JP2009300668A - Imaging apparatus and control method for imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of improving operability of an operation member for allowing modeling light emission by switching an operation method of the operation member for allowing the modeling light emission according to the kind of a light source of an illuminator. <P>SOLUTION: When the illuminator 44 is attached, an MPU 100 of the imaging apparatus detects the kind of the light source 51 of the illuminator 44, and switches the operation method of a stop-down operation member 46 for allowing the illuminator 44 to emit modeling light to an operation method in accordance with the detected kind of the light source 51. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device to which a lighting device is detachably mounted, and more particularly to an imaging device capable of performing modeling light emission during flash photography.

In the case of shooting using a strobe, there has been proposed a method in which modeling light is irradiated from a strobe before shooting to check the illumination state of a subject by an operation from the camera side (Patent Document 1). In this proposal, by operating the preview operation member of the camera, the modeling light emission of the strobe is performed simultaneously with the depth confirmation by narrowing down the lens.
JP 11-149109 A

  By the way, a xenon tube is generally used as the light source of the strobe, but in recent years, a white LED is also used. A strobe using a xenon tube for photoelectric is difficult to emit a constant amount of light continuously, which is disadvantageous for long-time continuous modeling light emission. On the other hand, a strobe using an LED as a light source is advantageous for long-time continuous modeling light emission.

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the preview function and strobe modeling light emission are performed only while the photographer operates the preview operation member regardless of whether the strobe light source uses a xenon tube or an LED. Done. Therefore, when performing modeling light emission for a long time with a strobe using an LED as a light source, the preview operation member must be continuously operated, and there is a difficulty in the operability of the preview operation member.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus and an imaging apparatus that can improve the operability of the operating member for modeling light emission by switching the operating method of the operating member for modeling light emission according to the type of the light source of the lighting device. It is an object to provide a control method.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device according to the present invention is an imaging device in which a lighting device is detachably mounted, and when the lighting device is mounted, a detection unit that detects the type of light source of the lighting device. And control means for switching the operation method of the operation member for causing the lighting device to emit modeling light to the operation method corresponding to the type of the light source detected by the detection means.

  An imaging device control method according to the present invention includes a detection step of detecting a type of a light source of the illumination device when the illumination device is attached in the control method of the imaging device in which the illumination device is detachably attached; And a control step of switching the operation method of the operation member for causing the illumination device to emit modeling light to the operation method corresponding to the type of the light source detected in the detection step.

  According to the present invention, the operation method of the operating member for modeling light emission can be switched according to the type of the light source of the lighting device, so that the operability of the operating member for modeling light emission can be improved and stable. Modeling light emission can be performed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a camera body of a single-lens reflex digital camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) as a first embodiment of an imaging apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the camera body shown in FIG. It is.

  In the camera of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a photographic lens unit 200 (see FIG. 3) is detachably attached to a lens mount portion 2 arranged on the front side of the camera body 1. A mount contact 21 is disposed on the lens mount portion 2.

  The mount contact 21 is a contact for communicating with the photographing lens unit 200 and supplying power to the photographing lens unit 200. A lens lock release button 4 is disposed on the side of the lens mount unit 2, and the photographing lens unit 200 can be detached from the lens mount unit 2 by pressing the lens lock release button 4.

  In the camera body 1, a mirror box 5 to which a photographic light beam that has passed through the photographic lens unit 200 is guided is disposed. Inside the mirror box 5, a main mirror (quick return mirror) 6 is disposed. ing.

  On the upper part of the grip 1a of the camera body 1, a shutter button 7 as a start switch for starting shooting and a main operation dial 8 for setting a shutter speed and a lens aperture value according to an operation mode at the time of shooting are arranged. ing. In addition, an operation mode setting button 10 for setting an operation mode of the photographing system is arranged on the upper part of the camera body 1. Some of the operation results of these operation members 7, 8, 10 are displayed on the LCD display panel 9 disposed on the upper left side of the camera body 1 in FIG.

  The shutter button 7 is configured such that SW1 (7a) (see FIG. 4) is turned on by the first stroke (half press), and SW2 (7b) (see FIG. 4) is turned on by the second stroke (full press). Yes.

  The operation mode setting button 10 is used to set whether the continuous shooting or only one frame shooting is performed when the shutter button 7 is pressed once, and the self-shooting mode is set. The setting status is displayed.

