JP2010177730A - Image capturing apparatus and method of controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image capturing apparatus capable of obtaining an image having an aspect ratio optimum for an external display apparatus without making a user conscious of itself, and to provide a method of controlling the same. <P>SOLUTION: The image capturing apparatus includes: an image sensor 221 for output of an object image as image data; a vertical/horizontal button 37, a menu button 35 and a crisscross button 32 for manually indicating vertical and horizontal positions and an aspect ratio of the image data; a back LCD 39 for displaying the object image at the vertical and horizontal positions and the aspect ratio in accordance with the indication based on the image data output from the image sensor 221; and a recording medium A285 for simultaneously recording the image data at the vertical and horizontal positions and the aspect ratio in accordance with the indication in imaging and image data at predetermined vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratio regardless of the indication. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging apparatus control method, and more particularly, to an imaging apparatus and an imaging apparatus control method that can change the aspect and the aspect ratio.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, imaging devices such as digital cameras have been proposed that can change the aspect ratio and aspect ratio. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrophotographic apparatus that can change the aspect ratio of an imaging screen without changing the orientation of the main body. In this electrophotographic apparatus, the effective imaging range in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is changed from the square image sensor by operating the vertical direction enlargement button or the horizontal direction enlargement button.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses an imaging apparatus that can capture a moving image and a still image with different aspect ratios. Patent Document 3 discloses an imaging apparatus that can simultaneously obtain a plurality of image signals having different aspect ratios. Patent Document 4 discloses an imaging device that captures moving images and still images with different aspect ratios. Patent Document 5 discloses an electronic camera capable of recording a plurality of pieces of image data having different sizes and image quality by one shooting.

JP 2002-176581 A JP 2006-148273 A JP 2006-109050 A JP 2006-033263 A JP 2001-024928 A

  In addition to printing image data shot by an imaging device such as a digital camera, the playback display means are variously diversified, such as being viewed on an external display device such as a personal computer or a high-definition television. In the case of reproduction on an external display device such as a high-definition television, it can be said that it is desirable to record image data with an aspect ratio optimum for the external display device. In this case, in addition to the aspect ratio and aspect ratio intended by the photographer, photographing at least two kinds of aspect ratios for reproduction display on an external display device requires photographing twice, which is very troublesome. Therefore, it is convenient to be able to shoot still images at two aspect ratios at the same time.

  However, the electrophotographic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider taking images at a plurality of aspect ratios at the same time. The imaging devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 4 are related to moving images and still images, and are not related to still images. Moreover, although the imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 3 relates to still images, it is a function of the element itself and does not perform fine settings. Furthermore, although the electronic camera disclosed in Patent Document 5 can capture images with different aspect ratios at one time, the setting is complicated by the user. That is, at least when shooting a still image with different aspect ratios of 2 or more, there is no one that takes an image suitable for the aspect ratio of an external display device such as a high-definition television.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an imaging apparatus and an imaging apparatus control method capable of obtaining an image having an optimum aspect ratio for an external display device without being conscious of a user. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is based on an imaging unit that outputs a subject image as image data, an operation unit that instructs the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data, and the instruction. A first image setting unit for setting the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit; and the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit regardless of the instruction. And a second image setting unit for setting the image to a predetermined mode.

  In the imaging device according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the imaging unit outputs image data of the entire image data output area, and the first image setting unit is configured to output the entire image data output area. By cropping from the image data, the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data is set, and the second image setting unit crops from the image data of the entire image data output area, thereby cutting the image data vertically and horizontally and / or Set the aspect ratio.

  In the imaging device according to a third aspect, in the first aspect, the imaging unit outputs image data of the entire image data output area, and the first image setting unit is configured to output the entire image data output area. The aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data is set by cutting out from the image data, and the second image setting unit cuts out the image data from the image data output by the first image setting unit. And / or set the aspect ratio.

An image pickup apparatus according to a fourth invention further includes a detection unit for detecting a specific region in the image data in the third invention, and the second image setting unit is configured such that the detected specific region is substantially the same. Cut out to be in the center.
In the imaging device according to a fifth invention, in the fourth invention, the detection unit detects a face of the subject, detects a focus point, or detects a center of the image data.
In the imaging device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fifth aspects of the invention, the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data set by the second image setting unit is approximately 16: 9 which is horizontally long.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a display unit that displays an image with the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio set by the first image setting unit.
An imaging apparatus according to an eighth invention is the imaging device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, wherein the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio image data set by the first image setting unit and the second image are set at the time of shooting. A recording unit configured to record image data having the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio set by the setting unit;

  An image pickup apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the invention includes an image pickup unit that outputs a subject image as image data, an operation unit that manually designates the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data, and image data output from the image pickup unit. The display unit displays the subject image with the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction, and the image data with the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction at the time of shooting. And an image recording unit that simultaneously records image data having a predetermined aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for an image pickup apparatus, wherein a subject image is output as image data, an instruction for the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data is input, and the aspect ratio of the image data and The aspect ratio is set, and the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit is set to a predetermined mode regardless of the instruction.

  An image pickup apparatus control method according to an eleventh aspect of the invention outputs a subject image as image data, inputs an instruction for the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data, and responds to the instruction based on the image data. The subject image is displayed in the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio, and the image data of the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction and the predetermined aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio are determined regardless of the instruction at the time of shooting. Simultaneously record the image data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging apparatus control method that can obtain an image with an aspect ratio optimum for an external display device without being conscious of the user.

1 is an external perspective view of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. It is the external appearance perspective view seen from the back side of the digital camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an electric circuit in the digital camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the image circle of an image pick-up element, vertical and horizontal position, and aspect ratio in the digital camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) shows the kind of vertical and horizontal position and aspect ratio employ | adopted in this embodiment, ( b) is a diagram showing a relationship between a TV output area as a sub-image and a main image area. 4 is a flowchart showing a power-on reset operation in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a photographing operation in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a setting change operation in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 5A is a flowchart of the setting change, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a relationship between vertical and horizontal positions and an aspect ratio. . FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of finder display in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a flowchart of finder display, (b) shows finder display in a horizontal position, and (c). Indicates the viewfinder display in the vertical position. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining an operation of live view display in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 5A is a flowchart of live view display, and FIG. 5B is a live view display at a horizontal position 4: 3. (C) shows live view display at the horizontal position 1: 9, (d) shows live view display at the vertical position 2: 3, and (e) shows live view display at the vertical position 9:16. Show the display. 3 is a flowchart showing a reproduction operation in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of main image LCD playback in the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the screen recorded simultaneously with the set aspect screen in the digital camera in 1st Embodiment of this invention. In the digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the relationship between the set main image and the image area of the sub-image. It is a flowchart which shows imaging | photography operation | movement in the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship of both images in the case of producing | generating a subimage area | region on the basis of the center coordinate of a main image in the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between both images in the case of producing | generating a subimage area | region on the basis of the face coordinate of a main image in the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. In the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the relationship between both images in the case of producing | generating a subimage area | region on the basis of the focus coordinate of a main image. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the set main image and the image area of a subimage in the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments using a digital camera to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital single-lens reflex camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the digital single-lens reflex camera viewed from the back side.

  A body mount 24 for mounting the interchangeable lens 100 is provided in the approximate center of the front surface of the camera body 200 shown in FIG. A communication contact 341 for connecting to the interchangeable lens 100 and performing communication is disposed at a position slightly behind the body mount 24. Further, the inside of the camera body 200 from the body mount 24 is a mirror box, and a movable mirror 201 and the like are arranged in the mirror box.

  In addition, a release button 21 is disposed on the upper part of the left-side grip portion of the camera body 200. The release button 21 has a first release switch that is turned on when the photographer is half-pressed and a second release switch that is turned on when the photographer is fully pressed. When the first release switch (hereinafter referred to as 1R) is turned on, the camera performs photographing operations such as focus detection, focusing of the photographing lens, and photometry of the subject brightness, and the second release switch (hereinafter referred to as 2R) is turned on. Based on the output of the image sensor 221 (see FIG. 3), an exposure operation for capturing image data of the subject image is executed.

  A front dial 22 is disposed on the front left grip portion of the camera body 200. The front dial 22 is rotatable in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction, and its rotation direction and rotation amount are detected and output.

