JP3407736B2 - camera - 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 for detecting a line of sight by gazing at a display means provided in a finder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, there is a camera equipped with a zoom lens which allows a photographer to photograph at a desired angle of view. As for the setting of the focal length by the zoom lens of such a camera, a manual method or a combination of a manual button and an electric actuator is widely used. In particular, there is a demand for a high-power zoom lens capable of zooming a range of a long focal length, that is, capable of shooting a distant object having a high power. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-32
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 312, an autofocus (AF) camera by line-of-sight input is proposed in which the line-of-sight of a photographer is detected within a screen formed on a finder to focus on a subject to be watched.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-124235 proposes a camera information setting device capable of changing setting data such as aperture value while observing a subject formed in a viewfinder by the photographer's line of sight. There is.

[0004]

However, if the focal length is increased by using the above-described high-magnification zoom lens,
It is not a thing that can photograph a distant subject large and beautifully. In other words, as the angle of view becomes narrower, minute vibrations of the camera and movement of the subject become larger, and when this is exposed, blurry pictures due to blurring are often taken.
In particular, the prevention of camera shake is an important issue for camera manufacturers, and improvement of holding and innovation of vibration detection technology are earnestly desired. In addition, even though correct holding is the basis for reducing camera shake, there are many cases in which a camera zoom lens control button is provided at a position that is difficult to operate. It is not easy to take a picture without camera shake after zooming to the long focal length side with such a camera. Further, when the zoom lens control button is arranged at a position where the operability is good, the size of the camera body becomes large and a design problem occurs, which is not optimal.

Also, when a character is set for each function in the viewfinder, if the photographer cannot confirm which character the camera is looking at, the desired motion and the motion actually performed by the camera will occur. May be different. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera that is small and has good operability.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides first and second display means for performing lighting or blinking display in the finder, and the first and second display means .
Out of the display unit, and the line-of-sight direction detecting means for detecting either of the display means or the photographer is gazing, upper Symbol first and
In a state where the second display means are both lit, the line-of-sight direction detection means obtains a detection result indicating that the photographer is gazing at the first display means . Provided is a camera including display control means for turning off the display means . In addition, a command to instruct exposure preparation or exposure start
Release means, the display control means, the release
Activating the first and second display means in response to the operation of the means.
Light up. Further, the line-of-sight direction detecting means is
After a predetermined time has passed after operating the
The exit operation ends.

In the camera having the above-mentioned structure, when the photographer gazes at one of the first and second display means ,
The display means that is gazing is found, and the display means that is not gazing is turned off. Also, operate the release means.
In response to the work, the first and second display means are turned on,
For the direction detection operation, a predetermined time has elapsed after the release means was operated.
If you do, it will be terminated.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A shows a conceptual configuration of a camera equipped with a zoom lens according to a first embodiment of the present invention and will be described.

This camera has a CPU 1 consisting of a one-chip microphone computer for controlling the constituent members, a zoom controller 2 for driving a zoom lens 3, and a viewfinder provided in the viewfinder as shown in FIG. 1B. A finder display unit 4 that lights and blinks the character displays (LEDs) 4a and 4b, and a line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 that detects which position in the finder the eyes 6 of the photographer looking into the finder gaze. The gaze continuation presence / absence detection unit 7 that detects whether the photographer continues to gaze, and the time measurement unit (timer) 8 that measures the time during which the gaze is continued are configured.

The LED 4a shown in FIG. 1B is for zooming the zoom lens 3 to the wide side (W), and the LED 4b is for zooming the zoom lens 3 to the tele side (T). Of the
Each of the LEDs 4a and 4b is controlled so as to blink during operation and turn on when stopped, and also serves as a detection unit for detecting the line-of-sight direction. Further, the CPU 1 detects whether the photographer is gazing at the wide-side LED 4a or the tele-side LED 4b, or whether the photographer is gazing within the angle of view,
According to the result, whether or not to zoom the zoom lens 3 to the tele side or the wide side is determined via the zoom control unit 2, and drive control is performed.

