions added to the shot image are read from the recording media and set as the current shooting conditions. Therefore, it is possible to use “Exif (Exchangeable Image file format)” added to the header portion of the image file, and it is not necessary to file the shooting conditions on the recording medium.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the seventh aspect of the invention described above can be obtained, and the photographing parameter indicating the photographing condition added to the last photographed image is read from the recording medium. Since it was set as the current shooting conditions, for example, if shooting was interrupted, the shooting conditions for the last shooting before the interruption should be set after resuming simply by mounting the recording medium. Can do.

  According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the seventh aspect of the invention described above is obtained, and the photographing parameter indicating the photographing condition added to the photographed image reproduced and displayed last is read from the recording medium. Since the current shooting condition is set, the same shooting condition as that of the image finally confirmed by the playback display can be continuously set only by mounting the recording medium.

Example 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
This embodiment exemplifies a case where the present invention is applied to a digital still camera as a photographing apparatus, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing basic components of the digital still camera.
This digital still camera has “Aperture priority”, “Shutter priority”, “Aperture value”, “Shutter speed”, “Flash”, “Image size”, “Image quality”, “Exposure compensation”, “White balance”, “ Various shooting conditions such as “continuous shooting” can be arbitrarily set, and shooting control is performed based on the currently set shooting conditions.
Before detailed description of the features of this embodiment, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described below.

  The CPU 1 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the digital still camera in accordance with various programs in the storage unit 2. The storage unit 2 is an internal memory configured by, for example, a ROM (flash memory or the like), and has a program area and a data area. In the program area, an operation procedure shown in FIGS. Accordingly, a program for realizing the present embodiment is stored, and a last memory LM for storing shooting conditions and the like is provided in this data area.

  The recording medium 3 is a detachable portable memory that supplies photographed image data, various types of data, and programs to the outside. The recording medium 3 includes, for example, smart media and an IC card. When this recording medium 3 is used for storing a captured image, the captured image captured by the camera is compressed by a recording format such as BMP, JPEG, TIF, and sequentially recorded and stored in a 1-image 1-file format. In this case, every time an image is taken, an image file is generated and stored and registered in the recording medium 3. The memory 4 is an internal memory having a work area, and is composed of, for example, a DRAM (Direct Random Access Memory), an SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM), or the like.

  On the other hand, an input unit 5, a display unit 6, a transmission control unit 7, and an imaging unit 8 that are input / output peripheral devices are connected to the CPU 1 via a bus line. Controls the operation of the I / O device. The input unit 5 includes a power ON / OFF button, a shutter button, a zoom button, a mode button for switching to a shooting mode / playback mode, a selection button for moving the cursor in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the operation signal. Is given to the CPU 1. The display unit 6 is, for example, a liquid crystal display unit with a touch panel, and is used as a monitor screen / finder screen / playback screen.

The transmission control unit 7 can be arbitrarily connected to an external device such as a personal computer or a printer device via a wired transmission path such as a telephone line or a cable or a wireless transmission path such as radio waves or infrared rays. Controls transmission / reception of image data and the like.
The imaging unit 8 can shoot moving images in addition to still images. The imaging unit 8 includes a lens, a mirror block such as a mirror, an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor, its drive system, a distance measuring sensor, and a light quantity sensor. And an analog processing circuit, a signal processing circuit, a compression / decompression circuit, etc., to adjust and control the optical zoom, and to control drive control during autofocus, shutter drive control, exposure, white balance, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the imaging unit 8.
The subject image from the photographic lens system 11 is formed on the image sensor 13 through the aperture mechanism 12. The optical system drive unit 14 controls the position of the moving lens in the photographing lens system 11 to perform focusing, or adjusts the exposure by changing the aperture amount of the aperture mechanism 12. The CPU 1 controls the operation of the optical system driving unit 14 based on the output from the sensor unit 15 including the above. The drive circuit 16 sequentially takes out the charge corresponding to each pixel photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 13 as an image signal, and gives it to the analog processing circuit 17. The analog processing circuit 17 performs color separation, gain adjustment, white balance and the like on the input image signal, and the image data digitally converted by the A / D conversion circuit 18 is temporarily stored in the buffer register 19. . The signal processing circuit 20 is a processing circuit that converts and outputs image data into a luminance signal and a color difference signal, and the compression / decompression circuit 21 performs compression processing of the image data when recording and storing the image data in response to a shutter operation. It is a processing circuit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the last memory LM.
The last memory LM stores and saves the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting in association with the media identification information. The CPU 1 acquires the shooting conditions currently set when the power is turned off as shooting conditions at the time of final shooting. Then, the medium identification information is read from the recording medium 3 mounted on the apparatus main body, and the shooting conditions at the time of the final shooting and the medium identification information are associated with each other and stored in the last memory LM. The last memory LM is configured to be able to store the medium identification information and the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting in association with each other in correspondence with the recording medium 3.

