JP2010249879A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera which achieves simplification of operation for setting forcible light emission or inhibition of light emission according to user's intention in photography in an automatic photographing mode in which an automatic pop-up function acts. <P>SOLUTION: The camera (1) includes: a light emitting part (16) which is movable between a housing position and a light emitting position; a luminance detection means (14); a storage means (19) which stores a criterion value that is criterion of deciding whether or not subject luminance is under luminance at which the light emitting part is allowed to emit illuminating light; a decision means (15) which decides whether or not the subject luminance detected by the luminance detection means is under the criterion value; a movement control means (15) which does not move the light emitting part while keeping it at the housing position when the decision means decides that the subject luminance is equal to or above the criterion value, but moves the light emitting part from the housing position to the light emitting position when the decision means decides that the subject luminance is under the criterion value; and a changing means (15) which changes the criterion value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera having an auto pop-up function.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a camera in which a light emitting unit that is movable up and down between a storage position and a light emitting position is disposed on an upper portion of a viewfinder. When such a camera is set to auto shooting mode, an auto pop-up function that automatically pops up the light emitting part from the storage position to the light emitting position when the brightness of the subject is low works, and the light emitting part emits light automatically. . Various proposals have heretofore been made for cameras having this auto pop-up function (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP-A-6-308581 JP-A-8-271949 JP 2003-195395 A

By the way, in the auto shooting mode, it may be better that the auto pop-up function as described above does not work. For example, when shooting using ambient light or shooting at a place where flash shooting is prohibited. In this case, light emission can be inhibited by manually pushing the popped up light emitting unit to the storage position. In some cases, you may want to use the auto pop-up function. For example, there is a case where flash photography is desired regardless of the brightness of the subject or a case where photography is performed in backlight. In this case, the light emitting unit can be popped up by pressing the lock release button of the light emitting unit.
However, since these operations need to be performed for each shooting, in the shooting in the auto shooting mode of a camera having a conventional auto pop-up function, forced light emission or light emission is prohibited depending on the intention of the user who is the photographer. The operation was complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of simplifying an operation of forced light emission or light emission prohibition according to a user's intention in shooting in an auto shooting mode in which an auto pop-up function works.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, although the code | symbol corresponding to embodiment of this invention is attached | subjected and demonstrated, it is not limited to this.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light emitting unit (16) movable between a storage position where illumination light cannot be emitted and a light emission position capable of emitting illumination light, and luminance detection for detecting the luminance of a subject. Means (14); and storage means (19) for storing a determination reference value that is a determination value as to whether or not the subject luminance is lower than the luminance at which the illumination unit should emit the illumination light. Determination means (15) for determining whether or not the subject brightness detected by the brightness detection means is less than the determination reference value; and the determination means determines that the subject brightness is equal to or higher than the determination reference value. In this case, a movement control means for moving the light emitting unit from the storage position to the light emitting position when the subject luminance is determined to be less than the determination reference value without moving the light emitting unit at the stored position. 15) A camera (1), characterized in that it comprises a changing means (15) for changing the reference value.
The invention according to claim 2 is the camera (1) according to claim 1, wherein the storage means (19) stores in advance a predetermined reference value for comparison with the determination reference value, Exposure control means (15) is provided for performing exposure control by increasing the imaging sensitivity at the time of photographing when the determination reference value is changed to a lower luminance side than the predetermined reference value by the changing means (15). It is characterized by that.
A third aspect of the present invention is the camera (1) according to the first or second aspect, wherein the changing means (15) is configured to perform the operation according to an operation on an externally operable operation member (7). The determination reference value is changed to an arbitrary value.
Invention of Claim 4 is a camera (1) as described in any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: As for the said change means (15), the said movement control means (15) is the said light emission part (15). In the case where the light emitting unit is returned to the storage position by a user operation before emitting light even though it is moved from the storage position to the light emission position, it is stored in the storage means (19). The light emission unit is moved to the storage position by a user operation even though the determination reference value is changed to the low luminance side and the movement control unit controls the light emission unit not to move in the storage position. When the light emission position is moved to the light emission position, the determination reference value stored in the storage means is changed to the high luminance side.
The invention according to claim 5 is the camera (1) according to claim 4, further comprising display means (18) for displaying a confirmation screen for allowing the user to select valid / invalid of control, wherein the changing means (15) is a confirmation for confirming whether the change of the determination reference value by the change means is valid or invalid before rewriting the determination reference value stored in the storage means (19). When a user operation for displaying the screen on the display unit and validating the change by the change unit is input, the determination reference value stored in the storage unit is rewritten with the changed value, and the change unit When a user operation that invalidates the change is input, the determination reference value stored in the storage unit is not rewritten.
Note that the configuration described with reference numerals may be improved as appropriate, or at least a part thereof may be replaced with another component.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the camera which can simplify operation which makes forced light emission or light emission prohibition by a user's intention in imaging | photography in the auto imaging | photography mode which an auto pop-up function works can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the camera concerning embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a camera. It is a rear view of a camera. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting screen displayed when changing a criterion value. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the confirmation screen displayed when selecting the valid / invalid of the automatic change of a criterion. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in the case of image | photographing in auto imaging | photography mode in the camera of embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present embodiment, shooting by illuminating the subject with illumination light from the light emitting unit is referred to as flash shooting.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the camera 1, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the camera 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the camera 1 records an image pickup unit 11 on which subject light is incident, an image data processing unit 12 that performs various processes on an image signal output from the image pickup unit 11, and a processed image signal. A recording unit 13 and a photometric unit 14 for detecting the luminance of the subject are provided. The camera 1 also includes an MCU 15 that controls each unit in the camera, a light emitting unit 16 that irradiates a subject with illumination light, an operation unit 17 that is operated by a user, a liquid crystal monitor 18, and a memory 19. As will be described later, a lens barrel having a photographing lens is detachably attached to the camera 1. That is, the camera 1 of this embodiment is configured as a digital single-lens reflex camera.

