JP2840509B2 - Camera system, camera to which adapter can be freely attached, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera having a flash photography function, a method of controlling the camera, and a camera system including the camera and a flash adapter which is detachable from the camera.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART When a subject is dark, flash photography is performed. A strobe device provided in a camera is generally set to irradiate a position of about 2 m where a subject is often present. For this reason, when photographing at a close distance, if photographing is performed using a strobe device provided in the camera, a subject existing at a close distance may not be irradiated with an appropriate amount of light, resulting in insufficient exposure. Therefore, a detachable strobe device is attached to the camera as an adapter strobe to prevent insufficient exposure.

However, when the flash device is mounted on the camera and flash photography is performed at a short distance, the flash light from the flash device provided on the adapter and a part of the flash light from the flash device provided on the camera are used as the subject. Is irradiated. For this reason, overexposure may occur and proper photographing may not be performed.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent overexposure when an adapter having a strobe device is attached to a camera for photographing.

A camera system according to the present invention includes a camera having a camera strobe that emits a strobe light in response to pressing of a shutter release button under a strobe light emission condition, and a shutter release button of the camera under a strobe light emission setting. And a strobe adapter having an adapter strobe that emits a strobe light in response to the pressing of the button.

[0006] The camera has a strobe / flash detector for detecting whether or not the strobe adapter is attached to the camera.
Adapter mounting detecting means, strobe light setting status detecting means for detecting whether or not the adapter strobe is under the strobe light setting, detection of strobe adapter mounting by the strobe adapter mounting detecting means, and strobe light setting In response to the detection of the setting of the strobe light emission of the adapter strobe by the status detection means, the strobe light emission amount of the camera strobe is determined under the strobe light emission condition. There is provided a strobe control means for controlling the camera / strobe so that the light is dimmed as compared with a case where the setting is not set.

According to the present invention, it is detected whether or not a strobe adapter is mounted on the camera and whether or not the adapter strobe is set to emit strobe light. If a strobe adapter is attached to the camera and the adapter strobe is set to emit strobe light, the strobe adapter is not attached to the camera or the strobe light setting of the adapter strobe is not set The amount of light emitted from the camera / strobe is reduced.

When the adapter strobe emits light in addition to the camera strobe, the amount of light emitted from the camera strobe is reduced compared to when the adapter strobe does not emit light. Therefore, overexposure can be prevented even if the strobe light of the camera / strobe and the strobe light of the adapter / strobe illuminate the subject.

The present invention also provides a camera constituting the camera system and a method for controlling such a camera.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a camera and a strobe adapter mounted on the camera. 2 to 4 show a strobe adapter. FIG. 2 is a plan view,
3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 is a side view.

The camera 1 is of any type, for example, a normal camera for fixing a subject image to a film by photochemically sensitizing the film, a solid-state electronic image pickup device (for example, CC)
D) a still video camera for magnetically or electronically fixing (recording on a floppy disk or storing in a memory) a video signal representing a subject image output from the solid-state electronic imaging device, Is also good. In this embodiment, there is shown a digital still camera which converts a video signal representing a subject image into digital image data, compresses the data, and stores the data in a semiconductor memory (built-in memory or removable card-shaped memory).

Referring mainly to FIG. 1, the camera 1 has a shutter release button 11. The shutter release button 11 is of a two-stage stroke type and has two switches SW1 and SW2. When the button 11 is pressed in the first stage, the switch SW1 is turned on, and in response to the ON signal of the switch SW1, various operations for preparing for shooting, which will be described in detail later, are started. When the button 11 is further pressed and reaches the second stage, the switch SW2 is turned on,
The photographing operation is started in response to the ON signal of the switch SW2.

The camera 1 also includes a setting unit 13 including a tele / wide setting button 12A, 12B, a flash forced shooting setting button, a time setting button, a playback mode setting button, a compression ratio setting button, and various buttons of the setting unit 13. There is provided a display unit 14 for displaying a state set by using.

The camera 1 has an imaging lens system 17, a finder 18 (see FIG. 2) and a distance measuring window 15 on its front surface.
A light-emitting diode (LED) that emits light for distance measurement, a light-receiving element that receives reflected light from the subject (a distance-measuring sensor is configured by the LED and the light-receiving element), and the like are provided in the distance measurement window 15. I have. The camera 10 can perform an automatic focusing control operation according to the distance information obtained by the distance measurement sensor.

The camera 1 further has a flash circuit and a light emitting section 16 thereof. In contrast to the strobe circuit of the strobe adapter, the strobe circuit of the camera will be referred to as a built-in strobe circuit (see FIGS. 5 and 7). The strobe light emitting unit 16 can be raised and lowered, and when not in use, falls down so as to cover the imaging lens 17 and the finder 18 and serves as its cover.

