JP4509081B2 - Digital camera and digital camera program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts an image of a subject captured by a photographic lens to obtain a photographic image, a display processing unit that displays the photographic image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit on a monitor that functions as an electronic viewfinder, The present invention relates to a digital camera and a digital camera program that include a recording processing unit that records a captured image as a recorded captured image in a recording unit when a release button is operated, and more particularly to a technique for setting shooting conditions. .

  There exist what is described in patent documents 1-3 as a digital camera comprised as mentioned above. In Patent Document 1, a photographing lens is provided on the front surface of a digital camera, and a display unit (monitor of the present invention) including a liquid crystal display is provided on the back surface and a plurality of operation buttons. A touch panel is formed on the display unit, and a desired operation is realized by touching the touch panel. Specifically, in this digital camera, a frame or a circle surrounding the main subject is displayed on the display unit by touching a portion of the subject (main subject) displayed on the display unit with one auto mode selected. The exposure amount is set by weighting the area of the main subject to detect the photometric value, and the focus is set so that the main subject is in focus. Thereafter, the release button is operated, or the part of the main subject displayed on the display unit is touched twice, so that the release is executed and the photographed image is recorded.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for arbitrarily setting an area to be focused when a shutter button (release button of the present invention) is operated in a single-lens reflex digital camera. Specifically, after the photographer operates the cross button based on the display on the liquid crystal panel (the monitor of the present invention) to select the crop photography mode, the plurality of focus areas displayed on the screen on which the image is displayed are displayed. Any one can be selected, and a crop area is selected simultaneously with this selection. Thus, when selecting the focus area, an operation such as a cross button is performed, and at the time of selection, the selection can be visually confirmed by changing the display color of the selected focus area.

  When the shutter button is operated after this selection is made, the image of the selected focus area is focused, and then image data is acquired by the CCD, and the image data corresponds to the crop area. A process of writing the image data of the area into the image storage memory is performed. Moreover, in this patent document 2, it replaces with the process which selects a focus area on a screen, a focus area is displayed on a liquid crystal panel, and the one located nearest to a camera among these focus areas is automatically The processing form to be selected is also described.

  In Patent Document 3, a through screen is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor (the monitor of the present invention) when the photographer operates the cross switch to select the trimming shooting mode, and the camera is ready for shooting. In this state, a trimming frame is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. By introducing a subject into the trimming frame and operating the shutter button, only the image within the frame is recorded on the memory card. The trimming frame size for mobile phones and the panoramic size are stored in the EEPROM, but the trimming frame can be freely enlarged or reduced by the user.

JP-A-11-136568 (paragraph numbers [0031] to [0034], FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. 8 to 10) JP-A-2005-159856 (paragraph numbers [0034] to [0083], FIGS. 1 to 16) JP 2004-165780 A (paragraph numbers [0050] to [0061], FIGS. 1 to 7)

  As a shooting condition for acquiring high-quality image data with a digital camera, it is important to properly focus (focus) on the subject and to set the exposure appropriately. Commercially available digital cameras have an autofocus function and an auto exposure function, and some cameras have functions similar to those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  As described in Patent Document 1, a finger or the like is brought into contact with a touch panel of a monitor provided in a digital camera so that the focus is adjusted to the part or the exposure of the part is appropriate. It is possible to realize photographing that can acquire good image data.

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, the operation of bringing a finger or the like into contact with the image displayed on the monitor is simple, but the digital display is performed so as to maintain the state in which the subject is displayed at a specific position on the monitor. It is necessary to support the camera on a tripod or the like. Since the digital camera is supported on the tripod or the like as described above, the touch panel is operated and the release button is operated, which is difficult to use. In particular, in a shooting environment in which sunlight directly shines on a monitor, it has been desired to improve the image displayed on the monitor because it is difficult to view the image.

  An object of the present invention is to rationally configure a digital camera that can be operated more easily while taking advantage of an operation mode in which shooting conditions of an image displayed on a monitor are set using a touch panel.

A feature of the present invention is that a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts an image of a subject captured by a photographing lens to obtain a photographed image, and a display processing unit that displays the photographed image obtained by the photoelectric conversion unit on a monitor that functions as an electronic viewfinder A digital camera having a camera body with a recording processing unit that records the captured image as a recorded captured image in a recording unit when the release button is operated,
A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information of a contact operation on the touch panel formed on the display surface of the monitor;
A temporary display unit that temporarily stores the captured image displayed on the monitor by the display processing unit and continuously displays the image on the monitor;
When the touch panel is touched in the situation where the captured image stored by the temporary display unit is displayed on the monitor, a partial area of the captured image corresponding to the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit is displayed. A shooting condition setting unit that extracts the specified area and sets shooting conditions for the specified area,
When the release button is operated after the shooting conditions are set by the shooting condition setting unit, shooting is performed based on the set shooting conditions.

