JP2018155904A - Display control device and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique that allows a user to intuitively grasp change in an extent of focusing in response to change in a diaphragm value.SOLUTION: A display control device includes: acquisition means for acquiring information on a focusing degree of an image shot by imaging means; display control means for controlling such that a display item containing a first index and a second index is displayed so that a distance between the first index and the second index matches the focusing degree based on information acquired by the acquisition means; and control means for controlling such that a display width of the first index or the second index in a distance direction of the first index and the second index is changed based on a diaphragm setting for adjusting luminous exposure with the imaging means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a display technique for information related to focus.

  There has been proposed a display device that calculates a focus evaluation value of a subject using a distance measuring sensor or a plurality of imaging sensors, and displays a front pin state and a rear pin state for each imaged subject based on the evaluation value.

  For example, Patent Document 1 displays focus information so as to be able to grasp whether the focus of the photographing lens is the front focus, the rear focus, or the focus based on the focus status detected by the focus status detection means. It has been proposed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228620 proposes that markers that are offset according to the deviation of the focus position from the focus position when manually focusing are arranged and displayed in a rotationally symmetric positional relationship.

JP 2002-365710 A JP 2007-279334 A

However, the degree of focus varies depending on the depth of field. For example, if the depth of field is deep (if it is wide), the focusing range is wide and it is easy to focus. Conversely, if the depth of field is shallow, the focusing range is narrow and it is difficult to focus. The depth of field varies depending on the aperture amount for adjusting the exposure amount.The closer the aperture is to the open side, the shallower the depth of field and the wider the range of blur, so the focus of the subject you want to focus on Matching becomes more severe. On the other hand, when the aperture is in a more narrowed state, the depth of field becomes deep and a large number of subjects are in focus.
In the prior art, the difference in the degree of focus based on the aperture amount is not taken into consideration, and it is difficult for the user to understand how the focus range changes when the aperture value is changed. There's a problem.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that allows a user to intuitively understand that the focusing range changes according to a change in aperture value.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, an acquisition unit that acquires information related to a degree of focus of an image captured by an imaging unit, and a first index and a second index based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, The display control means for controlling the display item including the first index and the second index to be displayed, and the exposure amount in the imaging means are adjusted so that the distance corresponds to the degree of focus. Control means for controlling to change a display width of the first index or the second index with respect to a distance direction between the first index and the second index based on a setting of an aperture for A display control device is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of acquiring information relating to a degree of focus of an image captured by the imaging unit, and a first index and a second index based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit. Controlling to display a display item including the first index and the second index so that the distance corresponds to the degree of focus; and an aperture for adjusting an exposure amount in the imaging unit Display control step of controlling to change the display width of the first index or the second index with respect to the distance direction of the first index and the second index based on the setting of An apparatus control method is provided.

  A third aspect of the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the display control device described in the first aspect of the present invention.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the display control apparatus described in the first aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, the user can intuitively grasp that the focusing range changes according to the change of the aperture value.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a digital camera. A part of the light receiving surface of an image sensor as an image sensor is shown. It is an example of the flowchart regarding the display of a focus guide function. It is a display example of a focus guide. It is a figure showing the change of the shape of a focus guide figure with respect to the change of an aperture value. It is the figure which showed the example of a display of a focus guide function.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in principle, and redundant description is omitted. Further, numerical values and the like exemplified for embodying the description are not limited to these unless otherwise specified.
Further, the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist thereof. For example, each configuration of the following embodiments may be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions.

<Example 1>
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(Hardware configuration of digital camera)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the digital camera 10. In this embodiment, a digital camera 10 (imaging device) will be described as an example of a display control device. The housing 100 is an exterior that contains many of the components of the digital camera 10. Various operation units, the display unit 107 (display unit), and the external output unit 121 are exposed to the outside of the housing 100.
The interchangeable lens 101 is a photographing lens composed of a plurality of lens groups, and includes a focus lens, a zoom lens, a shift lens, and an aperture.
The imaging element 102 has a configuration in which a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element are arranged two-dimensionally. The image sensor 102 photoelectrically converts the subject optical image formed by the interchangeable lens 101 at each pixel, and further performs analog / digital conversion by an A / D conversion circuit to output an image signal (RAW image data) in units of pixels. To do. Details of the image sensor 102 used in this embodiment and the related distance measuring unit 108 will be described later with reference to FIG.

