JP2009232347A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of reliably acquiring an image, wherein a filter effect is the largest. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatuses (11 to 26) each have a photographing means (22) which acquires a photographed image by photographing the image of the light of the field from a photographing lens (11), and a filter (17, 18) capable of controlling the degree of the filter effect on the photographed image. The photographing means (22) controls the filter (17, 18), photographs the image while changing the degree of the effect thereof, and acquires a plurality of photographed images, wherein the filter effect thereof is different. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device including a filter that can change the degree of effect on an image.

  Many techniques have been proposed in the past for adjusting the amount of light incident on the camera and correcting the color using a filter built into the camera.

As an example of this prior art, for example, in Patent Document 1, the amount of field light passing through a filter is changed by electrically changing the transmittance of a built-in filter to adjust the amount of incident light of a camera. A technique for performing color correction is disclosed.
JP-A-6-90403

  However, in the prior art, adjustment of the amount of incident light and color correction can be performed by a filter built in the camera, but an image having the greatest filter effect cannot be reliably acquired. Moreover, the technique for that was not proposed until now.

  The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The objective of this invention is providing the imaging device which can acquire reliably the image with the largest filter effect.

  An image pickup apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with a photographing means for photographing a field light from a photographing lens to obtain a photographed image and a photographing light path of the field light, and controlling a degree of a filter effect on the photographed image. The photographing means controls the filter and performs photographing while changing the degree of the effect, and obtains a plurality of photographed images having different filter effects.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided identification means for identifying and selecting a photographed image having the greatest filter effect from a plurality of photographed images acquired by the photographing means. Photographing is performed by controlling the filter so that the degree of effect is the same as when the photographed image selected by the identifying means is acquired.

  In a third aspect based on the first aspect, the image processing device further comprises image processing means for performing image composition using a plurality of photographed images acquired by the photographing means.

  In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect, the image processing means uses a plurality of photographed images to perform image composition so that the filter effect of the subject is maximized.

  In a fifth aspect based on the third aspect, the image processing means uses a plurality of photographed images and performs image composition so as to generate an image having a filter effect different from that of the plurality of photographed images. .

  In a sixth aspect based on the first aspect, the image processing device further comprises image processing means for performing image composition using a plurality of photographed images acquired by the photographing means, and the filter is provided so as to be inserted into and removed from the photographing optical path. The photographing means controls the filter in a state where the filter is inserted into the photographing optical path and the state where the filter is extracted, and performs photographing for each of those states, and the image processing means captures the photographed images in the two states acquired by the photographing means. Use for image composition.

  In the present invention, shooting is performed while changing the degree of the filter effect, and a plurality of photographed images having different effects are acquired. Therefore, by using the present invention, an image having the greatest filter effect can be reliably acquired. It becomes possible to do.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment is an embodiment of a digital camera.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the digital camera of this embodiment.

  The digital camera includes a photographing lens 11 and a lens driving unit 12, an aperture 13, an image sensor 14, an analog signal processing unit 15, a timing generator (TG) 16, a filter 17 and a filter driving unit 18, and a buffer memory 19. An image processing unit 20, a compression / decoding unit 21, a control unit 22, a monitor 23, a recording medium 24, an operation unit 25, and a bus 26. Here, the buffer memory 19, the image processing unit 20, the compression / decoding unit 21, the control unit 22, the monitor 23, and the recording medium 24 are connected via a bus 26. Further, the lens driving unit 12, the diaphragm 13, the analog signal processing unit 15, the TG 16, the filter driving unit 18, and the operation unit 25 are each connected to the control unit 22.

  The photographing lens 11 includes a plurality of lens groups including a focus lens and a zoom lens. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 1 shows the photographing lens 11 as a single lens.

  The lens driving unit 12 generates a lens driving signal in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 22, moves the photographing lens 11 in the optical axis direction, performs focus adjustment and zoom adjustment, and subjects the light flux that has passed through the photographing lens 11 to the subject. An image is formed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14.

  The diaphragm 13 adjusts the amount of the light beam reaching the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14 by adjusting the opening amount in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 22.

