JP4843009B2 - Camera lens control method and apparatus, and camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the performance of a camera by providing a wider variable range of apertures, focal lengths, focal positions, and so on than a range used for normal photographing (performance guarantee range), and using a region out of the performance guarantee range according to photographing conditions and special uses. <P>SOLUTION: A camera (90) of the present invention includes photographing lenses (91, 92), photographing means (28) for converting an optical image of a subject incident to an electric signal through the photographing lenses (91, 92), contour enhancing means (42) for making a correction for enhancing an edge component of a video signal obtained through the photographing image (28), and control means (32) for controlling the contour enhancing means by changing a control amount for determining a degree of enhancement of the contour enhancing means (42) according to at least one condition of an aperture during shooting, the focal positions of the photographing lenses (91, 92), and the focal lengths of the photographing lenses (91, 92). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a diaphragm control method and apparatus, a lens control method and apparatus, a contour emphasis control method and apparatus, and a camera applied to a photographing optical system such as a digital camera, a video camera, and a silver salt camera.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the movable range of a diaphragm, a focus close limit, a zoom limit, and the like of a camera are limited in order to ensure predetermined optical performance (such as image performance) in a lens. For example, for the diaphragm, a maximum diaphragm and a minimum diaphragm are defined, and the diaphragm is controlled within the movable range. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-53170, the aperture is varied according to the zoom position, and the aperture variation due to zoom is corrected. In a focus adjustment apparatus using a solid-state image sensor or the like, the output is increased by a method such as projecting auxiliary light when the subject is dark, or increasing the signal level by increasing the output from the image sensor.
JP-A-5-53170

  However, at the time of automatic exposure adjustment (AE), there is a problem that if the subject is dark and the gain is increased and the photometry is performed, the noise component is amplified and there are many errors, and the photometry performance on the low luminance side is poor. Similarly, in AF control in which the focus position is where the high-frequency component of the video signal is maximized, when the output signal of the image sensor is amplified, the noise component is also amplified and the focusing performance deteriorates. There is a problem.

  In addition, conventional cameras are more susceptible to camera shake when using the electronic zoom, the image quality of the movie display for viewing angle degradation for low-brightness subjects, and smearing when shooting high-brightness subjects. There are drawbacks such as reduced visibility of images.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by using a diaphragm larger than the maximum diaphragm used for normal photographing or a diaphragm smaller than the minimum diaphragm used for ordinary photographing depending on the application, a camera is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera aperture control method and apparatus capable of achieving the performance improvement as described above, and a camera to which the apparatus is applied.

  Further, the present invention provides not only a diaphragm but also a zoom range (variable range of focal length), a focus adjustment range, and the like for shooting conditions and special applications by providing a wider interlocking range than the range used for normal shooting. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of improving or expanding the performance as a camera by using a lens outside the performance guarantee range.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method for controlling the focal position of a photographic lens that forms an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, wherein the resolution of the captured image can be changed by a resolution changing means. The first focus that limits the focus position drive range as the focus adjustment range from the infinity side to the near distance limit, which can adjust the focus position of the taking lens during high-resolution shooting set by the resolution changing means. a position driving range, the second focus position driving range that limits the focal position driving range of said photographing lens in a different range from that of the at low resolution photography set by the resolution changing means first focus position driving range And when the high resolution shooting is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing means, the focus position of the shooting lens is set within the first focus position drive range. On the other hand, when low-resolution shooting is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing means, the focus position of the shooting lens is adjusted within the second focus position driving range. I will provide a.

According to the present invention, with the full Okasu adjustment range, it is possible to increase the camera performance by effectively utilizing the area outside the performance guaranteed range by imaging conditions.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the camera 10 has a photographic lens 12 at a substantially central portion of the front surface, and a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD image sensor (denoted by reference numeral 28 in FIG. 3) is disposed behind the photographic lens 12. ing. Further, a strobe light emitting unit 14 and a viewfinder objective window 16 are provided on the front surface of the camera 1, and a release switch 18 is provided on the top surface (upper surface) of the camera 10.

  FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the camera 10. An optical viewfinder 20 and a liquid crystal monitor 22 are provided on the rear surface of the camera 10, and the photographer looks at the image (real-time image for checking the angle of view) displayed on the optical viewfinder 20 or the liquid crystal monitor 22 and takes a photographed image. The angle (composition) can be determined and shooting can be performed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 10. An iris diaphragm 26 is disposed in the optical unit 24 including the photographing lens 12, and a solid-state image sensor 28 is disposed behind the optical unit 24. The iris diaphragm 26 is driven via the diaphragm control circuit 30, and the diaphragm control circuit 30 is controlled by the control CPU 32.

  The light that has passed through the photographic lens 12 is incident on the solid-state image sensor 28 after the amount of light is adjusted by the iris diaphragm 26. Photosensors are arranged in a plane on the light-receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 28, and the subject image formed on the light-receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 28 has an amount of signal charge corresponding to the amount of incident light by each photosensor. Is converted to The signal charge accumulated in this way is sequentially read out as a voltage signal corresponding to the signal charge by a pulse supplied from an image sensor driving circuit (not shown).

  The solid-state imaging device 28 has a so-called electronic shutter function that controls the charge accumulation time (shutter speed) of each photosensor by a shutter gate pulse. Exposure control is performed by a combination of an iris diaphragm 26 and an electronic shutter of a solid-state image sensor 28, and an image signal output from the solid-state image sensor 28 is processed by an imaging circuit 34. The imaging circuit 34 includes processing circuits such as color separation, gain switching, γ (gamma) processing, and A / D conversion processing.

  The signal A / D converted in the imaging circuit 34 is stored in the memory 36 and the AE / AF detection block 38. The image signal once stored in the memory 36 is sent to the AE / AF detection block 38, where the level of the input image signal is detected and the luminance information of the subject is acquired. The AF detection processing unit of the block is provided with a bandpass filter, and detects the in-focus state of the subject by extracting a high-frequency component of the video signal. The AE / AF detection block 38 of this example performs processing of a digital signal, but can be configured to detect with an analog signal.