An ND (Neutral Density) filter 103 is provided in the digital camera 10 to adjust the amount of incident light separately from the diaphragm provided in the lens.
The image processing unit 118 corrects pixel level differences caused by the image sensor 102. For example, using the pixels in the OB area (optical black area), the level of the pixels in the effective area is corrected, and the defective pixels are corrected using the surrounding pixels. In addition, various processes such as correction for peripheral light loss, color correction, contour enhancement, noise removal, gamma correction, debayer, and compression are performed. When the above processing is performed on the RAW image data input from the image sensor 102, the image processing unit 118 outputs the corrected image data to other control units.
The recording medium I / F unit 104 is an interface between the recording medium 105 and the digital camera 10, and controls recording of image data input from the image processing unit 118 and reading of recorded image data with respect to the recording medium 105. To do.
The recording medium 105 is a recording medium composed of a semiconductor memory or the like for recording captured video or image data. Recording of the image data and recorded images are performed according to control by the recording medium I / F unit 104. Read data. The recording medium 105 is a removable memory card or the like. A built-in recording medium may be used.

The GPU 115 is a rendering engine that draws various information displays and menu screens of the video camera in the VRAM. The GPU 115 performs processing of an enlargement / reduction drawing function, a rotation drawing function, and a layer composition function in addition to a character string and figure drawing function. The VRAM has an alpha channel representing transparency, and a display object drawn on the VRAM can be displayed on-screen on a captured image or a reproduced image by the display I / F unit 106.
The display I / F unit 106 performs superposition synthesis and resizing processing on the video data (captured image, reproduced image) from the image processing unit 118 and the display object drawn on the VRAM by the GPU 115, and outputs the result to the display unit 107. To do. When in the enlarged display mode, the display I / F unit 106 performs superposition synthesis and resizing processing on the partial area of the video data. As a result, in the enlarged display mode, an enlarged image is displayed on the display unit 107 as compared with the normal time, which makes it easier for the photographer to perform a focus adjustment operation with manual focus (hereinafter referred to as MF) more accurately.
The display unit 107 is an external monitor visible from the side of the housing 100 that displays the image data output from the display I / F unit 106 for angle of view confirmation, or a display unit in the finder. The display unit 107 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display (Organic Light-E).
(Mitting Diode Display) or the like.

  The main body microcomputer 119 is a control unit that controls the entire operation of the digital camera 10 and is configured by a microcomputer or the like. The main body microcomputer 119 includes a CPU 119a, a ROM 119b, and a RAM 119c. The CPU 119a executes the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 3 to be described later by developing the program stored in the ROM 119b in the RAM 119c and executing it.

The gain control unit 109, the shutter control unit 110, the ND control unit 111, and the aperture control unit 112 described below are all blocks for exposure control. These are controlled by the main body microcomputer 119 based on the result of calculating the luminance level of the image data output from the image processing unit 118 by the main body microcomputer 119 or based on the operation parameters manually set by the photographer.
The gain control unit 109 controls the gain of the image sensor 102.
The shutter control unit 110 controls the shutter speed of the image sensor 102.
The ND control unit 111 controls the amount of light incident on the image sensor 102 via the ND filter 103. A diaphragm control unit 112 controls the diaphragm of the interchangeable lens 101.
The focus control unit 113 indicates that the focus drive state held by the main body microcomputer 119 is A.
Different operations are performed depending on whether F (autofocus) or MF (manual focus). At the time of AF, the main body microcomputer 119 calculates focus information such as a degree of focus shift with reference to the image data output from the image processing unit 118, and the focus control unit 113 has the inside of the interchangeable lens 101 based on the focus information. Control the focus lens. Alternatively, the focus control unit 113 may control the focus lens inside the interchangeable lens 101 based on the defocus amount output from the distance measuring unit 108 by detecting the imaging surface phase difference.

  The focus control unit 113 can set an AF frame in a partial area of the image data, and can calculate focus information based only on the subject in the AF frame. The AF further has two operation modes depending on the behavior of the main body microcomputer 119. One is a one-shot AF mode, in which AF control is performed only when the one-shot AF key 129 is pressed, and after focus success or focus failure is confirmed, control of the focus control unit 113 is stopped. . The other is a continuous AF mode (servo AF), in which AF control is always performed. However, even in the continuous AF mode, when the AF lock key 130 is pressed to enter the AF lock state, the control of the focus control unit 113 is stopped. Switching between the two modes is performed by changing the setting in the menu screen.

In the case of MF, the focus control unit 113 stops AF control. In this case, an arbitrary focus adjustment can be performed by rotating the focus ring 134 incorporated in the interchangeable lens 101 by the photographer.
The image stabilization control unit 114 refers to the image data output from the image processing unit 118, calculates the motion vector of the subject with the main body microcomputer 119, and the interchangeable lens so as to cancel out camera shake based on the calculated motion vector. An optical image stabilization process for controlling the shift lens 101 is performed. Alternatively, the image stabilization control unit 114 performs an electronic image stabilization process that cuts out an image at each frame of the moving image in a direction that cancels image blur due to camera shake.
The memory I / F unit 116 writes RAW image data for all the pixels output from the image sensor 102 to the memory 117, reads out the RAW image data held in the memory 117, and outputs it to the image processing unit 118.
The memory 117 is a volatile storage medium that stores RAW image data for all pixels of several frames.