  The imaging unit 11 captures reflected light from a subject on an imaging surface and converts it into an image signal, and includes an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS.

  The image data processing unit 12 amplifies the image signal output from the imaging unit 11 and performs various image processing such as white balance adjustment, gamma correction, contour enhancement, and level adjustment.

  The recording unit 13 records the image signal subjected to various processes by the image data processing unit 12 on a recording medium such as a CF card or an SD card (not shown).

  The photometric unit 14 detects the luminance (brightness) of the subject and acquires a photometric value. When the present invention is applied to a compact camera or the like, the luminance of the subject is detected based on the image signal captured by the imaging unit.

  The light emitting unit 16 emits illumination light to the subject under the control of the MCU 15 when the luminance of the subject is lower than the reference value. The light emitting unit 16 includes an internal circuit (not shown) such as a capacitor, a charge control circuit, and a flash circuit, and external parts such as a protector, a xenon tube, and a reflector.

  Here, the configuration and pop-up function of the light emitting unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the camera 1 is a lens interchangeable digital single-lens reflex camera to which a lens barrel 2 having a photographing lens is detachably mounted, and the light emitting unit 16 is an upper part of the viewfinder 3 (FIG. 3). Is arranged. The light emitting unit 16 is normally stored in a storage position (a position indicated by a solid line in the drawing) where illumination light cannot be emitted. In the auto shooting mode, when the luminance of the subject is lower than the reference value, the MCU 15 automatically pops up to the light emitting position by the control of the MCU 15 or the user performs an operation of pushing the pop-up button 4 that is the unlock button with a finger or the like. It is supposed to pop up.

  At the time of pop-up, the light emitting unit 16 is configured to move upward to a light emitting position where light can be emitted (position indicated by a one-dot chain line in the drawing). The light emitting unit 16 is urged upward by a spring mounted on a support shaft (not shown). Further, in the retracted position, a not-illustrated latch portion interlocked with the pop-up button 4 and a not-illustrated latch portion provided in the light emitting portion 16 are engaged to stop the light emitting portion 16 in the retracted position. The engagement between the latch portions is released by pressing the pop-up button 4 or by controlling the MCU 15.