  The data stored in the memory 36 is sent to the signal processing unit 42 via the bus 40. The signal processing unit 42 is an image signal processing unit including a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a sharpness correction (contour correction) circuit, a white balance correction circuit, a compression / decompression circuit, and the like, and processes an image signal according to a command from the control CPU 32. . The image data input to the signal processing unit 42 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal) and subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction and then stored in the memory 36. Is done.

  The image data stored in the memory 36 is read in accordance with a command from the control CPU 32, converted into a predetermined signal for display (for example, an NTSC color composite video signal), and then the liquid crystal monitor 22 and other image displays. It is output to the device 44. The image display device 44 is not limited to the liquid crystal monitor 22 built in the camera 10, but may be a liquid crystal display, a CRT, or the like connected via a video output terminal (not shown), a wired or wireless communication interface, or the like.

  Data in the memory 36 is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the solid-state image sensor 28, and a video signal generated from the image data is supplied to the image display device 44, whereby an image captured by the solid-state image sensor 28. Is displayed on the image display device 44 as a moving image in real time or as a substantially continuous image although not in real time.

  By depressing the release switch 18 included in the operation unit 46, a recording start instruction signal is issued, and in response to the reception of the instruction signal, capturing of image data for recording is started. Data taken into the memory 36 by a shooting operation in response to pressing of the release switch 18 is recorded in the external storage device 48 after undergoing a predetermined process such as a compression process.

  For the external storage device 48, for example, a memory card such as a smart media (Solid-State Floppy (registered trademark) Disk Card) is applied. The form of the recording medium is not limited to this, and may be a PC card, a compact flash (registered trademark), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory stick, and the like, and is electronic, magnetic, or optical, or these Various media that can be read and written can be used in accordance with a combination method. A signal processing means and an interface corresponding to the medium to be used are applied. A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of media can be mounted on the camera 10 regardless of different types or the same type of recording media. The means for storing image data is not limited to a removable medium that can be separated from the camera body, and may be a recording medium (internal memory) built in the camera 10. In the case of storing an image in the internal memory, a communication interface for transferring data to a personal computer or other external device is provided.

  In the reproduction mode, the image data read from the external storage device 48 is decompressed by the compression / decompression circuit and output to the image display device 44.

  The control CPU 32 is a control unit that performs overall control of each circuit of the camera system. The control CPU 32 includes storage means such as a ROM and a RAM (not shown). The ROM stores a program processed by the control CPU 32 and various data necessary for the control, and the control CPU 32 performs various arithmetic processes and the like in the RAM. It is used as a work area. The control CPU 32 controls the operation of the corresponding circuit based on the input signal received from the operation unit 46, and performs display control, AF control, AE control, and the like of the image display device 44.

  The operation unit 46 is a block including an instruction input means such as a release switch 18, a mode selection dial, and up / down / left / right keys, and is in the form of a push button switch, dial, lever type switch, slide type knob or the like. Not limited to this, there is a mode in which a desired item is selected with a cursor, pointer, touch panel, or the like from a setting menu or selection items displayed on the screen of the image display device 44. The operation unit 46 includes means for specifying the number of pixels at the time of image recording, means for switching on / off of the electronic zoom function, means for operating the enlargement ratio of the electronic zoom, and the like. The operation unit 46 may be provided in the camera body, or a part or all of the operation unit 46 may be separated from the camera body as a remote control transmitter.

  Based on information from the AE / AF detection block 38, the control CPU 32 performs various calculations such as calculation of an AF evaluation value and AE calculation, and controls the lens control circuit 50 based on the calculation result to control the photographing lens 12. While moving to the in-focus position, the aperture control circuit 30 is controlled to set an appropriate aperture, and the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor 28 is controlled.

  In the camera 10 of this example, the iris diaphragm 26 is variable from F1.4 to F11, but the performance guarantee range that satisfies the predetermined optical performance is from F2.8 to F8. In general, when the aperture is wide open, the image performance of the surrounding area is degraded and image flow occurs. Since it is not desirable to take an image with such an aperture, at the time of shooting a recorded image, shooting is performed according to a program diagram using F2.8 to F8 (normal shooting aperture range) that satisfies a predetermined optical performance. .

  As described above, when the aperture is opened, the peripheral image performance deteriorates, but the influence on the central image performance is hardly recognized. With this fact in mind, it is possible to improve various performances of the camera by changing the aperture control in each of the following situations. That is, the lens performance is generally good at the center of the screen and decreases as it goes to the periphery. The performance also changes depending on the aperture. FIG. 4 is a graph showing how the lens MTF (modulation transfer function) changes due to the stop. The solid line graph in the figure shows the MTF change at the center of the screen, and the dotted line graph shows the MTF change around the screen.

  As shown in FIG. 4, performance degradation is observed on both the open side and the small aperture side. If the MTF for which the performance can be guaranteed is 35%, the camera is designed with the “normal photographing aperture range” being a portion where the MTF performance satisfies 35% in the entire screen including the periphery. However, the MTF (solid line graph) at the center of the screen has a portion (a portion higher than 35%) having better performance on the open side and the small aperture side than the normal photographing aperture range. Since there may be no problem with AE detection even if the MTF is lowered, the camera 10 of this example uses an aperture outside the normal photographing aperture range when detecting AE.

  Further, when only the central part of the lens is used, such as an electronic zoom, as shown in FIG. 5, the usable aperture range (a range satisfying MTF 35%) is wider than the normal imaging aperture range. Although not shown, since the MTF graph between the center and the periphery is located between the solid line graph and the dotted line graph, the aperture range in which the performance can be guaranteed changes according to the zoom magnification of the electronic zoom.