  According to this configuration, the temporary display unit temporarily stores the captured image and displays it on the monitor, so that the photographer can operate the camera body without maintaining the posture of the camera body so that the photographic lens faces the direction of the subject. The position information acquisition unit extracts a specified area by photographing the specified area by making the position easy to perform (for example, an attitude in which the monitor is directed upward) and bringing a finger or the like into contact with the subject displayed on the monitor You can set conditions. In particular, even when shooting in an environment where direct sunlight is shining on the monitor, the photographer sets the shooting conditions with the sun behind and with the monitor facing upward in the shadow of the photographer and touching the monitor with a finger etc. It is also possible. Thereafter, the camera body is returned to its original position and the release button is operated, so that shooting is performed under the shooting conditions set for the designated area, and the recording processing unit records it as a recorded image in the recording means. As a result, a digital camera that can set shooting conditions with a simpler operation while making use of an operation mode in which shooting conditions for images displayed on a monitor are set using a touch panel has been rationally configured.

  The present invention includes a focusing processing unit that performs a focusing operation of the photographing lens so as to focus on a focusing region in the photographed image, and the photographing condition setting unit sets the designated region as a focusing region. You may do it.

  According to this configuration, regardless of the position of the designated area on the screen, the designated area can be focused and photographed.

  The present invention includes an exposure processing unit that sets the brightness of the photographed image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit based on the brightness of the photometric region in the photographed image, and the photographing condition setting unit includes the designated region. You may set to the said photometry area | region.

  According to this configuration, regardless of the position of the designated area on the screen, it is possible to shoot with the designated area as the photometric area and the brightness of the photographed image being appropriate.

  The present invention includes a zooming processing unit that sets a focal length of the photographing lens, and the photographing condition setting unit sets a focal length of the photographing lens by the zooming processing unit so that the designated region is a photographing region. You may adjust it.

  According to this configuration, regardless of the position of the designated area on the screen, the focal length is set by the zooming processing unit so that the designated area is the photographing area, and the enlargement ratio required by the photographer Shooting with is possible.

  The present invention includes an inclination sensor for measuring the amount of inclination of the camera body, and when the inclination sensor detects an inclination exceeding a preset angle in the upward direction, the photographing of the photographing lens is performed. The processing mode of the temporary display unit may be set so as to temporarily record a captured image at a timing when the direction is in a horizontal posture.

  According to this configuration, when setting the shooting conditions using the touch panel, the shooting direction of the shooting lens is set to the horizontal posture so that the shooting target is displayed on the monitor, and then the camera body is set so that the monitor faces upward. By changing the posture, the temporary display unit automatically displays a photographed image including a subject to be photographed on the monitor, and the photographing condition can be set based on this display.

The present invention includes an azimuth sensor that measures a shooting direction of the camera body, and a azimuth information storage unit that stores azimuth information measured by the azimuth sensor at a timing when the temporary display unit acquires a captured image to be displayed on the monitor. As well as
After the shooting conditions are set by the shooting condition setting unit by the touch operation on the touch panel, the direction sensor measures the state in which the tilt sensor detects that the shooting direction of the shooting lens is directed to the horizontal direction. A notification processing unit that performs notification of a direction in which the direction information stored in the direction information storage unit stores the same direction information may be provided.

  According to this configuration, by changing the posture of the camera body so that the monitor is directed upward after displaying the photographing target on the monitor with the photographing direction of the photographing lens in a horizontal posture so that the photographing target is displayed on the monitor, The temporary display unit automatically displays the captured image including the imaging target on the monitor. After setting the shooting conditions based on this display, if the photographic lens is returned to the shooting direction, the azimuth information stored in the azimuth information storage unit when the captured image displayed on the monitor is acquired by the temporary display unit Since the notification processing unit notifies the direction in which the azimuth information detected by the azimuth sensor is coincident, the photographer is panned so that the photographing lens is directed to the proper azimuth, and the composition set by the photographer first is set. Can shoot.

  In the present invention, a storage button operated by a photographer is provided in the camera body, and a display processing mode of the temporary display unit is configured to temporarily store the captured image at a timing when the storage button is operated. It may be set.

  According to this configuration, it is possible for the photographer to arbitrarily set the timing for acquiring the photographed image to be displayed on the monitor by the temporary display unit by operating the save button, and the photographer has the composition intended by the photographer. On the other hand, shooting conditions can be set.

  According to the present invention, after the shooting condition is set by the shooting condition setting unit, the temporary display unit extracts a feature portion of the shot image displayed on the monitor, and only this feature portion is stored in the monitor. You may provide the characteristic output part to display.

  According to this configuration, the feature output unit extracts the feature portion of the captured image that the temporary display unit displayed on the monitor and displays it on the monitor. Therefore, after setting the shooting conditions, the shooting lens is directed toward the subject. When the shooting direction is set so that the shot image displayed on the monitor and the feature portion displayed on the monitor are superimposed, shooting can be performed with an appropriate composition intended by the photographer.

  In the present invention, as the feature output unit, the contour of the photographed image may be extracted from the photographed image displayed on the monitor by the temporary display unit by edge enhancement processing, and only the contour may be displayed on the monitor. .

