JP2009130592A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: when a main object is excluded from a photographing range, it is difficult heretofore to frame the main object again. <P>SOLUTION: A camera includes: an imaging part for imaging an object through a photographing optical system; an object setting part for setting the coordinates of the main object with a photographing range imaged by the imaging part as reference; a posture detecting part for detecting the posture of a camera body; a coordinates updating part for updating the coordinates of the main object in accordance with a detection result of the posture detecting part; a photographing range determining part for determining whether to exceed a threshold for determining whether the coordinates of the main object are within the photographing range; and a display control part for displaying information indicating the position of the main object outside the photographing range when the photographing range determining part determines that the threshold is exceeded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for improving the operability of a camera.

In recent years, cameras with a zoom function have become widespread. However, when zooming in on the main subject and shooting at high magnification, it is difficult to frame the main subject while zooming up. Therefore, a method of displaying an enlarged image and a wide-angle image on the same screen so that the photographer can easily determine the composition of the subject has been considered (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).
JP 2006-174128 A

  However, when the enlarged image and the wide-angle image are embedded and displayed in the same screen as in the prior art, two captured images to be displayed are required. In addition, the display size of the image displayed on the screen is reduced, and it is difficult to observe details even in the case of a wide-angle image. Furthermore, since the wide-angle image is displayed in a part of the area where the enlarged image is displayed, there is a problem that a part of the enlarged image becomes invisible and framing becomes difficult.

  Alternatively, when two-screen display is performed by separately arranging an enlarged image and a wide-angle image, a horizontally long display unit is required, which causes a problem that the size of the camera increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of easily framing a main subject to be photographed even when the main subject is out of the photographing range.

  The camera according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that images a subject via a photographing optical system, a subject setting unit that sets coordinates of a main subject based on a shooting range captured by the imaging unit, and a posture of the camera body. A posture detection unit to detect, a coordinate update unit to update the coordinates of the main subject in accordance with a detection result of the posture detection unit, and to determine whether or not the coordinates of the main subject are inside the imaging range A shooting range determination unit that determines whether or not a threshold value of the shooting range has been exceeded, and information indicating the position of the main subject outside the shooting range when the shooting range determination unit determines that the threshold value has been exceeded. And a display control unit.

  A focal length input unit that inputs focal length information of the photographing optical system; and a photographing range update unit that updates a threshold of the photographing range in accordance with the focal length information input from the focal length input unit. It is provided.

  Furthermore, the display control unit ends display of information indicating the position of the main subject when the shooting range determination unit determines that the value is within a threshold value.

  In addition, a focus adjustment unit that performs focus adjustment of the photographing optical system based on the coordinate position information of the main subject updated by the coordinate update unit is further provided.

  In particular, the display control unit changes the display of information indicating the position of the main subject when the shooting range determination unit determines that the coordinates of the main subject are within the threshold of the shooting range. It is characterized by doing.

  The subject setting unit sets the coordinates of each of the plurality of main subjects, the coordinate update unit updates the coordinates of each of the plurality of main subjects, and the shooting range determination unit includes the plurality of main subjects. It is determined whether or not each coordinate of the subject exceeds a threshold value of the shooting range, and the display control unit determines a threshold value when it is determined that at least one of the plurality of main subjects exceeds the threshold value. Information indicating the position of the main subject determined to exceed the value is displayed.

  According to the present invention, since the photographer can know the direction of the main subject to be photographed even when the main subject is out of the shooting range, it is possible to easily frame the main subject.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a camera according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera 101 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a camera 101 includes an imaging optical system 102, an imaging unit 103, a control unit 104, an operation unit 105, a display processing unit 106, a display unit 107, an image processing unit 108, and a recording unit 109. , A storage medium 110, a finder display unit 111, an attitude detection unit 112, and a flash memory 113.

  2A and 2B are external views of the camera 101. FIG. 2A shows a view from the side, and FIG. 2B shows a view from the back where the display unit 107 is provided. In FIG. 2, on the back of the camera 101, there is an optical viewfinder 151, a release button 152 included in the operation unit, a zoom button 153, a power switch 154, cursor buttons 155 to 158, an OK button 159, and a mode selection. A button 160 and a shift key 161 are arranged. 1 denote the same components as those in FIG.

