JP2010134092A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus enabling a user to correctly recognize a state of the imaging apparatus with the aid of visual information. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus having a light emission control means controlling a light emitted state of a light emitting device (S102 and S103) including a plurality of light emitting bodies for irradiating a subject includes an information control means controlling the light emission control means (S113, S115 and S116) to inform the light emitting bodies of the state of the imaging apparatus (S112 and S114) in accordance with the state of the imaging apparatus with the aid of the visual information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device that informs a light emitting device of the state of the imaging device.

  Conventionally, a number of techniques have been proposed as a method for informing the state (control state, operation state, etc.) of an imaging device when positioned in front of the imaging device such as a camera. For example, the imaging device has a built-in function such as a self-timer, but in order to notify the subject of the waiting time until shooting, a red-eye lamp built in the imaging device blinks or an electronic sound is emitted. There is a technique of periodically generating it.

In addition, the lens-removable image pickup apparatus is equipped with a function (sensor cleaning function) for cleaning the light receiving surface in case the dust adheres to the light receiving surface of the image sensor. In order to prevent the shutter curtain from being damaged due to sudden battery power off during the sensor cleaning operation, there is a technique for informing the user by a warning such as a red-eye lamp or an electronic sound.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-150306 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-260615

  However, with regard to the notification by the self-timer described above, the photographer cannot accurately know when the image is taken. For this reason, it is necessary to maintain a certain posture until the end of shooting can be confirmed, and there is a possibility that blinking may occur unfortunately, and there is a possibility that a natural smile cannot be taken.

  In addition, it is difficult to intuitively recognize that the battery voltage level is low during sensor cleaning, and the user may be worried about the imaging device being broken. It was.

(Object of invention)
An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that allows a user to accurately recognize the state of the imaging apparatus from visual information.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an imaging device having a light emission control means for controlling a light emission state of a light emitting device including a plurality of light emitters for irradiating a subject, Accordingly, the imaging apparatus includes notification control means for controlling the light emission control means so that the light emitter is notified of the state by visual information.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which can make a user recognize the state of an imaging device correctly with visual information can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention is as shown in Examples 1 and 2 below.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an image pickup apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is an MPU for controlling the system such as a photographing sequence, and 103 is an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS that converts reflected light from an object into an electrical signal. A timing signal generation circuit 102 generates a timing signal necessary for operating the image sensor 103, and an A / D converter 104 converts analog image data into digital image data. Reference numeral 105 denotes a memory controller for controlling the reading / writing of the memory and the refresh operation of the buffer memory 106. Reference numeral 107 denotes an image display unit that displays image data stored in the buffer memory, 108 denotes an interface for connection with a recording medium, and 109 denotes a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk.

  Reference numeral 110 denotes an EEPROM which writes adjustment data used when the MPU 101 controls camera operation and reads the stored data. Reference numeral 111 denotes a motor control circuit, which controls a motor (not shown) according to a signal from the MPU 101 during an exposure operation, thereby causing the mirror (not shown) to be raised and lowered and the shutter to be charged. Reference numeral 112 denotes a shutter control circuit, which cuts off energization of a shutter front curtain and a shutter rear curtain (not shown) in accordance with a signal from the MPU 101 and controls the exposure operation. 113 is a photometric circuit, and 114 is a multi-division photometric sensor that divides the screen into a plurality of areas.

  The photometry circuit 113 and the multi-division photometry sensor 114 are integrated circuits including a light receiving element such as a silicon photodiode and an amplifier that amplifies a photocurrent generated by the light receiving element. The light receiving portion of the multi-segment photometric sensor 114 is disposed so as to receive light in substantially the same range as the screen of a photosensitive member such as an image sensor or a film, and generates a predetermined photocurrent when the light hits it. The output of the photocurrent passes through a known logarithmic compression amplifier, and each output value is sequentially transmitted to the MPU 101.

