JP2008209552A - Photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correct reversely entering light only when required in a photographing device such as a camera. <P>SOLUTION: The photographing device equipped with a finder through which a subject is observed includes: a mirror capable of moving to a first position where it guides subject light through a photographic lens to the finder and a second position where it does not guide the subject light to the finder; a photometry means to measure the subject light and/or the reversely entering light through the finder; and a control means to allow measuring operation by the photometry means under a predetermined condition that the mirror does not exist at the first position when an operation mode is set to a specified operation mode, and not to allow the measuring operation when the operation mode is set to a mode other than the specified operation mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus such as a camera.

  The digital camera can perform so-called live view shooting, in which a subject image received by an image sensor is shot and recorded while being confirmed on a monitor. And when performing live view shooting with a single-lens reflex digital camera using a quick return mirror with an optical viewfinder, the image is captured by the image sensor with the quick return mirror in the up state, and an external display device, etc. To confirm the image.

However, since the photometric device of a single-lens reflex camera is generally provided in the viewfinder, when taking a picture while keeping an eye on the eyepiece to check the image on the monitor, the eyepiece There arises a situation in which the luminance value of the subject cannot be measured accurately due to the influence of the reverse incident light.
Conventionally, in order to solve such a problem, the reverse incident light component is obtained by calculation without providing a special sensor (a sensor different from the AE photometric sensor) for measuring the reverse incident light component. There is known a camera in which reverse incident light correction in TTL photometry is performed using the reverse incident light component.
JP-A-10-186441

However, in the above-described camera, since the reverse incident light correction is performed every time the shutter release is performed, there is a problem that the reverse incident light correction is performed even when there is no reverse incident light from the eyepiece, resulting in excessive specifications. .
The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of performing reverse light incident correction only when necessary.

  The photographing apparatus of the present invention is a photographing apparatus including a finder for observing a subject, and a first position for guiding subject light through the photographing lens to the finder and a second position for not guiding the subject light to the finder. A mirror that can be moved to, a photometric unit that measures the subject light and / or back-entered light through the viewfinder, and a measuring operation by the photometric unit under a predetermined state in which the mirror is not present at the first position. And a control means that is allowed when the operation mode is set to the specific operation mode and is not allowed when the operation mode is set to a mode other than the specific operation mode.

  The photographing apparatus of the present invention is a photographing apparatus provided with a finder for observing a subject, wherein a first position for guiding subject light through the photographing lens to the finder and a first position for not guiding the subject light to the finder. A mirror movable to two positions, a photometric means for measuring the subject light and / or reverse incident light through the viewfinder, and a detection means for detecting whether or not the eyepiece is in contact with the viewfinder And a control means for allowing the measuring operation by the photometry means in a predetermined state where the mirror is not present at the first position when the mirror is not in the eyepiece state and not allowing when the eyepiece is in the eyepiece state. It is characterized by having.

  In the present invention, the reverse incident correction can be performed only when necessary.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the digital camera 11 of this embodiment.
The digital camera 11 is a lens interchangeable single-lens reflex digital camera in which a camera body 13 and an interchangeable lens 15 are detachable. On the upper surface of the camera body 13, a release button 17, an upper liquid crystal 19, and a shooting mode dial 21 are arranged. A finder window 23, a command dial 25, a rear liquid crystal 27, and a live view mode button 29 are arranged on the back.

  The release button 17 is a known composite switch in which the half-press switch SW1 is turned on by a half-press operation and the full-press switch SW2 is turned on by a full-press operation (shown in FIG. 3). The upper liquid crystal 19 is a liquid crystal display member that displays imaging conditions such as an aperture value and a shutter speed. The shooting mode dial 21 is used to select an exposure calculation mode for calculating imaging setting values such as a program mode (P mode), a shutter priority mode (S mode), an aperture priority mode (A mode), and a manual mode (M mode). This is a rotary dial switch. The command dial 25 is a rotary dial switch for changing an aperture value, a shutter speed, and the like. The rear liquid crystal 27 is a liquid crystal display unit, and displays a menu display image, a captured image, and the like. The live view mode button 29 is a button for setting the live view mode (described in detail later).