  The image sensor 14 is a CCD type or CMOS type area image sensor, and is arranged on the image space side of the photographing lens 11. The image sensor 14 photoelectrically converts a subject image formed on the light receiving surface to generate an analog image signal. The output of the image sensor 14 is connected to an analog signal processing unit 15.

  The analog signal processing unit 15 performs analog signal processing such as CDS (correlated double sampling), gain adjustment, and A / D conversion on the analog image signal output from the image sensor 14 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 22. And the processed image signal is output. The output of the analog signal processing unit 15 is connected to the buffer memory 19.

  Further, the analog signal processing unit 15 sets an adjustment amount for gain adjustment based on an instruction from the control unit 22, and thereby adjusts photographing sensitivity corresponding to ISO sensitivity.

  The TG 16 supplies timing pulses to the image sensor 14 and the analog signal processing unit 15 based on instructions from the control unit 22. The drive timing of the image sensor 14 and the analog signal processing unit 15 is controlled by the timing pulse.

  The filter 17 is a filter that can change the degree of effect on a captured image. In the present embodiment, the degree of the effect can be changed by rotating the filter 17 by a rotation amount such as 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees, for example. This rotation control is performed by the filter driving unit 18 based on an instruction from the control unit 22.

  Further, the filter 17 is provided so as to be able to be inserted into and removed from the photographing optical path of the object field light, and the filter driving unit 18 controls the insertion / extraction based on an instruction from the control unit 22, thereby determining the presence or absence of the filter effect on the photographed image. Can be changed. For example, when the filter 17 is inserted / removed by expansion / contraction of a spring, the filter 17 is inserted into the photographing optical path by controlling the filter driving unit 18 to extend the spring based on an instruction from the control unit 22 (FIG. 2). On the other hand, extraction of the filter 17 from the photographing optical path is performed by controlling the filter driving unit 18 to contract the spring based on an instruction from the control unit 22 (FIG. 3).

  The filter 17 is a polarizing filter, a cross filter, a filter having an arbitrary spectral transmittance, or the like.

  The buffer memory 19 temporarily stores the image signal output from the analog signal processing unit 15 as image data. Further, the buffer memory 19 temporarily stores image data created in the course of processing by the control unit 22.

  The image processing unit 20 performs image processing such as white balance adjustment, color separation (interpolation), and gamma correction on the image data such as a captured image in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 22. The image processing unit 20 is configured as an ASIC or the like.

  The compression / decoding unit 21 performs compression processing on image data such as a captured image in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 22. The compression process is performed in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format or the like.

  The monitor 23 is an LCD monitor provided on the rear surface of the digital camera housing or the like, an electronic viewfinder having an eyepiece, and the like. A GUI screen or the like for allowing the user to input information required by the user is displayed.

  Image data or the like of the captured image is recorded on the recording medium 24 by the control unit 22. The recording medium 24 is a memory card with a built-in semiconductor memory, a small hard disk, or the like.

  The operation unit 25 includes operation members such as various mode setting buttons and a release button, and sends an operation signal corresponding to the content of the member operation by the user to the control unit 22.

  The control unit 22 comprehensively controls each unit of the digital camera according to the operation signal sent from the operation unit 25. For example, when the digital camera is set to the shooting mode, the control unit 22 drives the lens driving unit 12, the diaphragm 13, the analog signal processing unit 15, and the TG 16 to start shooting a through image. At this time, the image sensor 14 is driven in the draft mode (decimation readout mode), and the image data of the through image is sequentially recorded in the buffer memory 19 via the analog signal processing unit 15. The control unit 22 performs focus adjustment control (AF) of the photographic lens 11 in cooperation with the lens driving unit 12 based on the image data of the through image. In addition, when the control unit 22 drives a photometry unit (not shown) to calculate the evaluation value of the shooting scene based on the image data of the through image in the buffer memory 19, the analog signal processing unit 15 and the like are calculated based on the evaluation value. Adjust the settings.