  A built-in flash 50 for irradiating the subject with auxiliary light is housed in the upper part of the camera body 200. When the built-in flash 50 is in a pop-up state, the built-in flash 50 is in a use state, and the light emitting unit is positioned toward the subject.

  A control panel 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the camera body 200. The control panel 40 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays shooting information such as an aperture value and a shutter speed value for shooting.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a rear dial 23 is arranged on the upper right side of the back surface of the camera body 200. Similarly to the front dial 22, the rear dial 23 is also rotatable in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction, and the rotation direction and the rotation amount are detected and output.

  A live view display button (hereinafter referred to as LV display button) 31 is disposed below the rear dial 23. Live view display refers to displaying a subject image on a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor for subject image observation based on image data acquired by an image sensor. By operating this LV display button 31, the live view display mode is set, and when it is operated again, the live view display mode is canceled.

  A cross button 32 is disposed below the LV display button 31. This cross button 32 is composed of four buttons, an upper cross button, a lower cross button, a right cross button, and a left cross button. . An OK button 33 is disposed substantially at the center of the four cross buttons 32. The OK button 33 is an operation member for determining the item selected by the cross button 32.

  A power switch 34 is disposed below the cross button 32. The power switch 34 is an operation member for controlling execution of the camera operation of the camera. That is, the camera according to the present embodiment performs various operations when the power switch 34 is on, and does not perform camera operations when the power switch 34 is off.

  An eyepiece unit 38 is provided at the upper portion of the center of the back surface of the camera body 200, and an eyepiece lens 209 is disposed therein. The camera body 200 is a single-lens reflex camera. A finder optical system (see FIG. 3) such as a movable mirror 201 and a pentaprism 207 is arranged inside, and a subject light flux that has passed through the finder optical system is used as an eyepiece. 209. The photographer can optically observe the subject image through the eyepiece lens 209.

  A rear liquid crystal monitor (hereinafter referred to as rear LCD) 39 is disposed below the eyepiece 38. The rear LCD 39 is a display device for performing live view display, reproducing and displaying recorded subject images, and displaying shooting information and menus. Any liquid crystal display can be used as long as it can perform these displays. Further, in the present embodiment, the camera body 200 is disposed on the back surface, but is not limited to the back surface as long as the photographer can observe it.

  A menu button 35 is disposed below the rear LCD 39 and on the left side of the power switch 34. The menu button 35 is an operation member for setting and canceling the menu mode. The menu mode is a mode for performing various modes and other settings of the camera. When the menu mode is set, a menu is displayed on the rear LCD 39. The photographer selects a desired mode or the like from the menu display with the cross button 32 and confirms with the OK button 33.

  A playback button 36 is arranged on the left side of the menu button 35. The playback button 36 is an operation member that reads out image data recorded on a recording medium or the like and instructs a playback mode in which a subject image is played back and displayed on the rear LCD 39 based on the image data.

  On the left side of the playback button 36, a vertical / horizontal button 37 is arranged. The vertical / horizontal button 37 is an operation member for selecting either a vertical image or a horizontal image. As will be described later, the image pickup device 221 of the camera according to the present embodiment has a substantially square shape, and image data of a vertically long image or a horizontally long image is selected and displayed from image data output by the image pickup device. And recording on a recording medium.

  Next, an electric circuit of the digital single-lens reflex camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a block diagram shown in FIG. This digital single-lens reflex camera includes an interchangeable lens 100 and a camera body 200. In the present embodiment, the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 are configured separately and are electrically connected by the communication contact 341. However, the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 can be configured integrally. .

  Inside the interchangeable lens 100, a photographing optical system 101 for focus adjustment and focal length adjustment, and a diaphragm 103 for adjusting the aperture amount are arranged. The photographing optical system 101 is driven by an optical system driving mechanism 107, and the diaphragm 103 is driven by an aperture driving mechanism 109. The focus position (focus position) of the photographing optical system 101 driven by the optical system drive mechanism 107 is detected by the focus position detection mechanism 105, and the focal length of the optical system 101 is detected by the zoom position detection mechanism 106.

  The optical system drive mechanism 107, the aperture drive mechanism 109, the focus position detection mechanism 105, and the zoom position detection mechanism 106 are each connected to a lens CPU 111, and the lens CPU 111 is connected to the camera body 200 via a communication contact 341. ing.

  A lens ROM 113 and a lens RAM 115 are connected to the lens CPU 111. The lens ROM 113 is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory, and stores a program for causing the lens CPU 111 to execute, unique information of the interchangeable lens 100, and the like. The lens RAM 115 is an electrically rewritable volatile memory, and is a temporary storage area used for executing the above-described program.

  The lens CPU 111 controls the interchangeable lens 100. The lens CPU 111 controls the optical system driving mechanism 107 to perform focusing and zoom driving, and controls the diaphragm driving mechanism 109 to perform aperture value control. Further, the lens CPU 111 transmits the focal length and focal position information detected by the focus position detection mechanism 105 and the zoom position detection mechanism 106 to the camera body 200.

  In the camera body 200, a position tilted by 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis of the lens (the lowered position, the subject image observation position) in order to reflect the subject image to the observation optical system, and a subject image to be guided to the image sensor 221. A movable mirror 201 that can be rotated between the jumped up position (the raised position and the retracted position) is provided.

  Above the movable mirror 201, a focusing screen 204 for forming a subject image is disposed. Above the focusing screen 204, an entire liquid crystal plate (hereinafter referred to as an entire LCD) 205 is disposed. . The entire LCD 205 can partially control transmission and light shielding, and can guide the subject image to the finder optical system for any part of the subject image formed on the focusing screen 204.

  Above the entire LCD 205, a pentaprism 207 for horizontally inverting the subject image is arranged. An in-finder display device 206 is arranged along the front reflective surface of the pentaprism 207. The in-viewfinder display device 206 is composed of a liquid crystal display device or the like, and displays a field-of-view display, photographing information and the like superimposed on the optical viewfinder image, as will be described later. The in-finder display device 206 is connected to the in-finder display driving circuit 295, and is driven and controlled thereby.

  An eyepiece lens 209 for observing a subject image is disposed on the emission side (right side in FIG. 3) of the pentaprism 207, and a photometric sensor 211 is disposed on the side of the pentaprism 207 so as not to interfere with the observation of the subject image. The photometric sensor 211 is connected to a photometric processing circuit 212, and the output of the photometric sensor 211 is subjected to processing such as amplification and analog-digital conversion by the photometric processing circuit 212.

  Near the center of the movable mirror 201 described above is a half mirror, and on the back surface of the movable mirror 201, a sub mirror 203 for reflecting subject light transmitted through the half mirror portion to the lower part of the camera body 200 is provided. ing. The sub mirror 203 is rotatable with respect to the movable mirror 201. When the movable mirror 201 is flipped up (the position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3), the sub mirror 203 is rotated to a position that covers the half mirror portion. When in the observation position (lowering position), it is in an open position with respect to the movable mirror 201 as shown.

  This movable mirror 201 is driven by a mirror drive mechanism 239. A phase difference AF sensor 241 is disposed below the sub mirror 203, and an output of the phase difference AF sensor 241 is connected to the phase difference AF processing circuit 243. The phase difference AF sensor 241 is a known phase difference that separates the peripheral luminous flux of the photographing optical system 101 into two luminous fluxes in order to measure the defocus amount of the subject image formed by the photographing optical system 101. It consists of an AF optical system and a pair of sensors. Further, the phase difference AF sensor 241 can detect the focus at each of a plurality of points in the photographing screen.

  A focal plane type shutter 213 for controlling the exposure time is disposed behind the movable mirror 201, and this shutter 213 is driven and controlled by a shutter drive mechanism 237. An imaging element 221 is disposed behind the shutter 213 and photoelectrically converts a subject image formed by the photographing optical system 101 into an electrical signal. Needless to say, a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) can be used as the image sensor 221.

  The image sensor 221 is connected to the image sensor drive circuit 223, and the image sensor drive circuit 223 reads an image signal from the image sensor 221. The image sensor driving circuit 223 is connected to a preprocessing circuit 225. The preprocessing circuit 225 performs preprocessing for image processing such as pixel thinning processing for live view display and clipping processing for enlarged display. Do.