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the digital camera 11 of FIG.
A subject image light beam from a subject (not shown) is reflected by the quick return mirror 31 through the imaging lens 15 a and the diaphragm 15 b of the interchangeable lens 15 and forms an image on the focusing screen 33. The subject image formed on the focusing screen 33 is observed as an erect image by the photographer's eye through the finder window 39 via the pentaprism 35 and the eyepiece optical system 37.

  In the finder window 39, an eyepiece detection sensor 41 for detecting an eyepiece to the finder window 39 is disposed. A photoelectric sensor is used for the eyepiece detection sensor 41. The photoelectric sensor has a light emitting unit (not shown) and a light receiving unit (not shown). When the eyepiece is in contact with the finder window 39, the light from the light emitting unit is reflected by the eyes, and the amount of light received by the light receiving unit is increased. Therefore, the eyepiece state can be detected. Further, a back luminance detection sensor 49 is disposed under the finder window 39. The back luminance detection sensor 49 is a sensor for detecting the surrounding luminance on the rear side of the camera (on the rear side of the camera, behind the viewfinder), that is, on the side opposite to the subject side when viewed from the camera.

When the photographer fully presses the release button 17, the quick return mirror 31 is retracted from the optical axis of the photographing optical system, and the light flux of the subject image that has passed through the interchangeable lens 15 is formed on the image sensor 43.
A photometric device 45 is arranged above the exit surface of the light beam of the subject image of the pentaprism 35. The photometric device 45 has a photometric lens 45a and a photometric sensor 45b. The photometric device 45 measures the luminance of the subject image. The aperture driving device 47 is electrically or mechanically connected to the interchangeable lens 15 and controls the opening / closing operation of the aperture 15b of the interchangeable lens 15.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the digital camera 11 described above.
Imaging section 51, image processing section 53, photometry section 54, exposure calculation section 55, mirror drive section 57, aperture drive section 59, ROM 61, RAM 63, EEPROM 65, external storage medium 67, timer device 69, rear display section 71, top display The unit 73, the operation unit 75, the eyepiece detection sensor 41, the back luminance detection sensor 49, the release button 17, and the live view mode button 29 are connected to the control unit 77 and controlled.

The imaging unit 51 includes an imaging element 43 and outputs a subject image signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging element 43. The image processing unit 53 creates recording image data, thumbnail image data, display image data, and the like from the subject image signal. The display image data is displayed on the rear liquid crystal 27. The recording image data is stored in the external storage medium 67 and the like together with the shooting data and the like.
The photometric unit 54 includes a photometric sensor 45b and calculates the luminance value of the subject image. The exposure calculation unit 55 calculates imaging setting values such as an aperture value and a shutter speed used by the digital camera 11 based on the brightness value calculated by the photometry unit 54, camera setting values such as exposure correction values, and the like. . The calculated imaging setting value is stored in the RAM 63, the EEPROM 65, or the like.

The mirror drive unit 57 drives the quick return mirror 31 based on a command from the control unit 77, and is disposed on the optical axis of the imaging lens 15a and is tilted on the optical axis, and a mirror retracted from the optical axis of the imaging lens. Switch the up state. The aperture driving unit 59 includes an aperture driving device 47 and the like, and drives the aperture 15b of the interchangeable lens 15 to open and close based on an instruction from the control unit 77.
The ROM 61 stores programs necessary for the operation of the digital camera 11, initial values used for the programs, and the like. The RAM 63 is used for temporary storage of data during processing by the control unit 77, the image processing unit 53, the exposure calculation unit 55, and the like. The EEPROM 65 is a flash memory that retains recording information even when the camera is turned off, and records information such as camera user settings and custom settings. The external storage medium 67 is a storage medium such as a removable memory card.