The image processing unit 118 performs necessary image processing on the RAW image data for all the pixels sent from the memory I / F unit 116.
The external output I / F unit 120 performs resizing processing on the video data from the image processing unit 118. In addition, signal conversion and control signal application suitable for the standard of the external output unit 121 are performed, and output to the external output unit 121.
The external output unit 121 is a terminal that outputs video data to the outside, and is, for example, an SDI (Serial Digital Interface) terminal or an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal. A monitor display, which is an external device, or an external recording device can be connected.
The external operation I / F unit 122 is an interface that receives a control instruction from the external operation unit 123 and notifies the main body microcomputer 119 of the control instruction. For example, an infrared remote controller light-receiving unit, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) interface, or a LANC (Registered Trademark) bus unit corresponds to the external operation I / F unit 122.

The external operation unit 123 transmits a control instruction (control command) to the external operation I / F unit 122. The external operation unit 123 can transmit instructions (commands) corresponding to the operations of the operation units 124 to 135 incorporated in the housing 100 and the interchangeable lens 101, and can be set on a menu screen displayed on the display unit 107. Change information can be sent. The menu key 124 and the AF / MF switch 135 are operation units, and include members such as keys (buttons), dials, tact switches, rings, and touch panels. Each of them takes a role of accepting a photographer's operation and notifying the main body microcomputer 119 of a control instruction. The menu key 124 to the START / STOP key 133 are operation units on the main body side that are assembled to the housing 100. The focus ring 134 and the AF / MF switch 135 are lens side operation units assembled to the interchangeable lens 101. Some of these operation units can exchange the role of keys or be assigned to another function according to the setting in the menu screen.

The menu key 124 instructs the display unit 107 to display a menu screen or closes an already opened menu screen.
The cross key 125 and the dial 126 both instruct to move a cursor for selecting an item on the menu screen and to move a frame display relating to the focus in a direction desired by the photographer. The cross key 125 is a direction key composed of an up key, a down key, a left key, and a right key, and each may be a separate operation member, or may be configured as the same operation member according to the position to be pressed You may comprise so that instruction | indication of either up and down, right and left can be performed. The dial 126 is a rotation operation member that can perform a clockwise operation and a counterclockwise operation. For example, a setting value such as an aperture value is increased when the dial 126 is operated clockwise, and a setting value is decreased when the dial 126 is operated counterclockwise.
The SET key 127 gives an instruction to select the item on which the cursor is placed on the menu screen or to confirm various setting operations.
A cancel key 128 is used to return to the previous layer or cancel various setting operations when a deep layer is selected on the menu screen.
An aperture for adjusting the exposure amount can be set with the cross key 125, the dial 126, the SET key 127, and the like, and these function as receiving means.

The AF lock key 130 instructs the focus control unit 113 to stop or restart AF driving when the AF mode is continuous AF.
The one-shot AF key 129 instructs the focus control unit 113 to drive AF when the AF mode is one-shot AF.
The enlargement key 131 gives an instruction to enlarge or restore the image displayed on the display unit 107.
The DISPLAY key 132 gives an instruction to change the Disp level held by the main body microcomputer 119. Based on the selected Disp level, the display of various information displayed on the display unit 107 is limited, so that more detailed information can be displayed and the video can be displayed more clearly.
A START / STOP key 133 instructs the recording medium I / F unit 104 to start and stop recording.

The focus ring 134 can move the focus lens in the interchangeable lens 101 and perform focus adjustment when the focus drive state is MF.
The AF / MF switch 135 gives an instruction to switch the focus driving state, that is, AF and MF to each other.