The zooming operation of the camera thus configured will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 (c). First, by the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5, the LED
It is determined whether or not the user is gazing at 4a and 4b (step S
1). In this determination, if the user is gazing (YES), the counter is reset (step S2), and the gazing time T is counted until the gazing ends (steps S3 and S4). With respect to this gazing time T, the zoom amount Z1 is determined by gazing at one of the LEDs 4a and 4b (step S5).

Next, zooming is started, and at the same time, the CPU 1 monitors the zooming amount Z1 from the zoom controller 2 (step S6). Next, 1st release switch 3
If 7 is turned on (step S7), or if the zoom amount reaches the zoom amount Z1 obtained in step S5 (step S8), the zooming operation is stopped (step S9). Therefore, as the time for gazing at the LEDs 4a and 4b becomes longer, the zoom amount becomes larger. By half-pressing the release button (shutter button) and turning on the 1st release switch 37, the zooming operation is stopped at an arbitrary angle of view. .

With the camera thus constructed, the photographer can perform non-contact zooming without manually operating the zoom button, and can perform zooming operation without the need for manual operation.

Next, FIG. 2A shows a schematic structure of a finder optical system of a camera in which the above-mentioned line-of-sight direction detecting section 5 of the camera is incorporated. This finder optical system includes an objective lens 20 and an eyepiece lens 22,
A half mirror 21 is provided at the center of the eyepiece lens 22, and a line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 is arranged above the half mirror 21. This line-of-sight direction detection unit 5
Is composed of a half mirror 23, a first imaging lens 26, a second imaging lens 27, a light emitting diode 24, and a line sensor 25 such as a CCD.

The individual sensor arrays in the line sensor 25 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2, that is, in the horizontal direction when the camera is viewed from the front. The line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 causes the light of the light emitting diode 24 to enter the eye 6 of the photographer through the first imaging lens 26 and the half mirrors 23 and 21, and the reflected light reflected by the eye 6 is reflected by the half mirror. 21,23 and second
The corneal reflected light image and the boundary between the iris and the white eye (iris edge) are detected on the line sensor 25 via the imaging lens 27.

In FIG. 2B, the horizontal axis represents the output value of the line sensor corresponding to the above-mentioned corneal reflection image and the iris edge, and the horizontal axis represents the position of the line sensor 25 along the axis passing horizontally through the center of the eye. Are shown respectively. Further, in FIG. 2B, the output of the line sensor is the output A of the corneal reflection image,
These are outputs B, C of the iris edge, and these outputs A, B, C
Using the relative relationship of the positions of the
1 handles.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a camera equipped with the above-described line-of-sight direction detecting section 5 and will be described. Here, of the constituent members of this camera, the same members as those of FIG. 1A are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this camera, a distance measuring circuit (AF) 30 is provided in the CPU 1 as an auto-focus function of the camera by detecting a distance to a subject.
The AF circuit 30 is operated at a predetermined timing, and focusing is performed according to the output signal.

The CPU 1 outputs a brightness signal from the sensor 32 for judging the brightness of the object, and the motor 3 is driven by the motor driver 33 according to the control signal of the CPU 1.
An interface (IF) circuit 31 for driving 4 is connected. The movement of the motor 34 is detected by the encoder 35 and input to the CPU 1. Although only one motor 34 is shown as a representative in this figure, a plurality of motors 34 are usually provided and arranged as power for zooming, shutter control, film winding control, and the like.

The zooming drive of the zoom lens 3 is performed by driving the motor 34 via the IF circuit 31 and the driver 33 according to the control signal of the CPU 1. The viewfinder 36 is also designed to zoom in conjunction with the taking lens so that the photographer can easily understand it. The 1st release switch 37 is a switch that is turned on while the release button is being pressed (half-pressed state), and is called "first release", and detects the timing immediately before the start of shooting by the photographer. And
The 2nd release switch 38 is a switch that is turned on when the release button is fully pressed, and detects the shutter button, that is, the timing of exposure.
The main switch 39 provided in the CPU 1 is a switch that operates the CPU 1 in the on state and prohibits the operation in the off state, and reduces unnecessary current consumption and prevents malfunctions other than during photography.