  The MPU 101 converts the output from each element by the A / D converter 118, thereby treating the brightness of each part of the shooting range as a digital value, calculating the aperture value and calculating the shutter speed for shooting exposure adjustment. I do. In addition, when using the strobe, the luminance signal is output by the multi-segment photometric sensor 114 for both a steady state and a pre-lighted state where no pre-flash is emitted toward the subject with an external flash or a built-in flash, which will be described later. Is output. The MPU 101 converts this luminance signal by the A / D converter 118, and calculates the aperture value for adjusting the exposure of the flash photography, the shutter speed, and the flash main light emission amount at the time of exposure.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes a lens control circuit, which communicates with the MPU 101 via a lens mount contact (not shown), operates a lens drive motor and a lens aperture motor (not shown), and controls lens focus adjustment and aperture. A focus detection circuit 116 has a function of detecting a defocus amount with respect to a subject for AF (autofocus).

  Reference numeral 117 denotes a switch sense circuit that detects state signals of various switches. The various switches include a switch SW1 that is turned on at the first stroke of the release button to start photometry and AF, and a switch SW2 that is turned on at the second stroke of the release button to start an exposure operation. Furthermore, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer setting switch, an aperture setting switch, a shutter speed setting switch, a built-in flash pop-up switch, and the like, which are operation members of a camera (not shown), are included. The switch sense circuit 117 detects the state of these switches and sends a signal to the MPU 101. The D / A converter 119 in the MPU 101 outputs a comparator voltage for controlling the LED emission luminance.

  A strobe control unit 120 is a control unit for performing light emission processing such as a light emission pattern, light emission luminance, and light emission time. Reference numeral 121 denotes a light emitting unit of an external / internal strobe having a function of irradiating a subject and notifying the state (control state, operation state, etc.) of the image pickup apparatus.

  Next, a basic circuit diagram of the LED unit in the light emitting unit 121 of the external / internal strobe will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 2, 201 is a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) arranged, 202 is a constant current circuit, 203 is a power source, and 204 is an LED driver. The LED 201 and the constant current circuit 202 constitute an LED unit. Therefore, the number of LED units is equal to the number of LEDs 201.

  In the constant current circuit 202, a D / A converter 119 acquires a comparator voltage value that is an output value from the MPU 101. The current flowing through the LED 201 is variable depending on the voltage value, and the brightness level of the LED 201 can be adjusted. The LED driver 204 can convert data by serial communication from the MPU 101 and switch the switch ON / OFF to cut off the current source for the LED unit.

  In the first embodiment, the LED driver 204 and the light emitting unit 121 including a plurality of LED units are built in, and the built-in strobe and the external strobe have the same configuration.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the number of the LEDs 201 arranged in the light emitting section 121 is a number that is sufficient for strobe brightness and that can form a display of visual information using numerical values, pictures, characters, and the like. Good.

  Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 using FIGS.

  In step S101 of FIG. 4, when a self-timer setting button (not shown) is pressed, the MPU 101 displays a self-timer setting screen on the image display unit 107, and makes the user perform detailed setting of the self-timer. The detailed setting of the self-timer includes a waiting time until exposure, a blinking state, the number of retries when shooting is performed due to focusing failure, and the like. The MPU 101 reads the self-timer time and the number of retries set by the user and stores them in a built-in RAM (not shown).

  In the next step S102, the MPU 101 acquires information such as whether the external flash having the light emitting unit 121 described above is attached from the flash control unit 120. As a result, if an external strobe is attached and the power is on, the process proceeds to step S104, but if not attached or attached but the power is off, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, if the built-in strobe is retractable, the light emitting unit 121 is popped up to be in an exposed state and ready to emit light.

  In the next step S104, the MPU 101 determines whether or not the switch SW1 is turned on. If it is ON, the process proceeds to step S105 to start photometry and AF. If it is OFF, the MPU 101 waits in this step until it is turned ON. To do.