  At the time of shooting, the control unit 22 determines shooting conditions (whether flash emission, aperture value, shutter speed, etc.) based on the evaluation value calculated by the photometry unit (not shown), and the lens under the determined shooting conditions. The driving unit 12, the diaphragm 13, the analog signal processing unit 15 and the TG 16 are driven to perform photographing. At this time, the image sensor 14 is driven in the frame mode (all pixel readout mode), and the image data of the captured image is recorded in the buffer memory 19 via the analog signal processing unit 15. After this recording, the control unit 22 drives the image processing unit 20 and the compression / decoding unit 21 to perform image processing and compression processing on the image data of the captured image recorded in the buffer memory 19 and perform these processings. The subsequent image data is recorded on the recording medium 24.

  Hereinafter, the filter photographing operation performed by the digital camera of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow executed when, for example, the user sets the digital camera mode to the “filter shooting mode”.

  Step 101: The control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 so that the filter 17 is inserted into the photographing optical path, and the rotation amount is set to an initial value (for example, 0 “zero” degree). 17 rotation is controlled.

  Step 102: The control unit 22 determines whether or not the release button has been half-pressed. If the release button has been half-pressed, the control unit 22 proceeds to Step 103 (Yes side). On the other hand, when it is not half-pressed, the control unit 22 repeats the process of step 102 (No side).

  Step 103: The control unit 22 performs shooting under the shooting conditions determined based on the evaluation value calculated by the photometry unit (not shown). The image data of the captured image acquired by this shooting is recorded in the buffer memory 19.

  Step 104: The control unit 22 records the captured image acquired by the current shooting in association with the current rotation amount information of the filter 17 in a memory (not shown).

  Step 105: The control unit 22 determines whether or not shooting has been performed a predetermined number of times. Here, for example, if the filter 17 is a filter that can change the degree of filter effect on a captured image in four stages by rotating it with rotation amounts of 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees, for example. The predetermined number of times may be four.

  The control unit 22 proceeds to step 106 when the photographing is not performed a predetermined number of times (No side), and proceeds to step 107 when the photographing is performed a predetermined number of times (Yes side).

  Step 106: The control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 to rotate the filter 17 in order to change the degree of the filter effect. And the control part 22 transfers to step 103, in order to implement the next imaging | photography.

  Step 107: The control unit 22 identifies and selects the one having the greatest filter effect from a plurality of photographed images recorded in a memory (not shown) by performing the predetermined number of times of photographing described above.

  The identification here is basically performed by the user, but may be performed by the control unit 22 if it can be automatically identified. As a case where the identification can be automatically performed, for example, a case where a polarizing filter is used as the filter 17 and a subject such as an underwater fish is photographed from the water can be cited. In that case, the control unit 22 analyzes the spatial frequency component, etc., and identifies the image in which the reflection of light by the water surface is most suppressed from among a plurality of the captured images, and identifies the captured image having the greatest filter effect. It is good to choose as.

  On the other hand, when the user is allowed to identify, for example, the control unit 22 displays the contents of each captured image on an LCD monitor or the like, and the display allows the user to identify the captured image having the greatest filter effect from among a plurality of images. To select. At this time, the selection can be performed through the image selection GUI displayed together with the photographed image, and the control unit 22 selects the photographed image selected by the user through the GUI as having the greatest filter effect. Like that.

  Step 108: The control unit 22 obtains information on the rotation amount of the filter 17 associated with the selected photographed image having the largest filter effect from a memory (not shown). Then, the control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 based on the acquired rotation amount information to rotate the filter 17.

  As described above, the control unit 22 controls the rotation of the filter 17 so that the degree of the effect is the same as when the captured image having the greatest filter effect is acquired.

  Step 109: The control unit 22 determines whether or not the release button has been fully pressed. If the release button has been fully pressed, the control unit 22 proceeds to Step 110 (Yes side). On the other hand, if it is not fully pressed, the control unit 22 repeats the process of step 109 (No side).

  Step 110: The control unit 22 performs imaging under imaging conditions determined based on an evaluation value calculated by a photometry unit (not shown). The image data of the captured image acquired by this shooting is recorded in the buffer memory 19.

  The control unit 22 also drives the image processing unit 20 to perform necessary image processing on the image data of the captured image in the buffer memory 19.

  Step 111: The controller 22 drives the monitor 23 to display the captured image after image processing on an LCD monitor or the like. Thereby, the user can confirm the performance of the captured image.