  Furthermore, when the image is shot by thinning out pixels according to a fixed thinning rate instead of the recording mode in which all the pixels of the solid-state image sensor 28 are recorded, the allowable MTF is lowered from the lens side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, during thinning shooting, a diaphragm range wider than the normal shooting diaphragm range (thinning mode shooting diaphragm range) can be used. In addition to thinning-out shooting, a movie image to be displayed for angle-of-view confirmation is also displayed by thinning out the output from the solid-state imaging device 28. An aperture can also be used.

  When the subject is dark and the movie image is dark, you can display the movie image brighter by using a more open aperture than the aperture range for normal shooting, but the subject is bright and smear is likely to occur. In this case, by using an aperture closer to the aperture than the aperture range for normal shooting, the quality of the movie image can be improved and the visibility can be improved.

  Specifically, various performances of the camera are improved by performing aperture control for each of the situations shown in the following first to sixth modes. Of course, it is possible to appropriately combine these aspects.

<First Mode>: When using an extra wide aperture at the time of AF Auto focus adjustment (AF) of an electronic camera is a control in which a high frequency component of a video signal from an image sensor becomes a focus position. It is a general method. In the case of movie, since the photographed image becomes dark at low luminance, it can be said that there is no problem even if a subject that is dark to some extent cannot be focused accurately.

  On the other hand, in the case of a still camera, a flash device such as a strobe is used, and a bright image can be taken by causing the flash device to emit light in accordance with an exposure operation during recording. However, the flash device does not emit light during AF, and there is a problem that accurate focusing cannot be obtained. Even if the flash device is caused to emit light during AF, the light emission time is short compared to the time required for AF processing and cannot be focused accurately. Therefore, conventionally, AF at low luminance has been realized by irradiating auxiliary light during AF or increasing the gain of the output from the solid-state imaging device to amplify the signal.

  However, in order to use the auxiliary light, a dedicated light source is required separately, and there are disadvantages such as large current consumption. The method of amplifying the signal from the solid-state imaging device by the gain means has a problem that the focusing performance is lowered because the noise component is also amplified.

  Therefore, the camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a large aperture position (hereinafter referred to as “extra open aperture” in the sense of an unspecified open aperture position) that is not used at the time of photographing, and has low luminance. Sometimes, an extra wide aperture is used to control the amount of light to the solid-state image sensor 28. As a result, noise can be suppressed and AF performance at low luminance can be improved.

  FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the angle of view during shooting and the AF detection area. As shown in the figure, at the time of AF, only an area (AF detection area 62) of about ¼ of the center is used with respect to the angle of view (hereinafter referred to as “shooting view angle”) 60 at the time of shooting. Therefore, it is sufficient to ensure image performance in the AF detection area 62.

  Therefore, by capturing an image in AF processing with an aperture (for example, F1.4) brighter than the wide aperture (F2.8) used at the shooting angle of view 60, the solid-state image sensor 28 is given four times the amount of light. Therefore, the performance on the low luminance side can be improved four times.

  The control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When camera control is started (step S100) and the release switch 18 is half-pressed, AF processing is started, and first, subject brightness photometry is performed to measure the brightness of the subject (step S110). Then, the subject brightness obtained by photometry is compared with the specified value (step S112). If the luminance of the subject is smaller than the specified value, it is determined that the AF operation cannot be normally performed because the output of the solid-state imaging device 28 is small when the normal aperture stop is used, and the process branches to step S114.

  In step S114, an aperture that is expected to obtain a video signal most appropriately is selected from the aperture range (F1.4 or more and less than F2.8) further open than the normal aperture operation range. AF processing is executed. On the other hand, if the subject brightness is equal to or higher than the specified value in step S112, it is determined that the AF operation can be normally performed within the normal aperture operation range, and the process proceeds to step S116. In step S116, an appropriate aperture value is selected within the normal aperture operation range, that is, within F2.8 to F8, and AF processing is executed based on the aperture value.

  After the AF process is performed in step S114 or step S116, the process proceeds to step S118. In step S118, the aperture for the main shooting (shooting for recording) is calculated from the photometric value obtained by subject luminance metering and a predetermined program diagram, and the aperture is set according to the calculation result. At this time, an aperture within the normal aperture operation range (F2.8 to F8) is selected.

  Next, when the release switch 18 is fully pressed, an exposure operation is performed (step S120). The image data obtained at this time is stored in the external storage device 48 after undergoing necessary signal processing (step S122), and the control sequence ends (step S124).

  In this embodiment, an electronic still camera is described as an example. However, a camera that records an optical image on a photosensitive material such as a photographic film, such as a silver salt camera, adopts the TTL AF method. The same application as described above is possible, and the same effect can be obtained.

<Second aspect>: When using an extra wide aperture during AE Automatic exposure control (AE) of an electronic camera integrates the level of a video signal from an image sensor in a predetermined area, and the average luminance value is an appropriate level. It is controlled to become. Conventionally, when the subject is dark, the output gain from the image sensor is increased and the signal is amplified to calculate the exposure at low luminance. However, this method also measures noise because the noise component is also amplified. There is a problem that performance decreases.

  Therefore, the camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is controlled so as to increase the amount of light to the solid-state imaging device 28 using the extra wide aperture when the luminance is low. As a result, noise can be suppressed and the photometric performance at low luminance can be improved.

  FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the angle of view at the time of shooting and the AE divided photometry detection area. In addition, although the example divided | segmented into 4x4 16 areas is shown in the figure, the division | segmentation form is not limited to this, For example, there also exists an aspect divided into 256. In the AE photometry, in the case of the method of measuring the average luminance of each divided photometry detection area 64, even if image performance degradation such as image flow occurs around the screen, the signal is averaged. There is not much influence.