 The CPU 1 compares the media identification information read from the recording medium 3 attached to the apparatus main body when the power is turned on with the media identification information read from the last memory LM, and determines whether or not they match. When the coincidence of the identification information is detected, the shooting condition corresponding to the media identification information stored in the last memory LM is read, and this shooting condition is set as the current shooting condition. The above-described media identification information is, for example, fixed information such as a manufacturing number or information such as a serial number arbitrarily set by the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a last memory setting screen.
In the last memory setting screen, when a plurality of currently set shooting conditions are displayed in a list, which shooting conditions are to be saved or not to be saved from the list of shooting conditions displayed. This is a setting screen for arbitrarily selecting “ON”, “ON” is displayed for the item to be saved, and “OFF” is displayed for the item not to be saved. In the illustrated example, “Shutter priority”, “Shutter speed”, “Flash”, “Image size”, “Image quality”, “EV shift (exposure correction)”, “White balance” are set as a plurality of currently set shooting conditions. When "Shutter priority", "Shutter speed", "EV shift (exposure correction)", and "White balance" are selected as non-save targets, "Flash", "Image size" , “Image quality” is selected as a storage target. The contents of the last memory setting screen are set in the storage unit 2 as the save target selection information PSV.

  Next, the characteristic operation of the digital still camera in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, each function described in these flowcharts is stored in the form of a readable program code, and operations according to the program code are sequentially executed. In addition, the operation according to the above-described program code transmitted via the transmission medium can be sequentially executed. This is the same in other embodiments described later. In addition to the recording medium, the program / data supplied from the outside via the transmission medium can be used to execute operations specific to this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when the power is shut off (power is turned off), and the execution is started by an OFF operation of the power ON / OFF button.
First, when a power-off operation is performed, the CPU 1 checks whether or not the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus body (step A1). If the recording medium 3 is not attached, the CPU 1 proceeds to a power-off process. (Step A6) If the recording medium 3 is loaded, the medium identification information is read from the recording medium 3 (Step A2), and the currently set shooting condition is read as the shooting condition at the time of final shooting (Step A3). ). Then, the CPU 1 refers to the storage target selection information PSV in the storage unit 2 and extracts shooting conditions arbitrarily selected and designated as a storage target in advance from currently set shooting conditions (step A4). After the shooting conditions are written in the last memory LM together with the media identification information (step A5), the process proceeds to the power-off process (step A6).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation when the power is turned on (power on), and the execution is started by the ON operation of the power ON / OFF button.
First, after executing the power-on process (various initialization processes) (step B1), the CPU 1 checks whether the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus body (step B2), and the recording medium 3 is attached. If not, the presence / absence of another memory is checked (step B3). That is, it is checked whether there is a built-in memory for image recording or the like, and if there is no other memory, an error message that prompts the user to attach the recording medium 3 is displayed (step B4), but there is another memory. For example, a standard shooting condition prepared in advance as a default value is set as the current shooting condition (step B5).

 On the other hand, when it is detected that the recording medium 3 is attached (YES in step B2), the medium identification information is read from the recording medium 3 (step B6), and the medium identification information is read from the last memory LM (step B7). ) Compare both media identification information (step B8). As a result, if these pieces of media identification information match (YES in step B9), the shooting conditions associated with the media identification information are read from the last memory LM (step B10), and the current shooting conditions are set. Although it is set (step B11), when a mismatch between the two media identification information is detected (NO in step B9), a standard shooting condition prepared in advance as a default value is set as the current shooting condition (step B5). ).