  Step 112: The control unit 22 drives the compression / decoding unit 21 to perform compression processing on the image data of the captured image in the buffer memory 19. Then, the control unit 22 records the image data of the photographed image after the compression processing as an image file on the recording medium 24 together with information on the current rotation amount of the filter 17. If the image file is based on the format of the Exif standard, the information on the rotation amount of the filter 17 is recorded as information on a maker note tag of the image file.

(Operational effects of the first embodiment)
As described above, in the digital camera of the first embodiment, shooting is performed while changing the degree of the filter effect, and a plurality of shot images with different effects are acquired. Then, the photographed image having the greatest filter effect is selected from the plurality of photographed images, and the rotation of the filter 17 is controlled so that the degree of the filter effect is the same as when the photographed image is acquired, Production shooting is performed.

  In this case, the photographed image acquired by the actual photographing has the greatest filter effect.

  Therefore, according to the digital camera of the first embodiment, it is possible to reliably acquire an image having the greatest filter effect.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is also an embodiment of a digital camera. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components of the digital camera common to the first embodiment, and the duplicate description will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the flow of FIG. 4 is executed when the filter photographing is performed, but in the second embodiment, the flow of FIG. 5 is executed. Further, in the second embodiment, image synthesis is performed by further executing the flow of FIG. 6 using a plurality of captured images having different filter effects obtained by executing the flow of FIG.

  First, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, an operation of filter photographing performed by the digital camera of this embodiment will be described. The flow in FIG. 5 is executed, for example, when the user sets the mode of the digital camera to “filter shooting mode”.

  Step 201: The control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 so that the filter 17 is inserted into the photographing optical path, and the rotation amount is set to an initial value (for example, 0 “zero” degree). 17 rotation is controlled.

  Step 202: The control unit 22 determines whether or not the release button is fully pressed, and when it is fully pressed, the process proceeds to step 203 (Yes side). On the other hand, when not fully pressed, the control unit 22 repeats the process of step 202 (No side).

  Step 203: The control unit 22 performs imaging under imaging conditions determined based on an evaluation value calculated by a photometry unit (not shown). The image data of the captured image acquired by this shooting is recorded in the buffer memory 19.

  Step 204: The control unit 22 records the captured image acquired by the current shooting in association with information on the current rotation amount of the filter 17 in a memory (not shown).

  Step 205: The control unit 22 determines whether or not shooting has been performed a predetermined number of times.

  The control unit 22 proceeds to step 206 when the photographing has not been performed a predetermined number of times (No side), and proceeds to step 207 when the photographing has been performed the predetermined number of times (Yes side).

  Step 206: The control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 to rotate the filter 17 in order to change the degree of the filter effect. And the control part 22 transfers to step 203 in order to implement the next imaging | photography.

  Step 207: The control unit 22 performs rotation amount information (not shown) of the filter 17 associated with the image data of a plurality of shot images recorded in a memory (not shown) by performing the predetermined number of times of shooting described above. And is recorded as an image file on the recording medium 24. If the image file is based on the format of the Exif standard, the information on the rotation amount of the filter 17 is recorded as information on a maker note tag of the image file.

  Next, an image composition operation performed by the digital camera of the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. The flow in FIG. 6 is executed, for example, when the user sets the digital camera mode to “image composition mode”.

  Step 301: The control unit 22 accesses the recording medium 24 to display an image used for composition, that is, a captured image acquired by the filter imaging of FIG. 5, together with information on the rotation amount of the filter 17 associated with the image. Read into memory not shown. Here, all of the captured images acquired by the filter imaging of FIG. 5 may be read, or only the captured image specified by the user through the GUI screen or the like may be read.

  Step 302: The control unit 22 performs alignment processing on each of the captured images (composition target images) read into a memory (not shown). For the alignment process, for example, a technique disclosed in “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-33062” in the prior art can be used. As a result, the positional deviation of the subject on the image coordinates between the plurality of compositing target images is corrected, and the image compositing can be performed accurately.

  Step 303: The control unit 22 sets conditions for image composition. For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 7, when image composition is performed so that the filter effect of the subject is maximized, the image composition conditions are set as follows.