(Imaging surface phase difference detection)
2A and 2B show a part of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 102 as an image sensor. The imaging device 102 has a configuration in which pixel portions holding two photodiodes as photoelectric conversion means are arranged in an array for one microlens in order to enable imaging plane phase difference AF. Yes. Thereby, each pixel unit can receive a light beam obtained by dividing the exit pupil of the interchangeable lens 101.
FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a part of the image sensor surface in a Bayer array of red (R), blue (B), and green (Gb, Gr) for reference. FIG. 2B is an example of a pixel portion that holds two photodiodes as photoelectric conversion means for one microlens corresponding to the arrangement of the color filters in FIG. 2A.
The image sensor having such a configuration can output two signals (hereinafter also referred to as an A image signal and a B image signal) for detecting a phase difference from each pixel unit. Further, an image recording signal (A image signal + B image signal) obtained by adding the signals of the two photodiodes can be output. In the case of the added signal, a signal equivalent to the output of the image sensor having the Bayer arrangement schematically described in FIG. 2A is output.
Using the output signal from the image sensor 102 as such an image sensor, the distance measuring unit 108 performs correlation calculation between the two image signals, and calculates information such as the defocus amount and various reliability. The distance measuring unit 108 calculates the defocus amount on the image plane based on the difference between the A image signal and the B image signal.
The defocus amount has a positive or negative value, and it is determined whether the defocus amount is a positive value or a negative value depending on whether the defocus amount is a positive value or a negative value.

Further, the distance measuring unit 108 outputs focusing information (information on the degree of focusing) to the CPU 119a. Here, the in-focus information is the in-focus state calculated based on the defocus amount, the in-focus state, the front pin, and the rear pin, and the in-focus state calculated based on the absolute value of the defocus amount. Focusing degree information, which is the degree of focus (degree of focus deviation). Further, the focusing information may include information on whether or not the distance measurement is successful. The focus degree information is generated based on the absolute value of the defocus amount. The greater the defocus amount, the lower the degree of focusing. If the defocus amount is 0, the in-focus state is achieved. The focus degree information may be the defocus amount itself.
When the focus ring 134 is operated by the user, the distance measuring unit 108 may generate focusing information based on the defocus amount acquired after the focus ring 134 is operated and output the focus information to the CPU 119a. .

In the present embodiment, a total of three signals, that is, two signals for imaging and two signals for phase difference detection are output from the imaging element 102. This point is not limited to such a method. For example, a total of two signals out of two signals for imaging and phase difference detection may be output. In this case, the other one of the two signals for phase difference detection after the output is calculated using the two output signals from the image sensor 102.
FIG. 2B shows an example in which pixel portions holding two photodiodes as photoelectric conversion means are arranged in an array for one microlens. In this regard, pixel portions holding three or more photodiodes as photoelectric conversion means may be arranged in an array for one microlens. Moreover, you may make it have two or more pixel parts from which the opening position of a light-receiving part differs with respect to a micro lens. That is, it is only necessary to obtain two phase difference detection signals capable of detecting a phase difference, such as an A image signal and a B image signal.

(CPU display control processing)
Based on the focus information acquired from the distance measuring unit 108, the CPU 119a outputs information on whether the front pin or the rear pin is on the display unit 107 when the absolute value of the defocus amount exceeds a predetermined value. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the defocus amount is within a predetermined value, the CPU 119a outputs information indicating that the focus is achieved to the display unit 107.
Specifically, the CPU 119a displays the live view image displayed on the display unit 107 by superimposing an item (focus guide described later) indicating the degree of focus and the focus range based on the focus information. Processing as a control means and control means is performed.
Further, the CPU 119a as a display control unit causes the display unit 107 to display the item by changing the item so as to correspond to the degree of focus. On the other hand, the CPU 119a as a control unit changes the item based on the setting of the aperture (F value) for adjusting the exposure amount and causes the display unit 107 to display the item. In the flowchart of FIG. 3 to be described later, a specific example of processing performed by the CPU 119a will be described.

FIG. 3 is an example of a flowchart regarding the display of the focus guide function during moving image shooting. The focus guide is a display item that indicates the degree of focus on the subject displayed in a superimposed manner on the live view image displayed on the display unit 107.
In step S301, the CPU 119a determines whether or not the focus mode is the MF mode (manual focus mode). If the AF / MF switch 137 is set to MF, the CPU 119a determines that the mode is MF mode, and proceeds to step S302. If the AF / MF switch 137 is set to AF, the CPU 119a performs AF mode (autofocus mode) processing. The description of the AF mode process is omitted.
In step S302, the CPU 119a obtains focusing information (information on the degree of focusing) from the distance measuring unit 108 for the subject corresponding to the focus detection area.
In step S303, the CPU 119a determines the frame display position, index angle, and display color of the focus guide based on the information obtained in step S302, and displays the focus guide superimposed on the live view image. Here, the index angle is information used when the shape of the focus guide is changed according to the degree of focus. The index angle is determined based on information indicating whether the focus, the front pin, or the rear pin is in the state, and the focus degree information for the front pin or the rear pin. The display color is determined based on the information indicating whether the focus, the front pin, or the rear pin is in the state, and the distance measurement success / failure information. The frame display position is the coordinates of the position where the focus guide is displayed, and the frame display position is set, for example, in or near the focus detection area where a person or the like is displayed. A display example of the focus guide will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C.
If the AF / MF switch 137 is AF in step S301, the CPU 119a may not display the focus guide.