 As described above, in the first embodiment, the CPU 1 reads the currently set shooting condition from the recording medium 3 as the shooting condition at the time of final shooting when the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus main body when the power is turned off. The media identification information stored in the last memory LM is stored together with the media identification information, and the media identification information read from the recording medium 3 when the power is turned on is compared with the media identification information stored in the last memory LM. If so, the shooting conditions stored in the last memory LM in association with the media identification information are read out and set as the current shooting conditions. Without performing the above, it is possible to reliably set the shooting conditions having the same contents.

 For example, when the dedicated recording medium 3 is used for each photographer, it is possible to shoot under shooting conditions that suit his / her preference without performing the work of changing the shooting conditions set by the previous photographer. In addition, even if the photographer is the same, if a plurality of recording media 3 are prepared corresponding to the photographing object or photographing purpose, such as for photographing a person or taking a landscape, the recording medium 3 is exchanged. In other words, only by using the recording medium 3 properly, it is possible to perform shooting under shooting conditions suitable for the shooting target or shooting purpose. The shooting conditions at the time of power-off can be saved, the shooting conditions at the time of power-on can be restored, and if shooting interrupted halfway is performed following the previous time, the recording medium 3 need only be mounted.

  Since the CPU 1 saves only the shooting condition to be saved in the last memory LM in a state where the shooting condition to be saved is arbitrarily selected and specified from the currently set shooting conditions. Therefore, it is possible to divide into a storage object and a non-storage object from a plurality of currently set shooting conditions, and it is possible to save only the shooting conditions desired by the user. For example, even if various shooting conditions are temporarily set to perform special shooting, only the minimum necessary shooting conditions are saved, so the minimum shooting conditions are set for the next shooting. be able to.

In the first embodiment described above, the case where the power is shut off is exemplified as the timing for storing the shooting conditions. For example, the shooting mode (REC mode) is changed to the playback mode (PLAY mode) by operating the mode switching button. When the recording mode is switched to or when the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus main body, the currently set shooting conditions may be stored in the last memory LM. Further, every time an image is taken, every time an image is stored in the recording medium 3, and every time the photographing condition is changed, the photographing condition in the last memory LM is updated and written to the recording medium 3 (overwrite update). You may make it do.
On the other hand, the timing for setting the shooting condition at the time of the final shooting as the current shooting condition is not limited to when the power is turned on, for example, when the playback mode (PLAY mode) is switched to the shooting mode (REC mode), or the recording medium 3 It may be set when is mounted.

Further, when the content of the last memory setting screen is created as the save target selection information PSV, it may be performed when the power is shut off. That is, the last memory setting screen may be displayed when the power is turned off, and the photographing condition arbitrarily selected from the setting screen may be created as the save target selection information PSV.
Further, the media identification information is not limited to identifying individual recording media 3, and may identify the type, group, and the like of the recording media 3. For example, a memory card prepared as a spare card may be handled in the same manner as the original memory card.
(Example 2)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In the first embodiment described above, the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting are stored in the last memory LM in association with the media identification information when the power is turned off, and the media identification information read from the recording medium 3 when the power is turned on. Is compared with the media identification information stored in the last memory LM. As a result, if the two match, the shooting condition stored in the last memory LM is read in association with the media identification information and the current However, in this second embodiment, when the power is turned off, the shooting conditions at the time of the final shooting are made into a file and written and stored in the recording medium 3. When the power is turned on, the recording medium 3 is set. Is set as the current shooting condition.
Here, the same or the same names in both embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the features of the second embodiment. .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of power-off in the second embodiment.
First, when a power-off operation is performed, the CPU 1 checks whether or not the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus main body (step C1). If the recording medium 3 is not attached, the CPU 1 proceeds to a power-off process ( Step C5). Now, if the recording medium 3 is loaded, the CPU 1 refers to the storage target selection information PSV in the storage unit 2, and has been arbitrarily selected as a storage target in advance from the currently set shooting conditions. The conditions are extracted (step C2), the shooting conditions are filed (step C3), written and stored in the recording medium 3 (step C4), and then the power-off process is performed (step C5).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation when the power is turned on in the second embodiment.
First, after executing a power-on process (various initialization processes) (step D1), the CPU 1 checks whether or not the recording medium 3 is loaded in the apparatus main body (step D2). Here, if the recording medium 3 is not attached, the presence / absence of another memory is checked (step D3). If there is no other memory such as a built-in memory for image recording, the recording medium 3 is attached. An error message for prompting is displayed and output (step D4). If there is another memory, a standard shooting condition prepared in advance as a default value is set as the current shooting condition (step D5).

