JP2020181019A - Illumination device, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an illumination device capable of allowing a user to easily maintain the posture even when it is handheld.SOLUTION: A receiver strobe 300-2 with a light emitting part acquires and stores a directional information of the light emitting direction and height of the light emitting unit when a user presses a memory button. And subsequently, a piece of new directional information is acquired as second directional information at predetermined time intervals. At least either one of the first and second directional information is displayed simultaneously or the difference therebetween is displayed on a display unit 313.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a lighting device, a control method, and a program, and more particularly to a lighting device, a control method, and a program capable of detecting the emission direction thereof.

Conventionally, there is known a technique called multi-flash photography in which a plurality of lighting devices (hereinafter referred to as strobes) are synchronized to emit light by using wireless communication such as radio waves.

Further, a strobe that is attached to the accessory shoe of the photographing device and rotates the light emitting unit so as to hold a pre-stored light emitting irradiation direction desired by the user according to the posture of the photographing device, that is, horizontal position shooting or vertical position shooting. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2017-215528

However, among a plurality of strobes used for multi-flash photography, there may be a strobe (hereinafter referred to as a receiver strobe) that the assistant holds by hand at a position away from the photographing device. In such a case, it is possible to mark the standing position of the assistant with tape or the like. On the other hand, even if the receiver strobe held by the assistant is the strobe described in Patent Document 1, it is very difficult to maintain the height of the light emitting portion and the light emitting irradiation direction because there is no index or the like. In addition, it is very difficult to return the receiver strobe to the original posture when the assistant puts the receiver strobe on for a long time and then starts shooting again.

Further, in the case of multi-flash photography, an assistant may hold the strobe described in Patent Document 1 as a receiver strobe, and the light may directly shine on the subject. In such a case, if the height or orientation of the receiver strobe changes, the incident angle of the light of the receiver strobe that directly hits the subject changes, causing a problem that a desired light ray cannot be obtained. As a result, the way the receiver strobe light hits the subject affects the appearance of shadows and the like, and the shooting result desired by the photographer may not be obtained.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device, a control method, and a program that allow a user to easily maintain a posture even if he / she is holding it.

The lighting device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a lighting device having a light emitting unit, and when a storage instruction is received from a user, the first direction information including the light emitting irradiation direction and the height of the light emitting unit is used. After acquiring and storing the first direction information by the first acquisition means for acquiring and storing as direction information and the first acquisition means, the direction information is newly acquired and stored as the second direction information at predetermined time intervals. It is characterized in that it includes a second acquisition means for acquiring the first and second direction information, and a display means for simultaneously displaying the first and second direction information and displaying at least one of the differences thereof.

According to the present invention, the user can easily maintain the posture of the lighting device even if it is handheld.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the camera strobe system including the lighting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the schematic cross section of the camera strobe system of FIG. It is a flowchart of the light emission irradiation direction of a lighting apparatus as a receiver strobe at the time of multi-flash photography which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the light distribution characteristic of a lighting apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the table of the direction deviation allowable range of the light emission irradiation direction of the lighting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the state display and the warning display of the light emission irradiation direction of the lighting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention in step S105 of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the warning display of the lighting apparatus as a sender strobe which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the display processing of the light emission irradiation direction of the lighting apparatus as a receiver strobe at the time of multi-flash photography which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the light emission irradiation direction of the lighting apparatus as a receiver strobe at the time of multi-flash photography which concerns on Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow from step S304 to S305 of FIG.

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

(Example 1)
Hereinafter, a schematic configuration of a camera strobe system including the lighting device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show a lighting device 300 attached to the camera body 100 by clip-on, in the camera system of this embodiment, the lighting device 300 located at a position away from the camera body 100 is shown. The receiver strobe 300-2 having the same configuration as the above is also included. Although the receiver strobe 300-2 is not clipped on to the camera body 100, it is connected to the sender strobe 300-1 by radio communication.

Hereinafter, the lighting device 300 attached to the camera body 100 by clip-on is referred to as a sender strobe 300-1, and the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2 are collectively referred to as a lighting device 300.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, the camera strobe system includes a camera body 100 which is an imaging device, a lens unit 200 which is detachably attached to the camera body 100, and a lighting device 300 which is detachably attached to the camera body 100. Including.

In addition, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the same thing has the same reference numeral.

First, the configuration inside the camera body 100 will be described.

The CCPU (hereinafter, camera microcomputer) 101 controls each part of the camera body 100.

The camera microcomputer 101 has a one-chip IC circuit configuration with a built-in microcomputer including, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, an input / output control circuit (I / O control circuit), a multiplexer, a timer circuit, EEPROM, A / D, and a D / A converter. It has become.

Then, the camera microcomputer 101 can control the camera system by software, and performs various condition determinations.

The image sensor 102 is an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS that includes an infrared cut filter, a low-pass filter, and the like, and a subject image is imaged at the time of shooting by a lens group 202 described later.

The shutter 103 moves to a position where the image sensor 102 is shielded from light and a position where the image sensor 102 is exposed.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the camera strobe system, the main mirror (half mirror) 104 moves to the mirror down position and the mirror up position. Here, the mirror down position refers to a position where a part of the light incident from the lens group 202 is reflected by the main mirror 104 and imaged on the focus plate of 105. The mirror lockup position refers to a position where the main mirror 104 retracts from the photographing optical path (hereinafter, simply referred to as an optical path) of the light incident from the lens group 202 to the image sensor 102.

Further, the subject image formed on the focus plate 105 (FIG. 2) is confirmed by the user through an optical viewfinder (not shown).

The photometric circuit (AE circuit) 106 divides the image plane of the photometric sensor (not shown) provided therein into a plurality of regions and performs photometry in each region. A subject image formed on the focus plate 105 is guided to the photometric sensor in the photometric circuit 106 via a pentaprism 114 described later.

The focus detection circuit (AF circuit) 107 includes a distance measurement sensor (not shown) having a plurality of distance measurement points inside, and outputs focus information such as the defocus amount of each focus point to the camera microcomputer 101. ..

The gain switching circuit 108 amplifies the analog signal output from the image sensor 102. The gain (amplification factor) of the gain switching circuit 108 is switched by the camera microcomputer 101 according to shooting conditions, user operations, and the like.

The A / D converter 109 converts the analog signal from the image sensor 102 amplified by the gain switching circuit 108 into a digital signal.

The timing generator (TG) 110 determines the input of the analog signal from the amplified image sensor 102 to the A / D converter 109 and the conversion timing of the input analog signal to the digital signal in the A / D converter 109. Synchronize.

The signal processing circuit 111 performs signal processing on the image data converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 109.

The communication line SC is a signal line for an interface with the camera body 100, the lens unit 200, and the lighting device 300. For example, the camera microcomputer 101 is used as a host to communicate information such as data exchange and command transmission with the lens microcomputer 201 of the lens unit 200 and the strobe microcomputer 310 of the lighting device 300, which will be described later.

