JP2009303113A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera for displaying a monitor image suitable for an automatic focusing system based on contrast information while reducing a sense of incompatibility that an observer feels in focusing. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic camera 1 includes: an imaging device 13 that captures a subject image through a photographing optical system 51 and outputs image data; a display means 20 for displaying an image reproduced by the image data; a control means for controlling the imaging device 13 and the display means 20, respectively, in such a way that the display means 20 sequentially displays the images reproduced by the image data iteratively captured and sequentially outputted by the imaging device 13; an automatic focusing means which detects contrast information on the basis of the image data and performs focusing on the photographing optical system 51 on the basis of the contrast information; and a diaphragm control means which narrows down a diaphragm 52 to an approximately minimum aperture before the imaging device 13 starts image capturing for display, opens the diaphragm 52 to a predetermined aperture before the automatic focusing means starts focusing, and drives the diaphragm 52 to the aperture in photographing after focusing by the automatic focusing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera.

  When displaying a monitor image captured by an image sensor as a through image on a display device, a technique is known that reduces a sense of discomfort that a person observing the through image feels about the focus by narrowing down the aperture (Patent Document) 1).

JP 2007-19642 A

  In the prior art, since the degree of blur is reduced by increasing the depth of field, there is a problem in that it is not suitable for an AF (autofocus) method of adjusting the focus based on the contrast information of the image acquired by the image sensor. there were.

(1) In the electronic camera according to the first aspect of the present invention, the image pickup device picks up a subject image through the photographing optical system and outputs the image data, the display means for displaying the reproduced image based on the image data, and the image pickup device repeatedly picks up the image. The control means for controlling the image sensor and the display means so that the display means sequentially displays the reproduced image based on the image data that is sequentially output, and the contrast information is detected based on the image data, and the photograph is taken based on the contrast information. Automatic focus adjusting means for adjusting the focus of the optical system, and the aperture stop to a substantially minimum aperture before the imaging device starts imaging for display, and the aperture is reduced to a predetermined aperture before the automatic focus adjusting means starts focus adjustment. And aperture control means for driving the aperture to the aperture at the time of photographing after focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjustment means.
(2) In the electronic camera according to claim 1, the aperture control means performs drive control when the aperture at the time of shooting is wider than the predetermined aperture, and automatic focus adjustment means when the aperture at the time of shooting is narrower than the predetermined aperture The aperture can be opened to the aperture at the time of shooting before starting the focus adjustment, and the drive can be controlled so that the aperture is maintained even after the focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjustment means.
(3) The electronic camera according to the invention of claim 2 picks up an image of a subject through a photographing optical system and outputs image data, a display means for displaying a reproduced image based on the image data, and the image pickup device repeatedly picks up an image. The control means for controlling the image sensor and the display means so that the display means sequentially displays the reproduced image based on the image data that is sequentially output, and the contrast information is detected based on the image data, and the photograph is taken based on the contrast information. Automatic focus adjustment means that adjusts the focus of the optical system, and the aperture is reduced to a substantially minimum aperture when display control is started by the control means, and the aperture is opened to a predetermined aperture when focus adjustment is started by the automatic focus adjustment means, and automatic focus adjustment is performed And aperture control means for driving the aperture to the aperture at the time of photographing after focus adjustment by the means.
(4) In the electronic camera according to claim 3, the aperture control means performs drive control when the aperture at the time of shooting is wider than the predetermined aperture, and automatic focus adjusting means when the aperture at the time of shooting is narrower than the predetermined aperture It is also possible to control the drive so that the aperture is opened to the aperture at the time of photographing together with the start of focus adjustment by, and the aperture is maintained even after focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjustment means.
(5) In the electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3, the automatic focus adjusting means can also start focus adjustment in accordance with an operation signal generated by the operation member.
(6) The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3 may further include a mount member for mounting a lens barrel having a photographing optical system. The diaphragm control means in this case can also drive the diaphragm to the substantially minimum aperture based on the minimum aperture information acquired from the barrel mounted on the mount member.
(7) In the electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3,
An electronic camera, further comprising: a gain adjusting unit that adjusts a gain of the imaging data in accordance with a narrowing amount to a substantially minimum aperture by the aperture control unit.
(8) In the electronic camera according to the seventh aspect, the gain adjusting means can further adjust the gain of the imaging data in accordance with the aperture driving amount to the predetermined aperture by the aperture control means.
(9) In the electronic camera according to the eighth aspect, the gain adjusting means can further adjust the gain of the imaging data in accordance with the aperture driving amount to the aperture at the time of shooting by the aperture control means.
(10) The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 9 may be a single-lens reflex type further including a reflection optical system on an optical path between the imaging optical system and the imaging device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the monitor image suitable for the automatic focus adjustment system based on contrast information can be displayed, reducing the discomfort which an observer feels about a focus.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a main configuration of a single-lens reflex electronic camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a lens barrel 50 of a photographing lens configured to be detachable from a lens mount (not shown) of the camera body 10 is attached.