  On the other hand, when it is detected that the recording medium 3 is attached (YES in step D2), the CPU 1 checks whether or not the shooting condition file is stored in the recording medium 3 (step D6). The default value (standard shooting condition) is set as the current shooting condition (step D5). Also, if there is a shooting condition file, it is checked whether or not the shooting condition is effective from the camera model (step D7). If it is a shooting condition that is not a target (NO in step D7), a default value (standard) Is set as the current shooting condition (step D5).

  If the shooting conditions are valid (YES in step D7), as shown in FIG. 9, a guidance message for inquiring whether to use the previously set shooting conditions this time in the YES / NO format is displayed and output. (Step D8). When “NO” in this message screen is selected (step D9), that is, when a negative response is received, a default value (standard shooting condition) is set as the current shooting condition (step D5). When “YES” is selected (step D9), that is, when an affirmative response is received, the shooting condition file is read from the recording medium 3 (step D10), and this shooting condition is set as the current shooting condition (step D10). Step D11).

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when the recording medium 3 is attached to the main body of the apparatus when the power is turned off, the CPU 1 converts the currently set shooting conditions into a file of shooting conditions at the time of final shooting. Since it was written in the recording medium 3 and the shooting condition file at the time of the final shooting was read from the recording medium 3 when the power was turned on and set as the current shooting condition, a plurality of memory cards can be mounted as in the past. If the recording medium 3 is the same, it is possible to reliably set shooting conditions having the same contents without performing a special operation, and at the camera body side. There is no need to store shooting conditions and the like, which saves internal memory. Furthermore, by using different recording media 3, it is possible to shoot under shooting conditions suitable for each photographer for each photographer, and shooting under shooting conditions suitable for the shooting target or shooting purpose becomes possible.

  In addition, when a guidance message for inquiring whether or not to set the previously set shooting conditions acquired via the recording medium 3 is also displayed this time, a setting response is received in response to this inquiry Since the shooting conditions are read from the recording medium 3 and set as the current shooting conditions, the user (photographer) either sets the shooting conditions of the recording medium 3 or sets a default value (standard) on the camera body side. It is possible to arbitrarily select whether to set general shooting conditions).

In the second embodiment described above, a guidance message for inquiring in the YES / NO format whether or not to use the previous shooting conditions this time is displayed. However, the shooting conditions acquired from the recording medium 3 are displayed as a list. At the same time, when any shooting condition is selected and specified from the list screen, the specified shooting condition may be acquired and set as the current shooting condition.
Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the timing for saving the shooting conditions is not limited to when the power is turned off, and the timing for setting the current shooting conditions is not limited to when the power is turned on. For example, the REC mode is switched to the PLAY mode. Or when the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus main body.
(Example 3)

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment described above, the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting are filed, written and stored in the recording medium 3, and the shooting condition file is read from the recording medium 3 and set as the current shooting conditions. However, in the third embodiment, the shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions are read from “Exif” added to the header portion of the image file for each shot image, and the current shooting conditions are set. It is what I did.

Here, the same or the same names in the embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the features of the third embodiment. .
In this third embodiment, every time an image is taken, the CPU 1 generates an image file and writes and saves it in the recording medium 3. At this time, the “Exif” added to the header portion of the image file is currently stored in “Exif”. The shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions are added and written to the recording medium 3. In addition to “file number” and “shooting date and time”, various shooting conditions such as “image size” are added to “Exif”.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation when the power is turned on in the third embodiment.
First, as in the second embodiment described above, the CPU 1 executes a power-on process (various initialization processes) (step E1), and then checks whether the recording medium 3 is loaded in the apparatus main body (step S1). E2). Here, if the recording medium 3 is not mounted, the presence / absence of another memory is checked (step E3). If there is no other memory such as a built-in memory for image recording, the recording medium 3 is mounted. An error message for prompting is displayed and output (step E4). If there is another memory, a default value (standard shooting condition) is set as the current shooting condition (step E5).