Referring mainly to FIG. 2 to FIG.
The adapter 30 has a first portion 30A and a second portion 30B which are formed in an L shape when viewed from a plane. These parts
30A and 30B are connected to bend freely, and the second part 30
B can be folded along the first portion 30A.

The strobe adapter 30 is provided with a mounting screw 23. By turning the knob 23A of the screw 23, the distal end of the screw 23 is formed on the side surface of the camera 10, so that the screw 23 is screwed into the screw 19, and the adapter 30 is attached and fixed to the camera 10.

The first portion 30A of the strobe adapter 30 is also provided with a projection 21B constituting an X contact 21 and a projection 22B constituting a ground contact (hereinafter referred to as a G contact) 22. These projections 21B and 22B are movable forward and backward, and are normally urged outward by a spring.
Recesses or holes 21A and 22A are formed on the side surface of the camera 10 corresponding to these projections 21B and 22B. Adapter 30
Is attached to the camera 10, the projection 21B enters the hole 21A, and the projection 22B enters the hole 22A. The projections 21B and 22B are both formed of a conductive material, and a conductive material is also provided on the inner surfaces of the holes 21A and 22A. Therefore, the electrical connection of the X contact 21 is established by the contact between the projection 21B and the hole 21A. 22B and hole 22A
The electrical connection of the G contact 22 is thereby achieved by the contact.

In this embodiment, the strobe adapter 30 has a strobe light emission function and a close-up shooting (close-up shooting).
It has a lens function for Therefore, the adapter 30 can be called a lens adapter. As described above, when the adapter 30 is not mounted, the camera 10 performs focusing control based on distance information obtained from the distance measurement sensor. However, in close-range shooting of about 50 cm or less, the parallax between the optical axis of the distance measuring sensor and the optical axis of the imaging lens system 17 (and the finder 18) increases, and the distance information of the distance measuring sensor indicates that the distance to the subject is small. It will not always be represented correctly.

Therefore, the adapter 30 has a distance setting switch.
32 are provided. By using this setting switch 32, in this embodiment, the following two-stage distances are set within the range of the closest distance. A relatively short distance (for example, 25 to 35 cm) switch SWA A relatively long distance (for example, 35 to 45 cm) Switch SWB The switch 32 is operated by a user, and when a relatively short distance is set, the switch (or contact) SWA is turned on. The switch (or contact) SWB is turned on when a relatively long distance is set.

In accordance with the distance set by the distance setting switch 32, the strobe light emission amount and the strobe light irradiation direction in the strobe adapter 30 are adjusted. Further, the distance information set by the distance setting switch 32 is transmitted to the camera 10 through the X contact as described later, and the camera 10 performs focusing control based on the distance information. Of course, the focusing control may be performed based on the distance data obtained by the distance measuring sensor.

The first portion 30A of the adapter 30 further includes
There are provided a strobe switch 31 for setting whether or not to perform strobe light emission, and a charge completion indicator light 33 illuminated when strobe charging is completed. However,
The strobe switch 31 is not always necessary in the case of an adapter that always emits strobe light when attached to a camera.

The second portion 30B of the adapter 30 has a photographing window in which a light emitting portion 36 of an adapter strobe and a lens 37 are built.
37A and a finder 38 are provided. strobe·
When the adapter 30 is attached to the camera 10, the optical axis of the lens 17 of the camera 10 and the optical axis of the lens 37 of the adapter 30 are aligned with the optical axis of the finder 18 of the camera 10 and the finder 38 of the adapter 30.
Have the same optical axis.

As will be described in detail below, X contact 21 and G
The following information is transmitted through the contact 22. From the camera 10 to the adapter 30: Flash signal _{XON From the} adapter 30 to the camera 10: Whether the adapter is attached or not The strobe switch 31 is on or off The distance information set by the distance setting switch 32 Whether or not charging is completed

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the camera. FIG. 6 shows the electrical configuration of the built-in flash of the camera.

The imaging optical system includes an aperture 2, an imaging lens 17,
And a CCD 3 as a solid-state electronic imaging device (image sensor). Although a mechanical shutter is provided if necessary, the shutter function is generally achieved by an electronic shutter realized by controlling the CCD 3. The imaging lens 17 forms a subject image on the CCD 3.
It is moved by the imaging lens driving device 25 controlled by the CPU 40 and positioned at the in-focus position.

Signals indicating the settings of the shutter release button 11, the tele, the wide setting buttons 12A and 12B, and the setting section 13 are input to the CPU 40, respectively.

