JP2014143456A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus having a high-magnification zoom function, capable of allowing a user not to lose a photogenic subject easily when performing a through-image display.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus includes: imaging means for photographing a photogenic subject and generating image data; optical zoom or digital zoom means; AE means for automatically adjusting an exposure value when displaying a through-image; AWB means for automatically adjusting a white balance when displaying a through-image; first zoom operation means for zooming in a wide-angle side when performing a specific operation and for zooming in a telescopic side when performing another operation; second zoom operation means for zooming in a wide-angle side when pressing a specific button and for returning the zoom position to where it was before the move when releasing the button; and control means for continuously performing the AE and AWB after operating the first zoom operation means and for fixing the exposure value and the white balance to the value before operating the zoom during period from pressing the second zoom operation means to releasing the means.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus having a framing assist function.

  In recent years, the magnification of imaging devices such as digital cameras has been increasing. In an imaging apparatus having a high-magnification zoom function, out-of-frame may occur due to slight movement of the subject when the angle of view is adjusted in the super-telephoto state. Also, if the photographer holding the camera changes the direction of the camera slightly, the range of the angle of view changes greatly. As described above, in the super-telephoto state, it is difficult to frame a subject that is a moving object to a desired angle of view.

  Patent Document 1 has been proposed as an imaging apparatus that can easily track a moving long-distance subject. Patent Document 1 describes a case where digital zoom is performed using a digital camera having two types of image display means such as an electric viewfinder (EVF) and a liquid crystal monitor. The image after digital zoom is displayed on the EVF, the image before digital zoom is displayed on the LCD monitor, and the user can compare both screens to frame the desired angle of view without losing sight of the moving object. Can do.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a through image is displayed in a shooting standby state with a zoom lens on the wide-angle side, and a portion that becomes a shooting range when zoomed in at a predetermined magnification is displayed on the through image as a frame. . When the shutter button is half-pressed in this state, the zoom lens is driven to zoom in at a predetermined magnification, and if the shutter button is fully pressed in this state, the main shooting can be performed in the zoomed-in state. When the shutter button is released, the zoom lens is driven to zoom out to the original wide-angle zoom position. In this way, it is easy to fit a subject that moves far away in the shooting range when zoomed in.

JP 2008-131265 A JP 2006-019852 A

  The method of Patent Document 1 can be used when an image using digital zoom is captured, but cannot be used in the case of optical zoom. The digital zoom is so-called trimming, and the number of pixels constituting the photographed image is reduced. Therefore, compared with the optical zoom, there is no sharpness of the image and noise tends to be noticeable. Further, the method of Patent Document 1 has a problem because it is necessary to provide two types of display devices in one camera, leading to an increase in cost and an increase in size of the device.

  In the method of Patent Document 2, a through image display is performed with the zoom position set to a wider angle side than the angle of view for actual photographing. Therefore, the user frames the subject while viewing the through image on the wide-angle side. However, when the AE function that automatically adjusts the exposure value and the AWB function that adjusts the white balance when the through image is displayed, there is a problem that the user can easily lose sight of the subject displayed on the through image. For example, when a subject is photographed through a window, an object with low brightness appears in the surrounding area, so that the subject is blown out on the LCD display, and it is easy to lose sight of the subject to be photographed. On the other hand, when a subject is photographed in a backlight environment, a high-luminance background appears in the surrounding area, so the subject is obscured on the LCD display, and the user easily loses sight of the subject.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it difficult to lose sight of a subject to be photographed and to frame a subject that is a moving object to a desired angle of view when displaying a through image in an imaging device having a zoom function of high magnification. Objective.

The configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention is as follows.
Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating image data;
Optical zoom or digital zoom means;
AE means for automatically adjusting the exposure value when displaying a through image;
AWB means for automatically adjusting white balance when displaying a through image;
Certain operations zoom to the wide-angle side,
Zoom in to the telephoto side when you perform different operations.
A first zoom operation means;
Press a specific button to zoom to the wide-angle side,
Release the button to return to the zoom position before the movement.
A second zoom operation means;
After operating the first zoom operation means,
Perform the AE and the AWB continuously,
The period from pressing the second zoom operation means to releasing it is
And control means for fixing the exposure value and the white balance to values before zooming.