  A dust filter 215 and an infrared cut filter / low pass filter 217 are disposed between the shutter 213 and the image sensor 221. A piezoelectric element is fixed around the dustproof filter 215, and this piezoelectric element is vibrated with ultrasonic waves by a dustproof filter driving circuit 235. The dust adhering to the dust filter 215 is removed by the vibration wave generated in the piezoelectric element.

  The infrared cut filter / low pass filter 217 is an optical filter for removing the infrared light component and the high frequency component from the subject light flux. The dust-proof filter 215, the infrared cut filter / low-pass filter 217, and the image sensor 221 are integrally formed in an airtight manner so that dust and the like do not enter. The integrated image sensor 221 and the like can be moved by the shift mechanism 233 along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the image pickup surface of the image sensor 221, respectively.

  The camera shake sensor 229 is an angular acceleration sensor or the like that detects vibration caused by camera shake or the like applied to the camera body 200, and this output is connected to the camera shake correction circuit 230. The camera shake correction circuit 230 generates a camera shake correction signal for removing vibrations such as camera shake, and the output of the camera shake correction circuit 230 is connected to the shift mechanism drive circuit 231.

  The shift mechanism drive circuit 231 inputs a camera shake correction signal, and drives the shift mechanism 233 based on this signal. By this shift mechanism 233, the image sensor 221 and the like are moved so as to cancel vibrations such as camera shake applied to the camera body 200, thereby performing vibration isolation.

  The tilt sensor 227 detects angular acceleration about three axes and outputs a value corresponding to the tilt of the camera body 200. The inclination detection circuit 228 is connected to the inclination sensor 227, and obtains the inclination state from the steady state value of the inclination sensor 227 and the acceleration from the change amount of the inclination sensor 227, and outputs these values.

  The light source sensor 244 is a sensor for detecting a light source of ambient light of a subject such as a fluorescent lamp or sunlight. The light source processing circuit 245 is connected to the light source sensor 244 and outputs light source data corresponding to the light source. The illuminance sensor 246 is a sensor for measuring the illuminance on the camera 200. The illuminance processing circuit 247 is connected to the illuminance sensor 246 and outputs illuminance data corresponding to the illuminance.

  The remote control reception sensor 248 is an infrared sensor for receiving a remote control command by infrared rays or the like from a remote control device (not shown). The remote control reception processing circuit 249 is connected to the remote control reception sensor 248, inputs a signal from this sensor, and outputs a remote control signal.

The pre-processing circuit 225 described above is an ASIC (Application Specific
Integrated Circuit is connected to a data bus 252 in an application-specific integrated circuit) 250, and is connected to each circuit in the ASIC 250 via the data bus 252. The preprocessing circuit 225 is also connected to the contrast AF circuit 253 and the AE circuit 255.

  The contrast AF circuit 253 extracts a high frequency component based on the image signal output from the preprocessing circuit 225, and outputs contrast information based on the high frequency component to the body CPU 251. Note that the contrast AF circuit 253 can extract the entire region in the screen when extracting the high-frequency component. The AE circuit 255 outputs photometric information corresponding to the subject brightness to the body CPU 251 based on the image signal output from the preprocessing circuit 225.

  The body CPU 251 connected to the data bus 252, the contrast AF circuit 253, and the AE circuit 255 controls the operation of the digital single-lens reflex camera according to the program stored in the flash memory 277.

  In addition to the body CPU 251, the data bus 252 includes an image processing circuit 257, a compression / decompression circuit 259, a video signal output circuit 261, a switch detection circuit 268, an input / output circuit 271, a communication circuit 273, a flash memory control circuit 275, and an SDRAM control circuit. 279, a recording medium control circuit 283, and a dial detection circuit 289 are connected.

  The image processing circuit 257 performs various types of image processing such as digital amplification (digital gain adjustment processing) of digital image data, color correction, gamma (γ) correction, contrast correction, and live view display image generation. Further, it is possible to detect whether or not a person's face is included using the image data and the coordinates of the position of the face when it is included. The compression / decompression circuit 259 is a circuit for compressing the image data temporarily stored in the SDRAM 281 by a compression method such as JPEG or TIFF and decompressing the data for display. Note that image compression is not limited to JPEG or TIFF, and other compression methods can be applied.

  The video signal output circuit 261 is connected to the rear LCD 39 via the LCD driving circuit 263, and can be connected to the external display device 330 via the contact 330a. The video signal output circuit 261 is a circuit for converting image data stored in the SDRAM 281, the recording medium A 285, and the recording medium B 287 into a video signal for display on the rear LCD 39 or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear LCD 39 is disposed on the rear surface of the camera body 200. However, the rear LCD 39 is not limited to the rear surface and may be another display device as long as the photographer can observe.

  Various switches including a 1R switch for detecting the first stroke (half press) of the shutter release button 21, a 2R switch for detecting the second stroke (full press), and a live view display switch that is turned on by operating the live view display button 31. 269 is connected to the data bus 252 via the switch detection circuit 268. Other various switches 269 include a menu switch linked to the menu button 35, a playback switch linked to the playback button 36, a vertical / horizontal switch linked to the vertical / horizontal button 37, and a power switch 34. Various interlocking switches are included.

  The dust filter driving circuit 235, the shutter driving mechanism 237, the phase difference AF processing circuit 243, the mirror driving mechanism 239, the light source processing circuit 245, the illuminance processing circuit 247, the remote control reception processing circuit 249, the tilt detection circuit 228, and the shift mechanism driving circuit described above. The input / output circuit 271 connected to the photometric processing circuit 212 controls input / output of data to / from each circuit such as the body CPU 251 via the data bus 252. The input / output circuit 271 is also connected to an LCD orientation detection circuit 265, a charging circuit 301, and a flash light emission circuit 303, which will be described later.

  A communication circuit 273 connected to the lens CPU 111 via a communication contact 341 is connected to the data bus 252 and exchanges data and communicates control commands with the body CPU 251 and the like.

  The flash memory control circuit 275 is connected to a flash memory 277. The flash memory 277 stores a program for controlling the operation of the digital single-lens reflex camera. As described above, the body CPU 251 The digital single-lens reflex camera is controlled according to the program stored in the flash memory 277. Note that the flash memory 277 is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory.

  The SDRAM 281 is connected to the data bus 252 via the SDRAM control circuit 279, and the SDRAM 281 temporarily stores the image data processed by the image processing circuit 257 or the image data compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 259. This is a buffer memory.

  A recording medium control circuit 283 connected to the data bus 252 is connected to the recording medium A 285 and the recording medium B 287, and controls recording of image data and the like on these recording media A 285 and B 287 and reading of the image data and the like.

  Recording medium A285 and recording medium B287 are loaded with any of rewritable recording media such as xD Picture Card (registered trademark), CompactFlash (registered trademark), SD Memory Card (registered trademark) or Memory Stick (registered trademark). It is configured so that it can be attached to and detached from the camera body 200. In addition, the hard disk may be configured to be connectable via a communication contact. Note that the recording media A285 and B287 are the same type of recording media, and combinations such as combinations with different storage capacities and combinations of different types of recording media are free.

  The dial detection circuit 289 is connected to the front dial 22 and the rear dial 23, respectively, and detects the rotation direction and the rotation amount of each dial.

  In the camera main body 200, a power supply circuit 291 for supplying power to each circuit and each mechanism in the main body is provided. A built-in battery 292 and an external power supply 293 can be connected to the power supply circuit 291.

  The LCD orientation detection circuit 265 detects the orientation of the rear LCD 39. That is, the rear LCD 39 can change its orientation to a vertical position or a horizontal position, detects this orientation, and transmits it to the body CPU 251 via the input / output circuit 271.

  A control panel drive circuit 297 is connected to the control panel 40 described above, and the control panel drive circuit 297 is connected to the body CPU 251. The body CPU 251 displays shooting information and the like on the control panel 40 via the control panel drive circuit 297.

  The built-in flash 50 disposed in the camera body 200 includes a charging circuit 301, a flash light emitting circuit 303, a light emitting tube 305, and the like. The charging circuit 301 receives power supply from the battery 292, the external power supply 293 or the like, boosts the voltage, and charges it. The flash light emission circuit 303 performs light emission control such as applying a voltage boosted by the charging circuit 301 to the light emission tube 305 at a predetermined timing.