  If the switch SW1 is ON and the process proceeds to step 105, the MPU 101 drives the photometry circuit 113 and the multi-division photometry sensor 114 to start photometry. Then, the output value obtained by the multi-segment photometric sensor 114 is taken in, and the A / D converter 118 converts the luminance of each part of the photographing range into a digital value, and calculates the aperture value for adjusting the exposure of the photographing and the shutter speed. Perform the operation. Further, in order to adjust the luminance of the LED unit (LED), the comparator voltage setting value corresponding to the luminance level based on the photometric result is stored in the built-in RAM. The reason for adjusting the brightness level of the LED unit is that when shooting in a bright place such as daytime shooting, the display emitted from the LED 201 becomes difficult to see, and therefore the brightness level is increased when EV (exposure value) is high. When the EV is low, the brightness level is lowered to a range in which the display emitted from the LED 201 can be seen to save power. If the structure is equipped with multi-color LEDs, the emission color may be adjusted instead of the luminance.

  In the next step S106, the MPU 101 detects the defocus amount with respect to the subject for AF (autofocus) via the focus detection circuit 116, and proceeds to step S107 if the subject is in focus, or step if it is not in focus. Return to S104. However, in the case of a manual photographing method that allows photographing even when not in focus, the condition of step S106 is invalid.

  In the next step S107, the MPU 101 determines whether or not the switch SW2 is turned on. If the switch SW2 is on, the process proceeds to step S108 to start the exposure operation, and if it is off, the process returns to step S106.

  If the switch SW2 is ON and the process proceeds to step 108, the MPU 101 performs exposure control 1. That is, by controlling a motor (not shown), the mirror up (not shown) and the power supply to the shutter front curtain are cut off, the front curtain running control is started, and the exposure state is set. Then, in the next step S109, the timing signal generation circuit 102 starts outputting the charges accumulated in the image sensor 103, and the digital image data is stored in the buffer memory 106 by the A / D converter 104. Then, pupil detection processing is performed from the image data.

  Although there are various methods for the above-described pupil detection processing, in the first embodiment, by first extracting an area that is regarded as a skin color, first, an area that is considered to be the face of the subject is detected, and the detected face area is detected. On the other hand, assuming the position of the pupil, detection processing of the color component of the pupil is performed in the vicinity thereof. It is possible to identify the state of whether or not the subject is closed by the presence or absence of detection of the color component of the pupil. Then, the number of people whose eyes are not closed is stored in a RAM (not shown), and the image data stored in the buffer memory 106 is erased.

  Then, the countdown control for the self-timer is performed. The character display pattern is stored as a table in the ROM built in the MPU 101. For example, the light emitting unit 121 in which a plurality of LEDs 201 are arranged outputs a display of the numeral 3 by a total of 192 in a size of vertical × horizontal = 12 × 16 as shown in FIG. Then, the MPU 101 transfers the following data to the LED driver 204 by serial communication.

Num3 [12] [16] = {
{0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0}
{0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0}
{0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0}}
The LED driver 204 reads the data, and when each LED 201 is “1”, the switch is turned on, and when it is “0”, the switch is turned off. Then, the comparator voltage setting value acquired in step S105 is output using the D / A converter 119 to display characters.

  With the above processing, it is possible to notify the display of desired luminance and visual information from an external or built-in strobe having a light emitting unit 121 composed of a plurality of LED units.

  If the setting of the self-timer time is 5 seconds in step S101, for example, the countdown control in step S109 counts the timer built in the MPU 101 in increments of 1 second. Then, numerical display “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” based on visual load is performed by the above control in conjunction with the increment count. Further, the above pupil detection process is reprocessed in conjunction with the count. That is, each time counting proceeds, new image data is stored in the buffer memory 106, and pupil detection processing is performed from the image data. In this embodiment, since the self-timer time is set to 5 seconds, the same processing is performed 5 times. In the final pupil detection process, the largest value of the number of people whose eyes are not closed output in each pupil detection process is stored as EyeA in a RAM (not shown).