  Light from the subject enters the camera body 10 via the lens optical system 51 and the diaphragm 52 of the lens barrel 50. The subject light incident on the camera body 10 is guided to an upper finder portion by a quick return mirror (hereinafter referred to as a main mirror) 11 positioned as indicated by a broken line before being released, and forms an image on the finder mat 14. Part of the subject light incident on the camera body 10 is reflected downward by the sub mirror 21 and forms an image on the distance measuring element 22. The distance measuring element 22 is used at the time of focus detection by a phase difference detection method described later.

  The subject light imaged on the finder mat 14 is further incident on the pentaprism 15. The pentaprism 15 guides incident subject light to the eyepiece 16, and also guides part of it to the prism 17. The light incident on the prism 17 is incident on the photometric sensor 19 via the lens 18. The photometric sensor 19 outputs a photoelectric conversion signal corresponding to the brightness of the subject image.

  After the release, the main mirror 11 is rotated to the position indicated by the solid line, and the subject light is guided to the image sensor 13 through the shutter 12 to form a subject image on the imaging surface. The image sensor 13 is configured by a CCD image sensor or the like provided with a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to pixels. The image sensor 13 captures a subject image formed on the imaging surface and outputs a photoelectric conversion signal corresponding to the brightness of the subject image.

  The electronic camera 1 of the present embodiment uses an image pickup signal from the image pickup device 13 for image recording, live view display described later, and contrast information detection. The contrast information is used at the time of focus detection by a contrast detection method described later.

  The liquid crystal display unit 20 is disposed on the back surface of the camera body 10. The liquid crystal display unit 20 reproduces and displays captured images and live view images.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of the single-lens reflex electronic camera 1 described above. The camera body 10 includes a timing generator (TG) 101, an A / D conversion circuit 102, an image sensor 13, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 103, a RAM 104, a flash memory 105, a liquid crystal display unit 20, A CPU 106, a shutter drive mechanism 107, a mirror drive mechanism 108, an operation member 109, an AF control unit 110, and an AE control unit 111 are provided.

<Camera body>
A timing generator (TG) 101 generates a predetermined timing signal and supplies the timing signal to each of the A / D conversion circuit 102, the DSP 103, and the image sensor 13. The A / D conversion circuit 102 converts a photoelectric conversion signal (analog image signal) from the image sensor 13 into a digital signal. The DSP 103 performs predetermined image processing on the image signal after digital conversion, and further performs compression processing as necessary.

  The RAM 104 is a working memory that temporarily stores image data during processing by the DSP 103. The flash memory 105 is a memory that stores and saves image data processed by the DSP 103 as an image file. The liquid crystal display unit 20 displays a reproduced image based on the image data processed by the DSP 103.

  The CPU 106 is configured by a microcomputer or the like. The CPU 106 inputs a signal output from each block, performs a predetermined calculation, and outputs a control signal based on the calculation result to each block. The CPU 106 and the DSP 103 are configured to control each other through serial communication.

