JP2933314B2 - Multi-point ranging camera - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a multi-point distance measuring camera having a plurality of distance measuring areas, and more specifically, by operating an existing operation member.
The present invention relates to a multi-point ranging camera capable of selecting a ranging area.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In recent years, in order to enable more advanced photography, a technique has been developed which can perform distance measurement at a plurality of positions in a viewfinder. Cameras have also been produced. In a camera having such a function, the distance to the subject or the defocus amount of the lens with respect to the subject is usually measured in a plurality of ranging areas, and the main subject is determined by a unique algorithm of the camera. Is displayed in the viewfinder.

However, in such a conventional camera, the above-mentioned display of focusing or non-focusing is performed at one location, even though there are a plurality of ranging areas. For this reason, the user may not know which main subject is selected by the algorithm, and may take an unintended photograph. Further, since the main subject is automatically selected by the camera, there is a possibility that a user cannot take a desired photograph when intentionally taking a special photograph.

[Object of the Invention] In view of such a conventional problem, the present invention provides a camera having a plurality of ranging areas so that the ranging area can be selected, and the selection of the ranging area. Can be performed by an existing selection member without newly adding a special operation member.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention is based on the fact that recent cameras, particularly single-lens reflex cameras, have a large number of shooting modes, and it is common to perform a combination operation of two operation members for selection thereof. One of the two operating elements is basically idle, after selecting a specific shooting mode, focusing on the fact that it does not perform any function when operated. Has been completed based on the idea that is used for selecting a ranging area of a multipoint ranging camera.

That is, the present invention sets various shooting modes of a camera such as a program, shutter priority auto, aperture priority auto, and manual in response to a combination operation of a manually operated mode selection member and a switching member, and When a particular one of the photographing modes is selected, a photographing mode setting means for manually setting photographing data such as a shutter speed in response to a single operation of the switching member, and a plurality of ranging areas are provided. When a shooting mode other than the specific shooting mode is selected in a multi-point ranging camera having focusing means for focusing on a subject in a selected ranging area of the ranging areas, Receiving an independent operation of the switching member, selecting an arbitrary ranging area from among the plurality of ranging areas, and selecting the specific shooting mode. When the mode selection member is operated alone, the photographing data set by the switching member is stored, and thereafter, when the switching member is operated alone, control means for selecting a ranging area is provided. Has features.

The control unit further disables the selection of the ranging area by the switching member and enables setting of the photographing data by operating the mode selection member after the selection of the ranging area.

In the finder, it is desirable to provide a display means for displaying the selected one of the plurality of ranging areas in the direction in which the ranging areas are arranged. Further, it is desirable in terms of operability that the operation direction of the switching member be the same as the direction in which the distance measurement areas are arranged.

It is desirable that the selection of the ranging area according to the present invention is enabled only when the ranging area selection mode is selected by a separately provided ranging mode switch. When the focus detection area selection mode is not selected, a focus detection area is selected by a unique algorithm possessed by the camera, and an object in the focus detection area is focused. Also in this case, the display device provided in the viewfinder can provide the photographer with information on which distance measurement area is selected.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Next, an embodiment of the multipoint distance measuring camera of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

6A, 6B, 7 and 8 show external views of various types of multipoint ranging cameras according to the present invention.

In a multipoint ranging camera of the type shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a mode switch 10 as a mode selection member,
A changeover switch 12 as a changeover member is arranged at the position shown in the figure. The mode switch 10 is slidable in P and Q directions in the figure, and the changeover switch 12 is slidable in R and S directions in the figure. The shutter button 14 provided on the front side of the changeover switch 12 is a two-operation switch. When the shutter button 14 is half-pressed, the distance measurement operation starts, and when the shutter button 14 is fully pressed, the shutter release operation starts. You.

In this type of camera, when the photographing mode is switched, the changeover switch 12 is slid to the R side or the S side while the mode switch 10 is slid to the P side (mode selection side) and held. When the aperture on the lens side is in the auto mode, the shooting mode sequentially changes to the program mode (plural) and the shutter priority (auto) mode in accordance with the slide operation of the changeover switch 12. When the aperture on the lens side is at the manual position, the mode sequentially changes to the aperture priority (auto) mode and the manual mode (negative number).