The digital still camera is provided with a photometric sensor 26 for preliminary photometry, and photometric data is given to a CPU 40. The CPU 40 controls at least one of the aperture value and the shutter speed based on the photometric data obtained from the photometric sensor 26 so that the amount of exposure to the CCD 3 falls within a substantially appropriate range.

After a rough exposure adjustment based on such preliminary photometry, preliminary photography is performed. The calculation of the photometric value and the precise exposure control are performed using the video signal obtained from the CCD 3 by this preliminary photographing. These highly accurate exposure controls will be described later in detail.

The digital still camera has a distance measuring sensor 27 comprising the above-mentioned light emitting diode and light receiving element.
Are provided, and distance measurement data representing the distance to the subject is given to the CPU 40. CPU 40 is also a distance measuring sensor
Imaging lens driving device 25 based on the distance measurement data from 27
The imaging lens 17 is positioned at the in-focus position via. CP
U40 further determines the light emission amount of the built-in flash 50 based on the distance to the subject and the aperture value.

The flash light emitting section 36 of the flash adapter 30
Even if the distance to the subject is the same when the flash fires and when the flash firing unit 36 does not fire, the built-in flash
The luminescence of the 50 is different. Flash adapter 30 for camera 1
The flash output of the built-in flash 50 when the flash unit 36 is attached and the flash unit 36 is set to emit light by the flash switch 31
The CPU 40 controls the amount of light emitted from the strobe 50 to be smaller than the amount of light emitted from the strobe 50 when the strobe switch 36 is not set or the strobe switch 31 is not set to emit light.

The AND gate 43 and the transistor TR1 are connected for controlling the light emission of the built-in flash 50. CPU40 emission control signal X _on the light emitting ready signal X _EN of built-in flash 50 is outputted from the given AND gate 43. If the light emission control signal X _on is output while the light emission preparation completion signal X _EN is being output, the AND gate 43 is output.
At the H level, the transistor TR1 becomes conductive, and the light emission control signal is supplied to the built-in strobe 50. Needless to say, the operation of the built-in strobe 50 requires that the charging of its charging circuit be completed.

Referring to FIG. 6, the strobe device of camera 1 includes a light emitting section (discharge tube) 16, a charging circuit 60 for charging the electric charge given to light emitting section 16, and a light emitting section for controlling the amount of strobe light emitted. A light amount control circuit 51 and a stop circuit 66 for stopping light emission of the light emitting unit 16 are provided.

The voltage of the power supply 61 is boosted by the booster circuit 62 and the main capacitor 63 is charged. The charging voltage of the main capacitor 63 passes through an appropriate pressure reducing circuit or voltage detecting circuit to reach the CP.
It is detected by being applied to the A / D port of U40. This allows the CPU 40 to know that the main capacitor 63 has been charged.

Since the CPU 40 can detect the charging voltage of the main capacitor 63, the charging voltage of the main capacitor 63 before the light emitting unit 16 emits light and the main capacitor 63 after the light emitting unit 16 emits light.
, And the light emission amount of the light emitting section 16 can be calculated from the difference between these voltages.

Strobe light emission is performed by applying a strobe control signal to the trigger circuit 64. Trigger circuit
When a strobe light emission command X ON from the CPU 40 is given to the CPU 64, the trigger circuit 64 is driven, and the electric charge stored in the main capacitor 63 is discharged through the light emitting unit 16 to start strobe light emission.

The amount of strobe light emission is determined according to the distance to the subject. The light emission amount data is created by the CPU 40 so that the flash emission amount is determined according to the distance to the subject. The light emission amount control circuit 51 has D /
An electronic volume circuit (EVR) 52 including an A converter 52A is included, and the light emission amount data output from the CPU 40 is supplied to the EVR 52, converted into a voltage, and output. Also, a differential amplifier circuit 57 for providing a stop signal to the stop circuit 60
It is included.

Further, a reference power supply 53 is provided in the light emission amount control circuit 51.
And a capacitor 55 is included. The output voltage of the EVR 52 is supplied to the capacitor 55 via the resistor 54. A switch 56 for discharging the charge of the capacitor 55 is also provided. The reference power supply circuit is connected to the negative input terminal of the differential amplifier circuit 57.
The reference voltage output from 53 is supplied to the differential amplifier 57
Is supplied with the terminal voltage of the capacitor 55.

The switch 56 is normally turned on and the CP
It is turned off when the strobe light emission control signal of U40 is applied. When the switch 56 is turned off, the EVR
Charging of capacitor 55 is started based on the voltage output from 52.

