JP4214600B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic still camera provided with a monitor that displays a subject image captured by an image sensor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an imaging device such as a CCD that captures an image of a subject passing through a photographing lens and outputs image data, and an image on which image processing such as white balance and γ correction is performed on image data output from the imaging device A digital still camera is known that includes a processing circuit, a compression circuit that compresses image-processed data using a method such as JPEG and stores it in a recording medium such as a flash memory, and a monitor that displays the image-processed data. ing.
[0003]
As a digital still camera of this type, a monitor that displays the subject image captured by the image sensor is provided on the back of the camera, and a menu screen for selecting the number of exposure compensation steps and shooting mode is displayed on the monitor. There are known exposure correction stage selection and shooting mode selection. This digital still camera is referred to as Prior Art 1.
[0004]
On the other hand, in this type of digital still camera, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, an imaging unit TU having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape provided with a photographing zoom lens ZL and an imaging element PD, and an imaging element PD. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a digital still camera that includes a monitor MO that displays a captured subject image on a rear surface RS, and includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped monitor unit MU that is rotatably connected to an imaging unit TU. FIG. 6A shows a first photographing posture in which the imaging unit TU is rotated 90 degrees from (1) in the camera storage posture to (2) in front of the camera. When the imaging unit TU is rotated 90 degrees from the first shooting posture (2) in FIG. 6 (a) to the rear (1), the camera is stored. In the camera storage posture, the entire camera has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is easy to carry. It is also possible to shoot in the second shooting posture in which the imaging unit TU is rotated 90 degrees backward from the camera storage posture (1) to (4) in FIG. Furthermore, it is possible to shoot in the third shooting posture in which the imaging unit TU is rotated 180 degrees from (1) in the camera storage posture to (3) in the forward direction of the camera. RB is a release button. In the first shooting posture (1), the second shooting posture (4), and the third shooting posture (3), the imaging unit ZL is click-held on the monitor unit MO. Shooting is possible in any posture at the intermediate position.
[0005]
As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the camera body is divided into two parts while having the same gripping feeling as a conventional silver halide camera (not a so-called binoculars-type gripping method). This is for securing the optical axis length of the photographing optical system in order to increase the magnification. The digital still camera shown in FIGS.
[0006]
In the digital still camera of Prior Art 2 described above, a front grip that protrudes to the front of the camera and a rear grip that protrudes to the back of the camera are provided in order to ensure the gripping ability of the photographer.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
(1) In the digital camera of the prior art 1, when selecting the exposure compensation step or the shooting mode, the menu is displayed one by one, and the selection setting operation must be performed from the monitor screen. There is a problem of being bad.
[0008]
(2) In the camera of Prior Art 2, a pair of zoom buttons for zooming up and zooming down are arranged across the top of the rear grip on the back of the camera, and when holding the camera with one hand, the thumb becomes the zoom button. There is a risk of contact.
[0009]
(3) When the camera of the prior art 2 is attached to the eyepiece of a microscope and a micrograph is taken, the photographing lens is directed downward in the vertical direction, and can take any of the postures shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, a reflex box 92 is attached to an eyepiece lens barrel 91 of a microscope 90, and an imaging unit TU of a digital still camera is attached to the reflex box 92. 7A shows the camera mounted on the microscope 90 in the first shooting posture {circle around (2)}, and FIG. 7B shows the camera mounted on the microscope 90 in the second shooting posture {circle around (4)}. FIG. 7 (c) shows the camera mounted on the microscope 90 in the storage position (1), and FIG. 7 (d) shows the camera mounted on the microscope 90 in the position (3) of FIG. 6 (a). In the mounting examples shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, the microscope user cannot see the monitor MO. Further, in FIGS. 7B and 7C, there is a problem that it is difficult to see the monitor screen in the direction of the arrow from the microscope user and the usability is poor.
[0010]
A first object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera in which exposure correction and shooting mode setting are performed directly by button operation.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera that prevents erroneous operation of a zoom button.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera that makes it easy to see the monitor display during microscopic photography.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of the embodiments.
(1) The invention of claim 1 is applied to an electronic still camera in which a monitor 301 for displaying a subject image picked up by an image pickup device is provided on the camera rear surface RS. An exposure correction button 302 that is disposed below the monitor 301 and instructs the selection of an exposure correction value, a shooting mode selection button 303 that is disposed below the monitor 301 and instructs the selection of a shooting mode, and a manual operation amount. When the selection of the exposure correction value is instructed in the state where the operation member 315 operated to output the corresponding command signal and the subject image captured by the imaging device are displayed on the monitor 301, the command signal The above-mentioned object is achieved by providing an exposure correction value in accordance with the control unit 360 and a control unit 360 that selects the shooting mode in response to the command signal when the selection of the shooting mode is instructed.