  Therefore, by performing AE photometry with an aperture (for example, F1.4) brighter than the open aperture (F2.8) used at the shooting angle of view 60, the solid-state image sensor 28 can be given four times the amount of light. Thus, the performance on the low luminance side can be improved four times.

  A control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When camera control starts (step S200) and the AE process is started by half-pressing the release switch 18, first, subject luminance metering for measuring the brightness of the subject is performed (step S210). Then, a determination is made as to whether or not the luminance level is a photometric level by comparing the subject luminance obtained by photometry with a specified value (step S212).

  If it is determined that the AE metering cannot be normally performed because the brightness of the subject is very dark and the output of the solid-state image sensor 28 is small with a normal open aperture, the process branches to step S214. In step S214, an extra open aperture of F1.4 that is an aperture outside the normal aperture operation range is selected, and re-photometry is performed using this aperture.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S218, where the aperture and shutter speed at the time of shooting are calculated from the photometric value obtained by re-photometry and the program diagram, and the aperture is set according to the calculation result. At this time, an aperture within the normal aperture operation range (F2.8 to F8) is selected. Although the aperture at the time of photometry is darker than the aperture at the time of photometry (extra open aperture), when it is determined in step S212 that the luminance of the subject is at a level that allows photometry, the process proceeds to step S218. The aperture for the main shooting (recording shooting) is calculated from the photometric value obtained by subject luminance metering and a predetermined program diagram, and the aperture is set according to the calculation result.

  Next, when the release switch 18 is fully pressed, an exposure operation is performed (step S220). The image data obtained at this time is stored in the external storage device after undergoing necessary signal processing (step S222), and the control sequence ends (step S224).

  When an extra wide aperture is used, in addition to the image flow phenomenon, a phenomenon that the peripheral light amount of the screen is reduced may occur. For this reason, it is more preferable to store data indicating the degree of decrease in the amount of peripheral light in a ROM or the like, and to perform correction using the data at the time of extra open aperture AE.

<Third Aspect>: When using an extra wide aperture at the time of electronic zoom An electronic camera has an electronic zoom function (also referred to as a digital zoom function) in which only the central portion of the screen is enlarged by electronic processing. When the enlargement process is performed by the electronic zoom function, the focal length is increased in a pseudo manner, and camera shake is likely to occur.

  Generally, the shutter speed at the limit of camera shake is said to be 1 / (focal length: mm). For example, when the focal length is 100 mm, the camera shake limit is 1/100 second. When the magnification of the electronic zoom is doubled, the focal length is also doubled, which is equivalent to 200 mm for a camera with a focal length of 100 mm. At this time, the camera shake limit is 1/200 seconds, and camera shake is likely to occur.

  As described with reference to FIG. 5, in view of the fact that only the central portion of the screen becomes a shooting area during electronic zoom, the camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention uses an extra wide aperture when shooting with electronic zoom. Control is performed to increase the amount of light to the solid-state image sensor 28. Thereby, the shutter speed can be increased and camera shake can be prevented.

  FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the normal shooting angle of view and the shooting angle of view by electronic zoom. In contrast to the normal shooting angle of view 60 that does not use the electronic zoom, when the electronic zoom A is used, only the area 66 that is about ¼ of the center and the center of the screen is used. It is sufficient to secure it. Therefore, by setting the aperture (for example, F1.4) brighter than the open aperture F2.8 used at the normal shooting angle of view 60, the amount of light to the solid-state image sensor 28 can be increased four times, and the shutter The speed can be increased four times.

  In the case of the electronic zoom B, the area indicated by reference numeral 68 is the shooting angle of view. The shooting area 68 of the electronic zoom B is wider than that of the electronic zoom A. Therefore, when the aperture is set to F1.4, the area around the center half of the screen (the outer peripheral portion of the area 66 of the electronic zoom A). ) May not ensure image performance. Therefore, in the case of the electronic zoom B, control is performed so that an aperture of about F2.0 is used. Thus, by changing the aperture on the open side to be used according to the magnification of the electronic zoom, accurate AF control becomes possible.

  The control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When camera control is started (step S300) and the release switch 18 is half-pressed, the electronic zoom ON / OFF setting is confirmed (step S310). Then, it is determined whether or not the electronic zoom is used (step S312). If the setting of the electronic zoom is ON, the process branches to step S314, and an extra wide aperture (for example, F1.4) is set according to the magnification of the electronic zoom, and the extra wide aperture (F1.4) to F8. The aperture and shutter speed at the time of shooting are calculated according to the program diagram using. Then, the aperture is set based on the calculation result.

  On the other hand, when the electronic zoom setting is OFF in step S312, the process proceeds to step S316, and a program diagram that uses the normal aperture operation range (in this case, F2.8 to F8) is used.

  Next, when the release switch 18 is fully pressed, an exposure operation is performed (step S320). The image data obtained at this time is stored in the external storage device after undergoing necessary signal processing (step S322), and the control sequence ends (step S324).

<Fourth Mode>: When Using an Extra Open Aperture at the Time of Movie In an electronic still camera, a real-time video (movie image) being shot is displayed for viewing angle confirmation. The image sensor has been increased in the number of pixels, and the movie image is displayed by thinning out the pixels. In this case, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the required optical performance (for example, MTF) of the lens is different between the movie and the still image recording. In other words, when shooting still image recording, high optical performance is required to obtain a clear image, but during movie display, even if the optical performance of the lens is somewhat reduced, the displayed image As a result, deterioration is not a problem.

  In addition, during the actual shooting for recording a still image, a bright image can be obtained by causing the flash device to emit light in accordance with the exposure. However, in the case of movie, the captured image also becomes dark at low brightness. For a dark subject, the output from the solid-state imaging device may drop, and the video may not be confirmed.

  In order to solve such a problem, conventionally, an image at low luminance is displayed brightly by increasing the output gain from the image sensor and amplifying the signal. However, when the image pickup signal is amplified by the gain means, the noise component is also amplified, so that there is a disadvantage that the movie image quality deteriorates.