  In the camera 101 of FIG. 1, light from a subject incident through the photographing optical system 102 is photoelectrically converted and A / D converted by the imaging unit 103 and output to the control unit 104 as image data. Note that the photographing optical system 102 has a zoom lens, and the control unit 104 controls the zoom position of the photographing optical system 102 in accordance with the operation of the zoom button 153.

  The user gives an instruction to the control unit 104 via an operation interface such as the release button 152, the zoom button 153, the power switch 154, the cursor buttons 155 to 158, the OK button 159, the mode selection button 160, and the shift key 161 in the operation unit 105. give. The control unit 104 operates according to a program stored in the flash memory 113 in advance, and controls the entire operation of the camera 101 according to the operation content of the operation unit 105.

  The control unit 104 displays the image data input from the imaging unit 103 as a through image on the display unit 107 via the display processing unit 106. Alternatively, the image processing unit 108 performs image compression processing according to the JPEG standard or the like, and records it on the storage medium 110 via the recording unit 109. Note that the image data is temporarily stored not only in the storage medium 110 but also in the flash memory 113.

  In addition, the control unit 104 inputs the posture data of the housing of the camera 101 from the posture detection unit 112, and performs control according to the posture data. Further, the control unit 104 displays necessary information on the finder display unit 111. The processing content of the posture data and information displayed on the finder display unit 111 will be described in detail later.

  In addition to the above-described image compression processing, the image processing unit 108 reads out image-compressed image data recorded on the storage medium 110 via the recording unit 109 in response to an instruction from the control unit 104, and performs decompression processing. To return to uncompressed image data. The image data expanded by the image processing unit 108 is displayed on the display unit 107 via the display processing unit 106.

  Note that the storage medium 110 includes, for example, a memory card, a small hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, and the like. In addition, the storage medium 110 may be built in the camera 101 or may be detachably mounted. Furthermore, the storage medium 110 may be provided outside the camera 101 and electrically connected by wire or wirelessly. The storage medium 110 of this embodiment is a memory card that can be removed from the camera 101 and connected to an external personal computer or the like.

  The display processing unit 106 not only displays the image data as an image on the display unit 107 but also displays a shooting menu, a cursor, and the like according to a command from the control unit 104. In addition, overlay drawing and a process of displaying characters are also performed by superimposing them on the image displayed on the display unit 107.

  The posture detection unit 112 is constituted by, for example, at least a biaxial gyro sensor. These two-axis gyro sensors are a gyro sensor that detects vertical movement of the camera 101 with respect to the optical axis direction of the imaging optical system 102 and a gyro sensor that detects horizontal movement. Note that it may also be used as a camera shake detection sensor mounted on a normal camera.

  Next, features of the camera 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. Normally, after capturing the main subject with the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 of the camera 101 set to the wide side, the camera 101 itself is moved by panning or tilting, or the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is moved to the tele side. When moving to, there is a problem that the main subject is out of the shooting range. Therefore, the camera 101 according to the present embodiment can know the direction in which the main subject is present from the information displayed on the display unit 107 and the finder display unit 111 of the camera 101 even when the main subject is out of the shooting range. it can.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the main subject set by the user is out of the shooting range. A screen 201 in FIG. 3A and a screen 202 in FIG. 3B show a shooting range displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101. FIG. 3A shows a state when the user sets the image of the portion indicated by the cursor 301 as the main subject. In this state, when the camera 101 is shaken in the right direction, FIG. As shown in (b), the main subject portion indicated by the cursor 301 is out of the shooting range. If the main subject portion is out of the shooting range, it is not possible to know where the main subject is by simply looking at the image on the screen 202 displayed on the display unit 107. However, in the camera 101 according to the present embodiment, an arrow 302 indicating the direction in which the main subject is present on the screen 202 is superimposed on the screen 202 of the display unit 107. For this reason, by swinging the camera 101 main body in the direction of the arrow 302, it is possible to easily capture the main subject once out of the shooting range. Even when the camera 101 is moved in the vertical direction, the direction in which the main subject is present is similarly displayed with an arrow.