  In the upper center of the camera main body 1, an actuator 12 that allows an external strobe 44 to be attached and detached is disposed, and a strobe contact 13 for communicating with the external strobe 44 is provided on the acousse 12. Further, a shooting mode setting dial 14 is arranged on the upper right side of the camera body 1 in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, a finder eyepiece window 18 is provided on the back side of the camera body 1 above the optical axis, and a color liquid crystal display unit 19 capable of displaying an image is provided below the finder eyepiece window 18. It has been.

  A sub operation dial 20 is disposed on the side of the color liquid crystal display unit 19. The sub operation dial 20 plays a role of assisting the function of the main operation dial 8. For example, in the AE mode of the camera, the sub operation dial 20 is used to set an exposure correction amount with respect to an appropriate exposure value calculated by the automatic exposure device.

  On the back side of the camera body 1, the main switch 43 is provided with a live view operation member 45 and a narrowing operation member 46. The main switch 43 is a switch for starting or stopping the operation of the camera. The live view operation member 45 is for operating a live view mode described later. When the aperture operation member 46 is pressed, the photographic lens 200a (see FIG. 4) is reduced, and the depth of the subject can be confirmed.

  FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing a state in which the photographing lens unit 200 and the external strobe 44 are attached to the camera body 1 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, an external strobe 44 is a so-called ring-type close-up strobe, and includes a light emitting unit 48 having a light source 51 and a control unit 49. In the control unit 49, a connection unit (not shown) is attached to the axle 12 of the camera body 1, and the light emitting unit 48 is attached to the tip of the photographing lens unit 200. The light emitting unit 48 and the control unit 49 are connected to each other via a curl cord 50.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the camera of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as MPU) 100 is a microcomputer, and controls the operation of the camera by instructing each component of the camera to execute various processes. The EEPROM 100a built in the MPU 100 stores various setting values related to photographing, parameters necessary for the operation of the camera, and the like.

  Connected to the MPU 100 are a mirror drive unit 101, a focus detection circuit 102, a shutter drive unit 103, a video signal processing circuit 104, a switch sense circuit 105, a photometry circuit 106, an LCD drive circuit 107, a battery check circuit 108, and a power supply circuit 110. Has been. These elements (units) operate under the control of the MPU 100.

  In addition, the MPU 100 communicates with the lens control circuit 201 disposed in the photographing lens unit 200 via the mount contact 21. Thus, the lens control circuit 201 can communicate with the MPU 100 and drive the photographing lens 200a and the diaphragm 204 of the photographing lens unit 200 via the AF driving unit 202 and the diaphragm driving unit 203. .

  Behind the photographic lens 200a, the main mirror 6 and the sub mirror 30 that are oscillated between the observation state of the subject and the photographing state of the subject by the mirror driving unit 101 are disposed. The mirror drive unit 101 includes, for example, a DC motor and a gear train, and is controlled by the MPU 100.

  In the observing state of the subject, the main mirror 6 and the sub mirror 30 are arranged in the light flux of the subject emitted from the photographing lens 200a, and the main mirror 6 folds most of the subject light flux upward and places the subject image on the focusing plate 11. Is imaged. The subject image on the focus plate 11 is observed by the photographer through the pentaprism 22 and the eyepiece 18 that convert and reflect the subject image into an erect image (optical viewfinder). Part of the light transmitted through the pentaprism 22 is guided to the photometric sensor 37.

  The main mirror 6 transmits a part of the subject luminous flux and guides the transmitted light to the focus detection sensor unit 31 via the sub mirror 30. The focus detection sensor unit 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the planned focal plane of the field lens, the reflection mirror, the secondary imaging lens, the stop, and the secondary imaging lens that are arranged at substantially the same position as the planned imaging plane of the image sensor 33. The line sensor is made up of. The subject image re-formed on the line sensor is converted into an electrical image signal and output to the focus detection circuit 102.

  The focus detection circuit 102 performs accumulation control and readout control of the focus detection sensor unit 31 in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 100, and outputs pixel information to the MPU 100. The MPU 100 performs a focus detection calculation by the phase difference detection method based on the image signal from the focus detection circuit 102, and performs the difference and direction between the imaging plane by the photographing lens 200a and the planned imaging plane, that is, the defocus amount and defocusing. Calculate the focus direction.

  The MPU 100 moves the focus lens in the photographing lens 200a to the in-focus position via the lens control circuit 201 and the AF drive unit 202 based on the calculated defocus amount and defocus direction.