As an example of the communication line SC, an example of 3-terminal serial communication is shown at the terminals 120 and 130 of FIG.

The terminal 120 is a terminal for attaching / detaching the lens unit 200, which is directly connected to the camera microcomputer 101. The terminal 120 includes an SCLK_L terminal for synchronizing communication between the camera body 100 and the lens unit 200, a MOSI_L terminal for transmitting data to the lens unit 200, and a MISO_L terminal for receiving data transmitted from the lens unit 200. It also includes a GND terminal that connects both the camera body 100 and the lens unit 200.

The terminal 130 is an accessory shoe that is connected to the camera microcomputer 101 via the camera interface circuit 1001 and that attaches / detaches the camera body 100 to the lighting device 300 and the camera accessory device (not shown). The terminals 130 are an SCLK_S terminal for synchronizing communication between the camera body 100 and the lighting device 300, a MOSI_S terminal for transmitting data from the camera body 100 to the lighting device 300, and a MISO_S terminal for receiving data transmitted from the lighting device 300. including. The terminal 130 also includes a GND terminal that connects both the camera body 100 and the lighting device 300.

The camera interface circuit 1001 communicates with the camera microcomputer 101 and the strobe interface circuit 3000 via the terminal 130. The terminal 130 also includes a GND terminal that connects both the camera body 100 and the lighting device 300.

When data is transmitted from the camera microcomputer 101 to the strobe microcomputer 310 described later, the data is transmitted serially by setting each bit to 0 or 1 from the MOSI_S terminal in synchronization with the 8-bit clock of the SCLK_S terminal.

When data is transmitted from the strobe microcomputer 310 to the camera microcomputer 101, data with each bit set to 0 or 1 is serially received from the MISO_S terminal in synchronization with the 8-bit clock of the SCLK_S terminal.

The signal is read and written at the rising edge of the SCLK_S signal in 8-bit (1 byte) communication, and this 8-bit communication is continuously transmitted to commands, command data, and data multiple times.

The input unit 112 includes operation units such as a power switch, a release switch, and a setting button, and the camera microcomputer 101 executes various processes in response to input to the input unit 112.

When the release switch of the input unit 112 is operated one step (half-pressed), "SW1" is turned on, and the camera microcomputer 101 starts a shooting preparation operation such as focus adjustment and photometry. Further, when the release switch is operated in two steps (fully pressed), "SW2" is turned on, and the camera microcomputer 101 starts shooting operations such as exposure and development processing.

Further, by operating the setting button of the input unit 112 or the like, it is possible to set the shooting mode and various settings of the lighting device 300, that is, the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2.

The display unit 113 has a liquid crystal device and a light emitting element, and uses these to display various set modes and other shooting information.

The pentaprism 114 shown in FIG. 2 guides the subject image formed on the focus plate 105 to a photometric sensor in the photometric circuit 106 and an optical viewfinder (not shown).

The sub-mirror 115 shown in FIG. 2 guides the light incident from the lens group 202 described later of the lens unit 200 and transmitted through the main mirror 104 to the distance measuring sensor of the focus detection circuit 107.

The attitude detection circuit 140 is a circuit that detects the attitude difference, and is an attitude H detection unit 140a that detects the attitude difference in the horizontal direction, an attitude V detection unit 140b that detects the attitude difference in the vertical direction, and a front-back direction (Z direction). The posture Z detection unit 140c for detecting the posture difference between the two is provided.

For the attitude detection circuit 140, for example, an angular velocity sensor or a gyro sensor is used. The attitude information regarding the attitude difference in each direction detected by the attitude detection circuit 140 is input to the camera microcomputer 101.

Next, the configuration and operation of the lens unit 200 will be described.

The LPU (hereinafter, lens microcomputer) 201 is a microcomputer that controls each part of the lens unit 200.

The lens microcomputer 201 includes, for example, a one-chip IC circuit configuration with a built-in microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, an input / output control circuit (I / O control circuit), a multiplexer, a timer circuit, an EEPROM, an A / D, a D / A converter, and the like. It has become.

The lens group 202 is composed of a plurality of lenses including a focus lens and a zoom lens. The lens group 202 may not include a zoom lens.

The lens drive unit 203 is a drive system for moving the lens included in the lens group 202, and the drive amount of the lens group 202 is determined in the camera microcomputer 101 based on the output of the focus detection circuit 107 in the camera body 100. It is calculated. The drive amount calculated in the camera microcomputer 101 is transmitted from the camera microcomputer 101 to the lens microcomputer 201.

The encoder 204 detects the position of the lens group 202 and outputs drive information. Based on the drive information from the encoder 204, the lens drive unit 203 moves the lens group 202 by the amount of drive calculated in the camera microcomputer 101 to adjust the focus.

The diaphragm 205 is a diaphragm that adjusts the amount of light passing through, and is controlled by the lens microcomputer 201 via the diaphragm control circuit 206.

Next, the configuration of the lighting device 300 will be described.

The lighting device 300 is composed of a main body portion 300a that is detachably attached to the camera main body 100 and a movable portion 300b that is rotatably held in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the main body portion 300a.

The FPU (hereinafter, strobe microcomputer) 310 is a microcomputer that controls each part of the lighting device 300.

The strobe microcomputer 310 has a one-chip IC circuit configuration with a built-in microcomputer including, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, an input / output control circuit (I / O control circuit), a multiplexer, a timer circuit, an EEPROM, an A / D, and a D / A converter. It has become.

The strobe interface circuit 3000 communicates with the camera microcomputer 101 via the terminal 130.

The battery 301 functions as a power source (VBAT) for the lighting device 300.

The booster circuit block 302 is composed of a booster unit 302a, resistors 302b and 302c used for voltage detection, and a main capacitor 302d. The boosting unit 302a boosts the voltage of the battery 301 to several hundred volts, and charges the main capacitor 302d with electric energy for light emission.

The charging voltage of the main capacitor 302d is divided by the resistors 302b and 302c, and the divided voltage is input to the A / D conversion terminal MCV_AD of the strobe microcomputer 310.

The trigger circuit 303 applies a pulse voltage to the discharge tube 305 for exciting the discharge tube 305 described later.

The light emission control circuit 304 controls the start and stop of light emission of the discharge tube 305.

The discharge tube 305 receives and excites a pulse voltage of several KV applied from the trigger circuit 303, and emits light using the electric energy charged in the main capacitor 302d.

The integrator circuit 309 integrates the received current of the photodiode 314 described later, and outputs the output to the inverting input terminal of the comparator 315 described later and the A / D converter terminal INT_AD of the strobe microcomputer 310.