  In the next step S110, since the time has elapsed since the switch SW2 was turned on, the focus may be shifted. Therefore, the MPU 101 detects the defocus amount with respect to the subject and performs refocusing determination in the same manner as the control in step S106. However, in step S110, the process proceeds to step S111 regardless of in-focus / in-focus. The focus determination result is stored in a RAM (not shown).

  In the next step S111, the MPU 101 performs exposure control 2 (main exposure). The lens aperture value and exposure time in the exposure control 2 are in accordance with the aperture value and shutter speed obtained by the calculation in step S105. After the exposure is completed, the image data is stored in the buffer memory 106 as in step S108.

  In the next step S112, the MPU 101 performs again the pupil detection process described in step S109 using the image data stored in the buffer memory 106. The number of people who have not closed their eyes is called EyeB. When EyeA> EyeB, it is regarded as a blinking state and the process proceeds to step S114. Also, if the focus re-determination result acquired in step S110 is an out-of-focus determination, the process proceeds to step S114. If neither is the case, the process proceeds to step S113.

  In step S113, the MPU 101 displays (informs) the release display result A shown in FIG. 3B on the light emitting unit 121 by the same control as the countdown control in step S109. Finally, the energization of the rear curtain shutter is cut and the rear curtain travel is started. Thereafter, the front curtain / rear curtain shutter energization is performed, the front curtain / rear curtain shutter is returned to the original position, and the mirror is lowered. Then, the captured image data stored in the buffer memory 106 is recorded on the recording medium 109 via the recording medium I / F 108, and the process ends.

  Further, when the process proceeds from step S112 to step S114 because the blinking state or out-of-focus state has occurred, the MPU 101 sets the value of the number of retries when shooting is performed in the blinking state or in-focus state that has been set in advance in step S101. It is determined whether or not is 1 or more. If the result is 1 or more, the value is decremented by 1 and the process proceeds to step S116, and the release display result C shown in FIGS. 3 (d-1) and 3 (d-2) is displayed in time series on the light emitting unit 121 (notification) ) To return to step S108 and repeat the same operation.

  If it is determined in step S114 that the number of retries is 0, the process proceeds to step S115, and the release display result B shown in FIG. Finally, the energization of the rear curtain shutter is stopped and the rear curtain travel is started. Thereafter, the front curtain / rear curtain shutter energization is performed, the front curtain / rear curtain shutter is returned to the original position, and the mirror is lowered. Then, the captured image data stored in the buffer memory 106 is recorded on the recording medium 109 via the recording medium I / F 108, and the process ends.

  The imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment includes the following components. A light-emitting device (light-emitting unit 121) including a plurality of light-emitting bodies (LEDs 201) for irradiating a subject at the time of shooting is provided or attached externally. Furthermore, it has the light emission control means (strobe control part 120) which controls the light emission state of each light-emitting body of a light-emitting device. Furthermore, it has the alerting | reporting control means (MPU101) which alert | reports the state of an imaging device to a light-emitting body by visual information according to the state of an imaging device.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the visual information is a display with numerical values and characters (or may be a picture). In the first embodiment, the self-timer function status of the imaging apparatus, imaging failure, and the like are notified. An example is shown.

  Therefore, the state of the imaging device can be accurately notified to the user by visual display. Specifically, it is possible to cause the user to accurately recognize the moment when the image is shot, and to reduce the number of unsuccessful blinking photos.

  When the imaging apparatus is in the self-timer shooting state, the out-of-focus state or the blinking state is determined based on the autofocus information or the pupil detection information. And the result is alert | reported by visual information with a light-emitting device. Then, when it is regarded as a failed photo, re-photographing (retry shooting) is automatically performed. As a result, even if the eyes are closed at the time of shooting, it is possible to provide an imaging device that automatically performs retry shooting by regarding pupil detection information as a failed photo.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing an image pickup apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a rear view of the imaging apparatus, and the circuit configuration is the same as FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of the image pickup apparatus showing a state in which an external strobe is mounted or a built-in strobe is popped up and the state of the image pickup apparatus is notified with visual information by the light emitting unit.