  The external flash 310 is an external flash device, and is connected to the camera body 200 via the contacts 310a and 310b. In the external flash 310, a flash CPU 311, a charging circuit 313, a flash light emission circuit 315, an arc tube 317, a reflector 318, and a zoom drive circuit 319 are disposed.

  The flash CPU 311 controls the external flash 310, and communicates with the body CPU 251 via the contact 310b and the communication circuit 273. The charging circuit 313 boosts the voltage of the power supply battery loaded in the external flash 310 and charges it. The flash light emission circuit 315 emits light in response to a light emission command received via the body CPU 251 and the contact 310a. The zoom drive circuit 319 drives and controls the distance between the arc tube 317 and the reflection shade 318 according to the focal length of the photographing optical system 101, and controls the irradiation angle according to the focal length of the photographing optical system 101 and the like. .

  The external device 320 is a device such as a personal computer (PC), and communicates with the body CPU 251 via the contact 320a and the communication circuit 273. The external display device 330 is a display device such as a 16: 9 horizontally long high-definition television, and is connected to the video signal output circuit 261 through the contact 330a. A display device drive circuit 331 and a display device 333 are disposed inside the external display device 330. Based on the video signal from the video signal output circuit 261, the display device driving circuit 331 displays a recorded image or the like on the display device 333.

  Next, the aspect and aspect ratio in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The imaging surface of the image sensor 221 has a substantially square shape, and an image is obtained in the image sensor 221 and in the image circle 120. The aspect ratio at this time is called the aspect ratio. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, four aspect ratios of 4: 3 horizontal length, 4: 3 vertical length, 16: 9 horizontal length, and 16: 9 vertical length are employed. Of course, a different aspect ratio may be adopted. The aspect ratio described here can be changed by a setting change subroutine in FIG. Based on the set aspect ratio, valid image data (image data output area) is selected by the preprocessing circuit 225 and the image processing circuit 257 from the image data output from the image sensor driving circuit 223. The

  In the present embodiment, a setting change subroutine (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, among 4: 3 landscape, 4: 3 portrait, 16: 9 landscape, 16: 9 portrait, as shown in FIG. ) Is the main image 122 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the image data output area is set accordingly. Also, the image data output area is set with the screen aspect ratio of the external display device 330 (16: 9 landscape image in the present embodiment) as a TV (television) output sub-image 124. That is, the optical viewfinder and the rear LCD 39 of the camera body 200 are displayed with the aspect ratio set as the main image 122, and image data is acquired with the aspect ratio of the main image 122 and the aspect ratio of the sub-image 124 at the time of shooting. This is recorded on the recording medium A285 or the recording medium 287B.

  Next, the operation in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 5 shows a power-on reset operation by the body CPU 251 on the camera body 200 side. When the battery 292 is loaded in the camera body 200 or the external power source 293 is connected, this flow starts. First, it is determined whether the power switch 34 of the camera body 200 is on (# 1). If the result of determination is that the power switch 34 is off, the sleep state, which is a low power consumption state, is entered (# 3).

  In this sleep state, interrupt processing is performed only when the power switch 34 is turned on, and processing for power-on is performed in step # 5 and subsequent steps. Until the power switch 34 is turned on, operations other than the power switch interrupt processing are stopped to prevent the power battery from being consumed.

  In step # 1, when the power switch 34 is turned on, or when the sleep state is canceled in step # 3, power supply is started (# 5). Next, a dust removing operation is performed in the dust filter 215 (# 7). In this step, a driving voltage is applied from the dust filter driving circuit 235 to the piezoelectric element fixed to the dust filter 215, and dust and the like are removed by ultrasonic vibration waves.

  Next, if there is information such as the shooting mode set by the front dial 22 or the rear dial 23, ISO sensitivity, manually set shutter speed or aperture value, the shooting mode and shooting conditions are read (#). 9). At this time, the lens CPU 111 also reads lens information such as the aperture stop and focal length information of the interchangeable lens 100 via the communication circuit 273.

  Once the shooting mode or the like has been read, it is next determined whether or not live view is being performed (# 11). The live view display of the digital single lens reflex camera according to this embodiment is set to the live view display mode when the LV display button 31 is operated once, and the live view display mode is canceled when the LV display button 31 is operated again.

  If the result of determination in step # 11 is not live view display mode, that is, in the case of optical viewfinder display mode, finder photometry (F metering) and exposure amount calculation are performed (# 13). When not in the live view display mode, the movable mirror 201 is in the lowered state, and reflects the subject light flux that has passed through the photographing optical system 101 to the finder optical system such as the pentaprism 207. Therefore, the subject luminous flux enters the photometric element 211, and photometry can be performed.

  When metering is performed by finder metering, an exposure value such as an aperture value and a shutter speed for obtaining proper exposure is calculated based on the subject luminance obtained at this time. The exposure amount is calculated according to the shooting mode and shooting conditions set in step # 9.

  Once the exposure amount is calculated, the finder display is then performed (# 15). The viewfinder display is performed by the in-finder display device 206, and the shooting range according to the set aspect ratio and aspect ratio, and the shooting conditions such as the aperture value and the shutter speed, which are calculated or set manually, are displayed. The aperture value and shutter speed value based on the calculated exposure amount, or these manually set values are also displayed on the control panel 40. Details of this finder display subroutine will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Subsequently, the live view display is turned off (# 17). When the live view display mode is switched to the optical viewfinder display mode, the live view display is turned off here. If the live view display mode is canceled and the optical viewfinder display is repeated, the live view display is turned off, and this step is skipped.

  If the result of determination in step 11 is that live view display mode has been set, the movable mirror 201 is retracted (# 31), and the shutter 213 is opened (# 33). In the live view display mode, the subject image is displayed on the rear LCD 39 based on the image data from the image sensor 221, so the movable mirror 201 is retracted and the shutter 213 so that the subject image is formed on the image sensor 221. Is released. Note that steps # 31 and # 33 are skipped after the live view display is started.

  Subsequently, imager photometry (I photometry) and exposure amount calculation are performed (# 35). When the live view display mode is entered, the movable mirror 201 is retracted from the optical path of the photographing optical system 101, and the subject luminous flux does not enter the photometric element 211. Therefore, the subject brightness is measured by the AE circuit 255 based on the image data from the image sensor 221.

  Based on the measured subject brightness, an exposure amount such as an aperture value and a shutter speed for obtaining proper exposure is calculated. Note that the exposure amount is calculated according to the shooting mode and shooting conditions set in step # 9, as in step # 13. Further, the aperture value and shutter speed value based on the exposure amount calculated here, or these manually set values are displayed on the rear LCD 39 and the control panel 40.

  Subsequently, live view display is performed (# 37). In the live view display, image processing such as thinning out the number of pixels is performed by the pre-processing circuit 225 and the image processing circuit 257 based on the image data from the image sensor 221, and the subject image is displayed on the rear LCD 39 as a moving image. Every time image data is read from the image sensor 221, the subject image is updated.

  Once live view display is performed, the viewfinder display is turned off (# 39). When the optical viewfinder display mode is switched to the live view display mode, the viewfinder display is turned off here. Note that when the mode is switched to the live view display mode and the live view display is repeatedly performed, the finder display is turned off, and this step is skipped.

  When the live view display in step # 17 is turned off or the viewfinder display in step # 39 is turned off, it is determined whether or not an operation with the operation member has been performed (# 19). In this step, it is determined by the switch detection circuit 268 whether any one of the 1R switch, the setting switch (menu switch), the reproduction switch, and the power switch has been operated.

  If the result of determination in step # 19 is that there has been no operation, processing returns to step # 11 and the aforementioned operation is executed. On the other hand, if the result of determination is that operation has been performed, it is next determined whether or not the release button 21 has been half-pressed, that is, whether or not the 1R switch is on (# 21).

  If the result of determination in step # 21 is that the 1R switch is on, a shooting operation subroutine for shooting preparation and shooting is executed (# 41). Details of this subroutine will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the result of determination in step # 21 is that the 1R switch is not on, or if a shooting operation has been executed in step # 41, it is next determined whether or not the setting switch is on. In this step, it is determined whether or not the menu button (setting button) 35 or the like is operated and the menu mode (setting mode) is set.