When the mode is set to the manual mode or the shutter priority mode, the shutter speed can be set by operating the changeover switch 12 alone.

In the present invention, the changeover switch 12 is used to select a ranging area. Details will be described later,
If only the operation surface is described, when the shooting mode is set to the program mode and the aperture priority mode,
The focus detection area is selected by the single operation of the changeover switch 12, and when the mode is set to the manual mode or the shutter priority mode, the mode switch 10 is slid once to the P side, and then the single operation of the changeover switch 12 is performed. This is for selecting a ranging area.

The camera of the type shown in FIG. 7 has a changeover switch 12 of a dial type, and the camera of the type shown in FIG. 8 has a changeover switch 12 of a push button type. The cameras of the type shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 differ only in the type of the changeover switch 12, and the functions of the other switches 10 and 14 are exactly the same as described above.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic structural views of the optical type of the multipoint distance measuring camera according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, light incident through a lens (not shown) is partially reflected and transmitted by the first mirror 1, and the reflected light is as shown in FIG. Then, through the focus plate 2 and the pentaprism 3, the light reaches the eye through the eyepiece 4. On the other hand, the light transmitted through the first mirror 1 is reflected by the sub-mirror 6 and reaches the distance measuring module 7 provided at the bottom of the mirror box. The distance measuring module 7 has a function of measuring the distance to the subject at a plurality of positions within the screen, for example, at three positions. Symbols A, B, and C shown in FIGS. 9 and 5 show examples of the position of the distance measurement area in the viewfinder field 20, that is, the screen. In the case of the widely used phase difference detection method, the distance measurement is performed in each of the distance measurement areas A, B,
The image in C is divided into two parts, each of them is incident on a CCD, the phase difference between the two divided images is detected, and the defocus amount (vector amount) of the subject image is detected. The display element 8 viewed from the finder field 20
Is disposed between the focus plate 2 and the pentaprism 3 as shown in FIG. The display element 8 has light-emitting elements a, b, and c corresponding to the distance measurement areas A, B, and C and arranged in the same direction.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device for controlling a multipoint camera according to the present invention. Note that, in this block diagram, only parts directly related to the present invention are shown.

A mode switch 10 as a mode selection member, a changeover switch 12 as a changeover member, and a shutter button 14 are connected to a CPU 15 as control means.
Signals from 0, 12, and 14 are output to the CPU 15. And CP
U15 is connected to the above-described display element 8 and a driver 17 for driving an external display 16 to be described later.

As described above, the mode switch 10 and the changeover switch 12
When both are operated, the CPU 15 cycles the modes of the camera. When the mode is the manual mode or the shutter priority mode, the CPU 15 sets the shutter speed by operating only the changeover switch 12. Further, when the mode is the program mode or the aperture priority mode, the CPU 15 selects a distance measurement area by operating only the changeover switch 12. And
Even when the mode is in the manual mode or the shutter priority mode, when the mode switch 10 is operated alone, the CPU 15 locks the currently set shutter speed, and the subsequent operation of only the changeover switch 12 causes the CPU 15 to lock the shutter speed. Select the ranging area. Note that these settings are displayed on the external display 16.

When the shutter button 14 is half-pressed, the CPU 15
Starts a ranging operation for focusing on the subject within the ranging area selected by the changeover switch 12,
The display element 8 corresponding to the selected distance measurement area, which is provided in the finder visual field 20, is turned on or off. That is, the light emitting element a, b, or c corresponding to the selected ranging area A, B, or C is turned on or off.

The multi-point ranging camera configured as described above is shown in FIG. 2A,
It operates according to the operation flowchart shown in FIGS. 2B and 3. In describing the operation flowchart, FIGS. 1, 4A to 4E, 5A to 5D, and 6A
This will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the CPU 15 includes the mode switch 10 and the changeover switch 1
The mode set by step 2 is input, and it is determined whether or not the currently set mode is the manual mode (M) is the shutter priority mode (EE) (switch 1,
2). If the currently set mode is the manual mode or the shutter priority mode, then the CPU 15
It is determined whether the changeover switch 12 has been operated alone.
That is, it is determined whether the changeover switch 12 shown in FIG. 6A has been slid to the R or S side (step 3). When the slide operation is performed, a process for setting a shutter speed (Tv) is executed (step 4).
Then, the CPU 15 determines whether or not the mode switch 10 has been turned on. That is, the mode switch shown in FIG. 6A
It is determined whether or not 10 has been slid to the P side (step 5). Step 1 to Step 5
In, the camera mode determination and the changeover switch 12
This means that the operation of the mode switch 10 is monitored.