The timer device 69 includes a self-timer and a power saving timer described later. The rear display unit 71 includes a rear liquid crystal 27, a driver, and the like, and displays captured images, menu images, and the like. The upper surface display unit 73 includes the upper surface liquid crystal 19, a driver, and the like, and displays imaging setting values such as an aperture value and a shutter speed.
The operation unit 75 includes operation members for operating the digital camera 11 such as the shooting mode dial 21 and the command dial 25. The operation unit 75 sets a normal shooting mode, a remote control shooting mode, a self-timer shooting mode, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 11 described above. This flow starts when the digital camera 11 is turned on.
Step S1: A reverse incident light metering value BVu (described in detail later) is set to zero.
Step S1 ′: It is determined whether or not the half-press switch SW1 is turned on.
Step S1 ″: When the half-press switch SW1 is not turned on in Step S1 ′, it is determined whether or not the power saving timer has been counted. When the power saving timer has been counted, the control operation by the control unit 77 is terminated. When the time measurement of the power saving timer has not ended, the operation returns to the operation of step S1 ′.

Step S2: The field (subject) luminance is measured by the photometric sensor 45b. On the other hand, the surrounding luminance (ambient luminance behind the viewfinder) behind the digital camera 11 is measured by the back luminance detecting sensor 49.
Step S3: It is determined whether the ambient luminance behind the camera measured by the back luminance detection sensor 49 is less than a predetermined luminance. The value of the predetermined luminance is a value such that the light incident back from the finder window 39 hardly affects the photometry of the photometry sensor 45b. Therefore, when the luminance behind the camera is less than the predetermined luminance, the environment behind the camera is very dark, and it is not necessary to perform back light correction. Therefore, when the ambient luminance behind the camera measured by the rear luminance detection sensor 49 is less than a predetermined luminance, the operation proceeds to step S25 to be described later, and back light correction is not performed.

  Step S4: When the ambient luminance behind the camera measured by the back luminance detection sensor 49 is equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance, the mode set in the digital camera 11 is determined. In the digital camera 11, a live view mode, a remote control shooting mode, and a self-timer shooting mode, which are specific modes, can be set. In addition, a normal shooting mode other than the specific mode can be set.

  The live view mode can be set by pressing the live view mode button 29. When the live view mode button 29 is pressed, the live view mode switch SW3 is turned on (see FIG. 3). The live view mode is a mode in which the subject image received by the image sensor 43 is photographed while being confirmed on the rear liquid crystal 27. Therefore, the eyepiece to the finder window 39 is not normally performed. Since the finder window 39 is not blocked by the eyes, the light enters the finder window 39 in the reverse direction. Therefore, it is necessary to perform reverse incident correction.

  The remote control shooting mode is a mode for shooting using a remote control attached to the digital camera 11. In the remote control shooting mode, the digital camera 11 is operated at a position relatively distant from the digital camera 11. Therefore, the eyepiece to the finder window 39 is not normally performed. Since the finder window 39 is not blocked by the eyes, the light enters the finder window 39 in the reverse direction. Therefore, it is necessary to perform reverse incident correction.

The self-timer shooting mode is a mode in which shooting is automatically performed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the setting of the self-timer. In the self-timer shooting mode, the photographer is often at a position relatively away from the digital camera 11. Therefore, the eyepiece to the finder window 39 is not normally performed. Since the finder window 39 is not blocked by the eyes, the light enters the finder window 39 in the reverse direction. Therefore, it is necessary to perform reverse incident correction.
(Live view mode or remote control shooting mode or when the eyepiece is not in the half-pressed state)
Step S5: When it is determined in step S4 that the live view mode or the remote control shooting mode is selected, the mirror is raised. In the mirror up state, the quick return mirror 31 is positioned at a position indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  Step S6: The first photometric operation is performed. In the first photometric operation, the reverse incident photometric value BVu is obtained by the photometric sensor 45b. In this state, since the mirror is raised in step S4, the subject light does not enter the pentaprism 35. Therefore, it is possible to accurately measure the luminance of the reverse incident light from the finder window 39. The first photometric operation is repeatedly performed after a predetermined time.

Step S7: It is determined whether or not the full push switch SW2 is turned on.
Step S8: When the full press switch SW2 is turned on, the reverse incident light metering value BVu of the first light metering operation immediately before is stored as the reverse incident light value Y. Reliability can be improved by using the immediately preceding reverse light metering value BVu as the reverse light incident value Y.
Step S9: Mirror down is performed.