Next, the operation of the camera having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First,
The line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 is intermittently operated to determine whether or not the line of sight of the photographer is gazing at the LED 4b (tele side) in FIG. 1B (step S11). LED4b by this judgment
LED4a when not watching (tele side) (NO)
It is determined whether or not (wide side) is being watched. When the LED 4a (wide side) is not being watched by this determination (N
O), the zooming operation is not performed, and the ON state of the 1st release switch 37 is awaited (step S1).
4).

The LED 4b is determined by the determination in step S11.
If the user is watching the (tele side) (YES), the process proceeds to step S23, and it is determined that the zooming operation is desired on the tele side (long focal length). Further, when the LED 4a (wide side) is being watched in the determination in step S12 (YES), the process proceeds to step S30, and it is determined that the zooming operation is desired on the wide side (near focal length). .

Then, when the zooming operation is desired to be on the (tele side) in step S11 (YES), the DC power source as shown in FIG. 6C is sent to the LED, and the LED 4b is turned on as shown in FIG. 6A. The light is turned on and displayed to the photographer (step S23), the line-of-sight direction is correctly detected, the motor 34 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the zoom lens 3 is zoomed to the tele side by a predetermined amount (step S24).
Then, it is determined whether or not the tele side has been fully zoomed (tele end fmax) (step S25). When the tele end is reached (YES), a warning is given (step S26), and the zooming is stopped. (Step S2
7) and returns to step S11.

As for the above-mentioned warning, the LED 4b is shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 6, it changes from lighting to blinking.
As shown in (d), the LED has a duty of 50 at 2 Hz.
Driven intermittently in%. With this warning, the photographer
Let the telephoto side know that you cannot zoom. On the other hand, in step S25, when zooming is still possible (NO), the first release switch 37 waits for ON, and if it is turned ON (YES), it is determined that shooting is desired, and the zooming operation is stopped (step S25).
29) and the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S12 (on the wide side)
When the zooming operation is desired to be performed (YES), FIG.
The LED 4a shown in (a) is turned on to display to the photographer (step S30), the line-of-sight direction is detected, the motor 34 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the zoom lens 3 is zoomed to the wide side by a predetermined amount. (Step S3
1). Then, to the wide side (full end f
min) It is determined whether zooming has been performed (step S3).
2) If it reaches the wide end (YES), a warning is given (step S11), zooming is stopped (step S26), and the process returns to step S11. The warning described above is the same as that of the LED 4b.

On the other hand, in step S32, when zooming is still possible (NO), the first release switch 37 is kept on (step S35), and if it is turned on (YES), it is determined that the photographing is desired, and the zooming operation is performed. Is stopped (step S36), and step S14
Move to. Then, when the process proceeds to step S14, the CP
Under the control of U1, distance measurement is performed (step S14), and photometry is performed (step S15). The distance measurement and photometry are performed by operating the AF circuit 30 and the IF circuit 31 shown in FIG.

Next, it is determined whether or not the second release switch 38 is turned on (step S16), and if it is not turned on in this determination (NO), it is determined whether or not the first release switch 37 is turned on. (Step S
22). In step S22, the 1st release switch 37
If is turned on (YES), the process proceeds to step S16 to wait for the second release switch 38 to be turned on. However, if the 1st release switch 37 is turned off (NO), the process returns to step S11. This is a case where the photographer releases the release button and interrupts photographing due to a composition change or the like.

Next, in step S16, when the second release switch 38 is turned on (YES), focusing is performed (step S17). Then, in the case of the system equipped with the vibration detection unit 40 for detecting the vibration of the camera shown in FIG. 3, the predetermined focal length fT1 is compared with the limited focal length f of the zoom lens (step S1).
8). According to this comparison, when it is on the long focal length side (YE
S), it is determined that the frequency of camera shake will increase, and vibration detection is performed (step S19). As a result of this vibration detection,
If the vibration detection amount m ≧ predetermined amount m0 (NO), the process returns to step S19 and waits for the vibration to subside. But,
When the vibration detection amount m <the predetermined amount m0 (YES), exposure is performed (step S21).