  In the second embodiment, the image pickup apparatus is equipped with a sensor cleaning function for removing dust from the light receiving surface of the image sensor 103 in preparation for the case where dust adheres to the image sensor 103. An embodiment in which the state in the sensor cleaning mode is notified by the light emitting unit 121 of the external / internal strobe by visual information is shown. The operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 with reference to FIGS.

  In step S201 in FIG. 8, the MPU 101 determines whether the level of the power supply voltage (portable battery) is equal to or higher than Vb shown in FIG. 7, and if the voltage level is lower than Vb, the sensor cleaning is performed. Since it cannot start, it ends as it is. If the voltage level is equal to or higher than Vb, the process proceeds to step S202.

  In the next step S202, when the user presses the MENU button shown in FIG. 5, the MPU 101 displays a selection screen on the image display unit 107 as shown in FIG. Further, when the sensor is cleaned by the SELECT button and the YES button is pressed, the MPU 101 assumes that the sensor cleaning start is selected, and when the retractable built-in strobe is used, the light emitting unit 121 is popped up to be exposed (see FIG. (See FIG. 6). Then, the process proceeds to step S203.

  In the next step S203, the MPU 101 determines, for example, whether or not the switch SW2 is turned on by the second stroke of the release button 122 (see FIG. 5). If it is ON, the MPU 101 starts an operation for performing sensor cleaning. Then, the process proceeds to step S205. If it is OFF, the process proceeds to step S204.

  In step S204, the MPU 101 determines the state of a power switch for starting a camera (not shown). If it is OFF, the MPU 101 ends without performing the sensor cleaning operation. On the other hand, if it remains ON, the process proceeds to step S203, and the state of the switch SW2 is determined again.

  If it is determined in step S203 that the switch SW2 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S205 to perform sensor cleaning. The MPU 101 drives the motor via the motor control circuit 111 that performs mirror control, and the mirror is moved from the imaging optical path. Evacuate. When the mirror is completely retracted (mirror up is completed), the motor is stopped.

  When the mirror up is completed, the process proceeds to step S206, and the MPU 101 stops energization of the front curtain via the shutter control circuit 112. As a result, traveling of the front curtain is started. When the leading curtain travels in this way, the valve state is set, and the sensor cleaning operation can be started by removing the lens.

  Thereafter, the process is performed during the sensor cleaning operation. During the sensor cleaning operation, the shutter rear curtain is energized and held so that the rear curtain does not travel, so that a constant current is consumed from the power source.

  Therefore, in the next step S207, the MPU 101 checks the voltage level of the power supply. That is, it is determined whether or not the voltage level of the power source has decreased to less than Vb in FIG. 7, and when it becomes less than Vb, the process proceeds to step S211 to display an LED warning. If the voltage level has not dropped below Vb, the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S208, the MPU 101 determines whether or not a sensor cleaning operation end operation, that is, a power switch for starting a camera (not shown) has been turned off. If the power switch is not turned off, the process returns to step S207 and the same operation is repeated. On the other hand, if the sensor cleaning operation is finished (the power switch is turned off), the process proceeds to steps S209 and S210.