A voltage is output from the EVR 52 and the switch 56
Is turned on, a predetermined charge is accumulated in the capacitor 55. When the terminal voltage of the capacitor 55 becomes equal to the reference voltage output from the reference power supply 53, a stop signal is output from the differential amplifier circuit 57 and supplied to the stop circuit 66, so that the light emitting section 16 stops emitting light.

In the CCD 3, interlaced photographing is performed by a substrate removal pulse, an A-field vertical transfer pulse, a B-field vertical transfer pulse, and a horizontal transfer pulse, and an A-field and a B-field video signal (GRG).
B color sequential signals) are alternately generated for each field period, and are sequentially read. The driving of the CCD 3 (imaging and reading out of a video signal) is performed at least at the time of photographing and for precise photometric processing and distance measuring processing prior thereto.

The video signals of the A field and the B field representing the subject image output from the CCD 3 are passed through a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) 4 to a color separation circuit 5.
And three primary colors, G (green), R (red) and B
(Blue) color signal.

The color signals G, R, B are supplied to a variable gain amplifier (hereinafter, referred to as GCA) 6. Figure 1 shows GC
Although one block is shown as A6, GCA is actually provided for each of R, G, and B signals. In the GCA 6, the correction of the light transmittance of the color filters provided in the CCD 3 between the colors of the filters (hereinafter referred to as “color filter variation correction”) and the white balance adjustment are performed, and then applied to the gamma correction circuit 7. Can be

The output color signals R, G, B of the GCA 6 are subjected to gradation correction by a gamma correction circuit 7 and input to a clamp and resampling circuit 8.

The clamp and resampling circuit 8
The three color signals R, G, and B are clamped, and re-converted into color sequential signals of RGB,... Which match the color filter arrangement in the CCD 3 by resampling. This color sequential signal is input to a gain control and blanking circuit 9. A gain control and blanking circuit 9 amplifies the color sequential signal to an appropriate level for recording and adds a blanking signal thereto. The output signal of the gain control and blanking circuit 9 is applied to an A / D converter 10 to be digitally converted.

Prior to the actual photographing, precise photometric processing (exposure control) is performed as described above. The photometric processing is performed using a low frequency component of a video signal obtained from the CCD 3 by the preliminary photographing.

[0047] For light measurement process, in order to extract the low-frequency component of the video signal representing the image in the photometric region provided (to be described later) in the imaging area of the CCD 3, Y _L synthesizing circuit 81,
A gate circuit 82, an integration circuit 83, an amplification circuit 84, and an A / D converter 85 are provided. Output data of the A / D converter 85 is supplied to the CPU 40.

After the photometric processing, the exposure control (control of the aperture and the shutter) based thereon, and the focusing control (positioning of the imaging lens 17), the actual photographing is performed. CC by actual shooting
The video signal obtained from D3 is applied to the circuits 4, 5, 6,
The signal is input to the A / D converter 10 via 7, 8, and 9,
The image data is converted into digital image data by the / D converter 10, processed by an image data processing circuit (not shown), such as Y / C separation and data compression, and then recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card. become.

The photometric processing (and the exposure control based on the photometric processing) prior to the actual photographing will be described.

The photometric processing is as described above Y _L synthesizing circuit 81,
This is performed using a gate circuit 82, an integration circuit 83, and an amplification circuit 84. Y _L synthesizing circuit 81 outputs color signals R GCA6 in, G, B are given.

The CPU 40 outputs a window signal WIND1 for controlling the gate circuit 82 and a reset signal HLRST1 for resetting the integration circuit 83. These signals WI
The timing of ND and HLRST will be described later.

[0052] The color signals R output from GCA6, G and B are added by Y _L synthesizing circuit 81, a relatively low frequency luminance signal Y _L (hereinafter referred to simply as the luminance signal Y _L) is generated. The luminance signal Y _L is passed through the period gate circuit 82 the window signal WIND1 is given in the required horizontal scanning period. The integration circuit 83 outputs the reset signal HLRS
T1 is reset when given, integrating the luminance signal Y _L for inputting the subsequent gate circuit 82. Integrator 83
Is amplified by an amplifier circuit 84, and then an A / D converter
The A / D converter 85 converts the data into digital integrated data for photometry. The photometric digital integration data is supplied to the CPU 40, and exposure control is performed.

FIG. 7 shows an example of an electrical configuration suitable for transmitting information between the camera 1 and the strobe adapter 30. FIG. 7 shows only circuits necessary for transmitting information, and omits general circuits necessary for photographing as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the CPU 40 of the camera 1
A built-in A / D converter, a divided voltage (input voltage) V _in the later-described resistor divider is taken into CPU40 is converted into digital data by the A / D converter. CPU40
Determines the state of the strobe adapter 30 based on the digital data of the input voltage V _in (including the presence or absence of attachment),
Various controls for photographing are performed based on this determination result. It goes without saying that the A / D conversion circuit may be connected outside the CPU 40. A clock signal is input to the CPU 40 every second from the clock 46.