  3 illustrates the case where the camera 101 itself is moved, but after capturing the main subject with the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 of the camera 101 set to the wide side, the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is moved to the tele side. The case of movement will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state when the main subject set by the user is out of the shooting range. A screen 201 in FIG. 4A, a screen 203 in FIG. 4B, and a screen 204 in FIG. 4C indicate the shooting range displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101. FIG. 4A shows the same screen 201 as FIG. 3A, and shows a state when the user sets the image of the portion indicated by the cursor 301 as the main subject. In this state, when the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is moved to the tele side, the main subject portion indicated by the cursor 301 is out of the photographing range as shown in FIG. 4B. In this state, just looking at the image on the screen 203 displayed on the display unit 107 does not reveal where the main subject is. However, as described above, in the camera 101 according to the present embodiment, the arrow 302 indicating the direction in which the main subject is present on the screen 203 is superimposed on the screen 203 of the display unit 107. Therefore, by shaking the camera 101 main body in the direction of the arrow 302 while zooming up, it becomes possible to easily catch the main subject that is once out of the shooting range. Furthermore, when the main subject enters the shooting range again, as shown in the screen 204 in FIG. 4C, the user blinks the arrow 302 so that the user has entered the shooting range again. Can be easily known. In addition to blinking the arrow 302, an audio output unit may be provided to notify the user with a sound.

  Next, a method for detecting the position of the main subject in order to determine whether the main subject is within the shooting range or outside the shooting range will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an imaging range of the camera 101 in an XY coordinate system in which the X axis is arranged in the horizontal direction and the Y axis is arranged in the vertical direction. In FIG. 5A, the position of the main subject 502 set by the user is set as coordinates P (X1, Y1), and the coordinates Pa (Xa, Ya) and coordinates Pb (Xb, Yb) are diagonal coordinates. 501 is an imaging range. The center of the photographing range is the coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1).

  In the present embodiment, the coordinates Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinates Pb (Xb, Yb) are set as frame threshold values, and whether or not the coordinates of the main subject 502 exceed the range of the rectangle 501 surrounded by these coordinates. Thus, it is determined whether or not the main subject 502 is out of the shooting range.

  Now, it is assumed that the shooting direction of the camera 101 is moved in the upper right direction on the paper without changing the zoom position of the zoom lens of the shooting optical system 102 of the camera 101. Assuming that the coordinate movement amount at this time is the X-axis direction α1 and the Y-axis direction β1, the imaging range moves in the upper right direction by the coordinate difference (α1, β1). FIG. 5B shows the relationship between the position of the main subject 502 and the frame threshold value (shooting range) at this time.

  Since the imaging range itself has moved in the upper right direction by coordinates (α1, β1), the position of the main subject 502 changes relatively by the coordinate difference (α1, β1) in the lower left direction, so the position of the main subject 502 is Move to coordinates P (X1-α1, Y1-β1). In FIG. 5B, as shown in FIG. 3B described above, the main subject 502 is outside the shooting range 501, and the user cannot see the main subject 502 on the screen of the display unit 107. However, in this embodiment, since the arrow 503 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 107, the direction in which the main subject 502 is present can be known.

  As for the direction of the arrow 503, the inclination and angle θ1 with respect to the X axis can be obtained from the center coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the imaging range and the coordinates P (X1-α1, Y1-β1) of the main subject 502. Further, the distance between the center coordinate Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the shooting range and the coordinate P (X1-α1, Y1-β1) of the main subject 502 is determined as to how far the main subject 502 is from the center of the shooting range. Can know by.

  Therefore, for example, the size of the arrow 503 is changed according to the distance between the center of the shooting range and the main subject 502, such as increasing the size of the arrow 503 as the distance between the center of the shooting range and the main subject 502 increases. It doesn't matter if you do.

  Although the case where the zoom position of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is fixed has been described with reference to FIG. 5, the processing when zooming in and zooming out will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an imaging range of the camera 101 in an XY coordinate system in which the X axis is arranged in the horizontal direction and the Y axis is arranged in the vertical direction. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a photographing range when the zoom position of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is at the wide end. As in FIG. 5A, the position of the main subject 502 is represented by coordinates P ( X1, Y1), the coordinate range Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinate Pb (Xb, Yb) as a diagonal coordinate 501 is an imaging range, and the center coordinate is the coordinate Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1).