Then, when it is determined in step 5 that the operation of the mode switch 10 has been performed, the CPU 15 locks the currently set shutter speed, and the CPU 15 sends the first shutter speed to the external display 16 via the driver 17. As shown in FIG. 4C, a lock completion display “L” is displayed (steps 6 and 7). Then, the CPU 15 again determines whether or not the changeover switch 12 has been operated alone. That is, it is determined whether or not the changeover switch 12 shown in FIG. 6A has been slid to the R or S side. This determination is also made in step 2 when the mode is not the program mode or the shutter priority mode, that is, when the mode is the manual mode or the aperture priority mode (step 8). In step 8, when the changeover switch 10 is operated, the process of selecting the immediate distance area and the display of the selected distance measurement area are performed. This display shows driver 17
Via the display element 8. This process
This will be described in detail when a subroutine program is described later (steps 9 and 10).

Next, the CPU 15 determines whether or not the shutter button 14 has been pressed, and when the shutter button 14 is pressed, the subject focused within the selected ranging area is set to the set shutter speed and exposure. After the photographing is completed, the film is automatically wound, and after the winding is completed, it is determined again whether or not the mode switch 10 is operated (steps 11 to 15). When the mode switch 10 is operated, the lock completion display “L” displayed in step 7 is displayed.
Is erased, and the shutter speed can be selected by the changeover switch 12 (step 16).

Next, the subroutine flowchart of steps 9 and 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In order to understand the operation of this flowchart, it is necessary to know the arrangement state of the display element 8, so that the arrangement state of the display element 8 will be described prior to the explanation of the operation of the flowchart.

The display element 8 is disposed at the above-mentioned position, that is, between the focus plate 2 and the pentaprism 3 as shown in FIG. 9, but when looking through the finder, it is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
, Light emitting elements a, b, and c are respectively provided. Here, it is preferable to use LEDs or LCDs for the light emitting elements a, b, and c. In this embodiment, LEDs are used.

The display element 8 is arranged as described above, and lights or blinks based on a subroutine flowchart described below.

When the changeover switch 12 is operated, as shown in FIG. 5A, any one of the three distance measurement areas A, B, and C is selected, and when this selection is completed,
The driver 17 blinks the light emitting element at a position corresponding to the selected ranging area at a predetermined cycle based on the signal output from the CPU 15 (steps 21, 22, and 23). For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the user selects the distance measurement area C, the light emitting element c corresponding to that area blinks at a predetermined cycle, for example, about 2.3 Hz.

Next, when the shutter 14 is half-pressed, the signal
The CPU 15, which is output to U15 and receives this signal, drives a lens (not shown) to focus on the subject in the area selected by the changeover switch 12, and inputs a signal related to focusing in that area (step 24). , 2
Five).

Then, based on the signal related to focusing, the CPU 15
If focusing cannot be performed, the light emitting element at the position corresponding to the selected ranging area is turned on and off at a frequency different from the focusing area selection frequency, for example, at a faster cycle. For example, as shown in FIG. 5C, the selected ranging area C
Is turned on at about 10 Hz to indicate that focusing is impossible (steps 26 and 27).

On the other hand, when the focus is achieved, the light emitting element at the position corresponding to the selected ranging area is lit continuously, for example, in a mode different from the focus area selection display and the inability to focus display. For example, as shown in Figure 5D,
The light emitting element c corresponding to the selected ranging area C is continuously turned on (steps 26 and 28).

The multi-point ranging camera of the present invention operates as described above. The operation is summarized as follows.