  According to this configuration, the feature output unit extracts a contour as a feature portion from the photographed image displayed on the monitor by the temporary display unit and displays the contour on the monitor. By setting the photographing direction so that the photographed image displayed on the monitor when directed in the direction and the contour displayed on the monitor are superimposed, photographing can be performed with an optimum composition intended by the photographer.

  In the present invention, a program for causing a computer to execute each of the processes described above is also subject to rights.

That is, a feature of the present invention is that a photoelectric conversion procedure for photoelectrically converting an image of a subject captured by a photographing lens to obtain a photographed image, and a display for displaying the photographed image obtained by the photoelectric conversion procedure on a monitor functioning as an electronic viewfinder. A program for a digital camera that executes a processing procedure and a recording processing procedure for recording the photographed image as a recorded photographed image on a recording unit when a release button is operated,
Position information acquisition procedure for acquiring position information of a touch operation on the touch panel formed on the display surface of the monitor;
Temporarily storing the captured image displayed on the monitor by the display processing procedure, and continuously displaying on the monitor;
When the touch panel is touched in a situation where the captured image stored in the temporary display procedure is displayed on the monitor, a partial area of the captured image corresponding to the position information acquired in the position information acquisition procedure is displayed. Shooting condition setting procedure for extracting as a specified area and setting shooting conditions for the specified area,
When the release button is operated after the shooting conditions are set in the shooting condition setting procedure, the computer is caused to perform shooting based on the set shooting conditions.

  The program configured in this way also exhibits the same operations and effects as the digital camera of the present invention, and it is possible to apply the same preferred embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
〔Digital camera〕
As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2, the camera body 1 is provided with a photographing lens 2 and a strobe light emitting unit 3, and the camera body 1 is provided with a release button 4 and is provided with a camera body. 1 is provided with a liquid crystal monitor 5 functioning as an electronic viewfinder on the rear surface, a zooming button 6, a control button 7 and a save button 8, and a recording medium M (an example of recording means) is inserted into the side surface of the camera body 1. Unit 9, a photoelectric conversion unit 11 in which the light beam from the photographing lens 2 is guided inside the camera body 1, a main control device 12 functioning as a computer, and a tilt angle of the camera body 1 in the tilt direction is measured. The tilt sensor 13, the acceleration sensor 14 that measures acceleration when the body is tilted in the tilt direction, and the direction sensor that measures the shooting direction (pann direction) of the shooting lens 2 A support 15, by providing a speaker 16, a digital camera capable of recording on a recording medium M is configured to still image obtained as a recording photographed image by photographing. The tilt direction refers to a direction in which the posture of the camera body 1 is changed by moving the upper surface (or lower surface) of the camera body 1 forward or backward.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a digital camera having only a shooting function, the present invention is provided in a device having a function other than shooting, such as a digital camera provided in a mobile phone or a digital camera provided in a PDA. Digital cameras are also targeted. This digital camera is configured to record a recorded photographed image on the recording medium M at the time of photographing, but this recorded photographed image is recorded on an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like built in the camera body 1. Also good.

  Operation signals from the release button 4, zooming button 6, control button 7, and save button 8 are input to the main controller 12, and measurement signals from the tilt sensor 13, acceleration sensor 14, and direction sensor 15 are input. Is formed as a signal system. The main controller 12 receives a photographed image from the photoelectric conversion unit 11 and performs a focusing operation on the photographing lens 2 and an exposure operation on the photographing lens 2. A signal system for outputting a control signal is formed in the exposure setting unit 18 to be performed and the zoom setting unit 19 in which the focal length of the photographing lens 2 is adjusted (zooming).

  The main controller 12 outputs an audio signal to the speaker 16, outputs a control signal to the strobe controller 21 that controls the strobe light emitting unit 3, and outputs a control signal to the LCD driver 23 that controls the monitor 5. A signal from which information from the panel interface 24 for acquiring contact operation information from the touch panel T formed on the display surface of the monitor 5 is input and information is accessed with the card interface 22 provided in the insertion unit 9. A system is formed.

  The photographing lens 2 includes a diaphragm for setting the amount of light to be captured by changing the posture of a plurality of blade-shaped members arranged in an annular shape, and a shutter for setting the time for capturing light rays. It functions as a zoom lens that can adjust the focal length by adjusting the position of the lens. The focusing unit 17 realizes a focusing operation (focusing operation) by operating the photographic lens 2 in the optical axis direction, and the exposure setting unit 18 sets an aperture setting (F value setting) and a shutter speed. The exposure operation in the state where (exposure time setting) is performed is realized, and the zoom setting unit 19 realizes the setting (zooming) of the focal length.

  The photoelectric conversion unit 11 has an image sensor such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) type, and outputs a captured image of a subject acquired by the image sensor to the main control device 12, At the time of photographing, the main control device as a recorded photographed image of a bitmap format of three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) by A / D converting information obtained by photoelectric conversion by an image sensor. 12 is output.