The non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 315 is connected to the D / A converter terminal INT_DAC in the strobe microcomputer 310, and the output of the comparator 315 is connected to the input terminal of the AND gate 311 described later.

The other input of the AND gate 311 is connected to the light emission control terminal FL_START of the strobe microcomputer 310, and the output of the AND gate 311 is input to the light emission control circuit 304.

The photodiode 314 is a sensor that receives the light emitted from the discharge tube 305, and receives the light emitted from the discharge tube 305 directly or via glass fiber or the like.

The reflecting umbrella 306 reflects the light emitted from the discharge tube 305 and guides it in a predetermined direction.

The zoom optical system 307 is an optical system including an optical panel and the like, and is held so that the relative position with respect to the discharge tube 305 can be changed. By changing the relative position between the discharge tube 305 and the zoom optical system 307. , The guide number and the irradiation range of the lighting device 300 are changed.

The light emitting unit of the lighting device 300 is mainly composed of the discharge tube 305, the reflecting umbrella 306, and the zoom optical system 307 described above. The irradiation range of the light emitting unit changes with the movement of the zoom optical system 307, and the irradiation of the light emitting unit is performed. The direction (hereinafter referred to as the light emission irradiation direction) changes due to the rotation of the movable portion 300b.

The input unit 312 includes an operation unit such as a power switch, a mode setting switch for setting the operation mode of the lighting device 300, and a setting button for setting various parameters, and the strobe microcomputer 310 responds to user input to the input unit 312. Execute various processes. The input unit 312 also includes an operation unit for changing the dimming correction setting of the lighting device 300.

The display unit 313 has a liquid crystal device and a light emitting element, and uses these to display each state of the lighting device 300. For example, when the charging of the lighting device 300 (main capacitor 302d) by the booster circuit block 302 is completed, the display unit 313 indicates that the charging is completed. In addition, the display unit 313 also includes an LED that blinks or lights up to warn the user when the lower limit of the dimming range described later is exceeded.

The zoom drive circuit 330 includes a zoom detection unit 330a that detects information about the relative positions of the discharge tube 305 and the zoom optical system 307 by an encoder or the like, and a zoom drive unit 330b that includes a motor for moving the zoom optical system 307. Ru.

Regarding the driving amount of the zoom optical system 307, the strobe microcomputer 310 acquired the focal length information output from the lens microcomputer 201 via the camera microcomputer 101 calculates based on the focal length information. Further, when the position of the zoom optical system 307 is set by the user in the input unit 312, the strobe microcomputer 310 drives the zoom optical system 307 so as to be at that position.

The posture detection circuit 360 is a circuit that detects the posture difference of the movable portion 300b, and is a posture H detection unit 360a that detects the posture difference in the horizontal direction, a posture V detection unit 360b that detects the posture difference in the vertical direction, and a posture V detection unit 360b in the front-rear direction. A posture Z detection unit 360c for detecting a posture difference in the (Z direction) is provided. For the attitude detection circuit 360, for example, an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor is used. The strobe microcomputer 310 reads the output from the attitude detection circuit 360 in steps S103 and S105 of FIG. 3, which will be described later, and calculates the rotation angle of the center of the optical axis based on the read output.

The height sensor 361 is a sensor that detects the height of the light emitting portion of the lighting device 300. In this embodiment, the height sensor 361 can detect the height in cm increments. A barometric pressure sensor or the like is used for the height sensor 361. The strobe microcomputer 310 reads the output from the height sensor 361 in steps S103 and S105 of FIG. 3 to be described later, and acquires information on the height of the light emitting unit based on the read output.

The orientation detection unit 362 detects the orientation of the light emitting unit of the lighting device 300. An electronic compass or the like is used for the direction detection unit 362. The strobe microcomputer 310 reads the output from the orientation detection unit 362 in steps S103 and S105 of FIG. 3, which will be described later, and calculates the light emission irradiation direction (rotation angle in the vertical and horizontal directions of the light emitting unit) based on the read output.

Hereinafter, based on the information on the rotation angle of the center of the optical axis calculated based on the output from the attitude detection circuit 360, the information on the height of the light emitting unit based on the output from the height sensor 361, and the output from the direction detection unit 362. The calculated information on the light emission irradiation direction is collectively called direction information.

The modeling lamp 363 is a lamp used for performing a light emission simulation of a light emitting portion of the lighting device 300, and is composed of an LED or the like. The peripheral optical members are designed so that a light distribution similar to that obtained when light is emitted using the discharge tube 305 can be obtained.

The wireless unit 370 is a known wireless unit, and communicates with an external device by wireless transmission / reception. In this embodiment, the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2 communicate with each other via the wireless unit 370 (second communication unit), but the receiver strobe 300-2 communicates with the camera body 100. The configuration is not limited to this as long as it is possible. For example, the receiver strobe 300-2 may be connected to the camera body 100 by wire via an off-camera shoe cord or the like to perform communication (first communication unit).

The wide panel 380 is an optical member located in front of the light emitting portion of the lighting device 300 in the light emitting irradiation direction and capable of expanding the irradiation range of the light emitting portion, and is manually pulled out from the movable portion 300b. ..

The bounce adapter 390 is an optical member capable of expanding the irradiation range of the light emitting portion, and is placed on a position in front of the light emitting portion in the irradiation direction.

The wide panel 380 expands the light emitting range in the subject direction, while the bounce adapter 390 diffuses the light emitting range in the vertical and horizontal directions, but does not expand the light emitting range in the subject direction.

Hereinafter, the display processing of the direction information of the receiver strobe 300-2 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

This process is executed during multi-flash photography using the camera body 100, the sender strobe 300-1, and the receiver strobe 300-2. In this embodiment, there is an assistant who holds the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 by hand, in addition to the user who is the photographer who operates the camera body 100. However, after this processing, it is sufficient that the receiver strobe 300-2 can emit light in response to an instruction from the camera body 100. That is, the sender strobe 300-1 may have only a function as a communication device for establishing a communication connection between the receiver strobe 300-2 and the camera body 100.

First, when the power switch of the input unit 112 of the camera body 100 is turned on by the user (YES in step S101), the camera microcomputer 101 initializes its own RAM and ports (various terminals). In addition, various shooting modes such as how to determine the shutter speed and how to determine the aperture are set according to the operation state of the setting button included in the input unit 112 and the input information set in advance.

After that, when the user sets the camera body 100, the sender strobe 300-1, and the receiver strobe 300-2, the process proceeds to step S102. Here, the above-mentioned setting performed by the user includes determination of the positions of the camera body 100 and the sender strobe 300-1, and wireless connection between the receiver strobe 300-2 and the sender strobe 300-1. Further, after that, the user also includes the adjustment of the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 held by the assistant by repeating the test shooting accompanied by the light emission instruction to the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2. ..