  First, the control unit 22 identifies and selects an image having the largest filter effect of the subject from among the synthesis target images (composition target image after the alignment process) read into a memory (not shown). In the example of FIG. 7, the compositing target image i with the largest filter effect of the subject A (rotation amount of the filter 17 = 0 degree) and the compositing target image j with the largest filter effect of the subject B (rotation amount of the filter 17 = 30). Degree) and the compositing target image k (the rotation amount of the filter 17 = 60 degrees) having the largest filter effect of the subject C is selected.

  The identification here is basically performed by the user, but may be performed by the control unit 22 if it can be automatically identified. In addition, when the user is to perform identification, the identification may be performed by the same method as described in step 107 above.

  Next, the control unit 22 extracts and selects an area to be used for synthesis from the image areas of the selected synthesis target images. In the example of FIG. 7, the area of the subject A in the compositing target image i, the area of the subject B in the compositing target image j, and the area of the subject C in the compositing target image k are selected.

  Note that extraction and selection of a region used for composition may be performed by a user through a GUI screen or the like, or may be automatically performed by the control unit 22. When the control unit 22 automatically performs, for example, a technique disclosed in “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-1555096” of the related art can be used for extraction and selection of a subject region.

  And the control part 22 sets the content selected in this way as conditions for image composition.

  Step 304: The control unit 22 performs image composition based on the set conditions.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the area of the subject A in the composition target image i, the area of the subject B in the composition target image j, and the area of the subject C in the composition target image k are image-combined. A composite image l having the largest filter effect is generated. Here, assuming that the background area of the composite image l is a composite target image in which it is best captured, for example, the composite target image j (rotation amount of the filter 17 = 30 degrees), the composite target image j The middle background region is used to perform image composition. For extracting and selecting the background region, the conventional technique described in step 303 can be used.

  A composite image generated by the image composition (in the example of FIG. 7, a composite image 1) is recorded in a memory (not shown).

  In general, when shooting an image with multiple subjects, it is not possible to shoot so that the optimal filter effect is achieved for all subjects, but by performing such image composition, all subjects are optimal. An image having a filter effect can be generated.

  Step 305: The control unit 22 drives the image processing unit 20 to perform necessary image processing on a composite image (in the example of FIG. 7, a composite image 1) in a memory (not shown) and drives the monitor 23. Then, the composite image after the image processing is displayed on an LCD monitor or the like. Thereby, the user can confirm the performance of the composite image.

  Step 306: The control unit 22 instructs the user whether or not to end the processing related to image composition. The instruction is given to the user through, for example, a GUI screen.

  When the user instructs the end, the control unit 22 proceeds to step 307. On the other hand, if it is instructed not to end the process, the control unit 22 proceeds to step 303 and repeats the processing relating to the image composition described above.

  Step 307: The control unit 22 drives the compression / decoding unit 21 to perform compression processing on the image data of the composite image (the composite image 1 in the example of FIG. 7) in a memory (not shown). Then, the control unit 22 records the composite image after the compression process on the recording medium 24.

  In the above description, as an example of processing relating to image synthesis, an example in which image synthesis is performed so that the filter effect of a subject is maximized has been described with reference to FIG. 7, but other than this, for example, FIG. Image composition with contents as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which image composition is performed so that an image having a filter effect different from that of the plurality of photographed images is generated after a plurality of photographed images are acquired by the filter photographing of FIG. .

  When performing the image composition of the contents shown in FIG. 8, the following processing is performed in steps 303 and 304 described above.

  Step 303: The control unit 22 sets the conditions for image composition as follows.

  The control unit 22 selects two images (the synthesis target image p and the synthesis target image q) from the synthesis target images (composition target images after the alignment process) read into a memory (not shown).

  The synthesis target image p and the synthesis target image q are different in the degree of filter effect by two stages. In other words, if the filter 17 is a filter that can change the degree of filter effect on a photographed image in four stages by rotating it with 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees of rotation, for example, The target image p and the compositing target image q are taken with rotation amounts of 0 degrees and 60 degrees, for example (FIG. 8).

  The selection of these two images is basically performed by the user, but may be performed by the control unit 22 if it can be automatically selected.