  The frame threshold value at the wide end in FIG. 6A is the coordinate Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinate Pb (Xb, Yb), as in FIG. That is, when the zoom position of the zoom lens is at the wide end, it is determined whether or not the main subject 502 is out of the shooting range based on whether or not the coordinates of the main subject 502 exceed the frame threshold range.

  Assume that the zoom position of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 of the camera 101 is moved to the tele end. FIG. 5B shows the relationship between the position of the main subject 502 and the frame threshold value (shooting range) at this time. In FIG. 5B, the coordinates of the four corners of the shooting range move by ± α2 in the X-axis direction and ± β2 in the Y-axis direction due to the change in the zoom position, thereby narrowing the shooting range. As a result, the imaging range 501 having the coordinates Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinates Pb (Xb, Yb) as diagonal coordinates has coordinates P′a (Xa + α2, Ya−β2) and coordinates P′b (Xb−α2). , Yb + β2) is as small as an imaging range 551 having diagonal coordinates. As a result, the coordinate P (X1, Y1) of the main subject 502 is outside the shooting range 551, and the user cannot see the main subject 502 on the screen of the display unit 107. However, in this embodiment, the arrow 552 is used. Is displayed, it is possible to know the direction in which the main subject 502 is located.

  Note that the direction of the arrow 552 is the same as the arrow 503 in FIG. 5B, the inclination with respect to the X axis from the center coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the shooting range and the coordinates P (X1, Y1) of the main subject 502. The angle θ2 can be known. Also, how far the main subject 502 is from the center of the shooting range can be determined by the distance between the center coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the shooting range and the coordinates P (X1, Y1) of the main subject 502.

  In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not the main subject 502 is within the shooting range, just as in the case of FIG. 5, by simply changing the frame threshold value in accordance with the change in the zoom position of the zoom lens. it can. However, in this case, it is necessary to know the relationship between the zoom position of the zoom lens and the shooting range. In the above description, the coordinates of the main subject are updated, but the coordinates of the shooting range may be updated with the coordinates of the main subject fixed.

  Next, the relationship between the zoom position of the zoom lens and the shooting range will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the imaging range of the subject 401 imaged by the imaging unit 103 and the imaging element 402 of the imaging unit 103 according to the focal length of the zoom lens of the imaging optical system 102. A dotted frame 403 indicates a shooting range when the zoom lens is at the wide end, and a dotted frame 404 indicates a shooting range when the zoom lens is at the tele end. The screen width when the zoom lens is at the wide end is W1, and the screen width when the zoom lens is at the tele end is W2. At this time, the focal length of the zoom lens is S1 at the wide end, and S2 at the tele end. That is, the screen width can be obtained from the zoom position of the zoom lens. In the above description, only the screen width in the horizontal direction has been described, but the same applies to the screen width in the vertical direction.

  In this way, since the relationship between the zoom position of the zoom lens and the shooting range can be known, the control unit 104 obtains the zoom position information of the zoom lens from the shooting optical system 102, thereby obtaining a frame corresponding to the zoom position information. It becomes possible to set a threshold value.

  Next, a specific example using the principle for obtaining the position of the main subject described above will be described in detail. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the shooting mode processing of the camera 101 according to the present embodiment, and are programs executed by the control unit 104 in FIG. This flowchart is a program executed when the user presses the mode selection button 160 to select a shooting mode. Note that the camera 101 is in a state where the power button 154 of the operation unit 105 is pressed by the user to stand up.

  (Step S101) The photographing mode is started. At this time, the through image captured by the imaging unit 103 is displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101.

  (Step S102) It is determined whether or not the user has pressed the mode selection button 160 to select the end of the shooting mode. If the end of the shooting mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S103. Note that the process also proceeds to step S103 when the user presses the mode selection button 160 to forcibly select the playback mode.

  (Step S103) The photographing mode is terminated, and the processing of this flowchart is terminated.