The resistance voltage dividing circuit includes a camera-side resistance circuit and an adapter-side resistance circuit. The adapter 30 is connected to the camera 1 and the adapter.
Are connected to each other by X contacts (projections 21B and holes 21A) and G contacts (projections 22B and holes 22A).

On the camera side, a stabilizing power supply circuit 41 is provided to apply a predetermined standard voltage V _o (for example, 5 V) to the resistance voltage dividing circuit. This stabilized power supply circuit 41
Is output from the first-stage switch SW1 of the shutter release button 11 (or a contact linked to the switch SW1 or a semiconductor switching element controlled to perform the same operation as the switch SW1), and the first resistor R1 And a second resistor R2 connected in series to a ground. A connection point between the resistors R1 and R2 (hereinafter referred to as an input point) is connected to an input of the A / D converter of the CPU 40. This input point is connected to the X contact 21 via the third resistor R3.

A switching element FET1 is further connected between the input point and the ground. This FET1
Is controlled to be turned on by the output of the AND circuit 43.

In the adapter 30, the adapter-side resistor circuit includes a fourth resistor R4, a resistor circuit 73 for generating distance setting information, and a resistor circuit 71 for generating strobe ON / OFF information.
The resistor R4 and the circuits 73 and 71 are connected in series. The resistor R4 is connected to the X contact, and the circuit 71 is connected to the ground. A voltage stabilizing capacitor C1 and a protective zener diode ZD are connected between both ends of the resistor R4 and the ground.

The resistor circuit 73 includes a fifth resistor R5 and a sixth resistor R6 connected in parallel.
R6 is switched by the distance setting switch 32. Switch (contact) SWA when a relatively short distance is set
Is turned on, and the resistor R5 is connected to the resistor circuit. Switch (contact) SWB when a relatively long distance is set
Is turned on, and the resistor R6 is connected to the resistor circuit. These switches SWA and SWB may be contacts that are linked to sliding of a knob of the distance setting switch 32, or may be realized by semiconductor switching elements.

The circuit 71 further includes a charging completion information generating resistor circuit 72. A changeover switch 31B (referred to as SWS) is provided which is interlocked with or controlled by the strobe switch 31. The switch SWS connects the circuit 73 directly to the ground when the strobe switch 31 is off. When the strobe switch 31 is on, a series circuit of a seventh resistor R7 and an eighth resistor R8 is connected between the circuit 73 and the ground.
The circuit 72 includes an eighth resistor R8 and a switching transistor TR2 for short-circuiting the eighth resistor R8. The transistor TR2 is normally off, and is turned on when an H level charge completion signal is input from the strobe adapter circuit 70. The switch SWS may be formed of a transistor and connected so as to short-circuit the resistors R7 and R8 when turned on.

The strobe adapter 30 further includes a battery
77 (the output voltage is, for example, 3 V). When the strobe switch 31 is turned on, a switch 31A (or a contact or a semiconductor switching element) (also expressed as SWS) associated therewith is turned on, and the voltage of the battery 77 is supplied to the regulator 76. The output voltage of the regulator 76 is applied to the adapter / strobe circuit 70, and charging of the charging circuit included in the circuit 70 is started. When the charging is completed, the charging completion signal is output as described above, and the transistor TR2 is turned on.

The flash activation circuit 74 includes a comparator 75. The output voltage of the regulator 76 is divided by a resistor circuit, and the voltage divider circuit E1 is supplied to the negative input terminal of the comparator 75. The output voltage of the regulator 76 is divided by another resistor circuit, and the divided voltage E2 is supplied to the positive input terminal of the comparator 75. E1> E
Since it is set to 2, the output of the comparator 75 (the output of the starting circuit 74) is normally at the L level. The voltage E
A diode D1 is connected between the voltage dividing point at which 1 appears and the resistor R4.
Are connected in a direction to prevent a current from flowing from the resistor R4 to the voltage dividing point. When the strobe switch 31 is on, the potential on the cathode side of the diode D1 (the divided potential of the resistance voltage dividing circuit) is higher than the voltage E1 (for example, E1 = 2 V). However, due to the presence of the diode D1, the resistance voltage dividing circuit can
No current flows into the 75 negative input terminal.