  On the other hand, in the shooting state of the subject, the main mirror 6 and the sub mirror 30 are retracted out of the optical path of the subject light beam emitted from the photographing lens 200 a and make the subject light beam enter the direction of the imaging element 33.

  The shutter 32 includes a focal plane shutter having a shielding member that advances and retreats with respect to the optical path to the image sensor 33, and shields the light flux of the subject during viewfinder observation. Specifically, the shutter 32 shields the subject luminous flux at a predetermined timing after the start of the traveling of the front blade group and the front blade group that starts exposure by retracting from the optical path of the subject luminous flux according to the release signal at the time of imaging. And a rear blade group. The shutter 32 is driven by the shutter drive unit 103 that has received an instruction from the MPU 100. A CMOS sensor or the like that is a two-dimensional imaging device is used for the imaging element 33.

  The video signal processing circuit 104 uses hardware such as gamma / knee processing, filter processing, and monitor display information synthesis processing on image data from the image sensor 33 digitized by an A / D converter (not shown). Perform general image processing.

  The image data for monitor display output from the video signal processing circuit 104 is displayed on the color liquid crystal display unit 19 via the color liquid crystal drive circuit 112. The video signal processing circuit 104 can output white balance information of the output signal of the image sensor 33 to the MPU 100 as necessary, and the MPU 100 performs white balance adjustment and gain adjustment based on the information.

  The video signal processing circuit 104 also has a function of performing compression processing such as JPEG. In the case of continuous shooting, image data is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 37. When processing time is long, unprocessed image data is read through the memory controller 38, and image processing or compression processing is performed by the video signal processing circuit 104. The shooting speed can also be increased.

  The memory controller 38 stores unprocessed digital image data input from the video signal processing circuit 104 in the buffer memory 37. Then, the processed digital image data is stored in the memory 39, or conversely, the image data is output from the buffer memory 37 or the memory 39 to the video signal processing circuit 104.

  The switch sense circuit 105 controls each unit according to the operation state of each switch. The switch SW1 (7a) is turned on by the first stroke (half press) of the shutter button 7. The switch SW2 (7b) is turned on by the second stroke (fully pressed) of the shutter button 7. When the switch SW2 (7b) is turned on, the photographing operation is started.

  The switch sense circuit 105 is connected to the main operation dial 8, the sub operation dial 20, the shooting mode setting dial 14, the main switch (SW) 43, the live view operation member 45, and the narrowing operation member 46. The switch sense circuit 105 transmits the state of each switch to the MPU 100.

  The switch sense circuit 105, the main switch 43, and the MPU 100 constitute a power switch. When it is detected that the power switch is turned on, power supply from the power source 42 to the camera body 1 is started.

  The photometric circuit 106 outputs an output from the photometric sensor 37 to the MPU 100 as a luminance signal of each area in the screen. The MPU 100 performs A / D conversion on the luminance signal and calculates the exposure amount for photographing.

  The LCD drive circuit 107 drives the LCD display panel 9 and the in-finder liquid crystal display 41 in accordance with the display content command of the MPU 100. Further, the LCD drive circuit 107 can make a specific segment blink in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 100.

  The battery check circuit 108 performs a battery check for a predetermined time according to a signal from the MPU 100 and sends the detection output to the MPU 100. The power source 42 supplies power necessary for each IC (integrated circuit) and drive system.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the camera of the present embodiment. Each process in FIG. 5 is executed by the MPU 100 after a program stored in the ROM or the like is loaded into the RAM.

  In FIG. 5, in step S100, when the MPU 100 detects that the squeezing operation member 46 is pressed by the photographer, the process proceeds to step S101.

  In step S101, the MPU 100 attempts to communicate with the external strobe 44 to detect whether or not the external strobe 44 is attached to the camera body 1. If it is attached, the process proceeds to step S102 and is attached. If not, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S109, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to start narrowing the photographing lens 200a so that the subject depth can be confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S110.

  In step S110, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the pressing operation of the narrowing operation member 46 is released. Then, the MPU 100 executes step S110 again after a predetermined time when the pressing of the narrowing operation member 46 is not released, and proceeds to step S111 when the pressing of the narrowing operation member 46 is released.

  In step S111, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to stop the aperture operation of the photographing lens 200a, returns the aperture 204 to the open state, and returns to the standby state (step S112).

  On the other hand, when the external strobe 44 is attached in step S101, in step S102, the MPU 100 communicates with the external strobe 44 and uses a xenon tube as the light source of the external strobe 44 or an LED. Is detected. The MPU 100 proceeds to step S103 when an LED is used as the light source of the external strobe 44, and proceeds to step S106 when a xenon tube is used as the light source of the external strobe 44.