  The main control device 12 outputs information on the in-focus area in the captured image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit 11 to the in-focus unit 17 when the operation of the release button 4 is started (in a half-pressed state). In addition to realizing the focusing operation, the information of the photometric area of the photographed image is output to the exposure setting unit 18 to realize the setting of the exposure amount. Thereafter, when the release button 4 is completely operated, the exposure setting unit 18 sets the aperture value based on the exposure amount information, sets the shutter speed, and performs the exposure operation. The main control device 12 realizes zooming by outputting a control signal to the zoom setting unit 19 when the zooming button 6 is operated.

  The control button 7 can be operated in a cross direction, and by operating the control button 7, information necessary for shooting or a shot image can be displayed on the monitor 5. It is also possible to select a shooting mode by operation. In particular, in this digital camera, it is possible to select between a normal mode for realizing shooting in a normal operation mode and a monitor setting mode. When the monitor setting mode is selected, the focusing unit 17 performs focusing. The setting of the photographing conditions of the operation, the exposure amount setting by the exposure setting unit 18, and the zooming operation by the zoom setting unit 19 can be easily performed via the touch panel T of the monitor 5. Details of the control mode in the monitor setting mode will be described later.

  The recording medium M includes CompactFlash (registered trademark), SmartMedia (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), SD memory card (a standard for memory cards jointly developed by SanDisk, Matsushita Electric Industrial, and Toshiba), etc. However, it may be a disk-type medium such as a CD-R or MO (Magnet Optical Disk).

[Control structure]
The control structure of this digital camera can be shown as shown in FIG. That is, the main control device 12 includes an information processing unit A, an image processing unit B, a finder control unit C, and a photographing control unit D. These are configured by software expanded in a memory constituting the main control device 12, hardware composed of logic or the like, or a combination of software and hardware, and executed by a microprocessor constituting the main control device 12. And managed.

  The information processing unit A acquires information from each of the control button 7, the save button 8, the tilt sensor 13, the acceleration sensor 14, and the direction sensor 15, and each of the speaker 16, the strobe controller 21, and the card interface 22. It also functions as an interface that outputs information. This information processing unit A includes a shooting condition setting unit 31 for setting shooting conditions, a recording processing unit 32 for recording a shot image as a recorded image on the recording medium M, and general processing modes such as shooting conditions. A mode setting unit 33 for setting, a notification processing unit 34 for outputting necessary information to the monitor 5 or the speaker 16, and a direction information storage unit 35 for storing a shooting direction at the time of shooting are provided.

  The image processing unit B is configured to be able to access information to and from the video memory 28, and converts the captured image from the photoelectric conversion unit 11 into a data size suitable for display on the monitor 5. A request is received from the photographing control unit D, a characteristic output unit 42 that extracts a contour as a characteristic of the photographed image displayed on the monitor 41 and is displayed on the monitor 5 through the finder control unit C. An extraction output unit 43 that extracts and outputs information on the focus area and photometry area of the captured image based on the image, a correction processing unit 44 that corrects the captured image acquired in the photoelectric conversion unit by operating the shutter, and acquired A compression processing unit 45 that performs compression processing of the captured image.

  The finder control unit C displays information such as a photographed image on the monitor 5 via the LCD driver 23 and locates the contact operation position via the panel interface 24 when the touch panel T is touched. It also functions as an interface to acquire as information. The finder control unit C includes a display processing unit 51 that displays a captured image converted to a data amount suitable for display on the monitor 5 in the image processing unit B, and a captured image displayed on the monitor 5 for a few seconds. An image storage unit 52 that stores in the video memory 29 for a certain amount of time, and a captured image stored in the video memory 29 under the control of the information processing unit A or a captured image displayed on the monitor 5 are displayed. Temporary display unit 53 that is temporarily stored and continuously displayed on the monitor 5 and a position at which the locating information of the contact position is acquired and given to the photographing control unit D when the touch panel T is touched And an information acquisition unit 54.

  The shooting control unit D receives signals from the release button 4 and the zooming button 6 and outputs control signals to the focusing unit 17, the exposure setting unit 18, and the zoom setting unit 19. Also works. The photographing control unit D controls the photographing lens 2 by the focusing unit 17 based on the information on the focusing area, thereby performing focusing operation (focusing) of the image in the focusing area. A focus processing unit 61, an exposure processing unit 62 that sets an exposure amount at the time of shooting by the exposure setting unit based on information on the image of the photometry area, and an operation of the zoom button 6 or the zoom based on information on the shooting region The setting unit 19 includes a zooming processing unit 63 that adjusts the focal length of the photographic lens 2.

[Control mode in normal mode]
In this digital camera, when the normal mode is selected, the image conversion unit 41 of the image processing unit B reduces the data amount of the captured image from the photoelectric conversion unit 11, and the live view is displayed on the monitor 5 as a finder image. When the photographer performs a half-press operation on the release button 4 (photoelectric conversion procedure / display processing procedure), the focus processing unit 61 of the shooting control unit D operates to focus the shooting lens 2 as described above. The image of the subject is formed (focused) on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor of the photoelectric conversion unit 11, and the exposure processing unit 62 sets the exposure amount. In this normal mode, a focus area set as a default at the center position of the captured image and a photometry area are used.