  On the other hand, when the presence of the recording medium 3 is detected (YES in step E2), the CPU 1 checks whether an image file is stored in the recording medium 3 (step E6). If the recording medium 3 is in an empty state where no image file is stored (NO in step E6), the default value (standard shooting condition) is set as the current shooting condition (step E5). If an image file is also stored (YES in step E6), the last stored image file is specified, and shooting parameters indicating shooting conditions of the shot image are read from “Exif” of this image file (step S6). E7), it is checked whether or not the photographing condition is effectively adapted from the camera model concerned (step E8). As a result, if the shooting condition is not the target, the default value (standard shooting condition) is set as the current shooting condition (step E5). The shooting condition is set (step E9).

  As described above, in the third embodiment, when the recording medium 3 is mounted, the CPU 1 adds the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition to the shooting image file and writes the shooting parameter in the recording medium 3, When the recording medium 3 is mounted on the main body of the apparatus at the time of insertion, the last captured image file is specified, and the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition is indicated from “Exif” added to the header portion of the image file. Since it is read and set as the current shooting condition, it is possible to use “Exif” added to the header portion of the image file, and it is not necessary to write the shooting condition to a recording medium. If shooting was interrupted halfway, simply attach the recording media and take the last shot before interruption After resuming the matter can also be continue to be set.

 In the third embodiment, the CPU 1 identifies the image file that was last shot from the recording medium 3, reads the shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions from “Exif” added to the header portion of the image file, and currently However, the last captured image is identified from the captured images stored in the recording medium 3, and the shooting parameters are read from the image file to obtain the current shooting conditions. You may make it set as conditions. In this case, what is necessary is just to replace the processing content of step E7 of FIG. 10 with the following processing content. That is, the processing content may be a process of reading out the shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions of the shot image from “Exif” of the last reproduced image file.

 Here, the identification information (for example, image No.) of the last reproduced image is associated with the media identification information indicating the recording medium 3 in which the captured image is stored and managed on the camera body side. When the recording medium 3 is loaded, the image reproduced last is specified from the image identification information associated with the medium identification information, and the shooting condition of the shot image is determined from “Exif” of the image file. It is also possible to read out imaging parameters indicating Conversely, the identification information of the last reproduced image is stored and managed on the recording medium 3 side, and when the recording medium 3 is loaded, the CPU 1 reads the image identification information from the recording medium 3 and reproduces it last. In addition to specifying the captured image, a shooting parameter indicating a shooting condition of the shot image may be read from “Exif” of the image file. Others are basically the same as the flow shown in FIG.

 As described above, when the recording medium 3 is attached, the CPU 1 adds the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition to the shooting image file and writes the recording parameter in the recording medium 3. When it is mounted, the image file that was reproduced and displayed last is specified, and the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition added to the image file is read from the recording medium 8 and set as the current shooting condition. By doing so, it is possible to continue to set the same shooting conditions as those of the image finally confirmed by the reproduction display only by mounting the recording medium 8.

Also in the third embodiment, the timing for setting the current shooting conditions is not limited to when the power is turned on, but when the REC mode is switched to the PLAY mode, or when the recording medium 3 is attached to the apparatus main body. There may be.
In the first to third embodiments described above, the recording medium 3 is a portable medium, and its shape is arbitrary, such as a card type or a stick type.
Moreover, although the case where it applied to a digital still camera as an imaging | photography apparatus was shown, you may make it apply to a digital video camera, and also make it apply to portable terminal devices, such as a mobile telephone with a camera function, and PDA. Also good.

The block diagram which showed the basic component of the digital still camera applied as an imaging device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the imaging unit 8. The figure for demonstrating the last memory LM. The figure which showed the last memory setting screen. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of the power supply shutdown started by the OFF operation of a power supply ON / OFF button. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of the power activation started by the ON operation of a power ON / OFF button. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of the power interruption in 2nd Example. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of power activation in 2nd Example. In the 2nd Example, the figure which showed the message screen for inquiring in YES / NO form whether the imaging condition set last time is also used this time. The flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of power activation in 3rd Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Memory | storage part 3 Recording medium 5 Input part 6 Display part 8 Imaging part 11 Shooting lens system 12 Aperture mechanism 13 Imaging element 14 Optical system drive part 15 Sensor part 16 Drive circuit 17 Analog processing circuit 18 A / D conversion circuit 20 Signal processing circuit LM last memory PSV save target selection information