  In step S106, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to start narrowing the photographing lens 200a so that the subject depth can be confirmed. At the same time, the MPU 100 starts continuous modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using a xenon tube so that the illumination state of the subject can be confirmed, and proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the pressing operation of the narrowing operation member 46 is released. Then, the MPU 100 executes step S107 again after a predetermined time when the pressing of the narrowing operation member 46 is not released, and proceeds to step S108 when the pressing of the narrowing operation member 46 is released.

  In step S108, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to stop the aperture operation of the photographing lens 200a and return the aperture 204 to the open state. Further, the MPU 100 stops the modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using a xenon tube, and returns to the standby state (step S112).

  On the other hand, in step S103, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to start narrowing down the photographing lens 200a so that the subject depth can be confirmed. At the same time, the MPU 100 starts continuous modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using an LED so that the illumination state of the subject can be confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the narrowing operation member 46 is pressed again. Then, the MPU 100 executes Step S104 again after a predetermined time when the narrowing operation member 46 is not pressed again, and proceeds to Step S105 when the narrowing operation member 46 is pressed again.

  In step S105, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to stop the aperture operation of the photographing lens 200a and return the aperture 204 to the open state. Further, the MPU 100 stops the modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using the LED, and returns to the standby state (step S112).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, whether the xenon tube or the LED is used for the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 is automatically detected, and the narrowing operation member 46 is selected according to the type of the detected light source. The operation method is switched.

  In other words, if the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 is a xenon tube, when the photographer releases the hand after pressing down the aperture operation member 46, the preview function of the taking lens 200a and the external operation are stopped until the aperture operation member 46 is pressed again. The modeling light emission of the strobe 44 is stopped.

  On the other hand, if the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 is an LED, the preview function of the taking lens 200a and the external strobe 44 will continue until the photographer presses the aperture operation member 46 again even if the photographer releases the hand after pressing the aperture operation member 46. Continue modeling flash. As a result, when the LED that is advantageous for long-time continuous modeling light emission is the light source 51, it is possible to perform stable modeling light emission without continuing to hold down the aperture operation member 46.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a single-lens reflex digital camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera), which is a second embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG. The camera device configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to the drawings and symbols.

  In the present embodiment, a camera that performs shooting using the live view function is taken as an example. When shooting using the live view function, referring to FIG. 4, the main mirror 6 and the sub mirror 30 are retracted from the optical path of the subject luminous flux by the mirror driving unit 101. Further, the shutter driving unit 103 moves the leading blade group of the shutter from the position covering the aperture to the retracted position. As a result, the shutter 32 is in a bulb state, and the light that has passed through the photographing lens 200a can be always taken into the photographing element 33.

  The subject image that has passed through the photographing lens 200 a and formed on the image sensor 33 is photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 33. The image data of the subject generated by the image sensor 33 is processed by the video signal processing circuit 104 and continuously displayed on the color liquid crystal display unit 19 on the back side of the camera body 1 via the color liquid crystal drive circuit 112. The photographer can check the subject image displayed on the color liquid crystal display unit 19 instead of the optical viewfinder.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the camera of the present embodiment. Each process in FIG. 6 is executed by the MPU 100 after a program stored in the ROM or the like is loaded into the RAM.

  In FIG. 6, in step S200, when the MPU 100 detects that the photographer presses the live view operation member 45, the process proceeds to step S201.

  In step S201, the MPU 100 starts activation of the live view function, and proceeds to step S202. At this time, the photographer can check the subject image displayed on the color liquid crystal display unit 19.

  In step S202, the MPU 100 attempts to communicate with the external strobe 44 to detect whether or not the external strobe 44 is attached to the camera body 1. If it is attached, the process proceeds to step S203 and is attached. If not, the process proceeds to step S210.

  In step S <b> 203, the MPU 100 communicates with the external strobe 44 and detects whether the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 uses a xenon tube or an LED. Then, the MPU 100 proceeds to step S204 when an LED is used as the light source 51 of the external strobe 44, and proceeds to step S210 when a xenon tube is used as the light source 51 of the external strobe 44. move on.

  In step 210, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the live view operation member 45 has been pressed again by the photographer. If it has been pressed again, the MPU 100 proceeds to step S211. If it has not been pressed again, the MPU 100 proceeds to step S212.