  Next, when the photographer fully presses the release button 4, the photographing control unit D operates the shutter at the set shutter speed with the aperture value set based on the exposure amount. By the operation of the shutter, the photoelectric conversion unit 11 acquires the image of the subject as a recorded photographed image in the bitmap format of the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and the correction of the image processing unit B The processing unit 44 performs automatic correction processing such as gamma correction, level correction for each of the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and white balance correction, and then the compression processing unit 45 performs JPEG. The recorded image is compressed to a format (a format established by the Joint Photographic Experts Group), and the recorded image is output to the information processing unit A. When the brightness of the subject is insufficient at the time of shooting, the strobe light emitting unit 3 emits light to compensate for the insufficient light quantity.

  The recorded photographed image output to the information processing unit A is recorded on the recording medium M by the recording processing unit 32 (recording processing procedure). Note that the image data storage format is not limited to the JPEG format, but may be a TIFF (Tag Image File Format) format or a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) format.

[Monitor setting mode / Control based on tilt sensor]
In this digital camera, by setting the designated area specified by the photographer via the touch panel T among the captured images displayed on the monitor 5 as the in-focus area, the in-focus operation is performed based on the information on the in-focus area. A focus mode that realizes shooting (focused), and an exposure mode that realizes shooting with an exposure amount corresponding to the brightness information of the photometry area by making the designated area a photometry area, By making the designated area a shooting area, it is possible to easily perform processing with a zoom mode in which zooming is performed to realize shooting, and these controls are shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. Based on

  The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows an overview of the monitor setting mode process. In this monitor setting mode, as described above as the control mode in the normal mode, for example, by directing the photographing lens 2 in the direction of the subject as shown in FIG. The image conversion unit 41 reduces the data amount of the captured image and generates a finder image, and the display processing unit 51 continuously displays it on the monitor 5 (photoelectric conversion procedure / display processing procedure). In this display, the interval is set so that a finder image of several frames or more is displayed on the monitor 5 per second.

  Thus, when the finder image is continuously displayed on the monitor 5, the inclination information from the inclination sensor 13 acquired in the information processing unit A and the azimuth information measured by the azimuth sensor 15 are displayed on each finder. It is stored in the video memory 29 in a form associated with an image. When the viewfinder image is stored, the latest viewfinder image is updated, and those exceeding the set time (several seconds) are sequentially deleted (steps # 01 and # 02).

  In the state where the finder image is displayed on the monitor 5 in this way, when the posture of the camera body 1 is tilted in the tilt direction so that the monitor 5 is directed upward, the acceleration sensor 14 causes acceleration to occur during this tilt. When the measured acceleration is equal to or greater than the set acceleration and the tilt angle exceeds the set amount (for example, when the horizontal posture shown in FIG. 8B is reached), the process proceeds to the next step (# 03, # 04 step).

  In the next step, the temporary display unit 53 determines the shooting direction by the shooting lens 2 based on the tilt information associated with the finder image of the plurality of frames stored in the video memory 29, and the shooting direction is substantially horizontal. (The camera body 1 is in the vertical orientation as shown in FIG. 8A) is extracted from the video memory 29 and displayed on the monitor 5 (temporary display processing procedure). Save the orientation information associated with. The finder image displayed on the monitor 5 is transmitted from the finder control unit C to the image processing unit B, and the feature output unit 42 extracts a contour as a feature portion by edge enhancement processing. Is stored (steps # 05 and # 06).

  Following these processes, shooting conditions are set via the touch panel T in a shooting condition setting routine (# 100 step). Only when the setting is not canceled in step # 100, a signal measured by the tilt sensor 13 is acquired, and the posture of the camera body 1 is determined based on the tilt information measured by the tilt sensor 13. When it is determined that the camera body 1 has been returned to the vertical orientation, shooting based on the shooting conditions set in the shooting condition setting routine (# 100 step) is executed in the shooting processing routine (# 07- #). 09 step, # 200 step).

  The shooting condition setting routine (# 100 step / shooting condition setting procedure) is set as a subroutine as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, and basic processing of this routine is executed by the shooting condition setting unit 31. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9A, when the photographer detects an operation of bringing a finger or the like into contact with the touch panel T, the position information acquisition unit 54 acquires the contact position. (Position information acquisition procedure) The frame F surrounding the touched area is displayed on the monitor 5, the touch position is set as the designated area, and the photographing is performed at a position not overlapping the frame F. The condition setting unit 31 displays the photographing mode list G on the monitor 5 in a selectable manner (steps # 101 to # 103).

  In this step, a frame F is displayed so as to surround an area that is a substantially square of a preset size with reference to the position where the finger or the like is in contact with the touch panel T, and the contact state of the finger or the like is maintained. The size of the frame F can be enlarged by moving the contact position. When setting the designated area, the size of the designated area and the position of the designated area are set by touching the touch panel T with a finger or the like so as to trace the outer periphery of a rectangular area of an arbitrary size. In this way, the processing form may be set. The list G displays characters of focus, exposure, multi, zoom, and cancel, and the position where the mode setting unit 33 is touched by bringing a finger or the like into contact with the focus, exposure, multi, or zoom. Mode is selected, and shooting under shooting conditions based on that mode is realized. Further, the exposure condition setting is canceled by bringing a finger or the like into contact with the cancellation of the list G.