Step S10: The second photometric operation is performed. In the second photometric operation, the luminance BVm obtained by adding the reverse incident light to the subject light is obtained by the photometric sensor 45b. In this state, since the mirror is lowered in step S9, the subject light enters the pentaprism 35. Therefore, the luminance BVm obtained by adding the reverse incident light to the subject light is obtained as X by the photometric sensor 45b.
Step S11: A TTL photometric value BVd is calculated. The TTL photometric value BVd is a luminance value corresponding to the subject light that has passed through the interchangeable lens 15. The TTL photometric value BVd is obtained by subtracting the reverse incident photometric value BVu = Y obtained in step S8 from the luminance BVm = X obtained by adding the reverse incident light to the subject light obtained in step S10.

Step S12: An AF (autofocus) operation is performed. Specifically, AF detection operation and lens focusing operation are performed.
Step S13: An exposure (imaging) operation is performed. Specifically, if the camera has a mirror-up and a mechanical shutter, the image sensor 43 is exposed by opening the shutter. Exposure control during the exposure operation is performed based on the TTL photometric value BVd obtained by the reverse incident light correction calculation in step S11.

Step S14: An image display operation is performed. An image captured by the image sensor 43 by the image display operation is displayed on the rear liquid crystal 27.
Step S15: It is determined whether or not the half-press switch SW1 is turned on. When the half-press switch SW1 is turned on, the operation returns to the operation of step S1 ′.
Step S16: If the half-press switch SW1 is not turned on, it is determined whether or not the power saving timer has ended. The power saving timer saves power of the digital camera 11. When the power saving timer ends, the digital camera 11 is automatically turned off, and the control operation by the control unit 77 is ended. When the time measurement of the power saving timer has not ended, the operation returns to step S1.

If the full push switch SW2 is not turned on in step S7, it is determined in step S16 ′ whether or not the power saving timer has ended. When the power saving timer ends, the digital camera 11 is automatically turned off, and the control operation by the control unit 77 is ended. When the time measurement of the power saving timer has not ended, the operation returns to step S6.
(In self-timer shooting mode)
Step S17: When it is determined in step S4 that the self-timer shooting mode is selected, it is determined whether or not the full push switch SW2 is turned on.

Step S18: When the full push switch SW2 is turned on, the self-timer starts counting.
Step S19: Mirror up is performed.
Step S20: The first photometric operation is performed. This first photometric operation is performed in the same manner as in step S6 described above, and the reverse incident photometric value BVu is obtained by the photometric sensor 45b. The first photometric operation is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals over a time (for example, 10 seconds) set in the self-timer.

Step S21: It is determined whether or not the self-timer has finished counting. The first photometric operation in step S20 is repeated until the self-timer finishes timing. When the time measurement of the self-timer is finished, the operations after step S8 are performed. In step S8, the reverse incident light metering value BVu immediately before the end of the self-timer timing is used as the reverse incident light metering value BVu = Y.
Step S22: If the full-press switch SW2 is not turned on in step S17, it is determined whether or not the power saving timer has ended. When the power saving timer ends, the control operation by the control unit 77 is terminated. When the time measurement of the power saving timer has not ended, the operation returns to the operation of step S1 ′.
(In normal shooting mode)
Step S24: When it is determined in step S4 that the normal photographing mode is selected, it is determined whether or not the eyepiece state is set. The eyepiece state is a state where the eyepiece is in contact with the finder window 39. In the eyepiece state, almost no reverse light enters from the finder window 39. Therefore, in the eyepiece state, back light correction is not necessary. The eyepiece state is determined by a signal from the eyepiece detection sensor 41. If it is not in the eyepiece state (if it is not in the eyepiece state), the process proceeds to step S5 and the above-described processing is performed.

Step S25: When the eyepiece is in step S24, and when the ambient luminance behind the camera measured by the rear luminance detection sensor 49 in step S3 is less than a predetermined luminance, the full push switch SW2 It is determined whether or not is turned on.
Step S26: When the full-press switch SW2 is turned on in step S25, shooting is performed in a normal shooting sequence. The normal photographing sequence refers to a normal sequence in which the first photometry operation described in step S6 is not performed and the second photometry operation described in step S10 is performed and the photometry is performed. That is, if the eyepiece is in the state of eye contact in step S24, and if the ambient brightness behind the camera measured by the back surface brightness detection sensor 49 in step S3 is less than a predetermined brightness, the back light correction is performed. Since there is no need to perform this, shooting is performed using a normal shooting sequence.