The following processing is executed by the strobe microcomputer 310 (hereinafter, referred to as the strobe microcomputer 310-2) of the receiver strobe 300-2.

In step S102, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the user (or assistant) has pressed the "remember button" on the input unit 312 of the receiver strobe 300-2 (received a storage instruction from the user). When the "remember button" is pressed (YES in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103 in order to acquire and store the light emission irradiation direction at the holding position of the receiver strobe 300-2 adjusted by the user in the above setting.

In step S103, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 reads the outputs from the attitude detection circuit 360, the height sensor 361, and the direction detection unit 362, and acquires and stores the direction information based on the read output as the first direction information. The process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines the allowable range of the direction deviation of the receiver strobe 300-2 (hereinafter, referred to as “direction deviation allowable range”) according to the light emission irradiation direction included in the first direction information. After that, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 displays the first direction information and an image showing the determined directional deviation allowable range on the display unit 313.

In step S105, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 newly reads the outputs of the attitude detection circuit 360, the height sensor 361, and the direction detection unit 362 at predetermined time intervals, and acquires the current direction information based on the read outputs. On the display unit 313, an image showing the current direction information acquired in step S105 is superimposed on the image showing the allowable range of direction deviation displayed in step S104, and the first and second direction information are simultaneously displayed and the difference thereof. Is displayed. Only one of such simultaneous display and difference display may be performed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the light distribution characteristics of the lighting device 300. The information on the light distribution characteristics is held in the strobe microcomputer 310-2 as the light distribution angle information.

The wide light distribution angle 401 indicates the left and right light distribution angles, and the narrow light distribution angle 402 indicates the vertical light distribution angles with respect to the center (center portion 0 ° in FIG. 4). Shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower light distribution angles 402 are narrower than the left and right light distribution angles 401, and the angle at which the amount of light falls is steeper than the left and right light distribution angles 401. This means that the amount of light emitted to the subject changes more when the light emission irradiation direction changes up and down than when the light emission irradiation direction changes left and right. Further, when the height of the lighting device 300 changes, it means that the amount of light emitted to the subject changes significantly even if the light emitting irradiation direction of the lighting device 300 and the rotation angle of the center of the optical axis do not change. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 in advance, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 holds a table of "direction deviation allowable range" according to the light distribution angle information. FIG. 5A is a table used when it is shown in the light distribution angle information that the light distribution characteristics of the lighting device 300 are different in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG. In this case, the allowable range of the azimuth, the optical axis, and the height changes according to the amount of deviation of the rotation angle in the vertical direction (hereinafter, referred to as "the amount of vertical deviation"). That is, by using the table of FIG. 5A, the allowable range of directional deviation is determined for each of the vertical and horizontal directions. In FIG. 5, the rotation angle in the left-right direction is indicated by "direction", and the rotation angle at the center of the optical axis is indicated by "optical axis".

If the light distribution angle information indicates that the light distribution characteristics of the lighting device 300 are the same in the vertical and horizontal directions, the range of the vertical deviation amount and the allowable orientation can be used as a table of the "direction deviation allowable range". A table having the same range (FIG. 5 (b)) is used. That is, by using the table of FIG. 5B, the allowable range of directional deviation is determined to be the same for each of the top, bottom, left, and right. Further, in this case, since the light distribution does not change even if the light is rotated around the center of the optical axis, the allowable range of the rotation angle at the center of the optical axis is unlimited.

Further, the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 when the "memory button" is pressed in step S102 is not the normal position, that is, the position rotated about 90 ° about the center of the optical axis from the position where the horizontal position shooting is performed, that is, the vertical position. Position It may be the position where shooting is performed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5C, a table may be used in which the allowable range of height is always constant regardless of the amount of vertical deviation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a state display and a warning display in the light emission irradiation direction of the lighting device according to the present embodiment in step S105 of FIG.

FIG. 6A shows the display of the display unit 313 in step S105 when the first direction information stored in step S103 and the current direction information acquired in step S105 match.

In FIG. 6A, the frame 600 is a frame of a screen such as a liquid crystal of the display unit 313 of the receiver strobe 300-2. The thick vertical line 601 indicates the allowable range of the vertical rotation angle of the receiver strobe 300-2. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the scale is struck in 1 ° increments, indicating that vertical rotation is allowed within a range of ± 2 °. The thick horizontal line 602 inside the circle at the substantially center of the frame 600 indicates the current rotation angle in the vertical direction. The thick arc 603 indicates the allowable range of the optical axis center rotation angle, and the thick horizontal line 604 outside the circle substantially in the center of the frame 600 indicates the current optical axis center rotation angle. The thick vertical line 605 indicates the allowable range of the height change from the height stored in step S103, and the thick horizontal line 606 indicates the current height. The thick horizontal line 607 indicates the allowable range of the direction (rotation angle in the left-right direction), and the thick vertical line 608 indicates the direction (rotation angle in the left-right direction) currently facing. The detected values 609a, 610a, 611a, and 612a indicate the current values of the vertical rotation angle, the optical axis center rotation angle, the orientation, and the height acquired in step S105, respectively.

FIG. 6B shows a display unit in step S105 when the direction information acquired in step S105 is rotated by 1 ° only in the light emission irradiation direction with respect to the first direction information stored in step S103. The display of 313 is shown.

The detected value 609b is a value of the current vertical rotation angle acquired in step S105, and the numerical value is updated from −30 ° to −29 ° shown in the detected value 609a in FIG. 6A. The thin line 613 indicates the vertical emission irradiation direction stored in step S103, and is one scale (1 °) below the thick horizontal line 602 indicating the current rotation angle in the vertical direction. Therefore, the user can confirm from this display that the current rotation angle in the vertical direction is upward from the light emission irradiation direction stored by 1 °.

Further, when the deviation amount of the vertical rotation angle is + 1 ° from the "direction deviation allowable range" table of FIG. 5 (a), the height allowable range is 5 cm, so that the thick vertical line 605 of FIG. 6 (a) is used. Compared with this, the length of the thick line 614 indicating the allowable range of height is shorter.

The current emission irradiation direction acquired in step S105 may be rotated to the right (or left) from the emission irradiation direction stored in step S103. In this case, although not shown in FIG. 6, the position of the thick vertical line 608 shifts according to the rotation direction, and the thin line indicating the left and right emission irradiation directions stored in step S103 is the vertical line 608 of FIG. 6A. Displayed in the vicinity.

FIG. 6C shows a display unit in step S105 when the direction information acquired in step S105 is rotated by 2 ° only in the light emission irradiation direction with respect to the first direction information stored in step S103. The display of 313 is shown.

The detected value 609c is a value of the current vertical rotation angle acquired in step S105, and the numerical value is updated from −30 ° to −28 ° shown in the detected value 609a in FIG. 6A. Further, the thin line 613 is two scales (2 °) below the thick horizontal line 602 indicating the current rotation angle in the vertical direction.