  When the zoom mode is selected from the list G, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the designated area (the area inside the frame F) is set as an enlarged area, and the coordinates of the center of the enlarged area are set. Set to zoom center. When the focus mode is selected from the list G, the designated area is set as the focus area, and the coordinates of the center of the screen are set as the screen center. When the exposure mode is selected from the list G, the designated area is set as the photometric area, and the coordinates of the center of the screen are set as the screen center. Further, when the multi-mode is selected, the designated area is set as the focusing area, the designated area is set as the photometric area, and the coordinates of the center of the screen are set as the screen center (# 104 to ##). 111 steps).

  The photographing processing routine (step # 200) is set as a subroutine as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, when the acquired photographing mode is the zoom mode, a zooming operation corresponding to the enlarged region is performed, and the notification processing unit 34 is based on the direction information measured by the direction sensor 15 and the information on the zoom center. As shown in FIG. 10, the direction in which the camera body 1 should be panned in order to introduce the enlarged area (subject) into the monitor 5 is displayed on the monitor 5 as an arrow H. In conjunction with this display, the speaker 16 A voice in human language such as “the shooting direction is on the left side” indicating the panning direction is output. Thereafter, when the release button 4 is operated halfway, a focusing operation and a process for setting an exposure amount (exposure amount setting process) are performed (steps # 202 to # 206).

  Since the zooming operation cannot be performed at a very high speed, in this zoom mode, zooming is performed before the release button 4 is operated. After performing the zooming, the viewfinder image displayed on the monitor 5 is also enlarged. Since the operation of introducing the subject into the shooting region becomes difficult, the direction in which the subject is introduced into the monitor 5 is displayed on the monitor 5 as an arrow H, and the introduction direction (pann direction) is output by voice in human speech. The operation of introducing the subject into the shooting area can be performed quickly.

  When performing the focusing operation and the exposure setting process in step # 206, focusing is performed based on the contrast of the focusing area preset in the center position of the captured image corresponding to the finder image displayed on the monitor 5. The exposure setting process is performed based on the brightness of the photometric area set at the center position of the captured image.

  If it is determined in step # 202 that the shooting mode is other than the zoom mode, the temporary display unit 53 stores the image in the video memory 29 in association with the finder image displayed on the monitor 5 as shown in FIG. In order to introduce the subject to the monitor 5 based on the orientation information measured by the orientation sensor 15 and the information on the screen center, the contour J is displayed on the monitor 5. The direction in which 1 is to be panned is displayed on the monitor 5 with an arrow H, and in conjunction with this display, the speaker 16 outputs a voice in human language such as “the shooting direction is on the left” indicating the panning direction. Thereafter, when the release button 4 is operated to the half-pressed state, a focusing operation and a process for setting the exposure amount are performed in accordance with the mode (steps # 207 to # 210).

  In this process, the camera body 1 is panned by the arrow H displayed on the monitor 5 and the words of a person, so that the operation of introducing the subject to the monitor 5 can be easily performed. By the operation of matching the contour J displayed on the screen with the contour of the finder image displayed on the monitor 5, the photographing region desired by the photographer can be quickly introduced into the monitor 5 and photographing can be performed.

  In step # 210, if the shooting mode is the focus mode, the extraction output unit 43 outputs the captured image of the in-focus area that has already been set corresponding to the focus mode to the shooting control unit D, and the shooting is performed. In the control unit D, the focusing processing unit 61 performs the focusing operation so that the contrast of the captured image in the focusing area reaches the maximum value. In addition to this processing, the extraction output unit 43 outputs the photometric image of the photometric area set as a default at the center position of the captured image to the imaging control unit D, and the exposure processing unit 62 captures the photometric area. The exposure amount is set based on the information on the brightness of the image.

  In step # 210, if the shooting mode is the exposure mode, the extraction output unit 43 outputs the captured image of the photometry area that has already been set corresponding to this exposure mode to the shooting control unit D, and the shooting control is performed. In unit D, the exposure processing unit 62 sets an exposure amount based on brightness information. In addition to this processing, the extraction output unit 43 outputs the captured image of the in-focus area set as a default at the center position of the captured image to the imaging control unit D, and the in-focus processing unit 61 The focusing operation is performed so that the contrast of the captured image in the region reaches the maximum value.

  In step # 210, if the shooting mode is the multi-mode, the extraction output unit 43 outputs the captured image of the in-focus area that is already set corresponding to the multi-mode to the shooting control unit D, and the shooting is performed. In the control unit D, the focusing processing unit 61 performs a focusing operation so that the contrast of the captured image in the in-focus area reaches the maximum value, and the captured image in the photometry area that has already been set in correspondence with the multimode. Is output to the photographing control unit D, and the exposure processing unit 62 sets the exposure amount based on the brightness information of the photographed image in the photometric area.