  That is, when the user presses the pop-up button 4, the latch portions are disengaged from each other, and the light emitting portion 16 is urged by the spring to pop up and move to the light emitting position. . Further, when the luminance of the subject is lower than the reference value in the auto shooting mode, the engagement between the latch portions is released under the control of the MCU 15. As a result, the light emitting unit 16 is urged by the spring to pop up and move to the light emitting position.

  Further, when the user pushes the light-emitting unit 16 popped up by hand to the storage position, the latch units are engaged with each other, and the light-emitting unit 16 is stored in the storage position. When the user performs such an operation in the auto photographing mode, the light emitting unit 16 can be prohibited from emitting light. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting unit 16 is provided with a light emitting unit position detecting unit 16a (FIG. 1). The light emitting unit position detecting unit 16a detects whether the light emitting unit 16 is in the storage position or the light emitting position. Detection signals at each position are transmitted to the MCU 15.

  The operation unit 17 is an input means for the user to perform various operations on the MCU 15, and includes an operation member including the pop-up button 4, a release button 6 for starting shooting described below, a selector dial 7, and the like. It is comprised by.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the release button 6 is provided on the upper part of the grip 5 on which the user holds the camera 1. The release button 6 can be operated in two stages, half-press and full-press. When the user half-presses the release button 6, an execution signal for an autofocus (AF) operation is transmitted to the MCU 15. Accordingly, the MCU 15 performs AF control for automatically focusing on a main subject and AE (automatic exposure) control for automatically adjusting exposure based on the output of the imaging unit 11. Then, when the user fully presses the release button 6, a shooting start signal is transmitted to the MCU 15, and an aperture mechanism, a shutter (not shown) or the like is driven at a predetermined timing, so that the subject light is captured in the imaging unit 11. Will be imaged.

  The selector dial 7 is arranged in the vicinity of the liquid crystal monitor 18 as shown in FIG. A finder 3 is provided above the liquid crystal monitor 18 so that the user can observe the subject image in the eyepiece state. Various buttons, dials and the like are arranged around the liquid crystal monitor 18 (description of each button and dial is omitted).

  The selector dial 7 is a dial-type switch having four directions (up, down, left, and right) and an electrical contact (not shown) in the center. The selector dial 7 indicates a moving direction of a cursor, a selection frame, and the like on a setting screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 18. It functions as an operation member. When the user presses the arrow mark 7a engraved vertically and horizontally with a finger or the like, the direction of the pressed arrow mark 7a becomes the moving direction of the cursor or selection frame displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 18. For example, when the arrow mark 7a is pressed once, the position of the cursor displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 18 moves by one in the pressed direction. The OK button 7b arranged at the center functions as a confirmation button. When the OK button 7b is pressed, the input is confirmed with the selection contents at that time.

  The liquid crystal monitor 18 displays information related to operations such as a menu screen and a mode setting screen, information related to shooting conditions such as exposure values, in addition to moving images including still images and live view images taken by the imaging unit 11, Various messages and the like are displayed, and are provided on the back of the camera 1 as will be described later.

  The memory 19 is a non-volatile memory that stores input information such as user settings, programs necessary for the operation and control of the camera 1, and data relating to initial values and setting values necessary for the execution of the programs. The memory 19 stores a determination reference value and a predetermined reference value, which will be described later. Further, although not shown in the figure, a volatile memory is provided that temporarily stores data, image signals, and the like necessary for the MCU 15 and the like to execute arithmetic processing.