Next, the vibration detection will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this vibration detection, in FIG. 3, it is provided separately from the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5,
The line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 may be used. That is, since the photographer is gazing at the main subject after the second release switch 38 is turned on, the vibration may be detected based on the magnitude of the temporal change of the line-of-sight direction detection signal. That is, by using the configuration described in FIG. 2 and processing the output as in the sequence shown in FIG. 5, the line of sight after the generation of the exposure signal (shooting timing signal) that is turned on by pressing the 2nd release switch 38 The direction detector 5 is used as a vibration detector. As a result, the camera of this embodiment
The present invention can be provided while preventing camera shake, without increasing the number of constituent members and without increasing costs.

First, it is determined whether or not the second release switch 38 is turned on (step S131). When the second release switch 38 is turned on (YES), the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 is switched to the function of the vibration detection unit of the camera. Next, the counter is reset (step S132), and the output D1 is read from the line sensor. Then, the counter starts counting, and when the predetermined time t0 is reached (steps S134 and S135), the output D2 is read from the line sensor (step S126). Then, the read outputs D1 and D2 of the line sensor are subtracted to obtain an absolute value, and a vibration detection amount m representing the vibration of the camera is obtained (step S137). The vibration detection amount m obtained here is the vibration detection amount m if the camera and the photographer are not moving.
It becomes “0”, and the larger the movement (sway), the larger the vibration detection amount m.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, as a second embodiment, display LEDs 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d in the finder are displayed.
I will explain the camera that is easier to use. This LE
D4a and 4b are used for low speed control of zooming operations on the wide side and tele side, and LEDs 4c and 4d are variable speed zooms for high speed control of the zooming operation.
The variable speed zoom operation of such a camera will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, it is determined whether or not the LED 4a is gazed (step S41). If the LED 4a is gazed in this determination (YES), a zooming operation is performed to the wide side at a low speed (step S42), and the LED 4a is turned on. If it is not being watched (NO), it is determined whether the LED 4c is being watched (step S43). This step S4
If the LED 4c is being watched by the determination of 3 (YES),
Zooming operation to the wide side at high speed (step S4
4), but if the LED 4c is not watched (N
O), it is determined whether or not the LED 4b is being watched (step S45).

The LED 4b is determined by the determination in step S45.
Is being watched (YES), zooming operation is performed to the tele side at low speed (step S46), but LED4b
If is not watched (NO), it is determined whether the LED 4d is watched (step S47). If it is determined in step S47 that the LED 4d is being gazed (YES), the zooming operation to the tele side is performed at high speed (step S48). After performing the above zooming operation, 1
It is determined whether the st release switch 37 is turned on,
If it is off (NO), the process returns to step S41, and if it is on (YES), distance measurement is performed (step S50), and then the process proceeds to step S15 of FIG. 4 to perform the same process. However, there is a difference between low speed and high speed zooming on the tele side and the wide side, and it is assumed that in steps S24 and S31 of FIG. 4, the portion corresponding to the step of the zooming operation is deformed according to the speed.

That is, in the subroutine of step S42, the zooming operation to the wide side is performed once every predetermined time.
In contrast to the movement in 0 mm increments, in the subroutine of step S44, the zooming to the wide side is performed in 30 mm increments in a predetermined time. Similarly, in step S46, zooming to the tele side is set to 10
mm in steps, and in step S47, zooming to the tele side is performed in steps of 30 mm. This allows the photographer to perform a more detailed and quick zooming operation.

Next, a camera as a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The camera of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 3, and in the embodiment in which the line-of-sight direction is always detected as described above when the main switch 39 is closed (ON). Since unnecessary current consumption or the like flows through the line-of-sight detection LED shown in FIG. 2A, the photographer performs the line-of-sight direction detection after half-pressing the release button once.