  If the result of determination in step # 23 is menu mode (setting mode), the setting is changed (# 43). In this setting change subroutine, various modes such as the aspect change mode can be set, and various processes are performed according to the set menu. Details of this subroutine will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the result of determination in step # 23 is that the setting switch is not on, or if the setting change subroutine in step # 43 is executed, it is next determined whether or not the regeneration switch is on (# 25). If the result of this determination is that the regeneration switch is on, regeneration operation is executed (# 45). In the reproduction operation, the image data recorded on the recording medium A285 or the recording medium B287 is read and reproduced and displayed on the rear LCD 39 or the external display device 330. Details of the subroutine of the reproduction operation will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the result of determination in step # 25 is that the regeneration switch is not on, or if the regeneration operation subroutine in step # 45 is executed, it is next determined whether or not the power switch 34 is on (# 27). . If the result of this determination is that the power switch 34 is on, processing returns to step # 11 and the aforementioned operation is executed.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 27 is that the power switch is not on, power supply is stopped (# 29), processing returns to step # 3, and the aforementioned sleep state is entered.

  Next, the shooting operation subroutine in step # 41 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the shooting operation subroutine is entered, it is first determined whether or not the live view display mode is set as in step # 11 (# 51). If the result of this determination is not live view display mode, a phase difference AF subroutine is executed (# 53). In this phase difference AF subroutine, the focal shift direction and the focal shift amount of the photographic optical system 101 are detected based on a known phase difference method using two light beams that have passed through the periphery of the photographic optical system 101. Then, the photographing optical system 101 is driven to the in-focus position using the detected defocus direction and defocus amount.

  When phase difference AF is completed, finder photometry and exposure amount calculation are then performed in the same manner as in step # 13 (# 55). The aperture value and shutter speed value based on the exposure amount calculated here, or these manually set values are displayed on the in-finder display device 206 and the control panel 40.

  If the result of determination in step # 51 is live view display mode, the imager AF subroutine is executed (# 57). In the live view display mode, the movable mirror 201 is in the retracted position from the optical path of the photographing optical system 101, and distance measurement by phase difference AF cannot be performed. Therefore, imager AF is performed based on the image data from the image sensor 221. In this imager AF subroutine, drive control of the imaging optical system 101 is performed so that the high-frequency component of the image data output from the contrast AF circuit 253 has a peak value.

  Once imager AF has been carried out, imager photometry and exposure amount calculation are carried out in the same manner as in step # 35 (# 59). The aperture value and shutter speed value based on the calculated exposure amount, or these manually set values are displayed on the rear LCD 39 and the control panel 40.

  After performing finder photometry and exposure calculation in step # 55 or imager photometry in step # 59, it is next determined whether or not the release button 21 has been fully pressed, that is, whether or not the 2R switch is on (#). 61). If the result of this determination is that the 2R switch is not on, it is determined whether or not the 1R switch is on (# 63).

  If the result of determination in step # 63 is that the 1R switch is not on, the photographer's finger has been released from the release button 21, so the shooting operation subroutine is terminated, and the flow returns to the original flow. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 63 is that the 1R switch is on, since at least the photographer's finger is on the release button 21, the process returns to step # 61, and this step and step # 63 are performed. It will be in the standby state judged alternately.

  If the result of determination in step # 61 is that the 2R switch is on, the release button 21 is fully pressed and the operation proceeds to exposure. First, as in steps # 11 and # 51, it is determined whether or not the live view display mode is set (# 65). If the result of this determination is not live view display mode, the movable mirror 201 is retracted (# 67). In the live view display mode, that is, in the optical viewfinder display mode, the movable mirror 201 is in the lowered position, and therefore the movable mirror 201 is retracted to guide the subject light flux to the image sensor 221.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 65 is live view display mode, the shutter 213 is closed (# 91). In the live view display mode, the movable mirror 201 is in the retracted position, and the shutter 213 remains open. Since the shutter 213 needs to be charged when performing the exposure operation, the shutter 213 is temporarily closed.

  If the movable mirror is retracted in step # 67 or the shutter is closed in step # 91, the diaphragm 103 is then moved down (# 69). In this step, a stop instruction is given to the lens CPU 111 so that the aperture value obtained based on the exposure amount calculation or the manually set aperture value is obtained.

  Subsequently, an exposure operation is performed (# 71). In this step, the front curtain of the shutter 213 is driven and charge accumulation is started in the image sensor 221. When a predetermined time elapses, the rear curtain of the shutter 213 is caused to travel and the charge accumulation in the image sensor 221 is terminated.

  When the exposure operation is completed, the aperture 103 is then opened (# 73). That is, the body CPU 251 transmits an instruction to the lens CPU 111 so that the aperture 103 becomes the full aperture value.

  When the aperture is opened, it is next determined whether or not the live view display mode is set (# 75), as in steps # 11, # 51, and # 65. If the result of this determination is not live view display mode, the movable mirror 201 is returned (# 77). That is, since the movable mirror 201 has been retracted from the optical path of the photographing optical system 101 in step # 67, it is lowered so as to be inserted into the optical path.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 75 is live view display mode, the shutter 213 is opened (# 93). That is, in order to restart the live view display, the front curtain of the shutter 213 is run and the shutter is opened in order to guide the subject light flux from the photographing optical system 101 to the image sensor 221.

  If the movable mirror is returned in step # 77 or the shutter is opened in step # 93, all images are read (# 78). In this step, the image sensor drive circuit 223 reads out image signals from all pixels of the image sensor 221 having a square shape.

  Subsequently, main image processing is performed (# 80). That is, the image data output area corresponding to the main image 122 (see FIG. 4B) from the image signal read from the image sensor 221 is preprocessed by the preprocessing circuit 225, the image processing circuit 257, the compression / decompression circuit 259, and the like. Various image processing is performed. The main image 122 is an image in the image data output area based on the aspect ratio set by the setting change subroutine (see FIG. 7). In this image processing, image data is created according to the set aspect ratio, image size, and compression rate.

  Subsequently, sub-image processing for TV output is performed (# 82). Here, a preprocessing circuit 225, an image processing circuit 225, and an image processing for an image data output area corresponding to the TV output sub-image area 124 (see FIG. 4B) from the image read from the image sensor 221. Various image processing is performed by the circuit 257, the compression / decompression circuit 259, and the like. Sub-image data for TV output includes, for example, full high-definition 1920 × 1080, high-definition 1280 × 720, conventional television 640 × 480, etc., which are initially set and changed in the menu mode. Keep it.

  Once TV sub-image processing has been carried out, next image recording is carried out (# 83). In the image recording, the image data in the image data output area of the main image and the sub image subjected to the image processing in steps # 80 and # 82 is recorded on the recording medium A285 or the recording medium B287 by the recording medium control circuit 283. When this image recording is completed, the original flow is restored.

  Next, the setting change subroutine in step # 43 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Various settings can be changed in the menu mode, but the flowchart shown in FIG. 7A shows only a part thereof.

  That is, the flow shown in FIG. 7A shows a case where the mode for changing the aspect ratio is selected by operating the operation members such as the cross button 32 and the vertical / horizontal button 37 in the upper setting change flow.

  If the setting change flow shown in FIG. 7A is entered, it is first determined whether or not an aspect change operation has been performed (# 101). This aspect change operation is performed by selecting the aspect change by operating the cross button 32 on the menu screen of the rear LCD 39 and determining the selected aspect ratio by the OK button 33.

  If the result of determination in step # 101 is that the aspect setting has been changed, the aspect setting is changed (# 103). That is, each time the right cross button of the cross buttons 32 is operated, the aspect ratio is sequentially changed to 4: 3, 3: 2, 16: 9 as shown in FIG. 7B. When the left cross button is operated, the order is changed in the reverse order.

  When the aspect setting change in step # 103 is completed, or if the result of determination in step # 101 is that an aspect change operation has not been performed, it is next determined whether or not a vertical / horizontal position change operation has been performed (#). 105). In this step, it is determined whether or not the vertical / horizontal button 37 has been operated.

  If the result of determination in step # 105 is that a vertical / horizontal position change operation has been performed, vertical / horizontal setting change is performed (# 107). Here, as shown in FIG. 7B, when 4: 3 landscape is set, the setting is changed to 3: 4 portrait. If 3: 2 landscape is set, the setting is changed to 2: 3 portrait, and if it is set to 16: 9 landscape, the setting is changed to 9:16 portrait.