First, in a multi-point ranging camera of the type shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the aperture on the lens side is in the auto mode, the changeover switch is held while sliding the mode switch 10 to the P side. When the slider 12 is slid to the R side or the S side, the mode is sequentially changed to a program mode (plural) and a shutter priority mode in accordance with the sliding operation of the changeover switch 12. FIG. 4A shows an example of a display when the program mode (P) is selected. When this mode is selected, the character "P" is displayed. And in the figure, the shutter speed is 1/12
5 seconds, exposure F2.8, multi-point ranging, continuous shooting mode, film 1
The display on the external display 16 in the case of the second sheet is shown as an example. When the changeover switch 12 is slid in the R or S direction in the drawing in a state where the program mode is selected, a distance measurement area is selected according to the slide operation. That is, when the changeover switch 12 is slid in the R direction in the figure, as shown in FIG.
The ranging areas are selected in the order of A, C, B, A,... Simultaneously with this selection, the display elements indicating the selected distance measurement area in FIG.
The blinking position moves in the order of. Conversely, when the changeover switch 12 is slid in the direction s in the figure, the order of the selected ranging areas and the order of moving the blinking position of the display element are reversed.

On the other hand, when the shutter priority mode is selected, “A” is displayed on the external display 16 as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C. FIG. 4B shows an example of the display when the shutter speed is 1/250 second, the aperture is F2.0, the multi-point ranging, the continuous shooting mode, and the thirteenth film is used. When the shutter priority mode is selected, the setting of the shutter speed can be changed by operating the changeover switch 12 alone. When the shutter priority mode is selected, the mode switch 10
When the shutter speed is shifted in the direction P in FIG. 6A, the currently set shutter speed is locked. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4C, "L" indicating that the shutter speed has been locked is displayed on the external display 16. Is displayed. After that, when the changeover switch 12 is operated, selection of the distance measurement area becomes possible. FIG. 4C shows a display when the mode switch 10 is slid after the shutter speed is set to 1/125 second.

Further, when the mode switch 10 is operated while the aperture on the lens side is at the manual position, the mode is sequentially changed to the aperture priority mode and the manual mode. When the manual mode is selected, “M” is displayed on the external display 16 as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E. In Fig. 4D, the shutter speed is 1/500 second, the aperture is F1.4,
The display in the case of multi-point ranging, single shooting mode, and the case where the number of films is the 14th is shown as an example. Even when this manual mode is selected, the shutter speed can be changed by operating the changeover switch 12 alone, as in the case where the shutter priority mode is selected, and the mode switch 10 is set to P in FIG. 6A. When the shutter speed is shifted in the direction, the currently set shutter speed is locked, and “L” indicating that the shutter speed is locked is displayed. Then, by operating the changeover switch 12, the distance measuring area can be selected. In FIG.4E, the shutter speed is 1/125.
The display when the mode switch 10 is slid after setting to seconds is shown.

The ranging area selected in this way is
As shown in FIG. 5A, the distance measurement area A provided with three points,
The display is performed by relatively slow blinking of the light emitting elements a, b, and c provided corresponding to B and C. For example, when the ranging area of A is selected, the display element of a flashes with a cycle of about 2.3 Hz, and when the ranging area of C is selected, the display element of c flashes with a similar cycle. Will be.

Then, when the shutter button 14 is half-pressed, focus control is performed in the selected distance measurement area, and when focusing cannot be performed in this distance measurement area, a light emitting element corresponding to the selected distance measurement area is used. Is blinked relatively quickly at about 10 Hz, and when focused, the light emitting element is continuously turned on. For example, when the focusing area is selected and the focus control is performed, as a result of the focus control, the light emitting element a blinks relatively quickly at about 10 Hz to focus on the subject. In this case, the light emitting element a is continuously turned on.

In the above-described shutter priority mode and manual mode, when the shutter speed is to be changed after the shutter speed is locked, the mode switch 10 is shifted in the P direction in FIG. 6A again to unlock the set shutter speed. Then, the display "L" indicating that the shutter speed is locked disappears. Then, by operating the changeover switch 12, the shutter speed can be selected.

The operation of the multipoint ranging camera of the present invention is as described above. Therefore, the user can set the mode, set the photographing data such as the shutter speed, and select the distance measurement area by operating the two existing operation members, and looks into the finder through the distance measurement area selected by the user. In addition, it is possible to easily recognize whether the area is in focus or not in focus.