Similar to the case of FIG. 6 (b), when the amount of vertical rotation angle deviation from the "direction deviation allowable range" table of FIG. 5 (a) is + 2 °, the height allowable range becomes 0 cm, so that the height is high. The thick line 615 showing the permissible range of is shown only the stored height as the permissible range.

Returning to FIG. 3, in step S106, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the direction information acquired in step S105 is within the “direction deviation allowable range” determined in step S104. If it is determined that the strobe microcomputer 310-2 is out of the “direction deviation allowable range”, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 starts displaying a warning on the display unit 313. FIG. 6D shows an example of a warning display in this case. Note that FIG. 6D shows the display of the display unit 313 in step S105 when the current emission irradiation direction acquired in step S105 is rotated 3 ° upward from the emission irradiation direction stored in step S103. Shown. As shown in FIG. 6D, when the thick horizontal line 602 indicating the current vertical rotation angle protrudes from the thick vertical line 601 indicating the allowable range, a balloon display 616 is displayed in the vicinity of the thick horizontal line 602, and the vertical line 616 is displayed vertically. Warn the assistant that the rotation angle in the direction is out of tolerance.

The warning method in the receiver strobe 300-2 when the "direction deviation allowable range" is exceeded is not limited to the above method of displaying the balloon display 616. For example, the LED included in the display unit 313 may be blinked or turned on, or the strobe microcomputer 310-2 may sound the buzzer by a buzzer device (not shown). Further, the light emitting state of the receiver strobe 300-2 may be returned to the light emitting state at the time when the light emitting command is received from the camera body 100 via the sender strobe 300-1 (the amount of light emitted is changed or the light is not emitted). Good. Further, even if the receiver strobe 300-2 is fully charged, the display unit 313 may not display the charge complete until the warning display is canceled in step S111 described later. Further, the lighting state of the modeling lamp 363 may be changed (when it is lit, it is turned off, and when it is turned off, it is turned on). Further, the display of the balloon display 616 shown in FIG. 6D may be replaced with these, or may be combined with these.

Further, when the warning is displayed in step S107, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 communicates with the strobe microcomputer 310 of the sender strobe 300-1 (hereinafter referred to as the strobe microcomputer 310-1) that the direction deviation is out of the allowable range. It may be. In this case, the strobe microcomputer 310-1 displays a warning display 702 on the display unit 313 as shown in FIG. 7B. As a result, when the current direction information of the receiver strobe 300-2 is out of the "direction deviation allowable range", not only the assistant but also the user who is the photographer can immediately notice. Further, after the warning display 702 is displayed on the sender strobe 300-1, when the warning display is canceled in step S111 as described later, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 causes the strobe microcomputer 310-1 to have a “direction deviation allowable range”. Communicate that you have returned to.

The warning method in the sender strobe 300-1 when the range is out of the "direction deviation allowable range" is not limited to the above method of displaying the warning display 702. For example, even if the sender strobe 300-1 is fully charged, the display unit 313 of the sender strobe 300-1 is charged until the direction information newly acquired in step S105 is within the "direction deviation allowable range". The display 701 may not be displayed. Further, at the time of displaying the warning in step S107, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 may communicate with the camera body 100 via the sender strobe 300-1 that it is out of the “direction deviation allowable range”. In this case, the warning display is performed not on the sender strobe 300-1 but on the camera body 100.

On the other hand, when the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines that it is within the "direction deviation allowable range" (YES in step S106), it proceeds to step S110 and determines whether or not the warning is being displayed. If the warning display started in step S107 is being displayed, the process proceeds to step S111. On the other hand, if the warning is not displayed, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S111, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 cancels the warning display. Further, as described above, when the sender strobe 300-1 also gives a warning, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 communicates with the strobe microcomputer 310-1 that it has returned to the "direction deviation allowable range". In this case, the strobe microcomputer 310-1 cancels the warning display of the sender strobe 300-1 as shown in FIG. 7A.

In step S108, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the storage button has been pressed again before the lapse of a predetermined time. When it is pressed again, the process returns to step S103, and the strobe microcomputer 310-2 again performs processing from the acquisition / storage of the first direction information. On the other hand, if it is not pressed again, the process proceeds to step S109.

In step S109, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the power switch of the input unit 312 is turned off. If the power switch is not turned off, the process returns to step S105 and the process from the acquisition of the current direction information is performed. On the other hand, when the power switch is OPF, this process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first direction information is stored when the storage button is pressed on the receiver strobe 300-2, and then the stored first direction information and the current direction information are simultaneously stored. Display and display the difference. This makes it easier for the assistant to hold the receiver strobe 300-2 in the posture desired by the user. It should be noted that only one of the above simultaneous display and the difference display may be performed.

In addition, if the current direction information is out of the "direction deviation allowable range", a warning to that effect is also displayed on the sender strobe 300-1, so the user who is the photographer can take a picture with confidence. You can.

In this embodiment, the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 is maintained when multi-flash photography is performed by controlling the camera body 100 while the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2 are performing wireless communication. Was mentioned. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example as long as the camera body 100 can communicate with the receiver strobe 300-2 located at a position away from the camera body 100 in some way. For example, it can be applied to strobe photography in which the camera body 100 and the receiver strobe are connected by an off-camera shoe cord. The off-camera shoe cord is a device that enables communication between the terminal 130 in FIG. 1 by being attached between the camera-side terminal and the strobe-side terminal.

(Example 2)
In the first embodiment, first, in step S101, the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 desired by the user is adjusted by repeating the test shooting with the light emission instruction to the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2 several times. .. After the adjustment is completed, the user (or assistant) presses the storage button in step S102 to store the direction information in that posture as the first direction information. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, in order to determine the desired posture of the receiver strobe 300-2, the user can select the first direction information from the plurality of direction information.

Since the configurations of the camera body 100 and the lighting device 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted.

Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, it is a flowchart of the display processing of the light emission irradiation direction of the receiver strobe 300-2 at the time of multi-flash photography according to this embodiment. In particular, the setting process of the first direction information in the receiver strobe 300-2 will be described.

Here, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the camera main body 100, the sender strobe 300-1, and the receiver strobe 300-2 are used for multi-flash photography.

Further, unlike the first embodiment, this embodiment assumes that there is no assistant or that the user who is the photographer wants to take a test shot while changing the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2.

First, when the power switch of the input unit 112 of the camera body 100 is turned on by the user (YES in step S201), the camera microcomputer 101 initializes its own RAM and ports (various terminals). In addition, various shooting modes such as how to determine the shutter speed and how to determine the aperture are set according to the operation state of the setting button included in the input unit 112 and the input information set in advance.