  Thereafter, when the release button 4 is completely operated, the focus state that has already been set is maintained, and the exposure processing unit 62 sets the aperture and the shutter speed based on the set exposure conditions. The shutter is operated to acquire the captured image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit 11 as an acquired captured image, and after the automatic correction such as gamma correction and white balance correction is performed in the correction processing unit 44, the compression processing unit 45 Are compressed into the JPEG format or the like and recorded on the recording medium M by the recording processing unit 32 (steps # 211 to # 212).

[Control based on monitor setting mode and save button]
In this digital camera, the control mode is set so that the control in the monitor setting mode can be realized also by operating the save button 8 with the photographing lens 2 facing the direction of the subject, and the control operation is illustrated. This will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In other words, the finder image at the timing when the save button 8 is operated is stored in the temporary display unit 53 and displayed on the monitor 5, and the azimuth information storage unit 35 stores the azimuth information from the azimuth sensor 15 at this timing. Further, the finder image at this timing is transmitted from the finder control unit C to the image processing unit B, and the feature output unit 42 extracts the contour as the feature portion by the edge enhancement process, and the finder control unit C uses the video memory. 29 is performed (steps # 01 and # 02).

  Next, shooting conditions are set via the touch panel T by executing the above-described shooting setting routine (step # 100). If the setting is not canceled in step # 100, a signal measured by the tilt sensor 13 is acquired, and the posture of the camera body 1 is determined based on the tilt information measured by the tilt sensor 13, When it is determined that the camera body 1 has been returned to the vertical orientation, shooting based on the shooting conditions set in the shooting condition setting routine (# 100 step) is executed in the shooting processing routine (# 07- #). 09 step, # 200 step).

  Note that, in the monitor setting mode based on the operation of the save button 8, the operation is started by operating the save button 8. However, the photographer sets a shooting condition by touching the touch panel T with a finger or the like. Processing is performed (processing in the shooting condition setting unit 31), and when this setting is completed, the photographer operates the save button 8 again to end the processing in the shooting condition setting unit 31. The processing form may be set to

  As described above, according to the digital camera of the present invention, in the monitor setting mode based on the tilt sensor 13, the subject is introduced into the monitor 5 with the camera body 1 in the vertical orientation (the orientation in which the photographing direction of the photographing lens 2 is directed horizontally). Later, when the posture of the camera body 1 is changed (the posture of the camera body 1 changes sideways) in an operation mode that exceeds the acceleration set in the tilt direction so that the monitor 5 is directed upward, Control for accepting the setting of the photographing condition is started based on the operation. By directing the monitor 5 upward in this way, the monitor 5 is directed in the direction that can be most easily operated by the photographer, and the monitor 5 is maintained in a state in which the subject is displayed on the camera body 1 and the mode to be selected. Are displayed in a list on the monitor 5.

  In this display state, when the photographer performs an operation such as touching the touch panel T of the monitor 5 with his / her finger, it is possible to set shooting conditions based on a plurality of shooting modes. Shooting in the set mode is possible by returning to the vertical orientation. In this way, when the camera body 1 is returned to the vertical orientation, the direction in which the camera body 1 should be panned is displayed on the monitor 5 by the arrow H, and the panning direction is also notified by voice in human speech. Thus, it is possible to easily reproduce the composition intended by the photographer at the beginning, and shooting under the shooting conditions set by operating the release button 4 in this state is realized.

  In the monitor setting mode based on the operation of the save button 8, the monitor is operated at the timing when the save button 8 is operated by operating the save button 8 in a state where the subject is introduced into the finder image displayed on the monitor 5. 5 is temporarily displayed on the monitor 5, and thereafter, the photographing condition is set by an operation such as touching the touch panel T in the same manner as the monitor setting mode based on the tilt sensor 13. Thus, shooting under shooting conditions based on this setting is realized.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention may be configured as follows in addition to the embodiment described above.

(A) After setting the shooting conditions on the monitor 5, instead of the operation of returning the camera body 1 to the vertical orientation, for example, a setting end button is displayed on the monitor 5, and the photographer operates the setting end button. As a result, the processing mode is set so that the setting of the shooting conditions is completed and the process can be shifted to the processing that enables shooting with the camera.

(B) The inclination sensor 13 is also used as the acceleration sensor 14. That is, the control system is configured not to use the acceleration sensor by acquiring the change amount per unit time by the tilt sensor 13 and calculating the acceleration based on the change amount.

(C) Based on only the tilt amount measured by the tilt sensor 13, the control mode is set so that the shooting condition is set based on the display on the monitor 5 when the camera body 1 reaches the horizontal posture. When the control form is set in this way, for example, the state where the camera body 1 is set in the horizontal direction (horizontal posture) with the monitor 5 facing upward is maintained for a set time (for example, about 2 seconds) or more. In this case, it is possible to set the processing mode so as to shift to the processing for setting the photographing conditions.

(D) When shooting conditions are set using the monitor 5, in addition to the above-described plurality of modes, for example, whether or not the strobe light emitting unit 3 emits light, the photographer sets the aperture value of the photographing lens 2, and the shutter speed. The control form may be set so as to realize that it is arbitrarily set or the focal length is arbitrarily adjusted.