The operation of the camera thus configured will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, it is determined whether or not the 1st release switch 37 is on (step S60). If it is not turned on in this judgment (N
O), the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 does not operate. When turned on (YES), the line-of-sight direction detection timer t is reset (step S61), and distance measurement and photometry are performed (steps S62 and S63).

Next, it is determined whether or not the second release switch 38 is on (step S64), and if it is on (YE
S), it is determined that the photographer does not perform the zooming operation, and after focusing (step S65), exposure is performed (step S66), and the photographing ends. However, in step S64, the second release switch 38
Is OFF (NO), it is determined whether or not the 1st release switch 37 continues to be ON (step S67).
If it is in the on state (YES), it waits until the second release switch 38 is turned on, and if it is off (N
O), the display LEDs 4a and 4b in the finder are turned on (step S68), and it is displayed that the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 has been activated.

Then, in this lighting state, the LEDs 4a, 4
When the photographer gazes at any one of b, the LED to gaze is determined (steps S69 and S72). Further, the LED of the person who is not gazing at the photographer is turned off (steps S70 and S7).
3) It is easier for the operating side to recognize. Next, a predetermined amount of zooming is performed to the tele side and the wide side (steps S71 and S74). Next, it is determined whether or not the 1st release switch 37 is turned on (step S75), and if it is turned on (YES), distance measurement and photometry are performed (steps S77 and S78), and the process proceeds to step S64.

However, in the determination in step S75, the first
If the release switch 37 is not detected to be on (N
O), it is determined whether or not the operation time t exceeds a preset predetermined time t0 (step S76). If the operation time t is less than the predetermined time t0 (NO), the process returns to step S69 and the operation time t is If the predetermined time t0 has passed (Y
ES), the process returns to step S60 for labor saving, and the line-of-sight direction detection unit 5 is turned off.

When the zooming operation is performed again, the release button is pressed and the 1st release switch 3 is pressed.
7 should be turned on.

Further, by making the line-of-sight direction detecting sensor 25 described in FIG. 2 capable of two-dimensional detection, as shown in FIG. 10, the LED 4e arranged in the viewfinder is arranged.
It is also possible to detect whether or not the photographer has gazed at or the LED 4f. If exposure is set when the LED 4e is watched, it is possible to prevent camera shake due to vibration that occurs when the release button of the conventional camera is pressed. However, in a sequence in which exposure is performed only by looking at one point in the viewfinder, there is a possibility that a photograph may be mistakenly taken. Therefore, the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is used and the 1st release switch 37 is turned on. In this state, the exposure is performed only when the LED 4e is watched. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, it is basically assumed that there is a release switch by an external manual operation as in the conventional case.

First, it is determined whether or not the LED 4a is being watched (step S81). If the LED 4a is being watched (YES), a zooming operation is performed on the wide side (step S82), and if not being watched. (NO), LE
It is determined whether or not D4b is being watched (step S8).
3). If it is determined in step S83 that the LED 4b is being watched (YES), a zooming operation is performed on the tele side (step S84). Next, it is determined whether or not the 1st release switch 37 is turned on (step S
85), if it is off (NO), the process returns to step S81, and if it is on (YES), distance measurement is performed (step S8).
6), photometry is performed (step S87), and focusing is performed (step S88).

Next, it is judged whether or not the LED 4e is gazing (step S89), and if it is not gazing (N).
O) It is determined whether or not the second release switch 38 is turned on (step S91), and if the LED 4e is watched (YES), exposure is performed (step S90). In step S91, if the second release switch 38 is off (NO), the first release switch 3
If it is turned on (YES), the process returns to step S89 to stand by, and if the 1st release switch 37 is turned off (NO), the photographer releases the release button. It is determined that it is a step S
Return to 81. In step S91, 2nd
If the release switch 38 is turned on (YES), the process proceeds to step S90 to perform exposure.

The LED 4f shown in FIG. 10 has the function of starting the self-timer.
A camera in which the LED 4f starts blinking and the release is expired after a predetermined time can be manufactured by the same idea. By providing a function that allows the release (exposure) operation by such line-of-sight detection, you can inadvertently release the release button when the camera is placed on an unstable place without being fixed on a tripod, etc. You can prevent the composition from being disturbed by touching.