After that, when the user sets the camera body 100, the sender strobe 300-1, and the receiver strobe 300-2, the process proceeds to step S202. Here, the above-mentioned setting performed by the user includes determination of the positions of the camera body 100 and the sender strobe 300-1, and wireless connection between the receiver strobe 300-2 and the sender strobe 300-1.

In step S202, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether the continuous storage mode is set by the operation of the input unit 312 of the receiver strobe 300-2 by the user. If it is determined that the continuous storage mode is set, the process proceeds to step S203. At this time, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 initializes the direction information number to be stored in the continuous storage mode to 1.

In step S203, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the remote release has been executed before the predetermined time elapses. As a result of this determination, if the remote release is executed (YES in step S203), the process proceeds to step S204, and if the remote release is not executed (NO in step S203), the process proceeds to step S205. The remote release is a function and operation in which the receiver strobe 300-2 gives a shooting instruction to the camera body 100 via the sender strobe 300-1 in response to a predetermined user operation, and causes the camera body 100 to perform shooting. Point to. After issuing the above-mentioned shooting instruction, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 receives a notification that the camera body 100 has given a light emission instruction to the strobe microcomputer 310-2 in response to the shooting instruction, or that the strobe microcomputer 310-2 has taken a picture. When it is determined that the remote release has been executed.

In step S204, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 acquires the direction information when the remote release is executed and stores it together with the direction information number. After this storage is done, the direction information number is incremented.

In step S205, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the continuous storage mode has been terminated by the user's operation. If it is determined that the process has not been completed, the process returns to step S203. That is, by operating the remote release every time the user changes the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2, the operations of steps S203 to S205 are repeated, and a plurality of direction information is stored in the receiver strobe 300-2 in order. I will go.

On the other hand, when the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines that the continuous storage mode has ended by the user's operation (YES in step S205), the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 displays a list of direction information numbers stored in the continuous storage mode so that the user can select it. The list may be displayed as long as it includes information that identifies a plurality of direction information stored in the continuous storage mode, and as in this embodiment, only the direction information number may be displayed, or the list may be displayed together with the direction information number. The stored direction information may be displayed side by side. Here, the user displays the image taken by the camera body 100 on the camera body 100 or other equipment when the remote release is executed, and based on the direction information of which direction information number, the direction deviation allowable range in step S104. Decide whether to decide.

After that, when the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines that one of the direction information numbers listed in step S206 has been selected by the user by operating the input unit 312 of the receiver strobe 300-2 (YES in step S207), the step Proceed to S208.

In step S208, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 calls the direction information stored together with the direction information number selected by the user in step S207, and proceeds to step S104 of FIG. In step S104, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 sets the read directional information as the first directional information, and determines the directional deviation allowable range based on the first directional information.

Since the processing after step S104 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the direction information is sequentially stored each time the remote release is executed. As a result, the user can adjust the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 without repeating the operation of checking the image each time the test shot is taken, as in the conventional case. Further, the user does not have to memorize the desired direction information of the receiver strobe 300-2 by himself / herself, but the desired direction information is obtained from the order and direction information number of the images taken by the camera body 100 by the remote release. Can be easily determined.

In this embodiment, the direction information of the receiver strobe 300-2 at the time of remote release is stored, but the direction information of the receiver strobe 300-2 at the time of the release instruction by the camera body 100 may be stored. That is, the receiver strobe 300-2 may store the direction information when receiving the light emission instruction issued from the sender strobe 300-1 according to the release instruction on the camera body 100. This is effective when the receiver strobe 300-2 is held by the assistant and the assistant can appropriately change the posture of the receiver strobe 300-2 according to the user's instruction.

(Example 3)
In the third embodiment, the first direction information stored in the receiver strobe 300-2 is transferred to another lighting device, and the camera body 100 performs multi-flash photography using the lighting device as the receiver strobe. As a result, the user can set smoothly without performing an operation of storing the first direction information in another lighting device. That is, in the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the camera body 100, the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 300-2 are used, and another lighting device (hereinafter referred to as the receiver strobe 400) is used. To do. Since the hardware configuration of the receiver strobe 400 is basically the same as that of the lighting device 300, the same configuration is designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. However, the receiver strobe 400 and the lighting device 300 may have different first direction information and model setting information (light distribution information, light emission amount information, and model information) as described later. Hereinafter, the receiver strobe 400 corresponding to the strobe microcomputer 310 of the lighting device 300 will be referred to as a strobe microcomputer 410.

Further, in the third embodiment, it is assumed that the strobe microcomputers 310 and 410 store the model information indicating the model of the own machine, respectively. Details of the model information will be described later with reference to FIG.

Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, it is a flowchart of the display processing of the light emission irradiation direction of the receiver strobe 400 at the time of multi-flash photography according to this embodiment. In particular, the process of exchanging the receiver strobe 300-2 with the receiver strobe 400 when performing multi-flash photography will be described.

The present process is started after the receiver strobe 300-2 is used for multi-flash photography in a state in which the first direction information is stored in advance through the processes of Example 1 or Example 2. Further, the strobe microcomputer 410 is wirelessly connected to the receiver strobe 300-2 and the sender strobe 300-1 in a state where the light distribution information, the light emission amount information, and the model information are stored in advance as the information of the receiver strobe 400, and then the main strobe microcomputer 410 is used. The process starts.

First, in step S301, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 determines whether or not the user (or assistant) operates the input unit 312 of the receiver strobe 300-2 and gives an instruction to transfer the first direction information. If there is such an instruction, the process proceeds to step S302.

In step S302, the strobe microcomputer 310-2 transmits the first direction information, the light distribution information, the light emission amount information, and the model information to the sender strobe 300-1. Here, the light distribution information indicates the setting of the light emission irradiation direction of the receiver strobe 300-2 and the light distribution angle information used when determining the allowable range of direction deviation. The light emission amount information is the manual light emission amount when the receiver strobe 300-2 is performing manual light emission at the time of the above multi-flash photography, and the case where the receiver strobe 300-2 is performing light emission in the automatic dimming mode. Indicates the amount of light in a 35 mm light distribution. Further, the model information is information indicating the name and class of the model itself of the receiver strobe 300-2. An example is shown in FIG. 10, but a detailed description will be given later.

When the strobe microcomputer 310-1 receives the first direction information, the light distribution information, the light emission amount information, and the model information from the receiver strobe 300-2, the strobe microcomputer 310-1 transmits these information to the receiver strobe 400. In this embodiment, the receiver strobe 300-2 adopts a communication format (third communication unit) for transmitting the first direction information to the receiver strobe 400 via the sender strobe 300-1, but is not limited to this. .. For example, direct communication may be performed between the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400. Further, the method of communication between the sender strobe 300-1 and the receiver strobe 400 or the communication method between the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400 is not particularly limited. Specifically, communication may be performed by a wireless connection, or communication may be performed by a wired connection.