As will be described later, when the light emission signal X _ON is given from the CPU 40 of the camera 1, the FET 1 is turned on, so that the potential of the X contact becomes close to the ground level. Therefore, the potential (E1) on the anode side of the diode D1 becomes higher than that on the cathode side, the diode D1 conducts, and the input voltage at the negative input terminal of the comparator 75 decreases. As a result, the output of the comparator 75 is inverted to the H level. The H level output of the comparator 75 is supplied to the strobe circuit 70 as a light emission start signal, and the strobe circuit 70
By 70, the light emitting section 36 emits a strobe light.

Light emission signal X _ON from camera 1 to adapter 30
The transmission of various information from the adapter 30 to the camera 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 7, specific examples of voltage and resistance values are as follows. The output of the stabilized power supply circuit 41 voltage _{V o = 5V E1 = 2V R1} = 51kΩ R2 = 200 kΩ R3 = 1kΩ R4 = 1kΩ R5 = 10kΩ R6 = 33kΩ R7 = 39kΩ R8 = 68kΩ

[0066] state of the adapter 30 is reflected as the value of the input voltage V _in of the A / D converter via a resistor divider. It is possible to determine the status of the adapter 30 by checking the input voltage V _in. A / D conversion error of A / D converter,
A zone for state determination is set as shown in FIG. 8 in consideration of variations in resistance, fluctuations in voltage, and the like. Since the resistor divider output standard voltage V _o of the stabilized power supply circuit 41 of the camera 1 is applied, of the adapter 30 battery
Output variation of 77, regardless of the output voltage drop, if the output voltage V _o of the power supply circuit 41 is stabilized even, it is always possible to accurately state determination.

[0067] zone A (V _in = 3.8 or higher V) adapter is determined not to be attached to the camera.

[0068] The input voltage V _in is given by the following equation.

[0069]

(Equation 1)

Zone B (2.83 to 3.30 V) It is determined that the strobe switch 31 (SWS) is on and the strobe is charging (charging is not completed) (the state of the distance setting switch 32 (SWA, SWB) does not matter). .

In this case, the voltage dividing resistor circuit includes a resistor R
1, R2, is constituted by R3, R4, R5 or R6, R7, R8, input voltage V _in is given by the following equation.

[0072]

(Equation 2)

Zone C (2.43 to 2.72 V) The strobe switch 31 (SWS) is turned on, the relatively long distance is set by the distance setting switch 32 (SWB on), and it is determined that the strobe charging is completed.

The voltage dividing resistor circuit includes resistors R1, R2, R3,
It is composed of R4, R6, R7, input voltage V _in is represented by the following equation.

[0075]

(Equation 3)

Zone D (2.05 to 2.36 V) The strobe switch 31 (SWS) is turned on, the relatively short distance is set by the distance setting switch 32 (SWA on), and it is determined that the strobe charging is completed.

The voltage dividing resistor circuit includes resistors R1, R2, R3,
It is composed of R4, R5, R7, input voltage V _in is represented by the following equation.

[0078]

(Equation 4)

Zone E (1.7 to 2.0 V) The strobe switch 31 (SWS) is turned off, and a relatively long distance is set by the distance setting switch 32 (SWB).
ON).

The voltage dividing resistor circuit includes resistors R1, R2, R3,
Is constituted by R4, R6, input voltage V _in is given by the following equation.

[0081]

(Equation 5)

Zone F (0.8 to 1.0 V) Strobe switch 31 (SWS) is off, and relatively short distance is set by distance setting switch 32 (SWA).
ON).

The voltage dividing resistor circuit includes resistors R1, R2, R3,
Is composed of R4, R5, input voltage V _in is given by the following equation.

[0084]

(Equation 6)

[0085] (hereinafter 0.8 V) Zone G when CPU40 of the camera 1 has output a light emission signal X _ON,
Since the FET1 is turned on, the input voltage V _in the ground
The voltage becomes close to the level.

When the FET1 is turned on, the diode D1 is turned on on the adapter side, and the comparator 75 is turned on.
Is at the H level (start signal), the strobe circuit 70 is started, and strobe light emission is performed as described above.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a processing procedure by the CPU 40 from the pressing of the shutter release button 11 to the end of photographing. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the distance to the subject, the aperture value, and the guide number. FIG. 11A shows the relationship regardless of whether the strobe adapter 30 is attached to the camera 1, and FIG. 11B shows the relationship. The relationship when the strobe adapter 30 is attached to the camera 1 and the strobe switch 31 is turned on is shown.

When the first stage switch SW1 of the shutter release button 11 is turned on (step 91), the distance to the subject is measured by the distance measuring sensor 27 (step 92).
Preliminary photographing (step 93) for the subject luminance value is performed. Focus control of the imaging lens 3 is performed based on the result of distance measurement to the subject (step 94).