(2) In the invention of claim 2, in the electronic still camera of claim 1, the zoom operation members 305 and 306 provided on the camera rear surface RS and at least the rear grip 321 protruding from the camera rear surface RS are further provided. It is characterized by providing . The zoom operation members 305 and 306 are disposed above the monitor 301 and between the center of the monitor 301 and the rear grip 321 to achieve the above object.
[0012]
In the section of the means for solving the above-described problems for explaining the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments of the invention are used for easy understanding of the present invention. It is not limited.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show the external appearance of a digital still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention when stored and carried. 1A is a top view, FIG. 2B is a rear view, FIG. 2A is a front view, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 4 schematically shows the external appearance of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 during normal shooting, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a rear view. The digital still camera according to this embodiment is divided into an imaging unit 100 including a photographic zoom lens 101 and a monitor unit 300 including an LCD (liquid crystal) monitor 301. Both units 100 and 300 are relatively 300 degrees, that is, It is connected so that it can rotate 210 degrees forward and 90 degrees backward.
[0014]
When stored or carried, the imaging unit 100 is rotated so that the imaging unit 100 and the monitor unit 300 are flat, that is, the entire camera has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, as shown in FIGS. Further, at the time of normal shooting, as shown in FIG. 4, the first shooting posture can be taken with the imaging unit 100 rotated 90 degrees forward so that the shooting zoom lens 101 faces the subject. At this time, since the monitor unit 300 is held so that the LCD monitor 301 faces the photographer, the photographer can take a picture while looking at the LCD monitor 301. The imaging unit 100 can also be rotated 90 degrees in the rearward direction of the camera so that the photographing zoom lens 101 faces the photographer to be in the second photographing posture. At this time as well, the LCD monitor 301 faces the photographer, so that the photographer can take a picture while viewing his / her face on the LCD monitor 301. In this embodiment, it is possible to adopt a microscope posture in which the 120-degree imaging unit 100 is rotated further forward from the first photographing posture. This is to improve the visibility of the monitor screen during microscopic photography, as will be described later.
[0015]
In addition to the photographing zoom lens 101, the imaging unit 100 includes an electronic flash device 102, an optical viewfinder objective finder window 103, a finder eyepiece window 104, a red-eye reduction / self-timer display lamp 105, an AF auxiliary light source 106, and the like. .
[0016]
In addition to the LCD monitor 301, the back side RS of the monitor unit 300 is provided with an exposure correction button 302, a shooting mode button 303, an image quality mode button 304, a zoom up button 305, a zoom down button 306, a monitor button 307, and a menu button 308. It has been. An exposure correction button 302, a shooting mode button 303, and an image quality mode button 304 are disposed below the monitor 301. A monitor button 307 and a menu button 308 are arranged above the monitor 301. On the back surface RS of the monitor unit 300, as shown in FIG. 1B, a grip 321 extending in the vertical direction protrudes in the back direction. The zoom-up button 305 and the zoom-down button 306 are disposed above the monitor 301 that is shifted from the top 321T of the rear grip 321 to the imaging unit 100 side. In FIG. 1B, reference numeral 360 denotes a substrate on which a control circuit including a CPU that performs image processing, photographing operation processing, and the like is mounted.
[0017]
On the upper surface US of the monitor unit 300, a main switch 310, a release button 311, a display panel 312, a flash photography mode button 313, and an AF mode button 314 are provided. A grip 322 projects from the front surface FS of the monitor unit 300 in front of the camera, and a command dial 315 is provided on the grip 322. The command dial 315 can rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2A, and outputs a command signal corresponding to the rotation direction and the rotation amount.
[0018]
On the bottom surface of the monitor unit 300, as shown in FIG. 2B, a battery lid 331 for opening and closing a battery chamber provided in the main body of the monitor unit 300, and a compact flash (CF) provided in the main body of the monitor unit 300 are provided. ) A CF card lid 332 for opening and closing the card mounting chamber is provided so as to be openable and closable. When the opening / closing lever 331a is operated upward in FIG. 1B, the battery cover 331 can be opened. When the slide lever 331a is operated downward, the battery cover 331 is locked. Although both the lids 331 and 332 are arranged so as to overlap each other, since the CF card lid 332 is made of a flexible material, it can be opened at the same time even if they interfere with each other, and there is no possibility of breakage. Further, since the CF card cover 332 is located only on the bottom surface of the camera, the appearance is improved in terms of design.