  The shutter drive mechanism 107 performs charge and drive control of the focal plane shutter 12 (FIG. 1) in accordance with an instruction sent from the CPU 106. The mirror driving mechanism 108 drives the main mirror 11 up (retracts to a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) and returns the mirror down (returns to a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1) according to an instruction sent from the CPU 106. ) Control the drive.

  The operation member 109 outputs to the CPU 106 setting / switching signals corresponding to various settings and selection operations. The operation member 109 has an exposure mode setting dial for setting an exposure calculation mode (P mode, S mode, A mode, M mode), a sensitivity setting dial for setting imaging sensitivity (ISO sensitivity), and a live view switch. , AF switch, half-press switch, full-press switch, and the like.

  The P mode is a mode in which the shutter speed and the aperture value are automatically controlled according to a predetermined program diagram. The S mode is a mode in which the aperture value is automatically controlled according to the set shutter speed. The A mode is a mode in which the shutter speed is automatically controlled according to the set aperture value. The M mode is a manual mode in which a deviation from the appropriate exposure is calculated using the set shutter speed and aperture value.

  The live view switch is a switch for starting a live view display operation described later. The AF switch is a switch for starting an automatic focus adjustment (AF) operation described later.

  Each of the half-press switch and the full-press switch outputs an ON signal to the CPU 106 in conjunction with a pressing operation of a release button (not shown). The half-press on signal from the half-push switch is output when the release button is pushed down to about half of the normal stroke, and the output is released when the half-stroke push-down operation is released. The full push on signal from the full push switch is output when the release button is pushed down to the normal stroke, and the output is released when the normal stroke push down operation is released.

  The AF control unit 107 includes a distance measuring element 22 (FIG. 1). The AF control unit 107 detects a focus adjustment state (defocus amount) by the lens barrel 50 using a detection signal from the distance measuring element 22, and a focus lens (not shown) constituting the lens optical system 51 according to the detection result. Is calculated. A signal indicating the amount of movement of the focus lens is transmitted to the lens barrel 50 side via the CPU 106.

  The AE control unit 108 includes a photometric sensor 19 (FIG. 1). The photometric control unit 108 calculates the subject luminance using the detection signal from the photometric sensor 19. The photometry control unit 108 further uses the imaging sensitivity set by the sensitivity setting dial, the lens information acquired by the CPU 106, and the calculated subject luminance, according to the exposure calculation mode set by the exposure mode setting dial. Calculation is performed to determine the aperture value AV and the shutter speed TV.

  The CPU 106 communicates with the lens CPU 501 on the lens barrel 50 side mounted on the camera body 10. Through communication between the camera body 10 and the lens barrel 50, lens information such as an aperture value and lens data is transmitted from the lens barrel 50 to the camera body 10, while lens control information such as the moving amount of the focus lens and a drive instruction is received. It is transmitted from the camera body 10 to the lens barrel 50 side.

<Tube>
The lens barrel 50 is provided with a CPU 501, a focus drive mechanism 502, and an aperture drive mechanism. The lens CPU 501 communicates with the CPU 106 on the camera body 10 side. The lens CPU 501 transmits lens information such as an aperture value and lens data to the camera body 10 side, and acquires lens control information such as the moving amount of the focus lens and a driving instruction from the camera body 10.

  The focus drive mechanism 502 moves the focus lens by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction in response to an instruction sent from the lens CPU 501. The aperture drive mechanism 503 drives the aperture 52 (FIG. 1) a predetermined number of stages so as to obtain an aperture value according to an instruction sent from the lens CPU 501.

<Phase difference detection AF>
The AF control unit 107 performs AF calculation by the phase difference detection method when the main mirror 11 is down (position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1). Specifically, two images of a pair of defocus amount detection light beams incident through different regions of the lens optical system 51, each of which is captured at different positions on the distance measuring element 22. The relative positional deviation amount (relative interval) is obtained.