  In step S211, the MPU 100 stops the live view operation and returns to the standby state (step S215).

  In step S212, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the shutter button 7 is pressed by the photographer. If the shutter button 7 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S213. If not, the MPU 100 executes step S212 again after a predetermined time. .

  In step S213, the MPU 100 stops the live view operation and proceeds to step S214.

  In step S214, the MPU 100 starts a photographing operation, and returns to the standby state after the photographing is finished (step S215). In the photographing operation in step S214, the photographer can take a picture while observing the subject image with the optical viewfinder.

  On the other hand, in step S204, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 200 to start narrowing the photographing lens 200a so that the subject depth can be confirmed. At the same time, the MPU 100 starts continuous modeling light emission of the light source 51 using the LED so that the illumination state of the subject can be confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S205, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the live view operation member 45 has been pressed again by the photographer. If the MPU 100 has been pressed again, the process proceeds to step S206, and if it has not been pressed again, the process proceeds to step S207. .

  In step S206, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to stop the aperture operation of the photographing lens 200a and return the aperture 204 to the open state. Further, the MPU 100 stops the modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using the LED, proceeds to step S211, stops the live view operation, and returns to the standby state (step S215).

  On the other hand, in step S207, the MPU 100 detects whether or not the shutter button 7 is pressed by the photographer. If the shutter button 7 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S208. If not, the MPU 100 executes step S207 again after a predetermined time.

  In step S208, the MPU 100 controls the lens control circuit 201 to stop the aperture operation of the photographing lens 200a and return the aperture 204 to the open state. Further, the MPU 100 stops the modeling light emission of the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 using the LED, stops the live view operation, and proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, the MPU 100 starts the photographing operation, and returns to the standby state after the photographing is finished (step S215). In the photographing operation in step S209, the photographer can take a picture while observing the subject image with the optical viewfinder.

  As described above, in this embodiment, whether the xenon tube or the LED is used as the light source 51 of the external strobe 44 is automatically detected, and the live view operation member is selected according to the type of the detected light source. 45 operation methods can be switched. That is, even if the photographer releases the hand after pressing the live view operation member 45, the preview function of the photographing lens 200a and the modeling flash of the external strobe 44 are continued until the live view operation member 45 is pressed again. This makes it possible to automatically continue modeling light emission during the live view operation by taking advantage of the LED that can emit light for a long time, and it is possible to observe a subject that is equal to the illumination condition that is actually photographed. .

  In addition, this invention is not limited to what was illustrated by said each embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.

  In each of the above embodiments, a digital camera in which a photographic lens unit can be attached to and detached from the camera body is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to a digital camera or the like in which a photographic lens unit is integrated.

1 is a front perspective view showing a camera body of a single-lens reflex digital camera that is a first embodiment of an imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the camera body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state where a photographic lens unit and an external strobe are attached to the camera body shown in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the internal structure of the digital camera which is 1st Embodiment of the imaging device of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation example of the digital camera which is 1st Embodiment of the imaging device of this invention. It is a flowchart figure for demonstrating the operation example of the digital camera which is 2nd Embodiment of the imaging device of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera body 1a Grip part 2 Lens mount part 4 Lens lock release button 5 Mirror box 6 Main mirror 7 Shutter button 8 Main operation dial 9 LCD display panel 10 Operation mode setting button 11 Focusing plate 12 Actuator 13 Strobe contact 14 Shooting mode setting dial 18 Viewfinder eyepiece window 19 Color liquid crystal display unit 20 Sub operation dial 21 Mount contact 32 Shutter 33 Image sensor 44 External strobe 45 Rave view operation member 46 Aperture operation member 51 Light source 100 MPU
103 Shutter drive unit 112 Color liquid crystal drive circuit 200 Shooting lens unit 200a Shooting lens 201 Lens control circuit 204 Aperture

Claims (4)

In the imaging device in which the illumination device is detachably mounted,
Detecting means for detecting the type of light source of the lighting device when the lighting device is mounted;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a control unit that switches an operation method of an operation member for causing the lighting device to emit modeling light to an operation method according to a type of the light source detected by the detection unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the light source is a xenon tube or an LED.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is a photographing lens aperture operation member or a live view operation member. In the control method of the imaging device in which the illumination device is detachably mounted,
A detection step of detecting a type of a light source of the lighting device when the lighting device is mounted;
A control step of switching an operation method of an operation member for causing the lighting device to emit modeling light to an operation method corresponding to the type of the light source detected in the detection step.

Images