  If the setting is changed in step # 107 or if the result of determination in step # 105 is that the vertical / horizontal position change operation has not been performed, the process returns to the original flow.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the aspect ratio and the vertical / horizontal position can be changed. When the vertical / horizontal position and the aspect ratio are changed, the preprocessing circuit 225 and the image processing circuit 257 change the effective range of the image data read from the image sensor 221 according to this setting. For this reason, it is possible to shoot on a screen corresponding to the vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio of the screen of the playback device, and it is possible to shoot even a frame suitable for the subject.

  In other words, as described in steps # 82 and # 83 (see FIG. 6), the TV output sub-image is also recorded in the image recording at the time of shooting. Therefore, when observing the subject image before shooting, the main image 122 corresponding to the set vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratio as shown in the upper part of FIG. On the optical viewfinder, a ruled line or the like indicating a shooting frame is displayed assuming a main image corresponding to the vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratio as shown in the upper part of FIG. At the time of shooting, image data of the main image 122 corresponding to the set vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio as shown in the lower part of FIG. 12 and image data corresponding to the TV output sub-image 124 are recorded.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when a 4: 3 landscape image is set as the main image 122, the main image 122 and the TV output sub-image 124 of a 16: 9 landscape image are simultaneously captured in one shooting. To be recorded. The user uses the image data of the main image 122 when printing, and displays a 16: 9 horizontally long TV output sub-image when displaying on the external display device 330 such as a television. be able to. In other words, it is possible to display in the vertical / horizontal position and the aspect ratio according to each reproducing means.

  In this embodiment, the aspect change operation is performed on the setting screen (menu screen), and the vertical / horizontal position is changed by operating the vertical / horizontal button 37. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both buttons may be provided with an operation button, and conversely, both operations may be performed on the setting screen (menu screen) without providing an operation button. It doesn't matter. In addition to changing the aspect ratio and the vertical / horizontal direction using the operation member, for example, the camera body 200 may be changed based on the detection output of the tilt sensor 227 according to the operation of shaking the camera body 200.

  Next, the finder display subroutine in step # 15 will be described with reference to FIG. In this finder display, the subject image is optically displayed by an optical finder, and in this case, shooting information and a shooting range are displayed.

  When the flow of finder display shown in FIG. 8A is entered, first, driving of the information display liquid crystal is started (# 121). In this step, driving of the information display liquid crystals 206a and 206b of the in-finder display device 206 is started (# 121). The information display liquid crystals 206a and 206b have a photographing mode such as a program photographing mode (P), a shutter speed (“250” in the drawing), an aperture value (“F5.6” in the drawing), and exposure correction (in the drawing). “+0.7”), the flash status and the like are displayed. In this step, the information display liquid crystals 206a and 206b are started to be driven. However, since the backlight is not lit, the photographer cannot visually recognize at this stage.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the horizontal position is selected (# 123). Since the vertical position or the horizontal position can be set by the vertical / horizontal button 37, the determination is made in this step based on the vertical / horizontal setting state. Since the vertical position and the horizontal position change alternately each time the vertical / horizontal button 37 is operated, the latest setting state is confirmed in this flow.

  If the result of determination in step # 123 is that the horizontal position has been selected, the horizontal position liquid crystal backlight is turned on (# 125). When this laterally positioned liquid crystal backlight is turned on, as shown in FIG. 8B, the information display liquid crystal 206a is illuminated, and the photographing information arranged in a horizontal row can be visually recognized.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 123 is that the horizontal position has not been selected, the vertical position liquid crystal backlight is turned on (# 127). When this vertical position liquid crystal backlight is turned on, the information display liquid crystal 206b is illuminated as shown in FIG. 8C, and the photographing information arranged in a vertical line can be visually recognized.

  When the horizontal position liquid crystal backlight is turned on in step # 125 or the vertical position liquid crystal backlight is turned on in step # 127, the selected aspect ruled line is turned on (# 129). In this step, according to the set aspect ratio and vertical / horizontal position, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, ruled lines 206c and 206d indicating the photographing range are displayed on the entire LCD 205. That is, when the horizontal position is set, as shown in FIG. 8B, two ruled lines above and below the ruled line 206c are displayed, and when the vertical position is set, FIG. As shown in c), two ruled lines on the left and right of the ruled line 206d are displayed. The ruled lines 206c and 206d displayed here are performed based on the set image data output area in steps # 103 and # 107.

  When the selected aspect ruled line is turned on, the original flow is restored. Thus, in the present embodiment, the display position of the shooting information is changed according to the vertical position or the horizontal position. In addition, the shooting range is displayed by ruled lines 206c and 206d in the optical viewfinder. For this reason, even if the vertical position, horizontal position, and aspect ratio are changed, the shooting range and necessary shooting information can be confirmed in the optical viewfinder, which is very convenient.

  In the present embodiment, the shooting range is indicated by a ruled line, but it is of course possible to allow only the shooting range to be transmitted by the full-screen LCD 205 and to block light outside the shooting range. When only the ruled lines are transmitted as in the present embodiment and the other lines are transmitted, it is possible to observe the surroundings other than the shooting range, and when only the shooting range is transmitted, only the completed image is displayed. It can be easily grasped.

  Next, the live view display subroutine in step # 37 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, this subroutine displays a subject image on the rear LCD 39 based on the image data from the image sensor 221.

  In the live view display flow shown in FIG. 9A, first, the selected aspect display coordinates are set (# 131). In this step, coordinates indicating a range to be displayed as a subject image are set based on the set vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio information.

  Subsequently, the outside of the image area is painted black (# 133). In this step, based on the display coordinates set in step # 131, as shown in FIGS. 9B to 9E, the outside of the image area is painted black, that is, outside the image display area. 9B is a 4: 3 landscape image, FIG. 9C is a 16: 9 landscape image, FIG. 9D is a 2: 3 portrait image, and FIG. 9E is 9:16. This is an area showing a vertically long image.

  If the area outside the image area is black, information display coordinates are set (# 135). In this step, when the image is in the horizontally long position, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, coordinates for displaying the shooting information in a horizontal row below the image area are set. In the case of the vertically long position, as shown in FIGS. 9D and 9E, coordinates for displaying shooting information in a vertical line on the right side of the image area are set.

  Once the information display area coordinates are set, next, information display is started (# 136). In this step, the shooting information is displayed below or on the right side of the image area. Subsequently, live view image display is started (# 137). In this step, a subject image is displayed as a moving image for observation based on the image data from the image sensor 221 in the image area of the rear LCD 39. Subsequently, the liquid crystal backlight is turned on (# 139). Thereby, the live view display and the shooting information on the rear LCD 39 can be visually recognized. The photographer can determine the composition while observing the subject image and perform photographing.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when live view display is performed on the rear LCD 39, the subject image is displayed in consideration of the set vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratio. In addition, the display position of the shooting information is changed according to the vertical and horizontal positions of the image. For this reason, even if the vertical position, the horizontal position, and the aspect ratio are changed, the shooting range and necessary shooting information can be confirmed by the live view display, which is very convenient.

  In the present embodiment, the outside of the image area is painted black so that the image is not displayed at all. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it does not matter even if the display is made transparent. When displaying with ruled lines or semi-transparent, the image data for live view display is not limited to the image data output area, but is output to the rear LCD 39 including the surrounding image data.

  Next, the reproduction subroutine in step # 45 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As described above, this subroutine reads out the image data recorded on the recording medium A 285 and the recording medium B 287 and reproduces and displays them on the rear LCD 39 and the external display device 330. When the playback button 36 is operated, a subroutine for the playback operation starts.

  When the reproduction operation subroutine is entered, first, a sub-image is designated (# 801). In this flow, when the external display device 330 is connected, the sub-image 124 of the main and sub-images is set as a default (initial) value, and an image corresponding to the vertical / horizontal and aspect ratio of the external display device 330 is output. I am doing so. Here, a flag indicating a sub-image may be set as the image designation flag.

  Once the sub-image is designated, it is next determined whether or not an external output connection has been made (# 803). Here, it is determined whether or not an external display device 330 such as a television is connected. If the result of this determination is that the external display device 330 is connected, it is next determined whether or not a sub-image is designated (# 805). Although the sub-image 124 is designated as the default value (see # 801), since the user may have switched, the determination is made based on the latest setting state.