  The pair of subject images are close to each other in a so-called front pin state in which the lens optical system 51 connects the sharp image of the subject before the planned focal plane, and conversely, a so-called rear pin that connects the sharp image of the subject behind the planned focal plane. Move away from each other in state. A pair of subject images on the distance measuring element 22 relatively coincide with the in-focus state connecting the sharp image of the subject on the planned focal plane. Therefore, the focus adjustment state of the lens optical system 51, that is, the defocus amount can be obtained by obtaining the relative positional deviation amount between the pair of subject images. The focus adjustment of the lens optical system 51 is performed by moving the focus lens of the lens optical system 51 in the optical axis direction according to the defocus amount.

<Live view>
The live view display refers to display of a monitor image that causes the liquid crystal display unit 20 to sequentially reproduce and display images repeatedly captured at a predetermined time interval (for example, 30 frames / second) by the image sensor 13 before a shooting instruction. When the main mirror 11 is up (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1), the subject luminous flux is not guided to the viewfinder, and the photographer cannot confirm the subject image via the eyepiece 16. Therefore, the single-lens reflex electronic camera 1 displays a monitor image on the liquid crystal display unit 20 so that the subject image can be observed on the liquid crystal display unit 20.

  The CPU 106 instructs the DSP 103 to switch the drive signal during live view display. The TG 101 supplies a live view drive signal to the image sensor 13, the A / D conversion circuit 102, and the DSP 103 in place of the shooting drive signal. The RAM 104 is controlled so as to temporarily store image data before the DSP 103 performs image processing, after image processing, and during image processing. As a result, the next frame can be captured without waiting for the end of the processing for the captured image data of the previous frame. Display data is generated sequentially from the image of the frame for which processing has been completed, and sequentially displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 20 (live view display).

<Contrast detection AF>
When the main mirror 11 is up, the subject light flux is not guided to the distance measuring element 22 (FIG. 1), and thus the AF calculation by the AF control unit 107 described above cannot be performed. Therefore, the CPU 106 performs AF calculation using a contrast detection method. First, the CPU 106 transmits a signal instructing movement of the focus lens to the lens barrel 50. Then, by performing a known focus evaluation value calculation based on the imaging signal output from the imaging device 13 in a state where the focus lens is moved in the optical axis direction, focus evaluation is performed by replacing the high-frequency component of the image with the sharpness. A value (hereinafter referred to as contrast information) is calculated. The contrast information is maximized when the lens optical system 51 is in a focused state where a sharp image is formed on the imaging surface of the image sensor 13, that is, when the blur of the edge of the subject image captured by the image sensor 13 is minimal.

  When the focus evaluation value increases, the CPU 106 during contrast detection AF continues to move the focus lens in the same direction, and when the focus evaluation value decreases, the CPU 106 reverses the movement direction of the focus lens so that the focus evaluation value is maximized. An instruction is sent to the lens barrel 50 to move the focus lens to a position where the value is obtained, that is, a position corresponding to the in-focus state. The focus adjustment of the lens barrel 50 is performed by moving the focus lens to the in-focus position as described above.

<Live view processing>
Since the present embodiment has a feature in the contrast detection AF operation during live view display, the following description will be made with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 3 focusing on the processing executed by the CPU 106 during live view display. When an operation signal is input from the live view switch that configures the operation member 109, the CPU 106 activates a program that performs the processing illustrated in FIG.

  In step S10, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the mirror driving mechanism 108 to start up driving of the main mirror 11, and proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the lens CPU 501, causes the diaphragm 52 to be closed to the minimum diaphragm (minimum aperture), and proceeds to step S30. At this time, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103 to perform a gain-up process corresponding to the number of narrowing stages so as to compensate for the decrease because the brightness of the image decreases due to a decrease in light from the subject.

  In step S30, the CPU 106 starts the live view display described above, and proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the AE control unit 108, determines the aperture value AV and the shutter speed TV, and proceeds to step S50.

