JP2009027553A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To express imaging qualities with various variations, in an image obtained upon continuous shooting photography. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera 1 is equipped with: an image sensor 9 which photographs the image of an object; an AFE (analog front end) 11 which changes an analog image signal obtained by the image sensor 9, into a digital image signal; a shutter operating unit 7 operated upon continuous shooting photography; a sensor 13 which detects the operating amount or the operating power of the shutter operating unit 7; and a whole controller 19 which controls a gain for amplifying the analog image signal of the AFE 11 based on the operating amount or the operating power detected by the sensor 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a camera that continuously shoots at time intervals that are inversely proportional to the amount of shutter depression during continuous shooting is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
According to this camera, when shooting a subject that moves rapidly, it is possible to acquire more images simply by increasing the amount by which the shutter is pressed according to the intensity of the subject's motion. The probability of being acquired can be increased.
JP 2006-162725 A

However, in a camera that can take 30 or more continuous shots per second, the shooting conditions are changed during continuous shooting rather than acquiring a number of similar images under the same shooting conditions. Thus, it is expected that so-called bracket photography that expresses image quality in various variations is desired.
In response to such a demand, there is an inconvenience that a camera that only changes the frame rate as disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot respond.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera that can express image quality in various variations in an image acquired during continuous shooting. .

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.
The present invention includes an image sensor that captures an image of a subject, an image signal converter that converts an analog image signal acquired by the image sensor into a digital image signal, a shutter operation unit that is operated during continuous shooting, A detection unit for detecting an operation amount or operation force of the shutter operation unit, and a control for adjusting a gain for amplifying the analog image signal of the image signal conversion unit based on the operation amount or operation force detected by the detection unit And a camera comprising a unit.

  According to the present invention, when an image of a subject is captured by the image sensor, the analog image signal is converted into a digital image signal by the image signal converter. During continuous shooting, the operation amount or operation force is detected by the operation of the detection unit by operating the shutter operation unit, and the gain that amplifies the analog image signal of the image signal conversion unit by the operation of the control unit Is adjusted.

As a result, when the gain for amplifying the analog image signal is increased, that is, when the ISO sensitivity is increased, the noise is increased and the image is rough and the image quality is deteriorated. Can be obtained. On the other hand, if the gain for amplifying the analog image signal is reduced, that is, if the ISO sensitivity is lowered, the analog image signal becomes smaller. Therefore, noise can be reduced to prevent the image from being rough and high-quality shooting can be performed. become.
Therefore, the image quality can be arbitrarily changed during continuous shooting by a simple method of changing the operation amount or the operation force of the shutter operation unit.

In the above invention, the detection unit may detect an operation amount of the shutter operation unit, and the shutter operation unit may include an operation amount holding unit that holds the operation amount.
With this configuration, the operation amount of the shutter operation unit detected by the operation of the detection unit is held by the operation of the operation amount holding unit, so that the ISO sensitivity is kept constant without continuing to operate the shutter operation unit. Can keep. Therefore, continuous shooting can be performed while maintaining image quality even when the hand is released from the shutter operation unit.

Moreover, in the said invention, the said shutter operation part is good also as being a push button provided so that it could protrude from the housing | casing surface.
Moreover, in the said invention, the said shutter operation part is good also as being a dial rotatable around the axis line substantially orthogonal to the housing | casing surface.
In the above invention, the shutter operation unit may be a stick that can swing around an axis substantially parallel to the surface of the housing.
Moreover, in the said invention, the said shutter operation part may be a slider which can move to the direction along a housing | casing surface.