Claims (12)

An imaging device that performs imaging control based on an arbitrarily set current imaging condition,
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus main body;
A storage unit that stores and saves the currently set shooting condition and the media identification information read and acquired from the recording medium when the determination unit determines that the recording medium is mounted;
When the discriminating unit determines that the recording medium is mounted after the power is turned on this time until the first shooting is started, the media identification information read from the recording medium and the stored media identification Setting means for comparing the information and setting the stored shooting condition as the current shooting condition when both match,
An imaging apparatus comprising: The storing means stores and saves the shooting conditions currently set at the time of power-off in association with the media identification information as shooting conditions at the time of final shooting,
The setting means reads the shooting conditions at the time of the last shooting stored and stored when the power is turned on and sets the shooting conditions as the current shooting conditions.
2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographing apparatus is configured as described above. Provided a designation means for arbitrarily selecting and specifying the shooting conditions to be saved from among a plurality of currently set shooting conditions,
The storage unit selects and stores the imaging condition designated by the designation unit from a plurality of currently set imaging conditions;
2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographing apparatus is configured as described above. An imaging device that performs imaging control based on an arbitrarily set current imaging condition,
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus main body;
A medium writing means for writing the currently set shooting condition to the recording medium when the determination means determines that the recording medium is mounted;
Setting that reads the shooting condition from the recording medium and sets it as the current shooting condition when the discriminating unit determines that the recording medium is installed between the time when the power is turned on and the first shooting is started. Means,
An imaging apparatus comprising: The media writing means writes the shooting conditions currently set when the power is turned off to the recording medium as shooting conditions at the time of final shooting,
The setting means reads the shooting conditions at the time of final shooting from the recording medium when the power is turned on and sets the shooting conditions as the current shooting conditions.
5. The photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photographing apparatus is configured as described above. Providing guidance information output means for outputting guidance information for inquiring whether or not to set the shooting condition acquired through the recording medium;
When the setting means receives an affirmative response to the setting availability inquiry, the setting means reads out the shooting conditions from the recording medium and sets the current shooting conditions as
5. The photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photographing apparatus is configured as described above. An imaging device that performs imaging control based on an arbitrarily set current imaging condition,
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus main body;
A medium writing means for adding a shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition to the shot image and writing it to the recording medium when the determination means determines that the recording medium is mounted;
When the presence of the recording medium is determined by the determination unit between the time when the power is turned on and the time when the first shooting is started, the shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition added to the shot image is displayed. Setting means for reading from and setting as current shooting conditions;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The setting means reads out a shooting parameter indicating a shooting condition added to the last shot image from the recording medium and sets it as the current shooting condition.
The photographing apparatus according to claim 7, which is configured as described above. The setting means reads out a shooting parameter indicating a shooting condition added to a shot image reproduced and displayed last from the recording medium and sets it as a current shooting condition.
The photographing apparatus according to claim 7, which is configured as described above. Against the computer,
A function for determining whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body;
A function for storing and storing the currently set shooting conditions and the media identification information read and acquired from the recording medium in association with the presence of the recording medium mounted;
Compares the media identification information read from the recording medium with the stored media identification information when it is determined that the recording medium is installed between the time this power is turned on and the first shooting is started. A function for setting the stored shooting condition as the current shooting condition when both match,
A program to realize Against the computer,
A function for determining whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body;
A function for writing the currently set shooting conditions to the recording medium when it is determined that the recording medium is installed;
A function to read out the shooting conditions from the recording medium and set it as the current shooting condition when it is determined that the recording medium is installed between the time when the power is turned on and the first shooting is started;
A program to realize Against the computer,
A function for determining whether or not a detachable recording medium for recording a photographed image is attached to the apparatus body;
When it is determined that a recording medium is installed, a function for adding a shooting parameter indicating the shooting condition to the shot image and writing to the recording medium;
When it is determined that the recording medium is installed between the time this power is turned on and the first shooting is started, the shooting parameters indicating the shooting conditions added to the shot image are read from the recording medium and A function to set as shooting conditions for
A program to realize

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