  In step S50, the CPU 106 determines whether or not the AF switch constituting the operation member 109 has been turned ON. If an on operation signal is input from the AF switch, the CPU 106 makes a positive determination in step S50 and proceeds to step S60. If the on operation signal is not input from the AF switch, the CPU 106 makes a negative determination in step S50 and proceeds to step S120.

  In step S60, it is determined whether the set F value (determined value in S40) is F8 or more. If the set F value is equal to or greater than F8, CPU 106 makes a positive determination in step S60 and proceeds to step S70. If the set F value is less than F8, the CPU 106 makes a negative determination in step S60 and proceeds to step S90.

  In step S70, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the lens CPU 501, drives the aperture 52 to the set F value, and proceeds to step S80. In this case, the diaphragm 52 is driven from the minimum diaphragm value to a set F value equal to or greater than F8. At this time, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103 to perform gain-down processing corresponding to the aperture driving amount so as to compensate for the increase because the brightness of the image increases due to the increase of light from the subject. In step S80, the CPU 106 performs the above-described contrast detection AF process and proceeds to step S120.

  In step S90 which advances after making a negative determination in step S60, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the lens CPU 501, and drives the aperture 52 to F8 to proceed to step S100. In this case, the diaphragm 52 is driven from the minimum diaphragm value to F8. At this time, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103 to perform gain-down processing corresponding to the aperture driving amount so as to compensate for the increase because the brightness of the image increases due to the increase of light from the subject.

  In step S100, the CPU 106 performs the above-described contrast detection AF process and proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the lens CPU 501 to drive the aperture 52 to the set F value, and proceeds to step S80. In this case, the diaphragm 52 is driven from F8 to a value less than F8. At this time, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103 to perform gain-down processing corresponding to the aperture driving amount so as to compensate for the increase because the brightness of the image increases due to the increase of light from the subject.

  In step S120, the CPU 106 determines whether or not the release switch has been turned ON. CPU 106 makes an affirmative determination in step S120 and proceeds to step S130 when a full-press on signal is input from the full-press switch constituting operation member 109. If the full-press on signal is not input from the full-press switch, the CPU 106 makes a negative determination in step S120 and proceeds to step S140.

  In step S130, the CPU 106 performs a shooting process and proceeds to step S140. Details of the photographing process will be described later. In step S140, the CPU 106 determines whether an end of live view is instructed. When the operation signal is input again from the live view switch constituting the operation member 109, the CPU 106 makes an affirmative decision in step S140 and proceeds to step S150. If the operation signal is not input from the live view switch, the CPU 106 makes a negative determination in step S140 and returns to step S40.

  In step S150, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the mirror drive mechanism 108 to start the down drive of the main mirror 11 and ends the process shown in FIG.

<Shooting process>
The flow of the photographing process will be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. In step S131 of FIG. 4, the CPU 106 initializes the image sensor 13 (charge discharge or the like), and proceeds to step S132. In step S132, the CPU 106 causes the image sensor 13 to store charge for photographing and sweep out the stored charge, and proceeds to step S133.

  In step S133, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103, performs predetermined image processing on the captured image, and proceeds to step S134.

  In step S134, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to the DSP 103, records the image file in the flash memory 105, and ends the processing in FIG.

  The process described above ends when a state where no operation signal is input from the operation member 109 of the single-lens reflex electronic camera 1 continues for a predetermined time or longer.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the stop 52 is stopped to the minimum aperture stop before the display device 13 starts imaging for display (step S20), the focal depth of the lens optical system 51 is smaller than that when the stop 52 is not stopped. Deepen. As a result, the out-of-focus area (blurred area) of the live view image that is first observed on the liquid crystal display unit 20 (step S30) is reduced, so that the discomfort that the observer feels about the focus can be reduced.