(E) When the zoom mode is selected, it is possible to input the enlargement factor numerically via the touch panel and to set the enlargement factor via the zoom operation type switches. With this configuration, it is possible to set the enlargement ratio required at the time of shooting with high accuracy.

Perspective view showing a digital camera Block diagram of control system Block circuit diagram showing details of control system Flowchart of shooting process in monitor setting mode Flowchart of shooting condition setting routine Flowchart of shooting processing routine Flowchart of shooting process when the save button is operated Diagram showing the posture of the digital camera The figure which shows the operation form of the touch panel and the display contents of the monitor The figure which shows the relationship between the zoom center and monitor in zoom mode The figure which shows the display contents of the monitor in zoom mode

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 2 Shooting lens 4 Release button 5 Monitor 8 Save button 11 Photoelectric conversion part 13 Inclination sensor 15 Orientation sensor 31 Shooting condition setting part 32 Recording process part 34 Notification process part 43 Feature output part 53 Temporary display part 54 Position information acquisition part 61 Recording processing unit 63 Zooming processing unit M Recording means T Touch panel

Claims (10)

Operation of the photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts the image of the subject captured by the photographic lens and acquires it as a captured image, a display processing unit that displays the captured image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit on a monitor that functions as an electronic viewfinder, and operation of the release button A digital camera having a camera body with a recording processing unit that records the captured image as a recorded captured image in a recording unit.
A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information of a contact operation on the touch panel formed on the display surface of the monitor;
A temporary display unit that temporarily stores the captured image displayed on the monitor by the display processing unit and continuously displays the image on the monitor;
When the touch panel is touched in the situation where the captured image stored by the temporary display unit is displayed on the monitor, a partial area of the captured image corresponding to the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit is displayed. A shooting condition setting unit that extracts the specified area and sets shooting conditions for the specified area,
A digital camera that performs shooting based on the set shooting condition when the release button is operated after the shooting condition is set by the shooting condition setting unit.   2. A focusing processing unit that performs a focusing operation of the photographing lens so as to focus on a focusing region in the photographed image, and the photographing condition setting unit sets the designated region as a focusing region. The digital camera described.   An exposure processing unit that sets the brightness of the captured image acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit based on the brightness of the photometric region in the captured image, and the imaging condition setting unit sets the designated region as the photometric region The digital camera according to claim 1 to be set.   A zooming processing unit configured to set a focal length of the photographing lens, and the photographing condition setting unit adjusts a focal length of the photographing lens by the zooming processing unit so that the designated region is a photographing region. 1. The digital camera according to 1.   A tilt sensor for measuring the tilt amount of the camera body is provided, and when the tilt sensor detects a tilt exceeding a preset angle in the upward direction, the shooting direction of the shooting lens is horizontal. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a processing mode of the temporary display unit is set so as to temporarily record a captured image at a certain timing. An azimuth sensor that measures the shooting direction of the camera body, and a azimuth information storage unit that stores azimuth information measured by the azimuth sensor at the timing at which the temporary display unit acquires a captured image to be displayed on the monitor,
After the shooting conditions are set by the shooting condition setting unit by the touch operation on the touch panel, the direction sensor measures the state in which the tilt sensor detects that the shooting direction of the shooting lens is directed to the horizontal direction. The digital camera according to claim 5, further comprising a notification processing unit configured to notify a direction in which the azimuth information and the azimuth information stored in the azimuth information storage unit match.   A storage button operated by the photographer is provided on the camera body, and a display processing mode of the temporary display unit is set so as to temporarily store the captured image at a timing when the storage button is operated. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   After the shooting conditions are set by the shooting condition setting unit, the temporary display unit extracts a feature portion of the photographed image displayed on the monitor and displays only the feature portion on the monitor. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a unit.   9. The digital camera according to claim 8, wherein the feature output unit extracts a contour of the photographed image from the photographed image displayed on the monitor by the temporary display unit by edge enhancement processing, and displays only the contour on the monitor. . Photoelectric conversion procedure for photoelectrically converting the image of the subject captured by the photographic lens and obtaining it as a photographic image, display processing procedure for displaying the photographic image obtained by this photoelectric conversion procedure on a monitor that functions as an electronic viewfinder, and operation of the release button A program of a digital camera for executing a recording processing procedure for recording the captured image as a recorded captured image in a recording unit.
Position information acquisition procedure for acquiring position information of a touch operation on the touch panel formed on the display surface of the monitor;
Temporarily storing the captured image displayed on the monitor by the display processing procedure, and continuously displaying on the monitor;
When the touch panel is touched in a situation where the captured image stored in the temporary display procedure is displayed on the monitor, a partial area of the captured image corresponding to the position information acquired in the position information acquisition procedure is displayed. Shooting condition setting procedure for extracting as a specified area and setting shooting conditions for the specified area,
A program of a digital camera that causes a computer to perform photographing based on the set photographing condition when the release button is operated after the photographing condition is set in the photographing condition setting procedure.

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