  According to the present invention, when a through image display is performed in an imaging apparatus having a high-magnification zoom function, it is difficult to lose sight of a subject to be photographed, and a moving subject can be framed to a desired angle of view.

1 is a rear external view of a digital camera as an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a digital camera as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the imaging | photography mode process of this invention. It is a flowchart of a framing assist (FA) process of the present invention. It is an example of a screen display at the time of FA processing of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the exposure value fixing process at the time of FA zoom out of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the zoom position at the time of FA zoom out of this invention or FA zoom in. It is a flowchart of the exposure value fixing process at the time of FA zoom-in of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment has a framing assist button (FA button) that is a second zoom operation unit, in addition to the zoom lever that is the first zoom operation unit, and the current zoom is achieved by pressing the FA button. The position is stored, and the zoom is driven to the wide angle of view position obtained based on the current zoom magnification. Then, the stored zoom position is restored by releasing the FA button. In the present embodiment, control is performed so that AE and AWB are not executed in the live view display during execution of the FA function, and the exposure value is fixed to the value before the FA button is pressed even if the magnification of the optical zoom lens changes. An example of such control will be described.

<Hardware configuration of digital camera>
FIG. 1 shows a rear external view of a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus of the present invention. The display unit 28 is a display unit that displays images and various types of information. A shutter button 61 which is a shutter operation member is an operation unit for instructing photographing. The mode dial 60 is an operation unit for switching various modes. The connector 112 is a connector between the connection cable 111 and the digital camera 100. The operation unit 70 is an operation unit including operation members such as various switches, buttons, and a touch panel for receiving various operations from the user. The controller wheel 73 is a rotatable operation member included in the operation unit 70. Reference numeral 72 denotes a power switch that switches between power on and power off. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium slot 201 is a slot for storing the recording medium 200. The recording medium 200 stored in the recording medium slot 201 can communicate with the digital camera 100. A lid 202 is a lid of the recording medium slot 201.

  The moving image button 74 is one of the operation units 70, and is a button for accepting an instruction operation for starting and ending (stopping) moving image shooting. The FA button 75 is one of the operation units 70 and is a button for receiving an instruction to execute the FA function. The zoom lever 76 is one of the operation units 70, and can be operated in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction around the shutter button 61, and can be zoomed in / out with optical zoom and electronic zoom according to the operation direction. It is a zoom operation member that receives an instruction.

  The vari-angle monitor unit 26 is a housing in which a display unit 28 is disposed, and is connected to the main body of the digital camera 100 via a hinge unit 27 so as to be rotatable. It is assumed that the vari-angle monitor unit 26 is movable to at least the following positions with respect to the main body unit, and can be detected by the system control unit 50 described later.

  The position shown in FIG. 1 (first position) folded so that the display surface of the display unit 28 is exposed.

  Face-to-face opened so that the display surface of the display unit 28 faces the front of the digital camera 100 (the surface provided with a lens on which subject light is incident) and the display surface of the display unit 28 can be viewed from the object to be imaged. Position (second position).

  An open position (third position) opened so that the display surface of the display unit 28 is visible from the back side of the digital camera 100.

  A closed position (fourth position) folded so that the display surface of the display unit 28 faces the back surface of the digital camera 100 and the display surface of the display unit 28 cannot be seen.

  The eyepiece display unit 29 is a look-in type finder, and a display functioning as an EVF provided inside can be visually recognized by looking into the viewfinder.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital camera 100 illustrated in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 103 denotes a photographing lens group including a zoom lens and a focus lens, 101 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, and 22 denotes an imaging unit including a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. Reference numeral 23 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The A / D converter 23 is used to convert an analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal. A barrier 102 covers the imaging unit including the imaging lens 103 of the digital camera 100 to prevent the imaging system including the imaging lens 103, the shutter 101, and the imaging unit 22 from becoming dirty or damaged.