(2) Before starting the contrast detection AF process, the aperture 52 is opened from the minimum aperture aperture according to (1) above to a predetermined aperture (for example, equivalent to F8) (step S90), so that the subject image to be captured is bright In addition, a depth of focus suitable for contrast detection AF can be obtained. As a result, a state in which image blurring is low (contrast is increased) even though focus is not achieved is eliminated, and focusing accuracy can be increased.

(3) After the contrast detection AF process, the aperture 52 is controlled from the predetermined aperture (corresponding to F8) according to (2) above to the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV determined in step S40, so that it is used during shooting. The depth of field of the image obtained in the state of the aperture will be confirmed on the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 20.

(4) When the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV determined in step S40 is wider than a predetermined aperture (equivalent to F8), the above controls (2) and (3) are performed, and the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV is predetermined. If the aperture is smaller than the aperture (equivalent to F8), before starting the contrast detection AF process, the aperture 52 is opened from the minimum aperture according to (1) to the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV (step S70), and the contrast detection AF. The caliber was maintained after the treatment. In the case of proceeding to step S70, it is possible to check the depth of field of the obtained image on the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 20 after performing focusing in the aperture state that will be used at the time of shooting.

(5) When the diaphragm 52 is narrowed to the minimum aperture diaphragm (step S20), the DSP 103 performs the gain-up process corresponding to the amount of narrowing. Thereby, it can prevent that the light quantity falls and the brightness of a live view image becomes dark.

(6) When the diaphragm 52 is opened to a predetermined aperture (equivalent to F8) (step S90), the DSP 103 performs gain reduction processing corresponding to the diaphragm driving amount. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the live view image from becoming too bright due to an increase in the amount of light.

(7) When the aperture 52 is opened to the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV (step S110), the DSP 103 performs gain reduction processing corresponding to the aperture drive amount. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the live view image from becoming too bright due to an increase in the amount of light.

(8) When the aperture 52 is opened to the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV (step S70), the DSP 103 performs gain reduction processing corresponding to the aperture drive amount. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the live view image from becoming too bright due to an increase in the amount of light.

(Modification)
The present invention may also be applied to an electronic camera that does not include the main mirror 11. For example, the present invention is applied when a live view image is displayed on an electronic viewfinder in a camera including an electronic viewfinder instead of an optical viewfinder. When the live view image is automatically displayed on the electronic viewfinder after the camera is turned on, a program for performing the same process as in FIG. 3 may be started immediately after the power on process. However, since the main mirror 11 is not provided, the processing related to the main mirror 11 in steps S10 and S150 is unnecessary. Further, the determination process in step S140 may be replaced with a process for determining whether or not a power-off operation has been performed.

(A) According to the modification, since the live view display process is started and the diaphragm 52 is narrowed to the minimum aperture diaphragm (step S20), the depth of focus of the lens optical system 51 becomes deeper than when the diaphragm 52 is not narrowed. As a result, the out-of-focus area (blurred area) of the live view image that is first observed on the liquid crystal display unit 20 (step S30) is reduced, so that the discomfort that the observer feels about the focus can be reduced.

(B) Since the contrast detection AF process is started and the aperture 52 is opened from the minimum aperture aperture according to (A) to a predetermined aperture (equivalent to F8) (step S90), the captured subject image becomes brighter. A depth of focus suitable for contrast detection AF can be obtained. As a result, a state in which image blurring is low (contrast is increased) even though focus is not achieved is eliminated, and focusing accuracy can be increased.

(C) After the contrast detection AF process, the diaphragm 52 is controlled from the predetermined aperture (corresponding to F8) according to (B) above to the aperture value AV determined in step S40. The depth of field of the image obtained in the aperture state that is sometimes used can be confirmed on the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 20.

(D) When the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV determined in step S40 is wider than a predetermined aperture (equivalent to F8), the controls (B) and (C) are performed, and the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV is predetermined. If the aperture is smaller than the aperture (equivalent to F8), the contrast detection AF process is started and the aperture 52 is opened from the minimum aperture according to (A) to the aperture corresponding to the aperture value AV (step S70). The caliber was also maintained. In the case of proceeding to step S70, it is possible to check the depth of field of the obtained image on the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 20 after performing focusing in the aperture state that will be used at the time of shooting.