In step S304, the CPU 119a determines whether or not an aperture changing operation has been performed. The aperture changing operation can be performed by operating the left and right keys included in the cross key 125 or by rotating the dial 126. If there is an aperture change operation, the CPU 119a proceeds to step S305, otherwise proceeds to step S307. In step S305, the CPU 119a changes the aperture value setting according to the aperture change operation, controls the aperture controller 112 to drive the aperture mechanism included in the interchangeable lens, and sets the aperture amount of the set aperture value. To do.
In step S306, the CPU 119a changes the shape of the focus guide according to the set aperture value. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

In step S307, the CPU 119a determines whether or not an MF operation (manual focus operation) has been performed. The MF operation can be performed not only by rotating the focus ring 134 but also by operating the up and down keys included in the cross key 125. Since the focus ring 134 is not electrically connected to the CPU 119a, an operation performed on the focus ring 135 cannot be detected by the CPU 119a (it cannot be determined whether or not it has been operated). On the other hand, it is assumed that the CPU 119a can detect the MF operation performed by operating the up and down keys included in the cross key 125. That is, the determination in step S307 is a determination as to whether or not an up / down key included in the cross key 125 has been operated. If the up / down key operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S308; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S309.
In step S308, the CPU 119a controls the focus control unit 113 to drive the focus lens in the interchangeable lens 101 so that the focus position is in accordance with the user's operation.
Since the focus lens can be driven manually by the user operating the focus ring 134, the processes in steps S307 and S308 are not necessary.

In step S309, the CPU 119a determines whether or not there has been an end event for ending this process, such as turning off the power or shifting to the playback mode. If there is an end event, the CPU 119a ends this process. The process returns to S301 and is repeated.
When the process is repeated, if the focus ring 134 is operated after step S303 or the like, and the MF operation is performed, the focus degree of the image to be captured changes, so the focus acquired in step S302. Information changes. Therefore, the CPU 119a updates the display mode of the focus guide based on the latest acquired focus information in step S303.
The process of step S302 by the CPU 119a corresponds to the process of the acquisition unit of the present invention, the process of step S303 corresponds to the process of the display control unit of the present invention, and the process of step S306 is the control unit of the present invention. It corresponds to the process.

4A, 4B, and 4C are display examples of the focus guide. FIG. 4A is a display example of the focus guide displayed when the subject in the focus detection area is not focused with the front pin, and FIG. 4B is displayed when the subject is not focused with the rear pin. This is a display example of a focus guide. FIG. 4C is a figure displayed when the subject in the focus detection area is in focus.
An arc-shaped figure 401 (third index) and an arc-shaped figure 402 (second index) in FIG. 4A are figures representing the defocus amount and the depth of field, and a triangular figure 403 (first index). The index) is a figure that is a target for the user to focus.
As shown in FIG. 4A, an angle between a straight line m passing through the side A of the arc-shaped figure 401 and a straight line n passing through the vertex B of the triangular figure 403 and perpendicular to the base C is referred to as an index angle. This index angle represents the amount of operation of the focus ring 134 for focusing. The angle between the straight line o and the straight line n passing through the side D of the arc-shaped figure 402 is also an index angle. The figure 401 and the figure 402 move on the outer circumference of a predetermined circle according to the defocus amount along a trajectory that draws an arc. For example, when the defocus amount decreases, the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 move in the direction of decreasing the index angle along a locus that draws an arc. On the other hand, when the defocus amount increases, the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 move in the direction of increasing the index angle along the locus of drawing the arc. Hereinafter, the moving direction of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 is referred to as a moving direction.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the distance between the straight line n and the side A of the arc-shaped figure 401 (the distance between the first index and the second index) also represents the amount of operation of the focus ring 134. . The distance between the straight line n and the side B of the figure 402 is the same. Hereinafter, the distance between the straight line n passing through the vertex B of the triangular figure 403 and perpendicular to the base C and the side A on the figure 403 side of the arc-shaped figure 401 (or figure 402) is referred to as an index distance.

  4A and 4B show the positional relationship between the figure 401 and figure 402 and the figure 403 and whether the orientation of the figure 403 is a front pin or a rear pin. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the case of the front pin, a triangular figure 403 is displayed below the figures 401 and 402 so that the vertices face upward. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the case of the rear pin, the triangular figure 403 is displayed above the figures 401 and 402 in the direction opposite to that of FIG. 4A (inverted triangle).