  An image processing unit 24 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. The image processing unit 24 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs control based on the obtained calculation result to perform AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure). Processing, EF (flash pre-emission) processing. The image processing unit 24 further performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  Output data from the A / D converter 23 is directly written into the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or via the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23 and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28 and the eyepiece display unit 29. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a moving image and sound for a predetermined time.

  The memory 32 also serves as an image display memory (video memory). A D / A converter 13 converts image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the display unit 28. Thus, the display image data written in the memory 32 is displayed on the display unit 28 or the eyepiece display unit 29 via the D / A converter 13.

  The display unit 28 performs display according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 13 on a display such as an LCD. The digital signal once A / D converted by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 13 and sequentially transferred to the display unit 28 for display. Functions as a through image display).

  The eyepiece display unit 29 is a display unit provided in a view-type finder, and can display the same as the display unit 28. The system control unit 50 controls whether to display on the display unit 28 and whether to display on the eyepiece display unit 29 according to the detected position of the vari-angle monitor unit 26. For example, when the vari-angle monitor unit is in the first position, the eyepiece display unit 29 is turned off to save power, and display is performed on the display unit 28. When the vari-angle monitor unit 26 is in the fourth position, the display unit 28 is turned off to save power and the eyepiece display unit 29 is turned on for display. The display unit 28 and the eyepiece display unit 29 can be arbitrarily switched ON / OFF according to a user instruction.

  Since the display unit 28 and the eyepiece display unit 29 can display with the same display contents, only the display on the display unit 28 will be described below, but the same display can be performed on the eyepiece display unit 29 as well. And

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control means for controlling the shutter 101 having an aperture function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  A focus control unit 42 drives a focus lens included in the photographing lens 103 to control focusing. The zoom control unit 44 controls zooming by driving a zoom lens included in the photographing lens 103. The barrier control means 46 controls the operation of the barrier 102.

  A flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function.

  The exposure control means 40 and the focus control means 42 are controlled using the TTL method, and the system control unit 50 uses the exposure control means 40 and the focus control means based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing unit 24. 42 is controlled.

  The nonvolatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory, and for example, an EEPROM or the like is used. The nonvolatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, and the like for operating the system control unit 50. Here, the program is a program for executing various flowcharts described later in the present embodiment.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control unit that controls the entire digital camera 100. By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above, each process of the present embodiment to be described later is realized. A system memory 52 is a RAM. In the system memory 52, constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 56, and the like are expanded. The system control unit also performs display control by controlling the memory 32, the D / A converter 13, the display unit 28, the eyepiece display unit 29, and the like.

  The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock.

  The mode switch 60, the first shutter switch 62, the second shutter switch 64, and the operation unit 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 50.

  The mode switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image recording mode, a moving image recording mode, a reproduction mode, and the like. The first shutter switch 62 is turned on when the shutter button 61 provided in the digital camera 100 is being operated, so-called half-press (shooting preparation instruction), and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. In response to the first shutter switch signal SW1, shooting preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are started.

  The second shutter switch 64 is turned ON when the operation of the shutter button 61 is completed, that is, when it is fully pressed (shooting instruction), and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. In response to the second shutter switch signal SW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series of shooting processing operations from reading a signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing image data on the recording medium 200.

  Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is appropriately assigned a function for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and functions as various function buttons. Examples of the function buttons include an end button, a return button, an image advance button, a jump button, a narrowing button, and an attribute change button. For example, when a menu button is pressed, various setting menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can make various settings intuitively using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, the four-way button, and the SET button.

  A power control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is attached, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and an instruction from the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

  A power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. Reference numeral 18 denotes an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card, and includes a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

<Shooting mode processing>
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the shooting mode process. This processing is realized by the system control unit 50 developing and executing the program recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 in the system memory 52. When the digital camera 100 is turned on and is switched to the photographing mode by the mode dial 60 or the like, the photographing standby state is entered, and the processing of FIG.

  In S301, a through image display is performed. In the through image display, in order to perform framing, images captured by the imaging unit 22 before the actual photographing are sequentially displayed on the display unit 28 in real time.

  In S302, it is determined whether or not the zoom lever 76 has been operated. If it is determined that it has been operated, the process proceeds to S303, and if it has not been operated, the process proceeds to S305.