  (Step S104) The focal length of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 is determined, and as described above with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. For example, the frame threshold value in the case of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6A is an imaging range 501 in which the coordinates Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinates Pb (Xb, Yb) are diagonal coordinates. In addition, the frame threshold value in the case of FIG. 6B is an imaging range 551 having a coordinate P′a (Xa + α2, Ya−β2) and a coordinate P′b (Xb−α2, Yb + β2) as diagonal coordinates. Become.

  (Step S105) As described with reference to FIG. 3A or FIG. 4A, the cursor 301 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the through image displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101. Note that the position where the cursor 301 is first displayed may be displayed at the center of the screen.

  (Step S <b> 106) It is determined whether or not the user has performed an operation of moving the position of the cursor 301 using the cursor buttons 155 to 158 of the operation unit 105. If the user has moved the cursor 301, the process proceeds to step S107. If the user has not performed the cursor 301 movement operation, the process proceeds to step S108.

  (Step S107) The position of the cursor 301 superimposed on the through image on the display unit 107 is moved according to the operation of the cursor buttons 155 to 158 by the user. For example, when the cursor button 155 is pressed, the position of the cursor 301 is moved leftward, and when the cursor button 156 is pressed, the position of the cursor 301 is moved upward. Similarly, when the cursor button 157 is pressed, the position of the cursor 301 is moved to the right, and when the cursor button 158 is pressed, the position of the cursor 301 is moved downward.

  (Step S108) Whether or not the user has pressed the OK button 159 of the operation unit 105 is determined. If the user has pressed the OK button 159, the process proceeds to step S109, and if the user has not pressed the OK button 159, the process returns to step S106.

  (Step S109) The cursor 301 superimposed on the through image of the display unit 107 is deleted.

  (Step S110) As described in FIG. 3B or FIG. 4B, the arrow display flag indicating whether or not to display the arrow 302 displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101 is initialized to zero.

  (Step S111) In step S108, the coordinates of the cursor 301 when the user presses the OK button 159 of the operation unit 105 are determined as the coordinates of the main subject. For example, as described in FIG. 5A or 6A, the coordinates P (X1, Y1) of the main subject 502 are determined.

  (Step S112) It is determined whether or not the focal length of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 has changed. If the focal length has changed, the process proceeds to step S113, and if the focal distance has not changed, the process proceeds to step S114.

  (Step S113) Since the focal length of the zoom lens of the photographing optical system 102 has changed, as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the frame threshold value serving as the reference of the photographing range is changed.

  (Step S114) The posture detection unit 112 detects the amount of change in the posture of the camera 101 itself. As described above, the posture detection unit 112 includes the gyro sensor that detects the vertical movement and the gyro sensor that detects the horizontal movement. A change α1 in the left-right direction and a change β1 in the up-down direction of the described photographing range can be obtained. The relationship between the amount of change in posture and the change in coordinates of the shooting range may be recorded in the flash memory 113 as a table of previously measured data. Alternatively, when the camera 101 main body moves once in the X-axis direction, an approximate expression such as the X-direction coordinate of the main subject moving by +5 is set in advance, and calculated from the amount of change in the posture of the camera 101 main body. Thus, the change in coordinates of the shooting range may be obtained.

  (Step S115) The coordinates of the main subject 502 are updated using the change in the coordinates of the photographing range obtained in Step S114. For example, in the case of FIG. 5B, the coordinates of the main subject 502 are updated to coordinates P (X1-α1, Y1-β1).

  (Step S116) It is determined whether or not the coordinates of the main subject updated in step S115 are within the frame threshold value. If the coordinates of the main subject are within the frame threshold, the process proceeds to step S117, and if the coordinates of the main subject is outside the frame threshold, the process proceeds to step S120. For example, in the case of FIG. 5B, the frame threshold is an imaging range 501 in which the coordinates Pa (Xa, Ya) and the coordinates Pb (Xb, Yb) are diagonal coordinates, and the update coordinates of the main subject 502 are Since the coordinates are P (X1-α1, Y1-β1), it is determined that the main subject 502 is outside the frame threshold value.

  (Step S120) The arrow display flag is set to 1 indicating that the main subject is outside the frame threshold.

  (Step S121) As described with reference to FIGS. 5B and 6B, the distance from the center coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the shooting range to the coordinates of the main subject 502 is obtained, and the distance is determined according to the magnitude of the distance. To determine the shape of the arrow.