The display width in the moving direction (distance direction) of the figure 401 and the figure 402 represents the depth of field, and the display width corresponds to the aperture value (F value, Av value) set in step S305. That is, the display widths of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 are expanded in the same direction as the direction in which the index distance is changed according to the depth of field.
A specific example will be described. In the above description, it has been described that the figure 401 and the figure 402 move on the outer circumference of a predetermined circle according to the defocus amount along a trajectory that draws an arc. Even when the depth of field is changed, the display widths of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 are expanded according to the depth of field along the same trajectory as the arc of movement of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402. The CPU 119a adjusts the aperture to the open side, and the smaller the aperture value, the shallower the depth of field, so the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 are displayed with a smaller display width. Further, the CPU 119a is adjusted to the side where the aperture is reduced, and the depth of field is increased as the aperture value is increased, so that the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 are displayed with a larger display width.

Thus, the display positions of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 are changed according to the degree of focus. The lower the in-focus level, the farther the distance in the moving direction (index distance) from the figure 403 is displayed, and the figure 401 and figure 402 are overlapped when in-focus. On the other hand, the display position of the figure 403 is not changed even if the degree of focus changes.
In addition, when the main body microcomputer 119 determines that the defocus amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value and is in focus, the CPU 119a causes the figure 401 and the figure 402 to overlap and be displayed as an arc-shaped figure. Further, when the CPU 119a determines that the in-focus state is in focus, the arc-shaped figure obtained by superimposing the figure 401 and the figure 402 and the vertex of the figure 403 are displayed so as to overlap each other. Alternatively, the CPU 119a may display the graphic 401 (or the graphic 402) and the graphic 403 as an integrated item when in focus. In addition, the CPU 119a notifies the user that the subject is in focus by changing the colors of the figure 403 and the area 404 where the figure 401 and the figure 402 overlap when in focus.
When the main body microcomputer 119 determines that the subject is completely focused, that is, the defocus amount is 0, the CPU 119a completely superimposes the figure 401 and the figure 402 to become one. Make it appear.
In addition, when the defocus amount with respect to the subject is equal to or greater than the predetermined value and the degree of focus is low, the CPU 119a may not display the focus guide near the subject.

5A to 5E are diagrams illustrating changes in the shape of the figure of the focus guide with respect to changes in the aperture value.
For example, in the case of FIG. 5A, since the aperture value is relatively small and the depth of field is shallow, the CPU 119a displays the figures 401 and 402 with a reduced width. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 5E, since the CPU 119a has a relatively large aperture value and a wide depth of field, the graphic 401, 402 is displayed with a large width. Thus, by changing the widths of the figures 401 and 402 according to the depth of field, the in-focus range can be displayed intuitively and easily.

  Further, when the focus is slightly out of the focus range of the subject and the aperture value is changed by the MF operation so as to increase, the defocus amount decreases and the focus state is achieved. In this case, the main body microcomputer 119 determines that the subject is in focus, and the figure 401 and the figure 402 are displayed in an overlapping manner. On the other hand, when the aperture value is greatly changed when the subject is far out of the focus range, the subject 401 is not focused and the figure 401 and the figure 402 are displayed without overlapping.

6A to 6E are diagrams illustrating display examples of the focus guide function. 6A to 6E, when the subject (family) located at the center of the displayed live view image is used as a reference, the subject on the left (flower) is placed in front and the subject on the right (dog) is placed in the back. Has been.
FIG. 6A is an example of a display form when the display setting of the focus guide function is invalid. At this time, information related to the focus guide function is not displayed on the screen, and only the live view image is displayed.
FIG. 6B is an example of a display form when the display setting of the focus guide function is valid and the aperture value is small. In FIG. 6B, the subject (family), the subject (flower), and the subject (dog) are the focus detection areas. Here, the focus detection area is an area of a subject to be detected as a focus. A focus frame is displayed in the focus detection area. In FIG. 6B,
Of the subjects in these three focus detection areas, only the central subject (family) is in focus.
Since the aperture value is relatively small, the CPU 119a displays the widths of the three focus guide figures (figure 401, 402) small. Further, the CPU 119a sets the index angle (the angle of the straight line m and the straight line n in FIG. 4A or the angle of the straight line o and the straight line n) according to the defocus amount (focusing degree information) of each focus detection area, and the subject The index angle is set to 0 degree only for the (family) focus guide figure.

FIG. 6C is an example of a display form when the user operates the focus ring 134 to focus on the subject (flower) in front from the state of FIG. 6B. At this time, while focusing on the left subject (flower), the central subject (family) changes so as to be out of focus. In addition, the right subject (dog) changes so that the focus frame is not displayed at the position of the subject because the defocus amount exceeds a certain value.
The CPU 119a sets the index angle to 0 degrees only for the figure of the focus guide of the subject (flower). Furthermore, the CPU 119a changes the index angle of the focus guide figure of the subject (family) according to the defocus amount of the subject (family) when the subject (flower) is focused. Further, the CPU 119a displays the graphic 403 below the graphic 401 and the graphic 402, and points the vertex of the triangular graphic 403 upward. This indicates that the subject (family) is the rear pin.