In step S303, when the strobe microcomputer 410 receives the first direction information, light distribution information, light emission amount information, and model information of the receiver strobe 300-2 from the sender strobe 300-1, it stores the model information of its own machine. And compare the received model information. If the model information does not match (different), the process proceeds to step S304, and if the model information matches, the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S304, the strobe microcomputer 410 performs an operation to fill the difference (difference between models) in the model information between the own machine and the receiver strobe 300-2. The calculation for filling the difference between models will be described later.

In step S305, the strobe microcomputer 410 overwrites and stores the first direction information received in step S302 as the first direction information for determining the allowable deviation range, and also stores the receiver strobe in advance. Overwrite 400 information.

Specifically, when the model information of the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400 matches in step S303, the information of the receiver strobe 400 stored in advance is overwritten with the received light distribution information and the light emission amount information. On the other hand, if the model information of the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400 is different in step S303, the information of the receiver strobe 400 stored in advance is overwritten based on the result calculated in step S304 and the information received in step S302. To.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the flow from steps S304 to S305.

First, an example in which the model information of the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400 match will be described.

In the table of FIG. 10A, the information stored in advance by the strobe microcomputer 410 as the information of the receiver strobe 400 is shown on the left side thereof, and the receiver strobe received via the sender strobe 300-1 in step S302 is shown on the right side thereof. The information of 300-2 is shown.

First, each item in the table of FIG. 10 (a-1) will be described.

The item "model name" indicates the name of each model of the receiver strobes 300-2,400, and the item "class" indicates the series of each of the receiver strobes 300-2,400. For example, in FIG. 10 (a-1), "strobe 1" is shown as information of the item "model name", but there may be a product with a model name of "strobe 1N" in the same class.

The above model information is composed of information of the item "model name" and the item "class".

The item "light distribution" indicates the value of the light distribution used in determining the allowable range of directional deviation. The sender strobe 300-1 automatically sets the light distribution value of all receiver strobes that are wirelessly connected during multi-flash photography to 35 mm, and the light distribution value automatically set by the user. It is also possible to change. Therefore, the information of the item "light distribution" is also included in the information of the receiver strobe 400 stored in advance.

The above light distribution information is composed of information of the item "light distribution".

The item "light emission amount" indicates a guide number of the maximum light emission amount when the stored light distribution value is set.

The item "mode" indicates a light emitting mode, specifically, an automatic dimming mode in which dimming is automatically performed or a manual mode in which light is emitted at a predetermined light emitting amount. Here, consider a case where the maximum light emission amount indicated by the item "light emission amount" is larger for the receiver strobe 300-2 than for the receiver strobe 400. In this case, if the item "mode" of the received receiver strobe 300-2 information is the automatic dimming mode, the model information stored as it is may be overwritten with the received model information. This is because the receiver strobe 400 automatically adjusts the amount of light emitted during shooting. On the other hand, when the item "mode" of the received receiver strobe 300-2 is the manual flash mode, if the model information stored in the received model information is overwritten, the flash amount at the time of shooting will be insufficient. Therefore, in this case, in order to fill the difference between the models in step S304, it is necessary to perform an operation of converting the number of stages of the manual light emission mode into a value in consideration of the difference in the maximum light emission amount. Even if the receiver strobe 300-2 is in the automatic dimming mode, if the amount of light emitted by the receiver strobe 300-2 is close to the maximum amount of light emitted during the above-mentioned multi-flash photography, the amount of light emitted by the receiver strobe 400 during shooting is increased. Even if adjusted, the amount of light emitted may be insufficient. If there is such a possibility, it is advisable to display a caution such as "There is a possibility that the amount of light may be insufficient" on the display unit 313 when displaying the direction deviation allowable range in step S306 as described later.

The light emission amount information is composed of the item "light emission amount" and the item "mode".

The item "optical axis" indicates the value of the rotation angle at the center of the optical axis, and the item "up and down" indicates the rotation angle in the vertical direction. The item "direction" indicates the rotation angle in the left-right direction, and the item "height" indicates the height of the light emitting portion.

The first direction information is composed of items "optical axis", "up and down", "direction", and "height".

As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 10 (a-1), when the received information and the stored information are compared, the information shown in the items "model name" and "class" is the same. In this case, in step S303 of FIG. 9, the strobe microcomputer 410 determines that the model information matches, and proceeds to step S305. In step S305, the strobe microcomputer 410 overwrites the received light emission mode and the first direction information with the information of the receiver strobe 400 stored in advance. The left side of FIG. 10A-2 is the information of the receiver strobe 400 after being overwritten.

Next, an example in which the model information of the receiver strobes 300-2 and 400 are different will be described.

In the table of FIG. 10B, the information stored in advance by the strobe microcomputer 410 as the information of the receiver strobe 400 is shown on the left side, and the receiver strobe 300-2 received via the sender strobe 300-1 is shown on the right side. Shows the information of. In this example, the receiver strobe 400 and the receiver strobe 300-2 have different model information and light emission amount information.

Specifically, in the model information, as shown in the item "class" in FIG. 10 (b-1), the receiver strobe 300-2 is a "high-end model", while the receiver strobe 400 is a "medium model". ". The strobe microcomputer 410 determines that the light emission amount of the receiver strobe 400 is about one step lower than that of the receiver strobe 300-2 due to this difference in model information. Further, in this example, the light emitting mode of the receiver strobe 300-2 shown in the item "mode" is "manual 1/4". Here, "manual 1/4" means that the set light amount in the manual light emission mode is 1/4, that is, the light amount is 1/4 of the maximum light emission amount.

As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 10 (b-1), when the received information and the stored information are compared, the information shown in the items "model name" and "class" is different. Therefore, in step S303, the strobe microcomputer 410 determines that the model information is different, and proceeds to step S304. In step S304, the strobe microcomputer 410 performs an operation to fill the difference between the models. Here, since the item "mode" of the received information is "manual 1/4", the calculation for filling the difference between models, that is, the difference in the amount of light emission, is performed for the information "manual 1/4". .. That is, the operation of changing the received "manual 1/4" to "manual 1/2", which is one step higher, is performed.

Here, when the item "mode" of the received information is "manual 1/1", the set light amount shown in the item "mode" is the maximum light amount, and it cannot be changed to a higher set light amount. In this way, when the calculation for filling the difference between the models cannot be performed, the strobe microcomputer 410 displays a warning on the display unit 313. For example, as a warning display, a display such as "Insufficient light emission amount" is displayed.

After that, in step S305 of FIG. 9, the strobe microcomputer 410 stores the information shown on the left side of FIG. 10 (b-1) based on the received information shown on the right side of FIG. 10 (b-1) and the result of the above calculation. Overwrite the information. As shown in the information stored after overwriting on the left side of FIG. 10B-2, in addition to the first direction information, information on the item "mode" in which the result of calculating the set light amount in step S304 is reflected. Is overwritten.