  If the result of determination in step # 805 is that the sub image 124 has been designated, the sub image 124 is output to the external display device 330 (# 807). In this step, the image data of the sub-image 124 is transmitted from the video signal output circuit 261 to the external display device 330, and the image read from the recording medium A285 or the like is reproduced and displayed on the external display device 330. Since the sub-image 124 is designated, an image suitable for the vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio of the external display device 330 can be reproduced and displayed. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 805 is that the sub-image 124 has not been designated, the image data of the main image 122 is output to the external display device 330.

  If the result of determination in step # 803 is that the external display device 330 has not been connected, main image LCD playback is performed (# 811). In this step, the main image read from the recording medium A285 or the like is reproduced and displayed on the rear LCD 39. The main image 122 is an image having an aspect ratio or the like set in the setting change subroutine shown in FIG. 7, and has a vertical / horizontal position and an aspect ratio suitable for the composition according to the photographer's intention. The subroutine for reproducing the main image LCD will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If external output or reproduction is performed in steps # 807 to # 811, it is next determined whether or not to switch the designated image (# 813). Although the sub-image 124 is preferentially displayed on the external display device 330, the user may desire to display the main image 122 over the sub-image 124, so that the switching can be performed. Yes. This switching may be performed by using the cross button 32 or the like on the menu screen, or an operation button for display switching may be provided. In this step, the state of these operation members is detected and determined.

  If the result of determination in step # 813 is Yes, switching between the sub image 124 and the main image 122 is performed (# 815). That is, when the sub image 124 is set, the image is switched to the main image 122. When the main image 122 is set, the image is switched to the sub image 124, and an image flag indicating the switched image is set.

  If the main / sub image is switched in step # 815 or if the result of determination in step # 813 is that switching of the designated image is not performed, it is determined whether or not the reproduction has ended (# 819). The camera body 200 in the present embodiment enters the playback display mode by operating the playback button 36, and the playback display mode ends by operating the playback button 36 again. Therefore, in this step, it is determined again whether or not the playback button 36 has been operated.

  If the result of determination in step # 819 is that playback has not ended, processing returns to step # 803 and the above-described operation is executed. On the other hand, if the result of determination is that playback has ended, the playback operation ends and the flow returns to the original flow.

  Next, the subroutine for main image LCD reproduction in step # 811 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this subroutine, the image data recorded on the recording medium A258 or the like is read and reproduced and displayed on the rear LCD 39.

  When the main image LCD playback subroutine is entered, first, the designated image is read (# 151). That is, the image data of the main image 122 is read from the recording medium A285 for the image specified in step # 141. Subsequently, the blank portion is painted black (# 153). As described above, since the images in the present embodiment have different vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratios, according to the vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratios of the read image data, respectively, as in FIGS. 9B to 9E, Make the margins black.

  Once the blank area has been painted black, monitor reproduction display is then started (# 155). That is, the image is reproduced and displayed on the rear LCD 39 based on the image data read in step # 151.

  When the monitor reproduction display is started, it is next determined whether or not an image selection operation has been performed (# 157). The camera according to the present embodiment can change to the previous or next image by operating the left and right cross buttons 32, and can display the thumbnail image again and select an image from these images. Therefore, in this step, it is determined whether or not these operations have been performed.

  If the result of determination in step # 157 is that an image selection operation has been performed, the designated image is changed (# 161). That is, the image is changed to the image selected by the image selection operation. Thereafter, the process returns to step # 151, where the changed image is read out and reproduced and displayed.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 157 is that no image has been selected, it is determined whether or not playback has ended (# 159). As described above, when the reproduction button 36 is operated again, the reproduction is completed. Therefore, in this step, it is determined whether or not the reproduction button 36 is operated again.

  If the result of determination in step # 159 is that playback has not ended, processing returns to step # 157 and the above-described operation is executed. On the other hand, if the reproduction is completed, the liquid crystal monitor reproduction subroutine is terminated and the process returns to the original flow.

  As described above, in the flow of the reproduction operation and the main image LCD reproduction, when the image data of the main image 122 or the sub-image 124 is read from the recording medium A285 or the like and reproduction display is performed, the external display device 330 or the camera body 200 is displayed. Reproduction display can be selectively performed on the rear LCD disposed in the. In particular, when reproducing and displaying on the external display device 330, the TV output sub-image 124 recorded at the time of shooting is preferentially output. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce and display an image having an aspect ratio that matches the screen of the external display device 330. In addition, when reproducing and displaying on the rear LCD 39, the margin portion is painted black according to the vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio. Therefore, when shooting at various sizes, it is possible to perform display suitable for the size.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the four corners of the image data output area of the sub-image 124 are on the image circle. That is, the area is set so that the diagonal line of the image data output area of the sub-image 124 becomes the diameter of the image circle 120. In the second embodiment, the image data output area of the sub-image 124 is set to be maximum within the image data output area of the main image 122.

  The configuration of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and only the shooting operation flow shown in FIG. 6 is replaced with the shooting operation flow shown in FIG. Explained. Since the flow of the photographing operation in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment from step # 51 to step # 77 and steps # 91 and # 93, the steps for performing the same processing are the same. Step numbers are given and detailed explanations are omitted.

  When the flow of the photographing operation of the present embodiment is entered and the movable mirror is returned in step # 77 or the shutter is opened in step # 93, the setting area image is read (# 821). In this step, the image signal of the setting area corresponding to the aspect ratio set in the setting change subroutine (see FIG. 7) in step # 43 is read. That is, the image signal of the image data output area corresponding to the main image 122 is read from the image sensor 221.

  Subsequently, main image processing is performed (# 823). In this step, the image data read in step # 821 is subjected to various image processing by the preprocessing circuit 225, the image processing circuit 257, the compression / decompression circuit 259, and the like. In this image processing, image data is created according to the set aspect ratio, image size, and compression rate. Similar to the first embodiment, the image data of all the images of the image sensor 221 may be read and the image data corresponding to the image data output area of the main image 122 may be extracted.

  After the main image processing in step # 823, next, in steps # 825 to # 833, the image data output area corresponding to the sub image 124 is designated. In the present embodiment, there are three modes for the sub-image 124: the face center, the AF focusing point center, and the screen center. The user can select the center of the face and the AF focusing point center in the menu mode. It can be set.

  When step # 823 ends, it is first determined whether or not the face center is designated (# 825). In this face center designation, as the area of the sub image 124, the face position detected by the image processing circuit 257 in the main image 122 is centered in the vertical direction of the screen, as shown in FIG. The area of the aspect ratio (for example, 16: 9 landscape image) of the image 124 is designated. If the result of determination in step # 825 is face center designation, a clip region is designated at the face coordinate center (# 829). Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the cut-out area is designated by the aspect ratio of the sub-image 124 so as to be inscribed in the main image 122 with the coordinates of the face position as the center. This area becomes the image data output area of the sub-image 124.

  If the result of determination in step # 825 is that face center has not been specified, it is determined whether or not a focus point has been specified (# 827). In this in-focus point designation, as an area of the sub-image 124, the main image 122 is shown in FIG. 17 centering on the position that is in focus when the automatic focus adjustment is performed by the imager AF or the phase difference AF. As described above, the area of the aspect ratio (for example, 16: 9 landscape image) of the sub-image 124 is designated. In the example shown in FIG. 17, there are 13 distance measuring points, and the area of the sub-image 124 is designated so that the focus point 127 is centered in the vertical direction of the screen.

  If the result of determination in step # 827 is that a focus point has been designated, a cutout area is designated at the center of the AF focus point (# 831). Here, as shown in FIG. 17, the cut-out area is designated by the aspect ratio of the sub-image 124 so as to be inscribed in the main image 122 with the coordinate of the focus point 127 as the center. This area becomes the image data output area of the sub-image 124. If the result of determination in step # 827 is that focus point designation has not been made, main image center cutout area designation is carried out (# 833). In this main image center cut-out area designation, an area of the aspect ratio (for example, a 16: 9 landscape image) of the sub-image 124, as shown in FIG. Is specified.

  In step # 829 to # 833, if a cut-out area is designated, next, TV sub-image processing is performed in the designated area (# 835). In this step, the clip region specified in steps # 823 to # 833 is cut out from the region of the main image 122 processed in step # 823. The image data in this region is subjected to various image processing by the preprocessing circuit 225, the image processing circuit 257, the compression / decompression circuit 259, and the like. In this image processing, image data is created according to the set aspect ratio, image size, and compression rate. The image data created here is the image data of the sub-image 124 for TV output.