FIG. 6D is an example of a display form when the display setting of the focus guide function is valid and the aperture value is large. In FIG. 6D, among the subjects in the three focus detection areas displayed, the left and center subjects (flowers, family) are in focus.
Since the aperture value is relatively large, the CPU 119a displays the widths of the focus guide figures (figure 401, 402) of the three subjects large. In addition, the CPU 119a displays the subject (family) figures 401 and 402 in a completely superimposed manner, and displays the subject (flower) figures 401 and 402 in a partly superimposed manner. Further, the CPU 119a changes the color of the overlapping portion of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 to display them. In this way, since the figures 401 and 402 of the subject (family) are completely overlapped and displayed, it can be seen that the subject (family) is located just at the focal length (focus plane).

In S305 of FIG. 3, the example in which the aperture is actually changed immediately according to the aperture value changing operation has been described. However, the timing of the reflection instruction to actually reflect the aperture is half of the shutter button (not shown). It may be the timing of pressing or operating a narrowing button (not shown). When the aperture is actually changed and the aperture is increased, the live view image becomes darker. In actual still image shooting (main shooting), the shot image can be brightened by increasing the exposure time even if the aperture is reduced, so that a shot image with appropriate brightness can be obtained by shooting with appropriate exposure.
However, since shooting for live view cannot be performed with exposure time longer than the update frequency of live view, the live view image becomes darker than the captured image obtained by the actual shooting that the user assumes due to insufficient exposure. May end up. In this way, if the brightness of the Live View image differs from the image obtained by actual shooting, the user may change the aperture value or shutter speed for the purpose of adjusting the brightness while viewing the Live View image. Can not.

Therefore, the aperture value setting value is stored in a memory (not shown) at the timing of accepting the aperture value change operation (step S305). Further, the CPU 119a changes the widths of the focus guide graphic 401 and the graphic 402 displayed in the live view image according to the changed aperture value. At this time, the CPU 119a may not drive the aperture control unit 112 according to the actual aperture value set. Thereby, it can prevent that a live view image becomes dark at the time of imaging | photography.
In addition, the CPU 119a may adjust the aperture and ISO sensitivity so that the live view image shows the brightness when actual shooting is performed with the set aperture value (exposure simulation). Thereby, a live view image close to an actual captured image can be displayed. Then, when the shutter button (not shown) is half-pressed or the aperture button (not shown) is operated, the CPU 119a drives the aperture controller 112 to change the aperture according to the set aperture value. (Reflection instruction) may be performed. That is, as a process of the adjusting unit, the CPU 119a adjusts the aperture described above.
When the shutter button (not shown) is half-pressed or the narrowing button (not shown) is operated, the CPU 119a changes the focus guide from the display state shown in FIG. 6D to the display state shown in FIG. 6E. .

  FIG. 6E is an example of a display form when the shutter button is half-pressed from the state of FIG. When the shutter button is pressed halfway, the aperture is actually reduced according to the set value, and various set values are fixed. In accordance with this, the CPU 119a may change the shape of the figures 401 and 402 indicating the focus guide to a width that matches the actual aperture state. Thereby, for example, when the aperture value is small and the depth of field is shallow, it is possible to confirm the degree of defocusing of a portion other than the subject such as the background before photographing. When the shutter button is fully pressed, actual shooting is performed. If the shutter button is half-pressed, the CPU 119a fixes the width of the focus guide figures 401 and 402 to the smallest size (minimum width) as shown in FIG. The figure may be displayed by moving to the center position of the focus frame. In this case, the reduced figure 401 and figure 402 are displayed in a superimposed manner, and the figure 401 and figure 402 overlapped with each other and the figure 403 are displayed in a position where they overlap each other. Thereby, the visibility with respect to a user can be improved about whether it is focusing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the width of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 in the focus guide is changed according to the aperture setting has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display widths of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 may be fixed regardless of the aperture, and the width of the graphic 403 may be changed to a longer width as the depth of field increases according to the aperture. In any case, the CPU 119a changes the display width of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 or the graphic 403 according to the aperture value. As a result, the overlapping width of the graphic 401 or the graphic 402 and the graphic 403 can be changed according to the aperture, and the display can be intuitively understood that the in-focus range changes according to the aperture.