  Therefore, the camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is controlled to increase the amount of light to the solid-state image sensor 28 using an extra wide aperture for a low-luminance subject during a movie. As a result, noise can be suppressed, and the angle-of-view confirmation display at the time of low luminance can be performed to the lower luminance side than before.

  A control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When the camera control is started (step S400), it is determined whether the current operation state is a movie time or a main photographing time (step S410). In movie mode, the lens optical performance is slightly reduced, but a brighter aperture that does not affect the displayed image can be used. Therefore, a program diagram of the aperture range including the extra open aperture (eg, F1.4) can be used. Used (step S412).

  On the other hand, when the current operating state is the actual photographing in step S410, a program diagram for determining the exposure within the normal aperture range (F2.8 to F8) in which the predetermined optical performance is guaranteed is used ( Step S414). Then, exposure is performed with the aperture and shutter speed obtained in accordance with a predetermined program diagram in step S412 or step S414 (step S416).

<Fifth Aspect>: In the case of using an extra wide aperture in the low resolution mode In the electronic still camera, the increase in the number of pixels of the image sensor has progressed, and the high resolution mode in which all pixels are recorded without being thinned, and the image file size In order to reduce the size, there may be a low resolution mode in which pixels are thinned out and recorded.

  In this case, the required optical performance of the lens differs between the high resolution mode and the low resolution mode. That is, when shooting in the high resolution mode, high optical performance is required for the lens in order to obtain a high-quality image using the information of all pixels, but when shooting in the low resolution mode, pixel thinning is required. Therefore, even if the optical performance of the lens is somewhat deteriorated, there is a case where the image quality deterioration of the captured image does not become a problem.

  Therefore, the camera 10 according to the present embodiment is controlled to increase the amount of light to the solid-state imaging device 28 using an extra wide aperture for a low-luminance subject in the low resolution mode. As a result, the frequency of use of the strobe device is reduced, and an image with optimum exposure can be captured with a small amount of strobe light. By such control, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the power source battery.

  A control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When camera control is started (step S500) and the release switch 18 is half-pressed, it is determined whether or not the current shooting mode is set to the low resolution mode (step S510). When the current shooting mode is set to the high resolution mode, a program diagram for determining exposure within a normal aperture range (F2.8 to F8) in which predetermined optical performance is guaranteed is used (step S512). . On the other hand, in step S510, when the current shooting mode is set to the low resolution mode, a bright aperture that does not affect the captured image can be used, although the optical performance of the lens is slightly reduced. For example, a program diagram for determining exposure in an aperture range including F1.4) is used (step S514).

  Next, when the release switch 18 is fully pressed, an exposure operation is performed with the aperture and shutter speed obtained in accordance with a predetermined program diagram in step S512 or step S514 (step S520). The image data obtained by exposure is stored in the external storage device 48 after undergoing necessary signal processing (step S522), and the control sequence ends (step S524).

  In addition, when the low resolution mode is provided in a plurality of stages according to the thinning rate, the allowable range of image degradation also changes according to the thinning rate, so the extra open aperture value is varied according to the thinning rate. Embodiments are preferred.

<Sixth Aspect>: When using an extra small aperture during a movie In an electronic still camera, a movie image may be displayed for image confirmation. As the number of pixels of the image sensor increases, movie images are displayed with pixels thinned out. In this case, the required optical performance of the lens differs between the movie and the actual shooting. That is, during the movie, even if the optical performance is somewhat degraded, the degradation of the display image may not be a problem.

  Further, when a high-luminance subject such as the sun or illumination is photographed, it is known as a characteristic of the solid-state imaging device that a smear phenomenon in which bright lines of vertical stripes appear above and below the high-luminance subject occurs. When smear occurs in the movie image for checking the angle of view, there is a problem that not only the quality of the image is lowered but also the visibility of the display image is lowered. During actual shooting, smear can be eliminated by closing the mechanical shutter at high speed, but the mechanical shutter cannot be closed during the movie.

  Therefore, the camera 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a small aperture position (hereinafter referred to as “extra small aperture” in the sense of a non-standard minimum aperture position) that is not used during normal shooting. In some cases, an extra small aperture is used so that smear does not easily occur, the amount of incident light on the solid-state image sensor 28 is lowered, the quality of the movie image is improved, and the visibility is improved.

  A control flowchart at this time is shown in FIG. When the camera control is started (step S600), it is determined whether the current operation state is the movie time or the actual photographing time (step S610). In movie mode, an aperture that does not affect the display image can be used, although the optical performance of the lens is slightly reduced. Therefore, a program diagram for determining exposure within an aperture range including an extra small aperture (for example, F11) can be used. Used (step S612).

  On the other hand, when the current operation state is the actual photographing in step S610, a program diagram for determining the exposure in the normal aperture range (F2.8 to F8) in which the predetermined optical performance is guaranteed is used (step S610). Step S614). Then, exposure is performed with the aperture and shutter speed obtained from the predetermined program diagram in step S612 or step S414 (step S616).

  In the above-described embodiment, the iris diaphragm 26 is used as the diaphragm mechanism. However, the aspect of the diaphragm mechanism is not limited to this when the present invention is implemented. For example, a diaphragm mechanism having a structure in which a desired diaphragm aperture is selected by rotating a turret plate having a plurality of diaphragm holes may be applied.

  Next, paying attention to elements other than the diaphragm, another mode for achieving improvement in camera performance will be described.

<Modification 1>
16 and 17 are external views of a camera 70 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 18 is a block diagram of the camera 70. In these drawings, the same or similar parts as those of the camera 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The camera 70 shown in FIG. 16 can be equipped with a wide conversion lens 72 at the tip of the lens barrel 11. The camera 70 has a mode dial 13, and a distance measuring sensor 15 including an AF light projecting unit 15A and an AF light receiving unit 15B is disposed on the front surface of the camera. In this example, an active sensor is employed, but the form of the distance measuring sensor is not limited to this, and a passive phase difference sensor or the like may be used.