  The control unit 22 sets the content selected in this way as an image composition condition.

  Step 304: The control unit 22 performs image composition based on the set conditions.

  Specifically, referring to FIG. 8, the control unit 22 determines that the composition target image p is “rotation amount of the filter 17 (hereinafter simply referred to as rotation amount) = 0 degree” and “rotation amount = 60 degree”. The synthesis target image q and the synthesis target image q are combined to generate a “rotation amount = 30 degrees” composite image r having a filter effect different from those of the two synthesis target images. More specifically, the control unit 22 calculates the difference value of the image signal between the compositing target image q (rotation amount = 60 degrees) and the compositing target image p (rotation amount = 0 degree). A composite image r is generated by adding a value corresponding to “amount = 30 degrees” to the image signal of the compositing target image p.

  A composite image generated by image composition (in the example of FIG. 8, a composite image r) is recorded in a memory (not shown).

  By performing such image composition, even when a photographed image having a desired filter effect is not acquired, an image having a desired filter effect is generated from two other photographed images having different filter effects. be able to.

  In the above description, the number of captured images used for image composition is two, but the number is not limited to this. That is, three or more photographed images may be used.

(Operational effect of the second embodiment)
As described above, in the digital camera according to the second embodiment, a plurality of photographed images with different filter effects are acquired, and an image with the largest filter effect on the subject is selected as a compositing target image from the plurality of photographed images. Then, subject areas in each selected synthesis target image are extracted, and the subject areas are image-synthesized. In this case, a composite image acquired by image composition is an image in which all subjects have an optimal filter effect.

  In the digital camera according to the second embodiment, even when an image having a desired filter effect is not acquired, the desired image is synthesized based on a plurality of captured images.

  Therefore, according to the digital camera of the second embodiment, it is possible to reliably acquire an image having the greatest filter effect.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. This embodiment is also an embodiment of a digital camera. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components of the digital camera common to the first embodiment, and the duplicate description will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the flow of FIG. 4 is executed when the filter photographing is performed, but in the third embodiment, the flow of FIG. 9 is executed.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, the filter photographing operation performed by the digital camera of the present embodiment will be described. The flow in FIG. 9 is executed, for example, when the user sets the mode of the digital camera to “filter shooting mode”.

  Step 401: The control unit 22 drives the filter drive unit 18 to control the filter 17 so as to be inserted into the photographing optical path, and sets the rotation amount (for example, 60 degrees) at which the filter effect has a predetermined degree. Thus, the rotation of the filter 17 is controlled.

  Step 402: The control unit 22 determines whether or not the release button has been fully pressed. If the release button has been fully pressed, the control unit 22 proceeds to Step 403 (Yes side). On the other hand, when not fully pressed, the control unit 22 repeats the process of step 402 (No side).

  Step 403: The control unit 22 performs imaging (first imaging) under imaging conditions determined based on an evaluation value calculated by a photometric unit (not shown). Image data of a photographed image (first photographed image) acquired by this photographing is recorded in the buffer memory 19.

  Step 404: The control unit 22 drives the filter driving unit 18 to control the filter 17 so as to be extracted from the photographing optical path.

  Step 405: The control unit 22 performs imaging (second imaging) under imaging conditions determined based on an evaluation value calculated by a photometric unit (not shown). Image data of a photographed image (second photographed image) acquired by this photographing is recorded in the buffer memory 19. In this recording, the second captured image is recorded in a different area from the first captured image.

  Step 406: The control unit 22 performs an alignment process on the first captured image and the second captured image in the buffer memory 19.

  Step 407: The control unit 22 performs image composition using the first captured image and the second captured image in the buffer memory 19.

  For example, when a filter having an arbitrary spectral transmittance is used as the filter 17, the first photographed image includes image data photographed with a spectral sensitivity different from the original R, G, B of the image sensor 14. Is recorded. This is because the first photographed image is photographed with the filter 17 inserted in the photographing optical path, so that the original spectral sensitivity of the image sensor 14 is changed.

  On the other hand, in the second photographed image photographed with the filter 17 extracted from the photographing optical path, image data photographed with the original R, G, B spectral sensitivity of the image sensor 14 is recorded.