  In steps S209 and S210, the MPU 101 cuts off the energization of the rear curtain and starts the rear curtain running as the cleaning process ends. Then, after the trailing curtain travel is completed, the motor is driven via the motor control circuit 111 that performs mirror control, and the mirror enters the photographing optical path (mirror down). Then, when the mirror is completely down, the motor is stopped. Subsequently, the front curtain and the rear curtain are energized through the shutter control circuit 112, the front curtain and the rear curtain are returned to their original positions, and the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S207 that the voltage level of the power source has decreased to less than Vb in FIG. 7 during the sensor cleaning operation, the MPU 101 proceeds to step S211 as described above. In step S211, warning display 1 is performed. Specifically, when the voltage level of the power supply becomes lower than Vb during the sensor cleaning operation, a voltage level lowering warning display as shown in FIG. Since the lighting method (visual information display method) of the LED unit is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, in order to check the voltage level of the power supply while performing the above warning display 1, the process proceeds to step S212, and the MPU 101 determines the voltage level of the power supply. Here, it is determined whether or not the voltage level is lower than Vc in FIG. 6. If the voltage level is lower than Vc, the process proceeds to step S214 and subsequent steps to issue a final warning, and if the voltage level is not lower than Vc, the process proceeds to step S213. move on.

  If it is determined that the voltage level is not less than Vc and the process proceeds to step S213, the MPU 101 determines the end of the sensor cleaning operation. Since this determination is the same as the operation in step S208, details thereof are omitted. If the sensor cleaning operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S212. If it has been completed, the process proceeds to step S209 and the subsequent steps.

  Further, if the power supply voltage level is less than Vc during the sensor cleaning operation and the process proceeds to step S214, the MPU 101 drives the motor via the motor control circuit 111 that performs mirror control to lower the mirror. Then, when the mirror is completely down, the driving of the motor is stopped and the mirror down operation is terminated. As a result, the sensor cleaning operation is forcibly stopped.

  After the mirror is lowered, the process proceeds to step S 215, and the MPU 101 performs warning display 2 on the light emitting unit 121. Specifically, a countdown display is performed on the light emitting unit 121 such as “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” until the trailing curtain travels.

  After the countdown is completed, the process proceeds to step S216, where the MPU 101 cuts off the energization of the rear curtain shutter, starts the rear curtain travel, and then energizes the front curtain and the rear curtain shutter to return the front curtain and the rear curtain to the original. Return to position and exit.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the voltage level of the power supply decreases (decreases) during the sensor cleaning mode, a warning that the voltage level has decreased is notified by visual information. ing. As a result, the user can recognize that the remaining battery level has run out even during the sensor cleaning operation, and the rear curtain travels during the sensor cleaning operation and the shutter curtain is damaged. It becomes possible to prevent.

  It should be noted that the dimensions, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components exemplified in Examples 1 and 2 above should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. However, it is not limited to those examples.

It is the block diagram which showed the example of a structure of the imaging device concerning each Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of a light emitting unit of the external / internal strobe of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a warning display by the visual information in the light emission part of the external / internal strobe concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the self timer mode concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a rear view which shows the imaging device concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the warning display example by the visual information in the light emission part of the external / built-in flash concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the power supply voltage level which performs the warning display at the time of the sensor cleaning concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the sensor cleaning concerning Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 MPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 103 Image pick-up element 106 Buffer memory 107 Image display part 116 Focus detection circuit 117 Switch sense circuit 120 Strobe control part 121 Light emitting part of external / built-in strobe light 201 LED
202 Constant current circuit 203 Power supply 204 LED driver

Claims (9)

An imaging apparatus having a light emission control means for controlling a light emission state of a light emitting apparatus including a plurality of light emitters for irradiating a subject,
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a notification control unit that controls the light emission control unit so that the light emitter is notified of the state by visual information according to the state of the image pickup apparatus.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is an external strobe or a built-in strobe.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual information is information by a numerical value, a character, or a picture.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual information is notified in a state of a self-timer function.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual information is informed of a voltage state of a power supply during a cleaning mode of a light receiving surface of the imaging element.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual information is notified based on a determination result of image data acquired by photographing.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the visual information is used for re-photographing according to a determination result of image data acquired by photographing.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination of the image data is performed based on autofocus information.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination of the image data is performed based on pupil detection information.

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