  In S303, an instruction is given to the zoom control means 44 in accordance with the direction and amount of operation of the zoom lever to drive the zoom lens (optical zoom). When the zoom lens has reached the wide angle end, the zoom lens is not driven even if the zoom lever is operated to the wide angle side. If the zoom lever is operated to the telephoto side when the zoom lens has reached the telephoto end, the zoom lens is not driven and zooms in by electronic zoom.

  In S304, the current zoom magnification, which is the result of the zoom lens drive (or electronic zoom) in S303, is recorded in the system memory 52. The zoom magnification is a zoom magnification from the wide-angle end. Instead of the zoom magnification, the lens position of the zoom lens and the electronic zoom magnification may be recorded.

  In S305, it is determined whether or not a setting change operation has been performed by operating the operation unit 70 or the like. If it is determined that there has been a setting change operation, the process proceeds to S306, and if there is no setting change operation, the process proceeds to S307.

  In S306, various setting changes are performed according to the operation content of the operation unit 70.

  In S307, it is determined whether or not the FA button 75 has been pressed. If it is determined that the FA button 75 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S308 to perform FA processing. Details of the FA processing will be described later with reference to FIG. If the FA button has not been pressed, the process proceeds to S309.

  In S309, it is determined whether or not the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated by half-pressing the shutter button 61. If it is determined that the first shutter switch signal SW1 has been generated, the process proceeds to S310, and if not, the process proceeds to S315.

  In S310, shooting preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash preflash) processing are started.

  In S311, it is determined whether or not the shutter button 61 is fully pressed and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. If it has occurred, the process proceeds to S313, and if it has not occurred, the process proceeds to S312.

  In S312, it is determined whether or not the shutter button 61 is half-pressed and the first shutter switch signal SW1 remains ON. If it is ON, the process returns to S311 and waits for the shutter button 61 to be fully pressed or released while the AF or AE determined by the shooting preparation operation is locked. If it is not ON, the process returns to S309.

  In S313, in response to the full press of the shutter button 61, a series of still image shooting processes from reading a signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing image data on the recording medium 200 are performed (main shooting process).

  In S314, a review display (REC review) is performed in which the image taken in S313 is displayed for a predetermined time (several seconds). The review display ends either by half-pressing the shutter button 61 or automatically after a predetermined time.

  In S315, it is determined whether or not the moving image button 74 has been pressed. If it is determined that the movie button 74 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S316, and if not, the process proceeds to S326.

  In S316, a series of moving image shooting processing (moving image recording) operations from reading a signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing image data as a moving image on the recording medium 200 is performed.

  In S317, it is determined whether or not the zoom lever 76 has been operated. Since this process and the subsequent processes of S318 and S319 are the same as the processes of S302 to S304 described above, description thereof will be omitted. However, since the moving image is being photographed, the zoom lens drive speed is slower than S303 during photographing standby so as not to impair the quality of the recorded moving image.

  In S320, it is determined whether a setting change operation has been performed. If it is determined that the setting change operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S321, and the setting is changed according to the operation. If it is determined that the setting change operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to S322. Here, the setting items that can accept the operation of changing the settings are less than the items that can be changed in S305 and S306 in the shooting standby described above because the moving image is being shot. Shooting settings that can be changed here include, for example, manual focus, exposure setting, and focus lock.

  In S322, it is determined whether or not the FA button 75 has been pressed. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to S323 to perform FA processing. Details of the FA processing will be described later with reference to FIG. If the FA button 75 has not been pressed, the process proceeds to S324.

  In S324, it is determined whether or not the moving image button 74 has been pressed. If the moving image button 74 is pressed, the process proceeds to S325 to stop (end) moving image shooting. If the moving image button 74 is not pressed, the process proceeds to S316 to continue moving image shooting.

  In S326, it is determined whether or not to end the shooting mode process. An operation to turn off the power to the power switch 72, an operation to shift to another mode such as a playback mode, an auto power off to turn off the power to save power when a predetermined time has passed without any operation, etc. If there is, it is determined that the shooting mode process is to be terminated. If it is determined not to end the shooting mode process, the process returns to S301 to repeat the process, and if it is determined to end, the shooting mode process is ended.