In this embodiment, the light-emitting element is turned on and off relatively quickly when the focusing is impossible in the distance measurement area. However, the light-emitting element may be turned off. With such an embodiment, the program can be simplified.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the display of the distance measurement area selected by the user, the focus in the distance measurement area, and the inability to focus are displayed by the light-emitting element.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, these displays may be performed by using an acoustic element that emits a sound and changing the frequency of the sound or the generation cycle of the sound, or a light emitting element and an acoustic element. It is needless to say that these displays may be performed by appropriately combining these.

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the above description, the present invention is a camera that performs selection of a shooting mode by a combination operation of two members, a mode selection member and a switching member, and further includes a plurality of ranging areas. In a camera having a focusing function for a subject in a selected ranging area, the area of the ranging area can be selected by using the switching member. Therefore, it is necessary to particularly provide a member for selecting the ranging area. Without
The function of the camera can be improved while demanding a reduction in size, and the cost can be suppressed. Also, in terms of usability, the conventional level can be maintained.

Further, in the finder, a display means for displaying the selected one of the plurality of ranging areas is arranged in the direction in which the ranging areas are arranged, and the operating direction of the switching member is the same as the direction in which the ranging areas are arranged. By setting the direction of
A more convenient multipoint ranging camera can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control portion of the multipoint ranging camera according to the present invention, FIGS. 2A and 2B are operation flowcharts of the CPU shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. FIG. 4A is a subroutine flowchart relating to display of a distance measurement area in the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 2B. FIG. 4A is a view showing display on an external display when a program mode is selected in the multipoint distance measurement camera according to the present invention. FIGS. 4B and 4C are views showing an example of a display on an external display when a shutter priority mode is selected in the multi-point ranging camera according to the present invention, FIGS. 4D and 4E. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a display on an external display when a manual mode is selected in the multi-point ranging camera according to the present invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a distance measurement in the multi-point ranging camera according to the present invention. Area rank When a diagram showing an example of arrangement state of the display elements arranged in correspondence to the distance measuring area, Figure 5B, second 5D diagram is a diagram for explaining the operation state of the display device. 6A and 6B are a plan view and a front view showing the appearance of the multipoint ranging camera according to the present invention. FIGS. 7 and 8 are other types of multipoint ranging cameras according to the present invention, respectively. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic plan views showing the optical system of the multipoint distance measuring camera according to the present invention. 8: display element, 10: mode switch (mode selection member), 12: changeover switch (switching member), 14: shutter, 15: CPU (control means), 16: external display, 17: driver, 20: finder field of view, A, B, C ... distance measuring areas, a, b, c ... display elements.

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] The present invention is characterized in that setting of various photographing modes of a camera, such as a program, a shutter priority auto, an aperture priority auto, and a manual, is performed in response to a combination operation of a manually operated mode selection member and a switching member. When a particular one of the photographing modes is selected, a photographing mode setting means for manually setting photographing data such as a shutter speed in response to a single operation of the switching member, and a plurality of ranging areas are provided. If a shooting mode other than the above specific shooting mode is selected in a multi-point ranging camera having focusing means for focusing on a subject in a selected ranging area of the ranging areas Receiving a single operation of the switching member, selecting an arbitrary ranging area from among the plurality of ranging areas, and selecting the specific shooting mode, Control means is provided for storing photographing data set by the switching member when the mode selection member is operated alone, and thereafter selecting a distance measurement area when the switching member is operated alone. Multi-point ranging camera. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the operation of the mode selection member is performed after the selection of the distance measurement area, the control means disables the selection of the distance measurement area by the switching member and sets photographing data. The multi-point distance measuring camera according to claim 1. 3. The multi-point distance measuring camera according to claim 1, wherein display means arranged in a direction in which a plurality of distance measuring areas are arranged are provided outside the photographing area in the viewfinder of the camera. 4. The multi-point distance measuring camera according to claim 3, wherein the operation direction of the switching member is the same as the direction in which the distance measuring areas are arranged. 5. The multipoint ranging camera according to claim 1, wherein the specific shooting mode is a shutter priority auto mode or a manual mode.