  According to the present invention, the ISO sensitivity can be arbitrarily changed during continuous shooting, and the image quality can be expressed in various variations.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a digital camera (camera) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a camera body (housing) 3 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a front surface of the camera body 3 so as to be protruded. A lens unit 5 that collects light from the lens unit 5 to form an image of a subject, and a shutter operation unit 7 that is provided on the upper end surface of the camera body 3 and performs an operation of acquiring an image from the lens unit 5. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the camera body 3 includes an image sensor 9 such as a CCD that captures an image of a subject formed by the lens unit 5 and an analog image signal (not shown) acquired by the image sensor 9. An analog front end (image signal conversion unit; hereinafter simply referred to as “AFE”) 11 that amplifies by a gain amplifier and converts it to a digital image signal, and a sensor (detection unit) that detects an operation amount of the shutter operation unit 7. 13, an overall control unit 15 for inputting the operation amount obtained by the sensor 13 and the digital image signal processed by the AFE 11 to control the entire apparatus, and the digital image input to the overall control unit 15 And a memory unit 17 for storing signals as photographed image data. In addition, the camera body 3 includes a shooting mode switching unit (not shown) and can switch between a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode.

  The shutter operation unit 7 is a push button type shutter button that can be pushed in the vertical direction with respect to the upper end surface of the camera body 3, and the shutter is cut by pushing a predetermined amount. In the shutter operation unit 7, the stroke length in the push-in direction corresponds to the gain value in the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11. As a result, when the continuous shooting mode is set, the gain for amplifying the analog image signal acquired by the image sensor 9, that is, the ISO sensitivity, changes according to the amount of pressing of the shutter operation unit 7. .

  Specifically, the gain for amplifying the analog image signal increases as the amount of pressing of the shutter operation unit 7 increases, and the ISO sensitivity increases. Therefore, in proportion to the amount of pressing of the shutter operation unit 7, noise increases and the image becomes rough and the image quality deteriorates. On the other hand, the analog image signal is amplified and a bright image can be obtained with a small amount of incident light. .

  The overall control unit 15 includes an overall controller (control unit) 19 that controls the entire camera, a video signal processing unit 21 that performs processing such as color correction and JPEG compression on the digital image signal output from the AFE 11, and an overall controller 19. A gain control unit 23 that controls the AFE 11 based on a control signal that is sent, a timing control unit 25 that controls the image sensor 9 and the AFE 11 based on a control signal sent from the overall controller 19, and a control signal sent from the overall controller 19 And a lens unit controller 27 for controlling the lens unit 5 based on the above.

  The memory unit 17 is a buffer memory 29 that temporarily stores photographed image data, and a liquid crystal display that displays a photographing range via the lens unit 5 and displays photographed image data stored in the buffer memory 29. 31 (hereinafter simply referred to as “LCD”) and a card interface 33 for storing photographed image data stored in the buffer memory 29.

The operation of the digital camera 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.
When the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment is activated, an image of a subject formed through the lens unit 5 is captured by the image sensor 9 and output as an analog image signal, which is converted into a digital image signal by the AFE 11. After that, the image signal processing unit 21 performs image processing and displays the image on the LCD 31 via the overall control unit 15.

  In this situation, when the shutter operation unit 7 is pushed by a predetermined amount, the overall control unit 15 determines the gain control unit 23, the timing control unit based on the digital image signal of the subject at that time output from the video signal processing unit 21. 25 and the lens unit controller 27 are activated. Thus, the AFE 11, the image sensor 9, and the lens unit 5 are respectively controlled so that the captured image has proper exposure, and the analog image signal of the subject is acquired by the image sensor 9.

  The analog image signal acquired by the image sensor 9 is converted into a digital image signal by the AFE 11, and then output to the buffer memory 29 via the overall controller 19 and temporarily stored. The captured image data stored in the buffer memory 29 can be displayed as a still image on the LCD 31 or stored in the card interface 33 by the operation of the overall controller 19.

Next, the operation of the digital camera 1 according to this embodiment during continuous shooting will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the shooting mode switching means is set to the continuous shooting mode (step SA1), detection of the operation amount of the shutter operation unit 7 by the sensor 13, that is, the pressing amount is started (step SA2). When the pushing amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is zero (step SA3 “YES”), the photographing is finished (step SA4).

  On the other hand, when the push amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is not zero, that is, when the push amount is detected by the sensor 13 (step SA3 “NO”), the entire controller 19 performs imaging based on the detected push amount. An ISO sensitivity value indicating the sensitivity of the element 9 is calculated. The calculated ISO sensitivity value is sent to the gain control unit 23, and is set as the gain value of the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11 by the gain control unit 23 (step SA5).