Next explained is a camera as a fourth embodiment of the invention. In this camera, the zooming operation as shown in FIG. 12 is changed stepwise.
LEDs 4g, 4h, 4i and 4j are LED displays showing numerical values of focal lengths, and LEDs 4a and 4b are LEs for wide side and tele side display as shown in FIG. 1B, respectively.
It is D.

In this embodiment, the LEDs 4a, 4
Fine adjustment of the zooming operation is performed with b, and the LEDs 4g, 4
Rough adjustment can be performed with h, 4i, and 4j. By paying attention to the numerical display, zooming corresponding to the focal length is performed.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the operation of such a camera, which will be described. First, it is determined whether or not the user is gazing at the LED 4g (step S101). L
If you are watching ED4g (YES), LED4g
Blinking (step S102), zooming operation of 30 mm is performed (step S103), and when the operation is completed, L
The ED 4g is turned on (step S104).

Hereinafter, in the LEDs 4h, 4i and 4j,
Similarly, zooming operations of 50 mm, 70 mm, and 90 mm are performed (steps S105 to 116). And LED
When gazing at 4a and 4b, zooming operation is performed to the wide side or the tele side (steps S117 to S12).
0). After each zooming operation described above is completed, 1st
It is determined whether or not the release switch 37 is on (step S121), and if it is off (NO), step S
Returning to 101, if it is on (YES), distance measurement is performed (step S122), and the process proceeds to step S15 of FIG. 4 for processing.

From the above, the camera of this embodiment is
It is possible to take a picture in focus without missing a photo opportunity. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0049]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera which is small and has good operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the arrangement of character displays (LEDs) 4a and 4b provided in the viewfinder.
(C) is a flowchart for explaining the zooming operation of the camera.

2A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a finder optical system of a camera in which the line-of-sight direction detecting unit shown in FIG. 1A is incorporated, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the output characteristic of the line sensor contained in a gaze direction detection part.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a camera equipped with the line-of-sight direction detection unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining vibration detection.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement of LEDs in a finder and a voltage waveform applied to the LEDs.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration in a viewfinder of a variable speed camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the variable speed camera of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the camera of the third embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an arrangement of LEDs arranged in a finder.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the camera capable of exposure by the line of sight.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a viewfinder arrangement of a camera in which a zooming operation is changed stepwise as a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a camera in which a zooming operation is changed stepwise as a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... One-chip microphone computer (CPU) 2 ... Zoom control unit 3 ... Zoom lens 4a, 4b ... Character display (LED) 5 ... Line-of-sight direction detector 6 ... eyes 7 ... Gaze continuation presence / absence detection unit 8 ... Time measurement unit (timer) 20 ... Objective lens 21, 23 ... Half mirror 22 ... Eyepiece 24 ... Light emitting diode 25 ... Line sensor 26 ... First imaging lens 27 ... Second imaging lens 30 ... Auto focus (AF) circuit 31 ... Interface (IF) circuit 32 ... Sensor 33 ... Motor driver 34 ... Motor 35 ... Encoder 36 ... Finder 37 ... 1st release switch 38 ... 2nd release switch 39 ... Main switch.

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Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A viewfinder, the first and second display means for performing lighting or blinking, among the first and second display means, photographer gazing any of the display means <br/> state in which the gaze direction detection means for detecting whether it has to, first and second display means on SL are both lit.
Then, by the line-of-sight direction detecting means,
Display control means for turning off the second display means when a detection result that the display means is being watched is obtained ,
A camera comprising: 2. A relay for instructing to prepare for exposure or start exposure.
Comprising a chromatography's unit, the display control means is responsive to operation of said release means
And turning on the first and second display means.
The camera according to claim 1. 3. The line-of-sight direction detecting means is the release.
Gaze direction detection motion when a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation of the means
The operation is ended, and the operation is finished according to claim 1 or 2.
The listed camera.