[0019]
Next, switches, buttons and the like particularly related to the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), a main switch 310 is disposed coaxially with the release button 311 and includes a power-off position (OFF), a manual shooting mode position (MREC), and an automatic shooting mode position (AREC). And switching to the playback mode position (PLAY). When the main switch 310 is switched to the automatic shooting mode position (AREC), the power is turned on to drive the monitor 301, and the focus detection operation and the photometry operation are started. A subject image that enters the camera body from the taking lens 101 and forms an image on the image sensor is photoelectrically converted and output as an analog image signal. The image signal output from the image sensor is A / D converted, subjected to predetermined image processing by an image processing circuit, and displayed on the LCD monitor 301. When the release button 311 is fully pressed and a full press switch (not shown) is turned on, an image picked up by the image pickup device is newly taken into the image processing circuit, subjected to predetermined image processing, and recorded on the CF card. . In the automatic shooting mode, the focus detection operation and the photometry operation are always performed, and the exposure mode is a so-called program mode. If the monitor button 307 is operated while the monitor 301 is in a driving state, the driving of the monitor 301 is stopped and the display disappears. In this case, it is possible to take a picture while observing the subject with the optical viewfinder. When the monitor button 307 is operated while the monitor 301 is off, the display of the monitor 301 is started.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1A, when the main switch 310 is in the off position, the operation knob 310a of the main switch 310 faces the camera side. Therefore, when the camera is inserted into the storage bag or bag in the direction of the arrow, even if the main switch operation knob 310a is caught by something, the switching operation force does not act on the main switch 310, and the main switch 310 is erroneously switched to the shooting mode or the playback mode. The possibility of switching to the mode is prevented.
[0021]
When the menu button 308 is operated in the manual photographing mode (MREC), a menu screen is displayed on the monitor 301. On the menu screen, photometry, continuous shooting, etc. are set. Further, when the command dial 315 is operated while operating the exposure correction button 302 in the manual photographing mode, an exposure correction value for shifting a proper exposure value determined according to the subject brightness by a predetermined amount is set. Furthermore, when the command dial 315 is operated while operating the shooting mode button 303 in the manual shooting mode, one of the program mode (P), the aperture priority mode (A), and the shutter speed priority mode (S) can be set. When the P mode is set, the exposure value is set based on the program diagram. When the aperture priority mode is set, the shutter speed is determined giving priority to the set aperture value. When the shutter speed priority mode is set, the aperture value is determined giving priority to the set shutter speed.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the exposure correction button 302 and the shooting mode button 303 are disposed below the monitor 301. Therefore, when the photographer operates the exposure correction button 302 or the shooting mode button 303 while viewing the subject image on the monitor 301, the monitor 301 does not cover the monitor 301 with the operating finger. Although the monitor button 307 and the menu button 308 are arranged above the monitor 301, the frequency of these button operations at the time of shooting is lower than that of the exposure correction button 302 and the shooting mode button 303. There are few defects that are covered.
[0023]
In either the manual shooting mode or the automatic shooting mode, when the command dial 315 is operated while operating the image quality button 304, the compression ratio for determining the image quality is selected and set. When the zoom up button 305 and the zoom down button 306 are operated, the focal length of the photographing zoom lens 101 is changed. As described above, the zoom-up button 305 and the zoom-down button 306 are disposed above the monitor 301 so as to be shifted from the top 321T of the rear grip 321 to the imaging unit 100 side. Therefore, when the photographer grasps the front grip 322 and the rear grip 321 with the right hand, even when the thumb SU of the right hand is placed on the top 321T of the rear grip 321 as shown in FIG. There is no risk of operating the up button 305 and the zoom down button 306.
[0024]
When the reproduction mode (PLAY) is switched by the switching operation of the main switch 310, an image already recorded on the CF card is displayed on the monitor 301. When the menu button 308 is operated in this state, it is possible to instruct processing such as deletion of an image recorded on the CF card and display of a thumbnail. In the playback mode, the functions of the exposure correction button 302, the shooting mode button 303, and the image quality mode button 304 are different from those in the shooting mode. That is, the exposure correction button 302 is used as an image deletion button, the shooting mode button 303 as a thumbnail display button, and the image quality mode button 304 as a frame advance button.