  The mode dial 13 is a means for selecting an operation mode of the camera. By operating the mode dial 13, a setup mode, a continuous shooting mode, a manual shooting mode, an auto shooting mode, a scene selection mode, a movie (movie) ) It is possible to set to each mode such as a shooting mode, a playback mode, and a movie (moving image) shooting mode. On the upper surface of the mode dial 13, a symbol mark (a pictogram or symbol representing the mode or a combination thereof) representing each mode is attached. By aligning the mark of the desired mode with the position of an index (not shown), Set to mode.

  When the setup mode is selected, a setup screen is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 22. On the setup screen, a desired combination can be selected from a plurality of image sizes (pixels) and a plurality of compression rates (quality) prepared in advance. For example, 2832 x 2128 pixels, 2048 x 1536 pixels, 1280 x 960 pixels, or 640 x 480 pixels can be selected for the image size (number of pixels), and the compression rate is "FINE" of 1/4 (JPEG) compression. "NORMAL" of 1/8 (JPEG) compression or "BASIC" of 1/16 (JPEG) compression. The photographer designates a combination of the image size and the compression rate in accordance with the purpose of photographing. As for the movie (movie) mode, the image size, frame rate, recording method, etc. are determined in advance. For example, during movie shooting, the movie data is 320 × 240 pixels, 10 frames / second, in Motion JPEG format. Shall be recorded.

  In the scene select mode, a person (portrait) mode, a landscape mode, a night view mode, and a monochrome mode can be selected by a menu operation. By using these modes according to the shooting situation, settings suitable for the shooting scene are automatically performed.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a cross key 21 is provided on the back side of the camera 70. The cross key 21 is a multi-function button that can input instructions in four directions, up, down, left, and right, and is used as an operation button for instructing selection of various setting items and change of setting contents on a menu screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 22. At the same time, it is used as means for instructing a magnification adjustment operation (zoom operation) and a forward / backward playback frame.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a sensor 74 for detecting whether or not the wide conversion lens 72 is attached is provided at the tip of the optical unit 24 to which the wide conversion lens 72 can be attached and detached. It is sent to the control CPU 32 via the conversion detection circuit 75. The control CPU 32 can recognize whether or not the wide conversion lens 72 is attached based on the detection signal notified from the conversion detection circuit 75.

  The distance measuring sensor control circuit 77 controls the operation of the distance measuring sensor 15 based on a command from the control CPU 32. A detection signal obtained from the distance measuring sensor 15 is transmitted to the control CPU 32 via the distance measuring sensor control circuit 77. The control CPU 32 can recognize the subject distance from the detection signal from the distance measuring sensor 15.

  The strobe control circuit 78 controls the light emission of the strobe light emitting unit 14 based on a command from the control CPU 32. That is, the strobe control circuit 78 controls charging of a main capacitor (not shown) and the light emission timing for the strobe light emitting unit 14 and controls light emission stop based on the detection result of the strobe light control sensor. By causing the strobe light emitting unit 14 to emit light at low brightness, the subject can be photographed at an appropriate exposure level.

  As described above, the iris diaphragm 26 is variable from F1.4 to F11, but the predetermined optical performance is satisfied from F2.8 to F8. In general, when the aperture is wide open, the image performance of the surrounding area is degraded and image flow occurs. Since it is not desirable to take an image with such an aperture, the image is usually taken according to a program diagram using F2.8 to F8 (aperture range in which performance can be guaranteed) that satisfies optical performance.

  When the aperture is opened, the peripheral image performance deteriorates, but the image performance in the central portion is often almost unaffected. Therefore, when the strobe emits light at low brightness, the main subject often exists in the center of the screen even if the image performance of the surrounding area is somewhat degraded.Therefore, the range of the strobe light can be reached by changing the aperture control on the open side. Can be extended.

The strobe reaching distance L is determined by the light emission amount GNo of the strobe and the aperture value (F value) of the camera, and is defined by the following equation (1).
[Formula 1] GNo = F × L (1)
Since GNo is constant depending on the camera, it can be seen that the smaller the F is (the aperture is open), the longer the reach distance is. Therefore, when the strobe is used, it is possible to extend the reach distance by using the open side rather than during normal shooting (when the strobe is not used).

  However, since the image is likely to be deteriorated when the open side is always used, if the aperture (F value) calculated from the above formula (1) can guarantee the performance by the output of the distance measuring sensor 15, the performance guarantee range. Shoot with the aperture. On the other hand, when the subject distance is longer than that, a diaphragm whose peripheral image performance is out of the guaranteed range is used, and control is performed so as to avoid performance degradation as much as possible.

  Further, the strobe is preliminarily emitted, and the photometry unit of the AE / AF detection block 38 is used to perform divided photometry as shown in FIG. According to FIG. 18, the angle of view 80 at the time of shooting is subdivided into an 8 × 8 matrix (64 blocks), of which 4 × 4 blocks (16 blocks) at the center are set as the central photometry area 81 and the rest Is set as a peripheral photometry area 82.

  As a result of the divided photometry, when the photometry value of the central photometry area 81 is high and the photometry value of the peripheral photometry area 82 is low (periphery is dark), it can be seen that there is no subject in the vicinity. In this case, even if the image performance of the peripheral portion is somewhat degraded, the influence on the image is not a problem because there is no subject, so an extra wide aperture is used.

  Also, the extra open aperture may be used on the condition that the subject distance is long and the subject does not exist in the peripheral portion of the screen as a result of preliminary light emission in combination with the distance measurement result.