<FA processing>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the FA processing of S308 and S323 of FIG. 3 described above. This processing is realized by the system control unit 50 developing and executing the program recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 in the system memory 52. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the FA process starts when the FA button 75 is operated during shooting standby or movie shooting in the shooting mode.

  In S401, it is determined whether or not the current zoom magnification (or zoom position) is at the wide angle end. If the zoom lens is at the wide-angle end, zooming out cannot be performed any more, and the FA function cannot be executed. That is, the FA function is not activated even if the FA button 75 is pressed at the wide-angle end. If it is determined that the lens is not at the wide angle end, the process proceeds to S402.

  In S402, the AE and AWB during the through image display that are always valid are invalidated, and the exposure value and the white balance are fixed before the FA button is pressed. The purpose of the FA function is to place a subject that moves far away within the shooting range when zooming in again. Therefore, in order to make it easier to find the subject, the exposure and white balance of the through image display are fixed to the settings before zooming out.

  In S403, the current zoom magnification is recorded in the system memory 52 as the zoom magnification (first position) before FA processing. This is recorded separately from the above-described S304 and S319. The zoom magnification before FA processing is recorded in advance, and is used for reference when restoring the zoom magnification when zooming out is performed in S412 described later. If the zoom position before FA processing is known, the zoom position that is the position of the smooth lens may be recorded instead of the zoom magnification.

  In S404, it is determined whether or not the magnification when zooming out from the zoom position before FA to the wide-angle end is smaller than the FA zoom-out magnification. This is done by comparing the difference in magnification from the zoom position before the FA stored in the system memory 52 to the wide-angle end and the FA zoom-out magnification set in advance as the magnification for zooming out with the FA function. Is called. If it is determined that it is smaller than the FA zoom-out magnification, the process proceeds to S405, and if it is determined that it is not smaller, the process proceeds to S406. In other words, the small case means a case where the wide-angle end is reached before zooming out by the FA zoom-out magnification. Therefore, if it is determined to be small, the process proceeds to S405, and the FA zoom-out magnification is replaced with the zoom-out magnification up to the wide-angle end.

  In S406, the photographing information that has been displayed on the display unit 28 until then is hidden. Only a through image is displayed on the display unit 28, and other information is not displayed.

  In S407, it is determined whether or not the FA button 75 that has been pressed has been released (that is, whether or not there has been an instruction to end execution of the FA function). If it is determined that it has been released, the process proceeds to S408, and if it has not been released, the process proceeds to S411.

  In S408, the temporary zoom-out performed in the FA process (zoom-out performed in S412 described later) is canceled, and the zoom position before the FA (the zoom position recorded in the system memory 52 in S403) is set. Control the zoom. If the zoom position before FA recorded in S403 is a magnification indicating an electronic zoom area, zoom control by electronic zoom is also performed.

  In S409, the exposure value and white balance fixed in S402 are released. At the time of S409, the zoom lens is in the zoom position before FA. In other words, because the angle of view does not include a high-luminance object, a low-luminance object, or an object that hinders white balance adjustment according to the subject, even if AE and AWB of the through image are enabled, It is not difficult to find the subject.

  In S410, the shooting information that was not displayed in S406 is displayed again, and the FA processing is terminated.

  In step S411, it is determined whether zoom-out at the FA zoom-out magnification has been completed. If not completed, the process proceeds to S412 to perform zoom-out by optical zoom. Alternatively, if zooming in using electronic zoom has been performed, zooming out using electronic zoom is performed, and the process returns to S407.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows a through image in the case where an object with low luminance enters around the subject to be photographed. FIGS. 5A to 5D show through images when the exposure value and the white balance are not fixed in S402.

  (A) is a through image in S307, and shows a through image before zooming out.

  (B) is a through image when a Yes determination is made in S411, and shows a state where zoom-out has been completed. When the exposure value and white balance are not fixed, AE and AWB are always performed, as shown in (c), including not only the subject 501 to be photographed but also the surrounding low-brightness object 502. To do. For this reason, the subject 501 to be photographed is over-exposed.