  The MCU 15 controls the entire camera 1 and is connected to the imaging unit 11, the image data processing unit 12, the recording unit 13, the photometric unit 14, the light emitting unit 16, the operation unit 17, the liquid crystal monitor 18 and the memory 19. . The MCU 15 automatically focuses on a main subject based on the output of the imaging unit 11 when an execution signal of an autofocus (AF) operation is transmitted when the user presses the release button 6 halfway. Control and AE (automatic exposure) control for automatically adjusting exposure are performed. When a shooting start signal is transmitted when the user fully presses the release button 4, the imaging unit 11 controls the imaging of the subject light by driving an aperture mechanism (not shown) or a shutter at a predetermined timing. Is going.

  Further, in the MCU 15, when the brightness of the measured subject is lower than a later-described determination reference value at the time of shooting in the auto shooting mode, the light emitting unit 16 is popped up, and the illumination light emission time according to the brightness of the subject. Is obtained by calculation. Then, in synchronization with the start of imaging in the imaging unit 11, the illumination light is controlled to be emitted from the light emitting unit 16 toward the subject by the illumination light emission time obtained by the calculation.

Further, the MCU 15 performs control to determine whether or not the luminance of the subject detected by the photometry unit 14 is less than the determination reference value. The criterion value is a luminance value that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not the luminance is lower than the luminance at which the light emitting unit 16 should emit illumination light. This determination reference value is stored in the memory 19 in a rewritable state. Then, the MCU 15 does not move the light emitting unit 16 at the storage position when it is determined that the luminance of the subject is equal to or higher than the determination reference value, whereas when the luminance of the subject is determined to be less than the determination reference value. The light emitting unit 16 is controlled to move from the storage position to the light emitting position.
Further, the MCU 15 obtains the emission time of the illumination light by calculation according to the luminance of the subject. Then, in synchronization with the start of imaging in the imaging unit 11, the illumination light is controlled to be emitted from the light emitting unit 16 toward the subject by the illumination light emission time obtained by the calculation.

  Further, the MCU 15 performs control to change the determination reference value stored in the memory 19. This change is performed in response to a user operation on the selector dial 7 which is an operation member. Here, the change of the determination reference value by the selector dial 7 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen displayed when the determination reference value is changed. This setting screen is displayed by selecting a determination reference value change item from items on a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 18.

  The setting screen 20 shown in FIG. 4 includes an area 21 that displays a set numerical value, a bar graph 22 that indicates a settable range when the position of a predetermined reference value described later is “0”, and a cursor that indicates the setting position. 23 is displayed. Here, for example, in order to change the level of the determination reference value to the high luminance (+) side, the bar graph 22 is pointed by pressing the upward arrow mark 7a of the selector dial 7 (FIG. 3) a predetermined number of times. The position of the cursor 23 can be changed. In conjunction with this, a numerical value indicating the level is displayed in the area 21. When the desired level is set, the level of the input numerical value can be set by pressing the OK button 7b of the selector dial 7. The same operation can be performed when the level of the determination reference value is changed to the low luminance (−) side. In this way, by appropriately setting the level of the determination reference value, the changed determination reference value is stored in a predetermined area of the memory 19 by the MCU 15.

  When the level of the determination reference value is changed as described above, the determination criterion of the luminance with which the light emitting unit 16 should emit light changes, so that the light emitting unit 16 is popped up or not popped up according to the user's request. Can do. For example, when the level of the determination reference value is changed to the high luminance side, the light emitting unit is used even if the subject has a relatively high luminance and normally does not require illumination light as long as the luminance of the subject is equal to or lower than the determination reference value level. 16 pops up to emit light. In addition, when the level of the determination reference value is changed to the low luminance side, if the luminance of the subject is lower than the level of the determination reference value, the light emitting unit is used even for a relatively low-luminance subject that normally requires illumination light. 16 will not pop up. Therefore, when it is desired to shoot with a flash regardless of the brightness of the subject or when shooting with backlight, the level of the determination reference value may be changed to the high luminance side. In addition, when it is desired to shoot using ambient light, or when shooting in a place where flash shooting is prohibited, the level of the determination reference value may be changed to the low luminance side.