  Considering the case where a wide conversion lens is attached to the camera, the peripheral image performance generally tends to deteriorate. However, as described above, the peripheral image performance can be allowed to deteriorate during strobe light emission. The strobe device built in the camera itself is designed for light distribution characteristics according to the angle of view when a wide conversion lens is not used (when using a standard shooting lens), so when a wide conversion lens is installed In the shooting angle of view, the flash light is not irradiated to the peripheral portion (the flash light does not rotate around the shooting angle of view). With this fact in mind, in the camera 70 of this example, when the conversion detection circuit 75 detects that the wide conversion lens 72 is mounted and when shooting is performed with strobe light emission, an extra wide aperture is used. As a result, the reach of the strobe light can be extended. Further, it may be determined whether or not the extra wide aperture can be used in combination with the distance measurement result by the distance sensor 15 described above.

<Modification 2>
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a camera 90 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, parts that are the same as or similar to those in FIG.

  The photographing optical system (photographing lens 12) of the camera 90 shown in FIG. 20 includes a zoom lens 91 and a focus lens 92. The lens groups 91A and 91B constituting the zoom lens 91 move along the optical axis while the positional relationship between them is regulated by a cam mechanism (not shown) to change the focal length. The zoom control circuit 94 controls driving of the zoom lens 91 in accordance with a command from the control CPU 32. The focus lens 92 is a lens that affects the focus adjustment. The focus control circuit 95 controls the driving of the focus lens 92 according to a command from the control CPU 32.

  Signals from the operation unit such as the release switch 18 and the cross key 21 are input to the control CPU 32 via the input key control circuit 96. The control CPU 32 performs corresponding processing and control based on the operation signal received from the input key control circuit 96, acquires focal length information and focus position information via the zoom control circuit 94 and the focus control circuit 95, and Based on these pieces of information, the aperture control circuit 30, zoom control circuit 94, focus control circuit 95 and the like are controlled. A non-volatile memory 97 composed of an EEPROM, a flash ROM, or the like stores data related to the MTF of the photographing lens 12 mounted on the camera 70. The control CPU 32 refers to data in the non-volatile memory 97 as necessary, and performs calculations such as correction according to the diaphragm, correction by the focus position, and correction by the zoom position.

  In general, the macro performance of a camera is often limited by the image performance of a lens, and normally, the near distance limit (MOD) is set based on MTF and distortion at the center and the periphery of the screen. However, at the time of shooting in the low resolution mode, even if the center MTF is somewhat deteriorated, the shooting resolution is originally low, so there is no effect on the shot image, or electronic zoom (the image processing is performed on the captured image data). When taking a picture using a technology that enlarges an image that is electronically enlarged by technology), the image performance of the central part (recording target area) is ensured even if the peripheral resolution performance is poor. If this is the case, there will be no effect on the captured image.

  Therefore, when shooting with low resolution or using electronic zoom, shooting at a distance closer to the near distance limit in normal shooting is possible.

  21 and 22 show the relationship between the lens performance and the object distance. FIG. 21 is a graph showing the relationship between the focal position and the MTF (in the case of low resolution imaging). The solid line indicates the MTF at the center of the shooting angle of view, and the dotted line indicates the peripheral MTF.

  As shown in the figure, since the area where both the central and peripheral MTFs are 35% or more in normal shooting is determined as a level that can ensure image performance, the restriction on the short distance side (short distance limit) in normal shooting is as follows. It will be decided. In other words, the focus adjustment range in normal shooting is limited as shown in [1].

  However, when the resolution is low, the captured image is not affected even if the MTF is reduced to 20%. Therefore, in the low resolution mode, it is possible to perform shooting at a closer distance. Therefore, the camera 70 of the present example changes the focus adjustment range (short-range side constraint) according to the shooting resolution determined by the combination of the image size (pixel) and the compression rate (quality), as shown in [2]. In addition, control for extending the focus adjustment range to a closer distance side is performed.

  FIG. 22 shows the relationship between the focal position and the MTF (when electronic zoom is used). As shown in the figure, in normal photographing, the area where the MTF at the center and the periphery is 35% or more is a level at which image performance can be secured. However, at the time of electronic zoom (digital zoom), it is sufficient if only 35% or more can be ensured only at the center, and it is possible to shoot to a closer distance within a range that satisfies this. Therefore, the camera 70 of this example changes the focus adjustment range according to the magnification of the electronic zoom, and performs control that enables shooting at a closer distance, as shown in [3].

<Modification 3>
21 and 22 describe the usage mode outside the performance guarantee range with respect to the focal position (focus), the focal length (zoom) may also be used outside the performance guarantee range. 23 and 24 show the relationship of the lens performance with respect to the focal length.

  FIG. 23 is a graph showing the relationship between the focal length and the MTF (in the case of low-resolution imaging). As shown in the figure, in normal photographing, the area where the MTF at the center and the periphery is 35% or more is at a level where image performance can be secured, and the restrictions on the TELE side are thus determined. That is, the focal length variable range (zoom range) in normal shooting is limited as shown in [4].

  However, when the resolution is low, even if the MTF is reduced to 20%, the captured image is not affected. Therefore, in the low resolution mode, further telephoto shooting is possible. The camera 70 of this example changes the zoom range (constraint on the TELE side) according to the shooting resolution determined by the combination of the image size (pixels) and the compression rate (quality), and as shown in [5], more on the TELE side Control to extend the focal length variable range up to.

  FIG. 24 shows the relationship between the focal position and the MTF (when electronic zoom is used). As shown in the figure, in normal shooting, the area where the center and peripheral MTFs are 35% or more is at a level where image performance can be ensured. Therefore, it is possible to shoot further to the TELE side within the range that satisfies this. Therefore, the camera 70 of this example changes the zoom range according to the magnification of the electronic zoom, and performs control that enables shooting on the TELE side as shown in [6].