  (D) is a through image when zoomed in again in S408, and it takes time for AE and AWB to follow, so it is easy to lose sight of the subject 501 to be photographed.

  FIGS. 5E to 5H show through images of the present embodiment, that is, through images when the exposure value and white balance are fixed in S402.

  (E) is a through image in S307, and shows a through image before zooming out.

  (F) is a through image when a Yes determination is made in S411, and shows a state where zoom-out has been completed. Since the exposure value and the white balance are fixed, as shown in (g), the subject 501 to be photographed is exposed, and the surrounding low-brightness object 502 is blackened. (H) is a through image when zoomed in again in S408, and since the exposure already matches the subject 501 to be photographed, it is difficult to lose sight.

  If it is determined in S411 that zoom-out for the FA zoom-out magnification has been completed, the process proceeds to S413. The zoom position at the time when zoom-out is completed is referred to as a second position.

  In S413, it is determined whether or not the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated by half-pressing the shutter button 61. If it is determined that the first shutter switch signal SW1 has been generated, the process proceeds to S414, and the zoom magnification before the FA button 75 is pressed, which is stored in the system memory 52 in S403, is cleared (erased). In step S415, the exposure value and the white balance are released from fixing, as in step S409. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S310 in FIG. 3 to start the imaging preparation operation. As described above, when the shutter button 61 is half-pressed during the FA process, it is considered that the user desires to capture a still image at the current angle of view instead of the angle of view before the FA button is pressed, and temporarily The FA processing is terminated without changing the zoom position due to the zoom out. That is, in this case, the zoom position before the start of the FA function is not returned.

  In S416, it is determined whether or not the moving image button 74 has been pressed. If it is determined that the movie button 74 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S417, and if not, the process proceeds to S420.

  In S417, the zoom position before FA stored in the system memory 52 in S403 is cleared (erased), and the process proceeds to S418.

  In S418, similarly to S409, the exposure value and the white balance are released, and the process proceeds to S419.

  In S419, it is determined whether or not the movie is currently being shot. If the movie is not being shot, the flow proceeds to S316 in FIG. 3 to start shooting the movie. If the movie is being shot, the flow proceeds to S325 in FIG. 3, and in S406. The shooting information that has been hidden is displayed again, and the shooting of the moving image ends. Again, if the moving image button 74 is pressed, it is considered that the user desires to start or end moving image shooting at the current angle of view instead of the angle of view before FA, and the FA is changed without changing the zoom position. End the process.

  In S420, it is determined whether or not a moving image is currently being shot. If it is determined that the movie is being shot, the process returns to S407 and the process is repeated. That is, in FA processing during moving image shooting, frame display is not performed in a range corresponding to the angle of view before FA, which will be described later in S421 and thereafter. This is to prevent the user from erroneously recognizing that if the frame display is performed during moving image shooting, the frame itself may be recorded as part of the moving image. This is also to prevent the confirmation of the moving image being shot. If it is determined in S420 that moving image shooting is in progress, the process proceeds to S421.

  In S421, it is determined whether or not a setting change operation has been performed by operating the operation unit 70 or the like. If it is determined that there has been a setting change operation, the process proceeds to S422, and if there is no setting change operation, the process proceeds to S407.

  In S422, although a setting change operation has been performed, the setting change is not performed and no processing is performed (no response). In addition, it is synonymous also as a structure which does not provide the determination step of S421 and progresses to S407 from S420. That is, in the present embodiment, when zooming out temporarily by the FA process, the setting change operation is not accepted, and the setting for each shooting setting item described in S307 in FIG. 3 can be changed. Setting change is prohibited. By doing so, the shooting setting is changed during the FA processing for displaying the through image with the zoom position different from the angle at which the image is actually shot, and an image unintended by the user is shot. Is preventing.

In FIG. 4, the details of the exposure value fixing method are not described for the sake of brevity. Therefore, the details of the exposure value fixing method implemented in S407, S411, and S412 of FIG. 4 are shown in the flowchart of FIG. In the FA zoom-out, it has been found to zoom position P ₁ and zoom out at the end of the zoom position P ₄ at the start of the zoom out before the start. The aperture value is different at each zoom position, but the exposure value is fixed by changing the shutter speed or ISO sensitivity.