  Further, the MCU 15 compares the determination reference value with a predetermined reference value stored in advance in the memory 19, and when the determination reference value is changed to a lower luminance side than the predetermined reference value by the user, shooting is performed. Control as exposure control means for performing exposure control by increasing imaging sensitivity at the time is performed. Here, the predetermined reference value is a luminance value that serves as a standard criterion for determining whether or not the luminance is lower than the luminance at which the light emitting unit 16 should emit illumination light. The predetermined reference value is stored in the memory 19 in a non-rewritable state.

  Further, when the MCU 15 pops up the light emitting unit 16 and moves the light emitting unit 16 from the storage position to the light emitting position, the MCU 15 returns to the memory 19 when the light emitting unit 16 is returned to the storage position by a user operation before emitting light. The light-emitting unit 16 is popped up by the user operation to emit light from the storage position even though the determination reference value stored in is changed to the low luminance side and the light-emitting unit 16 is controlled not to move in the storage position. When moved to the position, control is performed to rewrite the determination reference value stored in the memory 19 to the high luminance side. Note that when the determination reference value is automatically rewritten as described above, the rewriting is performed with a preset change amount. At this time, the amount of change on the low luminance side and that on the high luminance side may be the same or different.

  In addition, in the above control, the MCU 15 displays a confirmation screen for confirming whether automatic change of the determination reference value is valid or invalid before rewriting the determination reference value stored in the memory 19. 18, when a user operation for enabling automatic change is input, the determination reference value stored in the memory 19 is rewritten to the high luminance side or the low luminance side, and the user operation for invalidating the automatic change is performed. When it is input, control is performed so as not to rewrite the determination reference value stored in the memory 19.

  Here, a confirmation screen for selecting whether to enable or disable automatic change of the determination reference value and a setting operation thereof will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation screen displayed when selecting whether to enable or disable automatic determination criterion change. This confirmation screen is displayed by selecting an item for automatic determination reference value change from items on a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 18.

  On the confirmation screen 30 shown in FIG. 5, item areas 31 and 32 for selecting whether or not to automatically change are displayed. When the upward or downward arrow mark 7a shown in FIG. 3 is pressed on the confirmation screen 30, the display of the item area indicated by the operation is changed. As a result, the user can confirm which item area is currently selected. In the example of FIG. 5, the selected item area 31 is displayed in a different color from the unselected item area 32. Then, after the user selects a desired item area, the user can set the item area selected at that time by pressing the OK button 7b of the selector dial 7. The setting contents input via the confirmation screen 30 are stored in the memory 19 by the MCU 15 and are held until a new setting is made through the confirmation screen 30 next time.

  Next, a processing procedure in the case of shooting in the auto shooting mode in the camera 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It should be noted that the camera 1 of the present embodiment performs pre-light emission that causes the light emitting unit 16 to emit light weakly before the main light emission in flash photography, and performs control for calculating the amount of main light emission from the result of the pre-light emission and the main light emission. There is a function to perform control to irradiate auxiliary light for reducing red-eye to reduce the image of the subject's pupil in the red-eye state in advance, but the following flowchart explains these controls. Is omitted.

  First, when the release button 6 is half-pressed (YES in S101), the MCU 15 performs photometry for exposure control and distance measurement (and lens drive) for focus adjustment (S102). Then, the MCU 15 calculates an exposure value based on the photometric value obtained by this photometry and the set imaging sensitivity, and sets an aperture value and a shutter speed based on this exposure value (S103). Next, it is determined whether the brightness of the subject is less than the determination reference value (S104). Here, when it is determined that the luminance of the subject is less than the determination reference value (YES in S104), the MCU 15 pops up the light emitting unit 16 and moves it to the light emitting position (S105).