  For example, a reference distance A and a reference distance B are set as two-step reference distances. When the reference distance A is larger than A, a large-sized arrow is displayed on the display unit 107. A size arrow is displayed on the display unit 107, and if it is smaller than B, a small size arrow is displayed on the display unit 107. Note that the shape of the arrow need not be three steps.

  (Step S122) The arrow having the shape determined in Step S121 is superimposed on the through image displayed on the display unit 107. At this time, as described in FIGS. 5B and 6B, the direction of the arrow is adjusted in accordance with the inclination and angle from the center coordinates Pc1 (Xc1, Yc1) of the shooting range to the position coordinates of the main subject 502. Is displayed on the display unit 107. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S123.

  (Step S117) It is determined whether or not the arrow display flag = 1. That is, it is determined whether or not an arrow indicating the direction in which the main subject is present is displayed on the display unit 107 of the camera 101. If the arrow display flag = 1, the process proceeds to step S118. If the arrow display flag = 1 is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S123.

  (Step S118) As described with reference to FIG. 4C, after the arrow 302 blinks for a predetermined time, it is erased from the display unit 107. That is, from the determination results of step S116 and step S117, after the main subject once goes out of the frame threshold value and the arrow is displayed, the main subject returns again within the frame threshold value. Erase after flashing the arrow to make it easier.

  (Step S119) The arrow display flag is set to 0 indicating that the main subject is within the frame threshold. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S123.

  (Step S123) It is determined whether or not the user has pressed the release button 152 of the operation unit 105. If the release button 152 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S124. If the release button 152 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S112 in FIG.

  (Step S124) When the release button 152 is pressed, AF (autofocus) adjustment is performed at a coordinate position where the main subject is located in order to capture an image at that position. When the main subject is not within the shooting range, AF adjustment is performed at the default position.

  In the AF adjustment, for example, the control unit 104 performs focus detection by a contrast method based on image data input from the imaging unit 103, and moves the focus lens of the photographing optical system 102 to adjust the focus.

  (Step S125) The photographing process is executed. The control unit 104 records the image data input from the imaging unit 103 on the storage medium 110 via the recording unit 109.

  (Step S126) It is determined whether or not an arrow display flag = 1. If the arrow display flag = 1, the process proceeds to step S127. If the arrow display flag = 1 is not satisfied, the process returns to step S102.

  (Step S127) The arrow displayed on the display unit 107 is deleted, and the process returns to Step S102.

  As described above, the camera 101 according to the present embodiment can know the direction of the main subject to be photographed by the arrow superimposed on the through image of the display unit 107 even when the main subject is out of the shooting range. The camera 101 can be easily pointed in the direction of the main subject.

  In particular, it is possible to intuitively know how far the main subject is located by the size of the arrow.

  In addition, once a main subject that is out of the shooting range reenters the shooting range, the arrow blinks, so even if the user is distracted by other subjects in the shooting range, the main subject Can easily be recognized within the shooting range.

  In the present embodiment, the direction in which the main subject is present is displayed with an arrow, but information other than the arrow may be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the direction of the main subject may be displayed using the coordinate values of the coordinate axes determined by the main subject position. In FIG. 10A, a through image 601 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 107, and a coordinate value indicating a position where the main subject is present is displayed. For example, the coordinate values in the plus direction and the minus direction are displayed centering on 0 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Then, the position of the main subject is set so that the main subject comes to the point where the vertical position 0 and the horizontal position 0 intersect. The coordinate values of each coordinate axis displayed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are scrolled according to the shooting range. The user can capture the main subject within the shooting range by moving the camera 101 in the direction in which the coordinate values of the coordinate axes become zero.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10B, a bar indicating the direction in which the main subject is present may be displayed. For example, the bar 603 is displayed based on the center position 602 in the left-right direction. Similarly, the bar 605 is displayed based on the center position 604 in the vertical direction. In FIG. 10B, the left and right bar 603 extends to the left from the center position 602, so that it can be seen that the main subject can be captured by shaking the camera 101 to the left. Similarly, since the vertical bar 605 extends upward from the center position 604, it can be seen that the main subject can be captured by shaking the camera 101 upward. Note that the lengths of the bars 603 and 605 may be varied according to the distance to the main subject. For example, the lengths of the bar 603 and the bar 605 are increased as the distance to the main subject is increased, and the lengths of the bar 603 and the bar 605 are decreased as the distance to the main subject is decreased. As a result, the user can intuitively know the distance to the main subject, similar to the size of the arrow described above.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a camera according to the second embodiment will be described. The camera according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration and function as the camera 101 according to the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that information indicating the direction in which the main subject is present is displayed not in the display unit 107 but in the optical viewfinder.