  The above description is merely an example, and is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment.

It is a figure explaining the principal part structure of the single-lens reflex electronic camera by one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which illustrates the circuit structure of a single-lens reflex electronic camera. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of a live view process. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of imaging | photography process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Single-lens reflex electronic camera 10 ... Camera body 11 ... Main mirror 13 ... Imaging element 20 ... Liquid crystal display part 50 ... Lens barrel 51 ... Lens optical system 52 ... Diaphragm 103 ... DSP
106 ... CPU
110: AF control unit

Claims (10)

An image sensor that captures a subject image through a photographic optical system and outputs image data;
Display means for displaying a reproduced image by the image data;
Control means for controlling the image pickup element and the display means so that the display means sequentially displays reproduced images based on image data repeatedly picked up by the image pickup element and sequentially output;
Automatic focus adjusting means for detecting contrast information based on the image data and adjusting the focus of the photographing optical system based on the contrast information;
Before the imaging device starts imaging for display, the aperture is reduced to a substantially minimum aperture, and before the automatic focus adjustment means starts focus adjustment, the aperture is opened to a predetermined aperture, and the focus by the automatic focus adjustment means is reached. An electronic camera comprising: aperture control means for driving the aperture to the aperture at the time of photographing after adjustment. The electronic camera according to claim 1,
The aperture control unit performs the drive control when the aperture at the time of shooting is wider than the predetermined aperture, and the automatic focus adjustment unit starts focus adjustment when the aperture at the time of shooting is narrower than the predetermined aperture. An electronic camera characterized in that the aperture is opened to the aperture at the time of shooting before, and the drive is controlled so as to maintain the aperture after the focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjustment means. An image sensor that captures a subject image through a photographic optical system and outputs image data;
Display means for displaying a reproduced image by the image data;
Control means for controlling the image pickup element and the display means so that the display means sequentially displays reproduced images by image data repeatedly picked up and sequentially output by the image pickup element;
Automatic focus adjusting means for detecting contrast information based on the image data and adjusting the focus of the photographing optical system based on the contrast information;
When the control means starts the display control, the aperture is reduced to a substantially minimum aperture, and when the auto focus adjustment means starts the focus adjustment, the aperture is opened to a predetermined aperture, and after the focus adjustment by the auto focus adjustment means, the aperture is opened. An electronic camera comprising: aperture control means for driving to an aperture at the time of photographing. The electronic camera according to claim 3.
The aperture control means performs the drive control when the aperture at the time of shooting is wider than the predetermined aperture, and when the aperture at the time of shooting is narrower than the predetermined aperture, along with the start of focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjusting means An electronic camera characterized in that the aperture is opened to the aperture at the time of shooting and the drive is controlled so that the aperture is maintained even after focus adjustment by the automatic focus adjustment means. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the automatic focus adjustment unit starts focus adjustment in accordance with an operation signal generated by the operation member. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3,
A mounting member for mounting a lens barrel having the photographing optical system;
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the aperture control unit performs aperture driving to the approximately minimum aperture for the lens barrel based on minimum aperture information acquired from the lens barrel mounted on the mount member. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 3,
An electronic camera, further comprising: a gain adjusting unit that adjusts a gain of the imaging data in accordance with a narrowing amount to the substantially minimum aperture by the aperture control unit. The electronic camera according to claim 7,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the gain adjusting unit further adjusts the gain of the imaging data in accordance with an aperture driving amount to the predetermined aperture by the aperture control unit. The electronic camera according to claim 8,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the gain adjusting unit further adjusts the gain of the imaging data in accordance with an aperture driving amount to the aperture at the time of shooting by the aperture control unit. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An electronic camera of the single-lens reflex type further comprising a reflection optical system on an optical path between the photographing optical system and the image sensor.

Images