Further, the distance measuring unit 108 can also acquire the distance between the subject existing at the focus detection position and the distance measuring unit 108 based on the focal length and the defocus amount. When the aperture amount is the same, when the distance between the imaging surface and the subject (subject distance) is short (for example, macro photography), the background and foreground are relatively easy to blur, and the focusing range is narrow. On the other hand, when the subject distance is long (for example, landscape photography), the background and the foreground are relatively blurry, clearly appear, and have a wide range of focus. Based on this feature, the CPU 119a obtains information on the subject distance obtained by the distance measuring unit 108 in addition to the aperture amount, and in consideration thereof, the display width of the focus guide figure 401 and figure 402 or figure 403. May be changed.
In other words, the CPU 119a narrows the display width as the subject distance is shorter and widens the display width as the subject distance is longer if the aperture amount is the same. Specifically, the CPU 119a increases the display width of the graphic 401 and the graphic 402 or the graphic 403 when the subject distance is long compared to when the subject distance is short.

Note that the various controls described as being performed by the CPU 119a may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing.
Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments can be appropriately combined.

  Further, in the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described as an example. However, this is not limited to this example, and any device having an imaging unit can be applied. That is, the present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone terminal, a portable image viewer, a printer device including a display, a digital photo frame, a music player, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to home appliances and in-vehicle devices that include game machines, electronic book readers, tablet terminals, smartphones, projection devices, and displays. In addition, devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and desktop PCs that receive and display live view images taken with a digital camera or the like via wired or wireless communication and remotely control the digital camera (including a network camera) Applicable.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1: digital camera 10, 2: display unit 107, 3: aperture control unit 112, 4: focus control unit 113, 5: image processing unit 118, 6: main body microcomputer 119, 7: CPU 119a

Claims (14)

Acquisition means for acquiring information relating to the degree of focus of the image captured by the imaging means;
Based on the information acquired by the acquisition means, a display item including the first index and the second index so that the distance between the first index and the second index corresponds to the degree of focus Display control means for controlling to display,
The display width of the first index or the second index with respect to the distance direction of the first index and the second index based on the setting of the aperture for adjusting the exposure amount in the imaging means And a control means for controlling to change the display.   The control means controls the display width to be wider when the aperture is set to the open side than when the aperture is set to the open side. The display control apparatus according to claim 1.   The display control means controls the first index and the second index to be displayed at a position where they overlap each other in a direction perpendicular to the distance direction or in an integrated manner when in focus. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control apparatus is a display control apparatus.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the degree of focus includes a defocus amount. The display item further includes a third indicator,
The control means controls to change the display width of the second index and the third index without changing the display width of the first index based on the setting of the aperture,
The display position of the first index does not change even when the degree of focus changes, and the display position of the second index and the third index is changed according to the degree of focus. The distance between the second index and the third index is displayed apart from each other, and the second index and the third index are displayed so as to overlap when in focus. The display control apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4.   The display control means controls the display item to be displayed when a focus mode related to photographing by the imaging means is a manual focus mode, and to not display the display item when the focus mode is an autofocus mode. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control device is a display control device. Adjusting means for adjusting the aperture;
Receiving means for accepting a setting operation of the aperture amount of the aperture from the user,
The adjusting unit does not adjust the aperture to the set aperture amount at the timing when the setting operation is received by the receiving unit when displaying the live view image captured by the imaging unit, and sets the aperture When there is an instruction to reflect the amount, adjust the aperture with the set aperture amount,
The display control unit controls the display width of the first index or the second index to be changed according to the adjusted aperture amount when the aperture amount is adjusted by the reflection instruction. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   8. The display control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the instruction to reflect the aperture amount is an operation of an aperture button or a half-press of a shutter button. The display control means changes the display width of the first index or the second index to the minimum width in response to a half-press operation of the shutter button, and displays the minimum width when focused. 9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first index and the second index are controlled to be displayed at a position overlapping in the direction perpendicular to the distance direction or to be displayed integrally. The display control apparatus according to item 1. The acquisition unit is further capable of acquiring information related to a subject distance, which is a distance between the imaging surface and the subject,
The control means further has a wider width when the display distance in the distance direction of the first index or the second index is longer than when the subject distance is short according to the information regarding the subject distance. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control apparatus is changed to be.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control apparatus is an imaging apparatus having the imaging unit. Obtaining information on the degree of focus of the image captured by the imaging means;
Based on the information on the degree of focus, a display item including the first index and the second index is displayed so that the distance between the first index and the second index corresponds to the degree of focus. The step of controlling to
The display width of the first index or the second index with respect to the distance direction of the first index and the second index based on the setting of the aperture for adjusting the exposure amount in the imaging means And a step of controlling to change the display control device.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the display control apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11.   A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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