Step S27: It is determined whether or not the half-press switch SW1 is turned on. When the half-press switch SW1 is turned on, it waits for the full-press switch SW2 to be turned on in step S25.
Step S28: It is determined whether or not the power saving timer has ended. If the half-push switch SW1 is not turned on in step S23 and step S27, the control operation by the control unit 77 is ended by the end of the time measurement of the power saving timer. When the time measurement of the power saving timer has not ended, the operation returns to the operation of step S1 ′.

In the digital camera 11 described above, photometry (imaging) is performed when the digital camera 11 is set to a specific operation mode such as a live view mode, a remote control shooting mode, or a self-timer shooting mode, or in a state where the viewfinder window 39 is not in contact with the eye. ) Since the reverse incident correction is performed when the operation is about to be performed, the reverse incident correction can be performed only when necessary. In a situation where there is no reverse light incident from the finder window 39, it is possible to avoid an excessive specification because the reverse light correction is not performed. In addition, when the ambient brightness behind the camera measured by the back brightness detection sensor 49 is less than a predetermined brightness, the back-light incident correction is not performed, so it is more certain that the excess spec will be reached. Can be avoided.
(Supplementary items of the embodiment)
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by embodiment mentioned above, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, the following forms may be sufficient.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a single-lens reflex digital camera has been described. However, the present invention can be widely applied to imaging apparatuses such as a lens-integrated digital camera and a video camera provided with a viewfinder. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a digital camera but also to a film camera.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the eyepiece is detected by the eyepiece detection sensor 41 has been described. However, for example, the eyepiece may be detected by a known gaze detection sensor provided inside the viewfinder.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which each mode is set by operating the digital camera 11 or the remote controller has been described. However, for example, each mode described above may be set using a PC (personal computer).
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the first photometric operation is performed with the quick return mirror 31 fully mirrored has been described. However, subject light from the interchangeable lens 15 is reflected by the photometric sensor 45b. The first photometric operation may be performed at a position that does not affect the measurement, for example, in a state where the quick return mirror 31 is slightly down from the mirror-up position.

It is a perspective view which shows the digital camera of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the digital camera of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the digital camera of FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Digital camera, 15 ... Interchangeable lens, 15a ... Shooting lens, 17 ... Release button, 27 ... Rear liquid crystal, 29 ... Live view mode button, 31 ... Quick return mirror, 35 ... Penta prism, 39 ... Viewfinder window, 41 ... Eyepiece detection sensor, 43... Image sensor, 45 b.

Claims (6)

An imaging device having a viewfinder for observing a subject,
A first position that guides subject light through the photographic lens to the viewfinder; and a mirror that can be moved to a second position that does not guide the subject light to the viewfinder;
Photometric means for measuring the subject light and / or reverse incident light through the viewfinder;
When the operation mode is set to the specific operation mode, the measurement operation by the photometry means in a predetermined state where the mirror is not present at the first position is allowed, and is set to other than the specific operation mode. Control means not allowed in the case,
A photographing apparatus comprising: The imaging device according to claim 1,
The specific operation mode includes any one of a live view mode, a remote control shooting mode, and a self-timer shooting mode. An imaging device having a viewfinder for observing a subject,
A first position that guides subject light through the photographic lens to the viewfinder; and a mirror that can be moved to a second position that does not guide the subject light to the viewfinder;
Photometric means for measuring the subject light and / or reverse incident light through the viewfinder;
Detecting means for detecting whether or not the eyepiece is in an eyepiece state;
A control means for allowing the measuring operation by the photometry means in a predetermined state where the mirror is not present at the first position when the mirror is not in the eyepiece state and not allowing when the eyepiece is in the eyepiece state;
A photographing apparatus comprising: The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined state is a state in which the mirror is present at the second position. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Exposure control is performed based on a first measurement result by the photometry means in the predetermined state and a second measurement result by the photometry means in a situation where the mirror is present at the first position. An imaging device. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means does not allow the measurement operation by the photometry means under the predetermined condition when the ambient luminance on the rear side of the camera is less than the predetermined luminance.

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