Further, the overall controller 19 calculates a shutter speed and an aperture value based on the calculated ISO sensitivity value so that the captured image is properly exposed. The calculated shutter speed is sent to the timing control unit 25, and the drive timing of the image sensor 9 is set by the timing control unit 25, and is output as a sampling timing from the timing control unit 25 to the AFE 11, and is not shown in the AFE 11 The drive frequency of the AD converter is set. The calculated aperture value is sent to the lens unit control unit 27, and the lens unit control unit 27 sets the aperture amount of the lens unit 5 (step SA6).
Thus, continuous shooting is performed so as to achieve proper exposure by the operations of the lens unit 5, the image sensor 9 and the AFE 11 controlled according to the ISO sensitivity value (step SA7).

  While the continuous shooting mode is set, the sensor 13 always detects the pressing amount of the shutter operation unit 7 and repeats the operations of Step SA2 to Step SA7. Thereby, for example, when the push amount of the shutter operation unit 7 detected by the sensor 13 is increased, the ISO sensitivity is controlled accordingly, and the aperture amount of the lens unit 5 and the shutter speed of the image sensor 9 are controlled. However, the exposure is controlled so as to be appropriate exposure according to the ISO sensitivity. On the other hand, when the pressing amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is decreased, the ISO sensitivity is controlled to be lowered accordingly, and the aperture amount of the lens unit 5 and the shutter speed of the image sensor 9 are appropriately exposed in accordance with the ISO sensitivity. It is controlled to become.

  As a result, when the push amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is increased, the granularity is deteriorated and the image quality is deteriorated, while the analog image signal is amplified and a bright image can be obtained with a small amount of incident light. Therefore, it is possible to increase the shutter speed and to shoot finely the complicated movement of the subject with little camera shake, or to reduce the aperture and increase the depth of field. It is also advantageous for shooting in dark places.

  On the other hand, when the push amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is reduced, a bright image cannot be obtained with a small amount of incident light, and it is necessary to secure a large amount of incident light by slowing the shutter speed or opening the aperture. Accordingly, while being disadvantageous for shooting in dark places, it is possible to reduce noise and prevent image roughness and to perform high-quality shooting with good granularity.

  For example, in the case of continuously shooting a subject such as a bird or fish that moves quickly and complicatedly, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5E, the background is a flat scene such as the sky or the sea. Then, since noise is conspicuous, the push amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is reduced to lower the ISO sensitivity. As a result, the aperture of the lens unit 5 is opened according to the ISO sensitivity and the shutter speed of the image sensor 9 is automatically controlled so as to obtain an appropriate exposure amount. In this case, although it is difficult to obtain a detailed change in the complicated movement of the subject, it is possible to perform high-quality continuous shooting with less noise and less noticeable roughness.

  On the other hand, when the background changes to a complicated scene such as a townscape, sea bream, or sea anemone, that is, a scene with many high-frequency components, noise is not noticeable, so the amount of pushing of the shutter operation unit 7 is increased to increase ISO sensitivity. . As a result, the aperture of the lens unit 5 is reduced according to the ISO sensitivity, and automatic control is performed so that the shutter speed of the image sensor 9 is increased, thereby maintaining proper exposure. In this case, it is possible to perform continuous shooting with a small depth of field and a small change in complicated movement of the subject.

  As described above, according to the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment, the ISO sensitivity can be arbitrarily set during continuous shooting while obtaining an appropriate exposure by a simple method of operating the shutter operation unit 7 and adjusting the push-in amount. Can be changed. As a result, the image quality can be expressed in various variations.

  In the present embodiment, the ISO sensitivity is increased when the amount of pressing of the shutter operation unit 7 is increased, and the ISO sensitivity is decreased when the amount of pressing is decreased, but instead, for example, for example, The ISO sensitivity may be lowered when the pressing amount of the shutter operation unit 7 is increased, and the ISO sensitivity may be increased when the pressing amount is decreased.

  In the present embodiment, the ISO sensitivity is changed based on the operation amount of the shutter operation unit 7. However, instead of this, for example, the operation force of the shutter operation unit 7, that is, push-in is performed. The ISO sensitivity may be changed based on the operating pressure at the time. In this case, the sensor 13 may detect the operation pressure of the shutter operation unit 7.