FIG. 7 shows an image diagram of the zoom positions P ₁ and P ₄ . As an example in FIGS. 6 and 7, the exposure value during the movement of the zoom lens is fixed by changing the shutter speed or ISO sensitivity at the time of 1/3 movement of the total zoom lens movement amount. .

  In S601, it is determined whether or not the FA button has been released. This item corresponds to S407. If the FA button is released, the process proceeds to S408, and if not released, the process proceeds to S602.

In S <b> 602, the aperture value F ₁ , shutter speed T ₁ , and ISO sensitivity ISO ₁ values before zoom driving are stored in the memory 32. In the FA function, before zooming out, it is known in advance where the zoom position of the moving destination will be before the operation is started.

The aperture value _{F 4} to move the zoom position is recorded in the memory 32 in S603. Further, the aperture values F ₂ and F ₃ at the zoom positions P ₂ and P ₃ shown in FIG. P ₂ represents a zoom position moved to the Wide side by 1/3 of the total zoom lens movement amount, and P ₃ represents a zoom position moved to the Wide side by 2/3 of the total zoom lens movement amount.

In S604, the following formulas are established such that the exposure value is fixed, and the combination of shutter speed and ISO sensitivity, (T ₂ , ISO ₂ ), (T ₃ , ISO ₃ ), (T ₄ , ISO ₄ ) decide.

In S605, similarly to S601, it is determined whether or not the FA button has been released. If the FA button is released, the process proceeds to S408, and if not released, the process proceeds to S606.

In S606, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 2.}

In S607, the exposure value in the zoom position _{P 2} is so that a _fixed, to reflect the T 2, ISO _2.

  In S608, as in S601, it is determined whether or not the FA button has been released. If the FA button is released, the process proceeds to S408, and if not released, the process proceeds to S609.

In S609, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 3.}

In S610, the exposure value in the zoom position _{P 3} is so that a _fixed, to reflect the T 3, ISO _3.

  In S611, as in S601, it is determined whether or not the FA button has been released. If the FA button is released, the process proceeds to S408, and if not released, the process proceeds to S612.

In S612, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 4.}

In S613, the exposure value in the zoom position _{P 4} is so that a _fixed, to reflect the T 4, ISO _4.

A flowchart of FIG. 8 shows a method of fixing the exposure value at the time of zooming in, which is performed in S408 of FIG. In the FA zoom in, it has been found to zoom position P ₄ and the zoom position P ₁ of the zoom in at the end of the time of zoom start before the start. The aperture value is different at each zoom position, but the exposure value is fixed by changing the shutter speed or ISO sensitivity. FIG. 7 shows an image diagram of the zoom positions P ₁ and P ₄ . As an example in FIGS. 6 and 7, the exposure value during the movement of the zoom lens is fixed by changing the shutter speed or ISO sensitivity at the time of 1/3 movement of the total zoom lens movement amount. .

In S801, the aperture value F ₄ , shutter speed T ₄ , and ISO sensitivity ISO ₄ values before zoom driving are stored in the memory 32. In the FA function, before zooming in, it is known in advance where the destination zoom position will be before the operation is started.

In step S <b> 802, the aperture value F <b> ₁ of the destination zoom position is recorded in the memory 32. Further, the aperture values F ₂ and F ₃ at the zoom positions P ₂ and P ₃ shown in FIG. P ₃ represents a zoom position moved to 1/3 by Tele side in the entire zoom lens movement amount, P ₂ represents the zoom position moved to 2/3 by Tele side in the entire zoom lens movement amount.

In S803, the following mathematical formulas are established so that the exposure value is fixed: a combination of shutter speed and ISO sensitivity, (T ₁ , ISO ₁ ), (T ₂ , ISO ₂ ), (T ₃ , ISO ₃ ). decide.

In S804, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 3.}

In S805, the exposure value in the zoom position _{P 3} is so that a _fixed, to reflect the T 2, ISO _2.