Returning to FIG. 9, in step S306, the strobe microcomputer 410 determines the direction deviation allowable range of the receiver strobe 400 according to the light emission irradiation direction included in the stored information after overwriting in step S305. After that, the strobe microcomputer 410 displays an image showing the determined directional deviation allowable range on the display unit 313, and proceeds to step S105 of FIG. Here, as in the first embodiment, the strobe microcomputer 410 is one of the tables of the “direction deviation allowable range” shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c) according to the characteristics and orientation of the light distribution angle of the receiver strobe 400. Is selected, and the allowable range of orientation deviation is determined based on the table.

Since the processing after step S105 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the receiver strobe 300-2 that stores the first direction information is replaced with the receiver strobe 400 to continue multi-flash photography, the user has a direction with respect to the receiver strobe 300-2. Give instructions to transfer information. In response to this transfer instruction, the receiver strobe 300-2 transfers its first direction information, light distribution information, light emission amount information, and model information to the receiver strobe 400. This makes it possible to realize a smooth setting in the receiver strobe 400 after replacement.

Further, in Examples 1 to 3 described above, an example in which the direction information is calculated based on the output from the attitude detection circuit 360, the height sensor 361, and the azimuth detection unit 362 is given, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, GPS may be used to calculate direction information.

Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the lighting device 300 is clipped on to the camera body has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a communication device called a wireless transmitter or a commander, which does not have a light emitting unit and has a first communication unit and a second communication unit, may be clipped on.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

[Other Examples]
Needless to say, the object of the present invention is also achieved by supplying the device with a storage medium in which the program code of the software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is recorded. At this time, the computer (or CPU or MPU) including the control unit of the supplied device reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

As the storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

Further, based on the instructions of the above-mentioned program code, the OS (basic system or operating system) running on the device performs a part or all of the processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment. Needless to say, cases are also included.

Further, the program code read from the storage medium may be written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the device or the function expansion unit connected to the computer to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment. Needless to say, it is included. At this time, based on the instruction of the program code, the function expansion board, the CPU provided in the function expansion unit, or the like performs a part or all of the actual processing.

100 Camera body 300 Lighting device 300-1 Sender strobe 300-2,400 Receiver strobe 310,310-1,310-2,410 Strobe microcomputer 313 Display unit 360 Attitude detection circuit 361 Height sensor 362 Direction detection unit 363 Modeling lamp 370 Wireless unit

Claims (19)

A lighting device having a light emitting part
When a storage instruction is received from the user, the first acquisition means for acquiring and storing the direction information including the light emitting irradiation direction and the height of the light emitting unit as the first direction information,
After acquiring and storing the first direction information by the first acquisition means, a second acquisition means for newly acquiring the direction information as the second direction information at predetermined time intervals, and
A lighting device including a display means for simultaneously displaying the first and second direction information and displaying at least one of the differences thereof. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second acquisition means acquire the direction information based on at least one output of a posture detection circuit, a height sensor, an electronic compass, and GPS. Further provided with a determination means for determining the directional deviation allowable range, which is the allowable range of the deviation amount of the first and second directional information.
The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means further displays the determined directional deviation allowable range. A second storage means for storing light distribution angle information, which is information indicating the light distribution characteristics of the lighting device, is further provided.
The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the determination means determines the allowable range of the direction deviation from the light distribution angle information and the first direction information. The determination means is
When the light distribution angle information indicates that the light distribution characteristics of the light emitting unit are different in the vertical and horizontal directions, the directional deviation allowable range is determined for each of the vertical and horizontal directions according to the light distribution characteristics.
4. When the light distribution angle information indicates that the light distribution characteristics of the light emitting unit are the same in the vertical and horizontal directions, the directional deviation allowable range is the same for the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. The lighting device described. The invention according to any one of claims 3 to 5, further comprising a warning means for giving a warning to the user when the second direction information deviates from the allowable range of the direction deviation. Lighting device. The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the warning means displays the warning by the display means. The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the warning means is a buzzer device that sounds a buzzer as the warning. Further equipped with a modeling lamp used for light emission simulation by the light emitting unit,
The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the warning means changes the lighting state of the modeling lamp to give the warning. It also has a first communication unit that communicates with the camera body.
The warning means according to claim 6, wherein the warning means returns the light emitting state of the light emitting unit to the light emitting state when a light emitting command is received from the camera body by the first communication unit to give the warning. Lighting device. When the charging of the lighting device is completed, the display means further displays that the charging is completed.
The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the warning means gives the warning so that the display means does not display the charging completion even when the charging of the lighting device is completed. With the first communication unit that communicates with the camera body,
When a warning is given by the warning means, the first communication unit further includes a first notification means for notifying the camera body to that effect.
The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the camera body displays a warning when notified by the first notification means. A communication device that communicates with the lighting device by a second communication unit is attached to the camera body by clip-on.
The lighting device according to claim 10 or 12, wherein the first communication unit communicates with the camera body via the communication device that communicates with the second communication unit. When the second direction information deviates from the allowable range of the direction deviation, the second communication unit further includes a second notification means for notifying the communication device to that effect.
The lighting device according to claim 13, wherein the communication device displays a warning when notified by the second notification means. A transmission means for transmitting a shooting instruction to the camera body in response to a user instruction by the first communication unit, and
Each time the shooting instruction is transmitted to the camera body by the transmission means, the control means for controlling the first acquisition means so as to sequentially acquire and store the direction information.
Further provided with a list display means for displaying information for specifying each of the acquired and stored direction information in a list so as to be selectable by the user by the first acquisition means.
10. The first acquisition means sets the user-selected directional information as the first directional information when one of the directional information displayed in the list is selected by the user. , 12, 13, 14 according to any one of the following items. A third communication unit that communicates with other lighting devices having the first and second acquisition means, and
One of claims 1 to 15, further comprising a transfer means for transferring the first direction information to the other lighting device by the third communication unit in response to a user instruction. The lighting device described in. The transfer means transfers the model information and the model setting information of the lighting device together with the first direction information.
The other lighting device changes and stores the transferred first direction information and the model setting information of the own machine in consideration of the difference between the transferred model information and the model information of the own machine. The lighting device according to claim 16. A control method for a lighting device having a light emitting unit.
When a storage instruction is received from the user, the first acquisition step of acquiring and storing the direction information including the light emitting irradiation direction and the height of the light emitting unit as the first direction information, and
After acquiring and storing the first direction information in the first acquisition step, a second acquisition step of newly acquiring the direction information as the second direction information at predetermined time intervals, and
A control method comprising: a display step of simultaneously displaying the first and second direction information and displaying at least one of the differences thereof. A program comprising executing the control method according to claim 18.

Images