  In the present embodiment, the shooting scenes of FIGS. 5A to 5E have been described as examples. However, for example, when image processing can be performed after shooting, FIG. As shown in FIG. 6E, in a scene where the background is flat such as the sky or the sea, noise can be easily removed by image processing, so the ISO sensitivity is increased and the shutter speed is increased by reducing the aperture. Therefore, continuous shooting that gives priority to complex changes in the subject's movement and depth is considered. On the other hand, in scenes with many high-frequency components, it is difficult to remove noise by image processing, so the ISO sensitivity is lowered and the aperture is opened. It is also possible to perform continuous shooting with priority on image quality by reducing the noise by reducing the shutter speed.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a digital camera 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the digital camera 101 according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the shutter operation unit 107.
In the following, portions having the same configuration as those of the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The shutter operation unit 107 of the digital camera 101 includes a substantially cylindrical dial type ISO sensitivity dial 107A having a rotation axis perpendicular to the upper end surface of the camera body 3, and a perpendicular to the upper end surface of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A. A shutter button 107B that can be pushed in the direction and an operation amount holding means (not shown) that holds the operation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ISO sensitivity dial 107 </ b> A is provided with a step indicating the change amount of the ISO sensitivity value around the outer periphery, and changes the ISO sensitivity by rotating around the axis. Specifically, when the continuous shooting mode is set, by rotating the ISO sensitivity dial 107A while pressing the shutter button 107B, the ISO sensitivity is changed according to the rotation amount. When the increment of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is 0 position, the ISO sensitivity value of the program set by the overall controller 19 is set as the gain value of the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11.

  For example, the ISO sensitivity becomes higher as the amount of rotation is increased clockwise such that the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is incremented +1, +2, and +3. Accordingly, in proportion to the rotation amount, the granularity is deteriorated and the image quality is deteriorated. On the other hand, the analog image signal is amplified, and a bright image can be obtained even with a small amount of incident light.

  Further, the ISO sensitivity decreases as the amount of rotation increases counterclockwise, such as in increments of -1 position, -2 position, and -3 position. Therefore, since the analog image signal becomes smaller in proportion to the rotation amount, the granularity is improved and a high-quality image can be obtained. In the ISO sensitivity dial 107A, the stroke length around the outer circumference corresponds to the upper and lower limits of the gain value of the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11.

  When the continuous shooting mode is set, the operation amount holding means is operated by rotating the ISO sensitivity dial 107A while pressing the shutter button 107B. When the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is set to a position other than the 0 position in steps. The ISO sensitivity dial 107A is held at its rotational position.

The operation of the digital camera 101 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
In the digital camera 101 according to the present embodiment, during continuous shooting, as shown in FIG. 10, the operation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A, that is, the rotation amount is detected by the sensor 13 (step SB2). When the rotation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is zero (step SB3 “YES”), the ISO sensitivity value of the program set by the overall controller 19 is set (step SB4).

On the other hand, when the rotation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is not zero, that is, when the rotation amount is detected by the sensor 13 (step SB3 “NO”), the overall control unit 15 determines the rotation amount based on the detected rotation amount. An ISO sensitivity value is calculated.
Then, based on the calculated ISO sensitivity value, the lens unit 5, the image sensor 9 and the AFE 11 are controlled, and continuous shooting is performed so as to achieve proper exposure (step SB7).

  While the continuous shooting mode is set, the sensor 13 always detects the amount of rotation of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A, and the operations in steps SB2 to SB7 are repeated. Thereby, for example, when the rotation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A detected by the sensor 13 increases clockwise, the ISO sensitivity is controlled to increase accordingly. On the other hand, when the amount of rotation of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A increases counterclockwise, the ISO sensitivity of the image sensor 9 is controlled to decrease accordingly.

  In this case, when the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is rotated and set to a position other than the zero position, the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is held at the rotational position, so that the user operates the shutter operation unit 7. The ISO sensitivity can be kept constant without continuing.