  Once the TV output sub-image has been processed, image recording is performed (# 837). Here, the image data of the main image 122 and the sub image 124 processed in steps # 823 and # 835 are recorded on the recording medium A285 or the like. When the image recording is completed, the original flow is restored.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, as in the first embodiment, in the setting change subroutine, image data is acquired from the image data output area corresponding to the main image 122 according to the set aspect ratio, and the rear LCD 39 Live view display. Also, ruled lines are displayed in the optical viewfinder according to the image data output area. At the time of shooting, image data from the image data output area corresponding to the main image 122 is recorded, and at the same time, image data in the image data output area corresponding to the sub image 124 is recorded. At the time of reproduction, similar to the reproduction in the first embodiment, when outputting image data to the external display device 330, the image data of the sub-image 124 is preferentially outputted, and the main image 122 is displayed on the rear LCD 39. It is trying to display.

  As described above, in each embodiment of the present invention, the image data output area is set based on the set vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio, and the predetermined image data is set regardless of the above setting. The image data output area is set based on the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio. For this reason, an image with an aspect ratio optimum for the external display device can be obtained without the user being aware of it.

  Further, the conventional imaging apparatus has a problem that the angle of view differs depending on the aspect ratio and the diagonal length differs. That is, there is a problem that the angle of view changes. However, according to the embodiment of the present invention, with respect to the main image 122 for display, the diagonal line of the image circle 120 of the image sensor 221 is always constant, and the angle of view does not change.

  In each embodiment of the present invention, both the optical finder and the live view display are provided. However, either one may be used, for example, only the optical finder may be used. good.

  In each embodiment of the present invention, a 16: 9 landscape image, which is the standard of a high-definition television, is set as the sub-image 124. However, this is merely an example, and the vertical and horizontal positions and aspect ratios of other display devices. A ratio may be set. Further, the vertical / horizontal position and aspect ratio of the sub-image 124 may be set at the factory shipment stage, or may be set in advance by the user.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the image data in the image data output area determined by the vertical / horizontal position and the aspect ratio is the image data output from the image sensor drive circuit 223 by the preprocessing circuit 225 and the image processing circuit 257. I had chosen from. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as in the second embodiment, when reading from the image sensor 221, image data may be read only for a range determined by the vertical and horizontal positions and the aspect ratio. Conversely, in the second embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, an image signal may be read from the entire image sensor 221 and a necessary region may be selected.

  In the present embodiment, the digital camera is used as the photographing device. However, the camera may be a digital single-lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, and may be used for moving images such as video cameras and movie cameras. It may be a camera, or may be a camera built in a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, you may delete some components of all the components shown by embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  21 ... Release button, 22 ... Front dial, 23 ... Rear dial, 24 ... Body mount, 31 ... LV display button, 32 ... Cross button, 33 ... OK button, 34 ... Power switch, 35 ... Menu button, 36 ... Play button, 37 ... Vertical / horizontal button, 38 ... Eyepiece, 39 ... Rear LCD, 40 ... Control panel, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Built-in flash, 100 ... Interchangeable lens, 101 ... Imaging optical system, 103 ... Aperture, 105 ... Focus position detection mechanism, 106 ... Zoom position detection mechanism, 107 ... Optical system drive mechanism, 109 ... Aperture drive mechanism, 111 ... Lens CPU, 113 ... Lens ROM, 115 ... Lens RAM, 120 ... Image circle, 122 ... Main image, 124 ..Vice for TV output Image: 125 ... Center position, 126 ... Face position, 127 ... Focus point, 200 ... Camera body, 201 ... Movable mirror, 203 ... Sub mirror, 204 ... Screen, 205 ... Full-screen LCD, 206 ... Display device in viewfinder, 206a ... Information display liquid crystal, 206b ... Information display liquid crystal, 207 ... Pental prism, 209 ... Eyepiece, 211 ... Photometry element, 212 ... Photometry processing circuit, 213 ... Shutter, 215 ... Dust-proof filter, 217 ... Low pass filter, 221 ... Image sensor, 223 ... Image sensor drive circuit, 225 ... -Pre-processing circuit, 227 ... Tilt sensor, 228 ... Tilt detection circuit, 229 ... Shake sensor, 230 ... Shake correction circuit, 231 ... Shift mechanism Circuit, 233 ... Shift mechanism, 235 ... Dustproof filter drive circuit, 237 ... Shutter drive mechanism, 239 ... Mirror drive mechanism, 241 ... Phase difference AF sensor, 243 ... Phase difference AF Processing circuit, 244 ... Light source sensor, 245 ... Light source processing circuit, 246 ... Illuminance sensor, 247 ... Illuminance processing circuit, 248 ... Remote control reception sensor, 249 ... Remote control reception processing circuit, 250 ... ASIC, 251 ... body CPU, 252 ... bus, 253 ... contrast AF circuit, 255 ... AE circuit, 257 ... image processing circuit, 259 ... compression / expansion circuit, 261 ... Video signal output circuit, 263 ... LCD drive circuit, 265 ... LCD orientation detection circuit, 268 ... Switch detection circuit, 269 ... Various switches 271 ... I / O circuit, 273 ... communication circuit, 275 ... flash memory control circuit, 277 ... flash memory, 279 ... SDRAM control circuit, 281 ... SDRAM, 283 ..Recording medium control circuit, 285 ... Recording medium A, 287 ... Recording medium B, 289 ... Dial detection circuit, 291 ... Power supply circuit, 292 ... Battery, 293 ... External Power supply, 295 ... finder display drive circuit, 297 ... control panel drive circuit, 301 ... charging circuit, contact, 303 ... flash light emission circuit, 305 ... arc tube, 310 ... External flash, 310a ... contact, 310b ... contact, 311 ... flash CPU, 313 ... charge circuit, 315 ... flash light emission circuit, 17 ... arc tube, 318 ... reflective shade, 319 ... zoom drive circuit, 320 ... external device (PC), 320a ... contact, 321 ... device CPU, 330 ... external Display device (TV), 330a ... contact, 331 ... display device drive circuit, 333 ... display device, 341 ... communication contact

Claims (11)

An imaging unit that outputs a subject image as image data;
An operation unit for instructing the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data;
A first image setting unit that sets the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit based on the instruction;
Regardless of the instruction, a second image setting unit that sets the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit to a predetermined mode;
An imaging device comprising: The imaging unit outputs image data of the entire image data output area,
The first image setting unit sets the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data by cutting out from the image data of the entire image data output area,
The second image setting unit sets the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data by cutting out from the image data of the entire image data output area.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. The imaging unit outputs image data of the entire image data output area,
The first image setting unit sets the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data by cutting out from the image data of the entire image data output area,
The second image setting unit sets the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data by cutting out from the image data output from the first image setting unit.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. A detection unit for detecting a specific area in the image data;
The second image setting unit cuts out the detected specific region so as to be substantially in the center.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 3.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detection unit detects a face of a subject, detects a focus point, or detects a center of the image data.   6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data set by the second image setting unit is approximately 16: 9 which is horizontally long.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display an image with a vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio set by the first image setting unit.   A recording unit that records the image data of the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio set by the first image setting unit and the image data of the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio set by the second image setting unit at the time of shooting. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An imaging unit that outputs a subject image as image data;
An operation unit for manually instructing the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data;
A display unit that displays the subject image in a vertical and horizontal direction and / or an aspect ratio according to the instruction based on the image data output from the imaging unit;
An image recording unit that simultaneously records image data of vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction and image data of predetermined vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio regardless of the instruction at the time of shooting;
An imaging device comprising: Output the subject image as image data,
Enter the direction of the above image data and / or aspect ratio,
Based on the above instructions, set the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio of the image data,
Regardless of the instruction, the vertical and horizontal and / or aspect ratio of the image data output from the imaging unit is set to a predetermined mode.
And a method of controlling the imaging apparatus. Output the subject image as image data,
Enter the direction of the above image data and / or aspect ratio,
Based on the image data, the subject image is displayed with the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction,
At the time of shooting, the image data of the aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio according to the instruction and the image data of the predetermined aspect ratio and / or aspect ratio are recorded at the same time regardless of the instruction.
And a method of controlling the imaging apparatus.