It is detected whether or not the built-in flash 50 emits light (step 95). This detection is based on whether the flash unit is set to the flash unit by the setting unit 13. If the flash unit is not set, the built-in flash 50 automatically fires (so-called auto flash) because the subject brightness value obtained from the preliminary shooting is dark. It depends on whether it is done.

When the light emitting section 16 of the built-in flash 50 emits light, referring to FIG. 11A, a guide for controlling the aperture 2 and emitting light by the light emitting section 16 based on a subject luminance value obtained from preliminary photographing. A number is determined (step 96). The guide number GNo.
When the strobe switch 31 of the strobe adapter 30 is set to emit strobe light, the correction is performed so that the strobe light is reduced.

When the light emitting section 16 of the built-in flash 50 does not emit light, the aperture value and the shutter speed are respectively determined from the subject luminance value obtained from the preliminary photographing (step 9).
7).

Thereafter, the input voltage Vin is taken _in and converted into digital data (step 97). The CPU 40 determines which of the above-mentioned zones A to F the digital data is in (steps 103 to 108).

[0093] If the input voltage V _in is in the A zone,
It is determined that the adapter is not attached (step 13
1). Therefore, in this case, if necessary, the lens is driven based on switch inputs from the tele / wide buttons 12A and 12B, and the second shutter release button 11 is operated.
When the stage switch SW2 is turned on, a video signal is taken from the CCD3. This video signal is converted into digital image data, subjected to necessary data processing such as data compression, and stored in a memory (step 132).

[0094] If the input voltage V _in is in the B zone,
Although the adapter 30 is attached and the strobe switch 31 is on, it is determined that the photographing process cannot be started yet because the strobe is being charged (step 141). Shutter·
Pressing the release button 11 to the second stage is prohibited (step 142). This may be a mechanism for mechanically preventing the button 11 from being pressed to the second stage, or ignoring the switch SW2 even if it is turned on, so as not to proceed to the processing after the switch SW2 is turned on. It may be realized. Thereafter, it waits for the input clock signal from the clock 46 (step 143), a check of the input voltage V _in is performed again (step 97).

[0095] If the input voltage V _in is in the C zone,
The adapter is mounted, the flash is turned on, the flash is charged, and the set distance is determined to be relatively long (35 to 45 cm) (step 151). Further, when the input voltage V _in is in the D zone, the adapter mounting, flash on, flash charge completion, the set distance is determined relatively short-distance (25~35cm) (step 161).

If the shutter release button 11 is depressed in the second stage (YES in step 152), it is determined whether or not the light emitting section 16 of the built-in flash 50 of the camera 1 emits light (step 153). .

When the light-emitting portion 16 of the built-in flash 50 of the camera 1 emits light, a strobe adapter is provided in addition to the strobe light.
The strobe light from the 30 light emitting units 36 is superimposed. For this reason, if the photographing is performed using the aperture value and the guide number GNo. Determined in step 96, the image is likely to be overexposed. Therefore, the guide number GNo. Determined in step 96 is corrected (step 154). This correction is performed using a strobe / flash as shown in Fig. 11 (B).
The operation is performed such that the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 16 of the camera 1 becomes smaller than when the switch 31 is turned off.
Thus, overexposure due to superposition of the strobe light of the light emitting unit 16 of the camera 1 and the strobe light of the light emitting unit 36 of the strobe adapter 30 can be prevented.

After the correction of the guide number GNo., The photographing conditions are reset. That is, in the camera 10, since the shooting is performed at a close range, the imaging lens 17 is positioned at a position suitable for the shooting distance set in the telephoto range and the adapter. In the adapter 30, the direction of the light emitting unit 36 is set to an angle suitable for the set photographing distance. Thereafter, when the light emission signal X _ON is output from the CPU 40 of the camera 10, the flash circuit 50 is activated by the activation circuit 54, and the light emitting section 36 emits light. Input voltage V _in the
0.8 V or less. In the camera 10, reading of a video signal from a CCD, digital conversion, image data processing,
The data is stored in the memory (step 155).

[0099] from the switch SW1 ON, it is determined to be B zone, after which the flash charging is completed is determined to be D zone, further series of operations between the input voltage V _in to the recording under strobe lighting An example of the change is shown in FIG.

[0100] If the input voltage V _in is in the E zone,
The adapter is mounted, the strobe switch 31 is turned off, and the set distance is determined to be relatively long (step 171). Further, in the case where the input voltage V _in is in the F zone, the adapter mounting,
It is determined that the strobe switch 31 is off and the set distance is relatively short (step 181). Also in these cases, after the switch SW2 is turned on (step 172), focusing control and exposure condition setting according to the above determination result are performed (step 173). The strobe of the adapter 30 does not emit light, but the strobe of the camera 1 emits light based on the set guide number GNo.