  Next, the MCU 15 determines whether or not the light emitting unit 16 is at the light emitting position based on the detection signal from the light emitting unit position detecting unit 16a (S106). Here, it is determined whether or not the light emitting unit 16 has been manually pushed into the storage position by the user. If this determination is YES, that is, if the light emitting unit 16 is in the light emitting position, the MCU 15 calculates the light emission time of illumination light necessary for light emission for flash photography (S107). On the other hand, if “NO” in the determination in step S106, that is, if the light emitting unit 16 is manually pushed into the storage position by the user, the MCU 15 determines whether or not the automatic change of the determination reference value is enabled ( S108). If YES in this determination, the MCU 15 rewrites the determination reference value to the low luminance side (S109), and proceeds to step S113 described later. If NO in step S108, the process proceeds to step S113 without rewriting the determination reference value.

  If the determination in step S104 is NO, the MCU 15 controls the light emitting unit 16 not to pop up. Then, based on a signal from a push switch provided on the pop-up button 4, it is determined whether or not an operation of pressing the pop-up button 4 has been performed (S110). If the determination is YES, the MCU 15 determines whether or not the automatic change of the determination reference value is enabled (S111). If YES in this determination, the MCU 15 rewrites the determination reference value to the high luminance side (S112), and proceeds to step S106. If NO in step S111, the process proceeds to step S107 without rewriting the determination reference value.

  When the determination in step S110 is NO or following step S109, the MCU 15 determines whether or not the determination reference value stored in the memory 19 is less than the predetermined reference value (S113). If this determination is YES, that is, if the determination reference value is changed to a lower luminance side than the predetermined reference value by the user, the MCU 15 takes the imaging sensitivity so that the shutter speed is equal to or higher than the camera shake occurrence limit. Is changed (S114). Subsequently, the MCU 15 calculates an exposure value based on the changed imaging sensitivity, and sets an aperture value and a shutter speed based on the exposure value (S115). The shutter speed at this time is set so as to be a shutter speed that is equal to or higher than the hand movement occurrence limit. If NO in step S113, the process proceeds to step 116 without changing the imaging sensitivity.

  Then, when the release button 6 is fully pressed (YES in S116), the MCU 15 causes the imaging unit 11 to image the subject light with the aperture value and the shutter speed set in Step S103 or Step S115 (S117). If YES in step S106, the light emitting unit 16 emits light in synchronization with the imaging of the subject by the imaging unit 11, and the subject is irradiated with illumination light. Then, the MCU 15 records the image signal obtained by imaging on the recording medium (S112).

According to the said embodiment, there exist the following effects.
(1) Since the criterion value for determining whether or not to emit the light emitting unit 16 can be changed, an operation such as manually pushing the popped up light emitting unit to the storage position or pressing the pop-up button 4 of the light emitting unit 16 is performed. Without performing, the light emitting unit 16 can be set to light emission prohibition or forced light emission. Therefore, in the shooting in the auto shooting mode in which the auto pop-up function works, the operation of forced light emission or light emission prohibition by the user's intention can be simplified.
(2) When the determination reference value is changed to a lower luminance side than the predetermined reference value, the exposure sensitivity is controlled by increasing the imaging sensitivity at the time of shooting. Can reduce the effects of
(3) Since the determination reference value can be changed to an arbitrary value by an operation member that can be externally operated, such as the selector dial 7, the user can change the determination reference value to a desired value in accordance with the use situation or the like. it can.
(4) When the user prohibits the light emission of the light-emitting unit 16 that has been popped up, the determination reference value is rewritten to the low luminance side, and when the user performs an operation to force the light-emitting unit 16 to emit light when the light-up unit 16 is not popped up, the determination standard Since the value is rewritten to the high luminance side, the user can change the determination reference value without operating the operation member such as the selector dial 7.
(5) In the above (4), it is possible to select whether the automatic change of the determination reference value is enabled or disabled by a user operation, so that the user's intention can be reflected in the automatic change of the determination reference value. it can.
(Deformation)