[0025]
1 to 4, reference numeral 341 denotes a cover provided from the camera front surface FS to the camera upper surface US, and covers an AC power supply terminal and a video terminal provided on the camera upper surface US. The AC power supply terminal and the video terminal are provided vertically upward from the camera upper surface US. Therefore, it is difficult to disconnect the cable as compared with a case where the cable is provided perpendicular to the camera front surface FS, that is, horizontally in front of the camera. The cover 341 is made of a flexible rubber material, and can be opened by turning from the rear to the front of the camera. Further, the cover 342 also shown in FIG. 3 is a cover provided from the camera upper surface US to the camera side surface LS, and covers the video terminal. This cover 342 is also made of a flexible rubber material. Then, the cover 342 is opened so as to be turned upward from the lower side of the camera.
[0026]
FIG. 5 shows a case where the digital still camera DS shown in FIGS. A reflex box 410 is attached to the microscope 400 via a straight tube 401, and a digital still camera DS is attached to the reflex box 410. Specifically, the tip barrel portion of the photographing lens 101 of the imaging unit 100 is connected to the reflex box 410. The above-mentioned reflex box 410 is provided with an eyepiece 411 for observing the microscope when not photographing. In addition, 402 is a microscope objective lens, 403 is a microscope eyepiece, 404 is a microscope sample stage, and 405 is a release switch.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 5, the monitor 301 of the monitor unit 300 faces the direction in which the microscope user looks up obliquely upward. Therefore, the visibility of the microscope image displayed on the monitor 301 is improved. As described above, this microscope posture is a posture in which the imaging unit 100 is rotated 210 degrees forward of the camera from the camera housing posture of FIG. Even at this rotational angle position, the imaging unit 100 is click-held by the monitor unit 300. It should be noted that even if the imaging unit 100 can be rotated 150 degrees rearward from the camera storage posture of FIG. 1A with respect to the monitor unit 300, the same microscope posture can be obtained. Further, the rotation angle in the microscope posture is not limited to 210 degrees or 150 degrees, and it is sufficient that the microscope image is easily visible. Therefore, from the camera storage posture, the imaging unit 100 is more than 180 degrees forward of the camera and less than 270 degrees with respect to the monitor unit 300, or the imaging unit 100 is more than 90 degrees behind the camera with respect to the monitor unit 300. You may make it rotate to the predetermined angle of less than 180 degree | times.
[0028]
The constituent elements in the claims, the zoom-up button 305, and the zoom-down button 306 correspond to a zoom operation member.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the present invention has the following effects.
(1) In the invention of claim 1, since the exposure correction button and the shooting mode button are arranged below the monitor, when the exposure correction button or the shooting mode button is operated, the monitor is not covered with a finger, and the photographer Can be operated while watching the subject image on the monitor.
(2) In the invention of claim 2, since the zoom button is shifted from the top of the rear grip toward the image pickup unit and disposed above the monitor, the thumb of the right hand is in the back when the photographer holds the rear grip with the right hand. Even if it is placed on the top of the grip, there is no risk of accidentally operating the zoom button .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are external views of a digital still camera according to an embodiment when the digital still camera is housed and carried, wherein FIG. 1A is a top view of the camera, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the camera. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the appearance of the digital still camera when it is stored and when it is carried, according to the form, in which FIG. 3A is a front view of the camera, FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the camera; 4 is a diagram showing an external appearance of the camera shown in FIG. 1 during normal shooting, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a rear view. [FIG. 5] FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a conventional digital camera, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. FIG. 7 is a conventional view with the digital camera of FIG. Diagram explaining examples 【Explanation of symbols】
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Imaging unit 101: Shooting zoom lens 300: Monitor unit 301: Monitor 302: Exposure correction button 303: Shooting mode button 304: Image quality mode button 305: Zoom arm up button 306: Zoom down button 310: Main switch 311: Release button 315: Command dial 321: Rear grip 321T: Top

Claims (2)

In an electronic still camera provided with a monitor on the back of the camera for displaying a subject image captured by an image sensor,
An exposure correction button disposed below the monitor and instructing selection of an exposure correction value;
A shooting mode selection button disposed below the monitor and instructing selection of a shooting mode;
An operation member operated to output a command signal according to a manual operation amount;
When the subject image captured by the image sensor is displayed on the monitor and the selection of the exposure correction value is instructed, the exposure correction value is selected according to the command signal, and the shooting mode An electronic still camera comprising: control means for selecting a shooting mode according to the command signal when selection is instructed. The electronic still camera according to claim 1 .
A zoom operation member provided on the back of the camera;
Further comprising a rear grip projecting at least a camera back,
An electronic still camera, wherein the zoom operation member is disposed above the monitor and between the center of the monitor and the grip .

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