  As described above, according to the digital camera 101 according to the present embodiment, continuous shooting is performed while obtaining appropriate exposure by a simple method of operating the shutter operation unit 7 and changing the rotation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A. The ISO sensitivity can be arbitrarily increased or decreased during shooting. Further, even if the user releases his / her hand from the shutter operation unit 7, continuous shooting can be performed while maintaining a constant ISO sensitivity.

  In this embodiment, the ISO sensitivity is changed based on the rotation amount of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A. However, instead of this, for example, the ISO sensitivity dial 107A is rotated by a spring or the like. It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the operating force changes depending on the ISO sensitivity and change the ISO sensitivity based on the operating force of the ISO sensitivity dial 7107A. In this case, the sensor 13 may detect the operating force of the ISO sensitivity dial 107A.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a digital camera 201 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the digital camera 201 according to this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the shutter operation unit 207.
In the following, portions having the same configuration as those of the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The shutter operation unit 207 of the digital camera 201 includes a stick-type ISO sensitivity stick 207 </ b> A that protrudes upright from the upper end surface of the camera body 3. Further, a shutter button 207B is provided so as to be able to be pushed in a vertical direction on a convex portion on the LCD 31 side end surface in the vicinity of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is provided in the vicinity of the upper end surface of the camera body 3 so as to be swingable around an axis line disposed along the surface.

  Specifically, the shutter button 207B and the ISO sensitivity stick 207A are configured such that when the user holds both ends of the digital camera 201 in the longitudinal direction, the thumb of the right hand is attached to the shutter button 207B and the index finger is set to the ISO sensitivity. It arrange | positions so that it may be hooked on stick 207A. Thus, the ISO sensitivity stick 207A can be pushed down with the index finger while pressing the shutter button 207B with the thumb.

  The ISO sensitivity stick 207A changes the ISO sensitivity according to the tilt angle. More specifically, when the continuous shooting mode is set, the ISO sensitivity is changed according to the tilt angle by pushing down the ISO sensitivity stick 207A while pressing the shutter button 207B. In the state where the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is upright, the ISO sensitivity value of the program set by the overall controller 19 is set as the gain value of the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11.

  For example, the ISO sensitivity increases as the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A increases. Accordingly, in proportion to the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A, the granularity is deteriorated and the image quality is deteriorated. On the other hand, the analog image signal is amplified and a bright image can be obtained with a small amount of incident light.

  Further, in the ISO sensitivity stick 207A, the tilt angle stroke corresponds to the range of the upper limit and the lower limit of the gain value of the analog gain amplifier in the AFE 11. Note that the ISO sensitivity stick 207A may be provided so that the tilt angle can be varied step by step so that the user can know the operation amount.

An operation of the digital camera 201 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 14, the digital camera 201 according to the present embodiment detects an operation amount of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A, that is, a tilt angle, as shown in FIG. 14 during continuous shooting (step SC2). When the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is zero (step SC3 “YES”), the ISO sensitivity value of the program set by the overall controller 19 is set (step SC4).

On the other hand, when the tilt angle of ISO sensitivity stick 207A is not zero, that is, when the tilt angle is detected by sensor 13 (step SC3 “NO”), overall control unit 15 determines the tilt angle based on the detected tilt angle. An ISO sensitivity value is calculated.
Accordingly, the lens unit 5, the image sensor 9 and the AFE 11 are controlled based on the calculated ISO sensitivity value, and continuous shooting is performed so as to achieve proper exposure (step SC7).

  While the continuous shooting mode is set, the sensor 13 always detects the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A, and the operations in steps SC2 to SC7 are repeated. Thereby, for example, when the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A detected by the sensor 13 is increased, the ISO sensitivity is controlled to increase accordingly. On the other hand, when the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is reduced, the ISO sensitivity of the image sensor 9 is controlled to be lowered accordingly.

  As described above, according to the digital camera 201 according to the present embodiment, continuous shooting is performed while obtaining appropriate exposure by a simple method of operating the shutter operation unit 7 and changing the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A. The ISO sensitivity can be arbitrarily increased or decreased during shooting.