Without being limited to the embodiment described above, the present invention can be variously modified and changed as described below, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, when the user pushes the light-emitting unit 16 that has been popped up into the storage position by hand, or when the user forcibly causes the light-emitting unit 16 to emit light when the user does not pop-up. In this case, the determination reference value is automatically changed. However, the determination reference value is not limited to the operation on the light emitting unit 16 and may be automatically changed when a specific button is pressed. Good.
(2) When the determination reference value is rewritten to the high luminance side, the imaging sensitivity may be lowered within a range where the shutter speed is equal to or higher than the hand movement occurrence limit. In this case, a higher quality image than usual can be obtained.
(3) The determination reference value changed by the user or the automatically changed determination reference value is stored in the memory 19 until the next change event occurs, but the determination reference value is returned to the predetermined reference every time shooting is performed. It may be. In this case, the user may be able to select whether or not to return the determination reference value downward.
(4) Validity / invalidity of the setting for automatically changing the imaging sensitivity may be selected. Moreover, you may make it set the imaging sensitivity at the time of automatic change to a user's desired value.
(5) The change amount for automatically changing the determination reference value may be a predetermined change amount set in advance or an arbitrary change amount input by a user operation such as the selector dial 7.
(6) When the photographing sensitivity is changed, an icon or a message for notifying that the photographing sensitivity is increased (or decreased) may be displayed in the finder 3.
(7) The camera according to the present invention is not limited to a single-lens reflex camera, and may be a camera in which a lens barrel and a camera body are integrated. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a digital camera but also to a film camera.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment and modification can be used in combination suitably, since the structure of each embodiment is clear by illustration and description, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited by the embodiment described above.

  1: camera, 2: lens barrel, 4: pop-up button, 6: release button, 7: selector dial, 11: imaging unit, 12: image data processing unit, 13: recording unit, 14: photometry unit, 15: MCU , 16: light emitting unit, 16a: light emitting unit position detecting unit, 17: operation unit, 18: liquid crystal monitor, 19: memory

Claims (5)

A light emitting unit movable between a storage position where illumination light cannot be emitted and a light emission position capable of emitting illumination light;
Luminance detection means for detecting the luminance of the subject;
Storage means for storing a determination reference value that is a luminance value serving as a determination reference for determining whether or not the subject luminance is less than the luminance with which the light emitting unit should emit the illumination light;
Determination means for determining whether or not the subject brightness detected by the brightness detection means is less than the determination reference value;
When the determination means determines that the subject brightness is equal to or higher than the determination reference value, the light emitting unit is not moved in the storage position, and when the subject brightness is determined to be less than the determination reference value, Movement control means for moving the light emitting unit from the storage position to the light emitting position;
Changing means for changing the determination reference value;
A camera comprising: The camera according to claim 1,
The storage means stores in advance a predetermined reference value for comparison with the determination reference value,
An exposure control means for performing exposure control by increasing imaging sensitivity at the time of shooting when the determination means is changed to a lower luminance side than the predetermined reference value by the changing means;
Camera characterized by. The camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The changing means is
Changing the determination reference value to an arbitrary value in accordance with an operation on an externally operable operation member;
Camera characterized by. The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The changing means is
In the case where the movement control unit moves the light emitting unit from the storage position to the light emitting position, but the light emitting unit is returned to the storage position by a user operation before emitting light, the memory is stored. Change the criterion value stored in the means to the low luminance side,
In the case where the light emission unit is moved from the storage position to the light emission position by a user operation even though the movement control unit controls the light emission unit not to move in the storage position, the storage unit Changing the determination reference value stored in to high brightness side,
Camera characterized by. The camera according to claim 4,
Comprising a display means for displaying a confirmation screen for allowing the user to select whether the control is valid or invalid;
The changing means is
Before rewriting the judgment reference value stored in the storage means, a confirmation screen for confirming whether the change of the judgment reference value by the changing means is valid or invalid is displayed on the display means. ,
When a user operation that validates the change by the changing unit is input, the determination reference value stored in the storage unit is rewritten with the changed value, and the user operation that invalidates the change by the changing unit is input. When it is done, do not rewrite the judgment reference value stored in the storage means,
Camera characterized by.

Images