  If image synthesis is performed using these, the three colors R, G, and B represented by the second photographed image (without the filter) and the second photographed image represented by the first photographed image (with the filter) Since a composite image can be generated based on information of three different colors, that is, a total of six colors (6 bands), a composite image in which colors are reproduced more realistically can be acquired.

  Note that the composite image generated by this image composition is recorded in a memory (not shown).

  After the image synthesis, the control unit 22 drives the image processing unit 20 to perform necessary image processing on a synthesized image in a memory (not shown).

  Step 408: The control unit 22 drives the monitor 23 to display the composite image after the image processing on the LCD monitor or the like. Thereby, the user can confirm the performance of the composite image.

  Step 409: The control unit 22 drives the compression / decoding unit 21 to perform compression processing on a composite image in a memory (not shown). Then, the control unit 22 records the composite image after the compression process on the recording medium 24.

(Operational effect of the third embodiment)
As described above, in the digital camera according to the third embodiment, the first shooting is performed with the filter 17 inserted in the shooting optical path, and the second shooting is performed with the filter 17 extracted from the shooting optical path. Then, image synthesis is performed using the first captured image and the second captured image acquired by the capturing.

  For example, when a filter having an arbitrary spectral transmittance is used as the filter 17, the synthesized image obtained by the image synthesis has a color reproduced more realistically.

  Therefore, according to the digital camera of the third embodiment, it is possible to reliably acquire an image having the greatest filter effect.

(Other)
Note that some or all of the programs (particularly, the flow in FIG. 6) related to the operation of the digital camera of the first to third embodiments described above may be executed by an external processing device such as a computer. . In that case, a necessary program is installed in the external processing apparatus via a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

1 is a block diagram of a digital camera according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state in which the filter 17 was inserted in the imaging | photography optical path. It is a figure which shows the state by which the filter 17 was extracted from the imaging | photography optical path. It is a flowchart which shows the filter imaging operation | movement of the digital camera of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of filter photography of the digital camera of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of an image composition of the digital camera of 2nd Embodiment. It is an image figure of image composition (a subject's filter effect is maximized). It is an image figure of image composition (an image of a different filter effect is generated). It is a flowchart which shows the filter imaging operation | movement of the digital camera of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Shooting lens, 12 ... Lens drive part, 13 ... Aperture, 14 ... Image sensor, 15 ... Analog signal processing part, 16 ... Timing generator (TG), 17 ... Filter, 18 ... Filter drive part, 19 ... Buffer memory, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Image processing part, 21 ... Compression / decoding part, 22 ... Control part, 23 ... Monitor, 24 ... Recording medium, 25 ... Operation part, 26 ... Bus

Claims (6)

Photographing means for photographing the field light from the photographing lens to obtain a photographed image;
An imaging device comprising: a filter provided in a shooting optical path of the object scene light and capable of controlling a degree of a filter effect on the shot image;
The imaging device is characterized in that imaging is performed while changing the degree of the effect by controlling the filter, and a plurality of photographed images with different effects are obtained. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An identifying means for identifying and selecting a photographed image having the greatest effect from a plurality of photographed images acquired by the photographing means;
The imaging device performs imaging by controlling the filter so that the degree of the effect is the same as when the captured image selected by the identification unit is acquired. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An imaging apparatus, further comprising: an image processing unit that performs image synthesis using a plurality of captured images acquired by the imaging unit. The imaging device according to claim 3.
The image processing unit uses the plurality of photographed images to perform image composition so that a subject has a maximum filter effect. The imaging device according to claim 3.
The image processing unit performs image composition using the plurality of photographed images so as to generate an image having a filter effect different from that of the plurality of photographed images. The imaging device according to claim 1,
Image processing means for performing image composition using a plurality of photographed images acquired by the photographing means;
The filter is provided so that it can be inserted into and removed from the photographing optical path,
The photographing means controls the filter into a state where it is inserted into the photographing optical path and a state where it is extracted, and performs photographing for each of those states,
The imaging apparatus, wherein the image processing unit performs image synthesis using the captured images in two states acquired by the imaging unit.

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