In S806, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 2.}

In S807, the exposure value in the zoom position _{P 2} is so that a _fixed, to reflect the T 2, ISO _2.

In S808, the zoom driving to the zoom position _{P 1.}

In S809, so that the exposure value is fixed at the zoom position _{P 1,} to reflect the T _1, ISO 1, the flow returns to S409 in FIG. 4 when finished.

  In FIGS. 6 and 8, the shutter speed and ISO sensitivity are changed so that the exposure value is fixed at the timing of 1/3 movement of the zoom lens, but it is moved 1 / m (m is a positive integer). The shutter speed and ISO sensitivity may be changed so that the exposure value is fixed at the timing.

  In the past, since the exposure was adjusted by performing AE after zooming in or zooming out was completed, it took time to follow the subject, and the subject could be lost. By fixing, it is possible to make it difficult to lose sight of the subject.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the exposure value and the white balance are fixed to the values before the zoom operation during the period from when the FA button is pressed to when it is released. Accordingly, when a through image display is performed in an imaging apparatus having a high-magnification zoom function, it is possible to make it difficult to lose sight of a subject to be photographed and to frame a moving subject to a desired angle of view.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Image pick-up part 28 Display part 32 Memory 44 Zoom control means 52 System memory 56 Non-volatile memory 61 Shutter button 70 Operation part 72 Power switch 74 Movie button 75 FA button 76 Zoom lever 100 Digital camera 200 Recording medium

Claims (8)

Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating image data;
Optical zoom or digital zoom means;
AE means for automatically adjusting the exposure value when displaying a through image;
AWB means for automatically adjusting white balance when displaying a through image;
Certain operations zoom to the wide-angle side,
Zoom in to the telephoto side when you perform different operations.
A first zoom operation means;
Press a specific button to zoom to the wide-angle side,
Release the button to return to the zoom position before the movement.
A second zoom operation means;
After operating the first zoom operation means,
Perform the AE and the AWB continuously,
The period from pressing the second zoom operation means to releasing it is
An image pickup apparatus comprising control means for fixing an exposure value and a white balance to a value before zooming. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing the F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position after the optical zoom drive before the optical zoom operation,
Make sure that the exposure value before and after the optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes a shutter speed after the optical zoom operation. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing the F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position during the optical zoom operation and after the optical zoom drive before the optical zoom operation,
The exposure value before optical zoom operation, during optical zoom operation, and after optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes a shutter speed during the optical zoom operation and after the optical zoom operation. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing an F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position after the optical zoom drive before the optical zoom operation,
Make sure that the exposure value before and after the optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes the ISO sensitivity after the optical zoom operation. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing an F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position during optical zoom and after optical zoom drive before optical zoom operation,
The exposure value before optical zoom operation, during optical zoom operation, and after optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes the ISO sensitivity during the optical zoom operation and after the optical zoom operation. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing an F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position after the optical zoom drive before the optical zoom operation,
Make sure that the exposure value before and after the optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes a shutter speed and an ISO sensitivity after the optical zoom operation. When using the second zoom operation means,
Storage means for storing an F value at each zoom position of the optical zoom;
Using the F value of the zoom position during the optical zoom operation and after the optical zoom drive before the optical zoom operation,
The exposure value before optical zoom operation, during optical zoom operation, and after optical zoom operation is the same.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that changes a shutter speed and ISO sensitivity during and after the optical zoom operation. Photographing means for photographing a subject and generating image data;
Optical zoom or digital zoom means;
AE means for automatically adjusting the exposure value when displaying a through image;
AWB means for automatically adjusting white balance when displaying a through image;
Certain operations zoom to the wide-angle side,
Zoom in to the telephoto side when you perform different operations.
A first zoom operation means;
Press a specific button to zoom to the wide-angle side,
Release the button to return to the zoom position before the movement.
A control method of an imaging apparatus having a second zoom operation means,
After operating the first zoom operation means,
Perform the AE and the AWB continuously,
The period from pressing the second zoom operation means to releasing it is
An image pickup apparatus control method, wherein an exposure value and a white balance are fixed to values before zooming.