  In the present embodiment, the ISO sensitivity is increased when the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is increased, and the ISO sensitivity is decreased when the tilt angle is decreased. However, instead of this, for example, When the ISO sensitivity stick 207A is tilted to the right, the ISO sensitivity increases as the tilt angle increases, and when it is tilted to the left, the ISO sensitivity may be controlled to decrease as the tilt angle increases.

  In the present embodiment, the ISO sensitivity is changed based on the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A. However, instead of this, for example, the operation force of the tilt angle of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A, In other words, the ISO sensitivity may be changed based on the operating pressure at the time of pushing down. For example, the ISO sensitivity may increase as the pressure for tilting the ISO sensitivity stick 207A to the right increases, and the ISO sensitivity may decrease as the pressure for tilting to the left increases. In this case, the sensor 13 may detect the operation pressure of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the specific structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.
For example, the digital camera 201 according to the third embodiment includes a slider-like ISO sensitivity slider that can move in the direction along the surface of the camera body 3 instead of the ISO sensitivity stick 207A of the shutter operation unit 207. It is good. In this case, for example, an ISO sensitivity slider is provided so as to be slidable in one direction. When the slider is slid in one direction, the ISO sensitivity is increased according to the slide length. When the slider is slid in the other direction, the ISO sensitivity is increased according to the slide length. It should be lowered.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the aperture amount of the lens unit 5 and the image sensor so that the photographed image is properly exposed based on the ISO sensitivity that is changed by the operation amount or the operation force of the shutter operation units 7, 107, and 207. However, when the ISO sensitivity is increased or decreased beyond the adjustable range by controlling the aperture amount and shutter speed, a captured image with an appropriate exposure amount can be obtained. I can't. Therefore, for example, it may be set so that the ISO sensitivity can be changed within a range in which an appropriate exposure amount is obtained by controlling the aperture amount and the shutter speed, or measures such as notifying an alarm are taken. It is good also as setting so that an ISO sensitivity may be changed exceeding the range used as an appropriate exposure amount.

  In each of the above embodiments, the shutter speed and the aperture amount of the lens unit 5 are controlled in accordance with the ISO sensitivity of the AFE 11, but it is necessary to change both the shutter speed and the aperture amount. Instead, either the shutter speed or the aperture amount may be changed so that proper exposure can be obtained.

1 is a top view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a block diagram inside the camera main body of the digital camera of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the continuous shooting imaging | photography of the digital camera of FIG. 5A shows the background, FIG. 5B shows the ISO sensitivity of the digital camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 5C shows the aperture of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 shows the shutter speed of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5E shows the exposure amount of the digital camera of FIG. 6A shows the background, FIG. 6B shows the ISO sensitivity of the digital camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 6C shows the aperture of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. Shows the shutter speed of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6E shows the exposure amount of the digital camera of FIG. It is a top view of the digital camera which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the digital camera of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the ISO sensitivity dial of the digital camera of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the continuous shooting photography of the digital camera of FIG. It is a top view of the digital camera which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the digital camera of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the ISO sensitivity stick of the digital camera of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the continuous shooting photography of the digital camera of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital camera (camera)
7 Shutter operation unit 9 Image sensor 11 AFE (image signal conversion unit)
13 Sensor (detection unit)
19 Overall controller (control unit)

Claims (6)

An image sensor for capturing an image of a subject;
An image signal converter for converting an analog image signal acquired by the image sensor into a digital image signal;
A shutter operation unit operated during continuous shooting,
A detection unit for detecting an operation amount or an operation force of the shutter operation unit;
A camera comprising: a control unit that adjusts a gain for amplifying the analog image signal of the image signal conversion unit based on an operation amount or an operation force detected by the detection unit. The detection unit detects an operation amount of the shutter operation unit;
The camera according to claim 1, wherein the shutter operation unit includes an operation amount holding unit that holds an operation amount.   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the shutter operation unit is a push button provided so as to be able to appear and retract from the surface of the housing.   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the shutter operation unit is a dial that is rotatable around an axis substantially orthogonal to the surface of the housing.   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the shutter operation unit is a stick that can swing around an axis substantially parallel to the surface of the housing.   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the shutter operation unit is a slider that can move in a direction along the surface of the housing.

Images