If it is neither zone A nor zone F, error processing, for example, display of an error message is performed (step 109).

In the above embodiment, when the built-in flash 50 of the camera 1 emits light, the guide number GNo. Is set once according to the distance to the subject (step 96), and the built-in flash 50 of the camera 1 is set. Is emitted,
When the flash unit 36 of the flash adapter 30 emits light, the set guide number GNo. Is corrected (step 154). However, the distance to the subject, the presence or absence of the flash adapter 30 and the flash adapter switch
The guide number GNo. May be determined uniformly according to whether or not 31 is set.

Further, focus control may be performed in accordance with the setting of the distance setting switch 32.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a camera equipped with a strobe adapter.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a strobe adapter.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a strobe adapter.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the strobe adapter.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the camera.

FIG. 6 shows an electrical configuration of a camera built-in flash.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an electrical configuration of a camera and an adapter.

FIG. 8 shows zones of the input voltage representing various states of the adapter.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a shooting processing procedure of a camera CPU.
It is a chart.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a shooting processing procedure of a CPU of the camera.

FIG. 11 shows a relationship between a state of a strobe switch, a distance to a subject, an aperture value, and a guide number.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing how an input voltage changes in a shooting sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Camera 11 Shutter release button 19 Female thread 21 X contact 21A, 22A Hole 21B, 22B Protrusion 22 G contact 23 Mounting screw 23A knob 30 Strobe adapter 31 Strobe switch 32 Distance setting switch 36 Strobe light emitting unit 40 CPU 41 Stable Power supply circuit 45 FET (switching element) 50 Adapter strobe circuit 51 Strobe on / off information generation resistor circuit 52 Charge completion information generation resistor circuit 53 Distance setting information generation resistor circuit 54 Strobe activation circuit 55 Comparator TR1, TR2 Transistor (switching element) R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 Resistance SW1, SW2 Shutter release button SWA, SWB Distance setting switch

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Shimatani 3-1-146 Izumi, Asaka-shi, Saitama Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. In-company (56) References JP-A-3-65937 (JP, A) JP-A-2-135328 (JP, A) JP-A-57-93335 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. . ⁶ , DB name) G03B 15/05

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A shutter device under strobe light emission conditions.
From a camera having a camera strobe that emits a strobe light in response to pressing of a release button, and a strobe adapter having an adapter strobe that emits a strobe light in response to pressing of a shutter release button of the camera in a strobe light setting And said camera is
Strobe adapter mounting detecting means for detecting whether the strobe adapter is mounted on the camera, strobe light setting status detecting means for detecting whether the adapter strobe is under strobe light setting, and the strobe adapter In response to the detection of the mounting of the strobe / adapter by the mounting detection means and the detection of the setting of the strobe light emission of the adapter / strobe by the strobe light emission setting status detecting means, the amount of light emitted from the camera / strobe under the strobe light emission condition. A strobe control means for controlling the camera strobe so that the strobe is dimmed compared to when the strobe adapter is not attached or the strobe light emission setting of the adapter strobe is not set;
Camera system with. 2. A shutter according to claim 1, further comprising:
A camera strobe that emits strobe light in response to pressing of the release button, and a strobe adapter equipped with an adapter strobe that emits strobe light in response to pressing of the shutter release button of the camera under the strobe light setting Strobe adapter mounting detection means for detecting whether or not the strobe is in the strobe light emission setting state, and strobe adapter mounting detection means for detecting whether or not the strobe light is set to strobe light emission. The adapter and the strobe light emission setting status detection means
In response to the detection of the flash emission setting of the strobe, the flash output of the camera / strobe is compared under the flash emission conditions when the flash / adapter is not installed or the flash / flash setting of the adapter / flash is not set. A strobe control means for controlling the camera / strobe so that the light is dimmed. 3. A shutter according to claim 1, wherein
A strobe adapter having an adapter strobe that emits a strobe light in response to pressing of a shutter release button of a camera under a strobe light emission setting in a camera having a strobe that emits a strobe light in response to a press of a release button. Detects whether or not the strobe is attached, detects whether or not the adapter strobe is under the strobe light emission setting, and responds to the detection of the strobe adapter mounting and the detection of the strobe light emission setting of the adapter strobe. Then, under the condition of the strobe light emission, the camera strobe light is reduced so that the amount of light emitted from the camera strobe light is lower than when the strobe adapter is not attached or the strobe light emission setting of the adapter strobe is not set. Control, camera control method.