  In the block diagram of the camera 101 in FIG. 1, the control unit 104 outputs information indicating the direction in which the main subject is present to the finder display unit 111. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the finder display unit 111 displays a cursor frame 702 for setting the position of the main subject using a liquid crystal member that displays fixed symbols and characters in the optical finder 701. ing. The user aligns the camera 101 so that the main subject enters the frame of the cursor frame 702 and operates a predetermined button such as the release button 152 to set the main subject. Thereafter, according to the position of the main subject, a symbol indicating the direction of the main subject is displayed on a liquid crystal member disposed around the optical viewfinder 701. For example, in FIG. 11, arrow symbols indicating directions in which the main subject is present are displayed on the right side and the upper side of the optical viewfinder 701. In this case, the greater the number of arrow symbols, the farther away, and it can be seen that the main subject is located far away on the right side and slightly away on the upper side. As a result, the user can capture the main subject by moving the camera 101 rightward and moving it slightly upward.

  Thus, even in the case of a camera having only an optical finder, when the main subject is out of the shooting range, the direction of the main subject to be photographed can be known from the information displayed on the finder display unit 111. The user can easily point the camera 101 in a direction where the main subject is located.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a camera according to a third embodiment will be described. The camera according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration and function as the camera 101 according to the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that it can correspond to a plurality of main subjects instead of one main subject. Since the basic principle is the same as in the first embodiment, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described here.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the shooting mode processing of the camera 101 according to this embodiment, and is executed by the program of the control unit 104 in FIG. Note that the camera 101 is in a state where the power button 154 of the operation unit 105 is pressed by the user to stand up. Further, since the same step number as that in FIG. 8 represents the same process, a duplicate description is omitted.

  First, processing for setting a main subject will be described. The processing is the same until the cursor for setting the main subject in step S105 is displayed superimposed on the through image on the display unit 107.

  (Step S151) The counter n is reset to zero. The counter n is a counter indicating the set number of main subjects.

  The processing in steps S106 to S107 from when the cursor is moved until the main subject is selected is the same as the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S152) It is determined whether or not the user has pressed the OK button 159 of the operation unit 105. If the user has pressed the OK button 159, it is determined that the user has determined the position of the main subject, and the process proceeds to step S153. If the user has not pressed the OK button 159, the process proceeds to step S155.

  (Step S153) Counter n = n + 1. The counter n is incremented by one every time a main subject is set.

  (Step S154) The coordinates of the selected main subject Fn are determined.

  (Step S155) It is determined whether or not the counter n is 0. If the counter n is 0, the process returns to step S106, and if the counter n is not 0, the process proceeds to step S156.

  (Step S156) It is confirmed whether or not the setting of the shooting target (all main subjects) has been completed. If the user presses the OK button 159 at the same time as pressing the shift key 161, the shooting target setting is completed and the process proceeds to step S109. If the user does not press the shift key 161 and the OK button 159 at the same time, the process returns to step S106. To set the next main subject.

  The subsequent processing, that is, the processing of steps S109 to S114 until the coordinates of the main subject are determined by deleting the cursor and the change in the focal length and the change in the camera posture is detected, except for step S111, is a flowchart of FIG. Is the same.

  The processing after step S109 is performed basically in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the coordinate update processing of the main subject in step S115 is performed for each of the n main subjects Fn. Similarly, the processes from step S116 to S122 are performed for each of the n main subjects Fn. As a result, for example, when it is determined in step S116 that at least one main subject among the n main subjects Fn has exceeded the frame threshold value, the main subject determined to have exceeded the threshold value in step S122. An arrow indicating the position of can be displayed.

  Further, in step S124, AF adjustment may be performed on one main subject set in advance in n, and after the respective focal positions of the main subjects that are in the photographing range at that time are obtained. These may be averaged to perform AF adjustment.

  Note that the arrow display flags are prepared for the number of main subjects, and a number indicating the number of the main subject is displayed near the arrow so that the arrow to be superimposed on the display unit 107 can be seen. It doesn't matter if you do. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the size of the arrow may be changed according to the distance of each main subject.

  As described above, the camera 101 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of arrows that are superimposed and displayed on the through image of the display unit 107 in a direction where each main subject to be photographed is present even when the plurality of main subjects are out of the shooting range. Therefore, it is possible to easily point the camera 101 in a direction where the main subject that the user wants to photograph is located.

  In particular, it is possible to intuitively know how far each main subject is separated by the size of the arrow.

  In addition, once any of a plurality of main subjects that are out of the shooting range enters the shooting range again, the arrow indicating the main subject blinks, so that the user is not aware of other subjects in the shooting range. Even when the image is taken, it can be easily recognized which main subject has entered the shooting range.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the direction in which the main subject is present is displayed with an arrow, but information other than the arrow may be displayed.

It is a block diagram of the camera 101 which concerns on the 1st-3rd embodiment. It is an external view of the camera 101 which concerns on the 1st-3rd embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a main to-be-photographed object and imaging | photography range. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the main to-be-photographed object and the imaging | photography range at the time of zoom. It is explanatory drawing which shows the coordinate of a main to-be-photographed object and imaging | photography range. It is explanatory drawing which shows the coordinate of the main to-be-photographed object and imaging | photography range at the time of zoom. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the focal distance at the time of zoom, and an imaging | photography range. It is a flowchart of the camera 101 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the camera 101 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other display method. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the optical finder 151 of the camera 101 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the camera 101 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Camera 102 ... Shooting optical system 103 ... Imaging part 104 ... Control part 105 ... Operation part 106 ... Display processing part 107 ... Display part 108 ... Image processing part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 109 ... Recording part 110 ... Storage medium 111 ... Finder display part 112 ... Attitude detection part 113 ... Flash memory 151 ... Optical finder 152 ... Release button 153 ... Zoom button 154 ... Power switch 158 ... Cursor buttons 155 to 159 ... OK button 160 ... Mode selection button 161 ... Shift key

Claims (6)

An imaging unit for imaging a subject via a photographing optical system;
A subject setting unit for setting coordinates of a main subject based on a shooting range captured by the imaging unit;
A posture detection unit for detecting the posture of the camera body;
A coordinate update unit that updates the coordinates of the main subject according to the detection result of the posture detection unit;
A shooting range determination unit that determines whether or not a threshold for determining whether or not the coordinates of the main subject are inside the shooting range;
And a display control unit that displays information indicating a position of the main subject outside the shooting range when the shooting range determination unit determines that the threshold value is exceeded. The camera of claim 1,
A focal length input unit for inputting focal length information of the photographing optical system;
A camera, further comprising: a shooting range update unit that updates a threshold value of the shooting range in accordance with focal length information input from the focal length input unit. The camera of claim 1,
The display control unit ends display of information indicating the position of the main subject when the shooting range determination unit determines that the value is within a threshold value. The camera of claim 1,
A camera, further comprising a focus adjustment unit that performs focus adjustment of the photographing optical system based on information on the coordinate position of the main subject updated by the coordinate update unit. The camera of claim 1,
The display control unit changes a display of information indicating the position of the main subject when the shooting range determination unit determines that the coordinates of the main subject are within the threshold of the shooting range. Camera characterized by. The camera of claim 1,
The subject setting unit sets the coordinates of each of a plurality of main subjects,
The coordinate update unit updates the coordinates of each of the plurality of main subjects,
The shooting range determination unit determines whether or not each coordinate of the plurality of main subjects exceeds a threshold value of the shooting range,
When the display control unit determines that at least one of the plurality of main subjects exceeds a threshold value, the display control unit displays information indicating the position of the main subject determined to exceed the threshold value. camera.

Images