  FIG. 25 is a conceptual diagram of a zoom range by zoom control combining optical zoom and electronic zoom. As shown in the figure, after zoom driving from the WIDE end of the optical zoom to the end position (first TELE end) on the long focus side where normal shooting is possible, only the central portion of the shooting angle of view is enlarged by electronic zoom. The zoom range (TELE side limit position) of the optical zoom is expanded along with the enlargement process using the electronic zoom. After enlarging to the enlargement limit (electronic zoom TELE end) of the electronic zoom, the optical zoom zooms further to the long focus side. Zoom drive to the second TELE end is possible.

<Modification 4>
As the focal length of the photographic optical system becomes closer to the TELE side, camera shake tends to occur. However, when shooting at low resolution, it may not stand out even if the camera shakes slightly. Therefore, the amount of blurring of the image due to camera shake (blur amount) is calculated and compared with the calculated blur amount and the image performance data with extra open. When the amount of blur due to camera shake exceeds the effect of image performance degradation, A mode in which an extra wide aperture is used to increase the shutter speed and shoot at a point with a balance between camera shake and image performance is also preferable. As a method for detecting camera shake, known detection means such as an angular velocity sensor can be applied.

<Modification 5>
In order to enable photographing outside the performance guarantee range of the photographing optical system, the edge (contour) enhancement processing (so-called “aperture processing”) is changed on the image signal to increase the resolution of the photographed image. be able to. That is, in order to compensate for a decrease in image performance when used outside the performance guarantee range, the contour is emphasized by aperture processing to enhance the resolution. Of course, even within the performance guarantee range, by changing the aperture processing according to the aperture, it is possible to equalize the resolution and resolution of the output image even if there is a change in MTF.

  Aperture processing (contour correction processing) is performed in the signal processing unit 42 shown in FIG. FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the contour correction circuit. The contour correction circuit 100 shown in the figure includes a contour signal generation circuit 110 that generates a contour signal (aperture signal) from a luminance signal, a multiplier 112 that applies a gain to the contour signal, and a minute amplitude output from the multiplier 112. A coring circuit 114 for zeroing the components, and an adder 116 for adding the contour correction signal output from the coring circuit 114 and the original luminance signal.

  The gain value α of the multiplier 112 and the coring level in the coring circuit 114 are controlled by the control CPU 32 in FIG. The control CPU 32 refers to the data in the nonvolatile memory 97 and changes the gain value α and the coring level so as to compensate for image performance degradation when used outside the performance guarantee range of the photographing optical system. Thereby, it is possible to realize correction for each aperture, correction by the focus position, or correction by the zoom position.

<Modification 6>
FIG. 27 shows a cross-sectional view of a solid-state imaging device (CCD) 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 27, the CCD 120 has a structure in which a large number of photodiodes 122 are arranged in a plane. In front of these photodiodes 122, microlenses 124 for forming a subject image on the light receiving surface of each photodiode 122 are provided corresponding to each photodiode 120.

  A light shielding mask 126 is provided between the microlens 124 and the photodiode 122, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a light-shielding mask is not provided for the central portion B of the CCD light receiving surface.

  In the CCD 120 having such a configuration, the amount of light incident on the photodiode 122 in the peripheral portion A is reduced by the action of the light shielding mask 126, so that the image performance at the periphery compared with a conventional CCD that does not have the light shielding mask 126. Deterioration can be prevented. In other words, the CCD 120 of the present example can also be used in areas outside the performance because the aperture of the microlens is narrowed by the light-shielding mask 126 even in the area where the conventional CCD cannot be used due to a decrease in peripheral image performance. Become.

  Note that when the CCD 120 having the structure shown in FIG. 27 is used, the amount of light in the surrounding area decreases and shading (difference in brightness of the image) increases. However, in the signal processing unit 42 shown in FIG. This can be solved by performing a known shading correction process.

  In FIG. 27, the light shielding mask 126 is provided in the peripheral part A, and the light shielding mask is omitted in the central part B. However, the present invention is not limited to such two types of area division, and a plurality of types of aperture ratios of the light shielding mask are set. An aspect in which the aperture ratio gradually decreases from the center toward the periphery is also preferable.

<Modification 7>
Depending on the shooting mode selected by the camera 70, an image more suitable for that mode may be obtained when the periphery is blurred. For example, the portrait mode corresponds to this. In portrait photography, a person in the center is relatively lifted up by blurring the periphery. In this case, in order to reduce the depth of field, the aperture is set to the open side. Therefore, the aperture area (area outside the performance guarantee range) can be used.

  When the portrait mode is selected by the mode dial 13 shown in FIG. 16, a program diagram using an extra wide aperture is used to automatically control to take an image with a blur around the periphery. Other shooting modes that can be selected with the mode dial 13 include a sports mode suitable for moving body shooting (a shutter priority mode for shooting at a high shutter speed), a night view mode, a landscape mode, and the like. You can shoot brightly using an extra wide aperture, and you can also use a wide open when you use slow sync with a strobe (slow shutter stroboscope and you can shoot night scenes and people beautifully) it can.

<Appendix>
The present specification also discloses the following inventions (1) to (49).

  Invention (1): A method for controlling the aperture of a lens used in a camera, wherein the lens is used outside a normal photographing aperture range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and outside the guaranteed range of the predetermined optical performance. A non-standard aperture position is prepared to enable this, and automatic exposure adjustment (AE), automatic focus adjustment (AF), electronic zoom use, movie display, movie recording shooting, and low by pixel decimation An aperture control method for a camera, characterized in that the aperture mechanism is controlled to use the non-specified aperture position during at least one camera operation during resolution shooting.

  According to the invention (1), the maximum aperture and the minimum aperture are defined in order to ensure the predetermined optical performance of the lens, and the aperture within the normal shooting aperture range from the maximum aperture to the minimum aperture is used for normal shooting. Is done. In the present invention, a non-standard open aperture (extra open aperture) larger than the maximum aperture, a non-standard small aperture (extra small aperture) smaller than the minimum aperture, or both non-standard aperture positions in the aperture mechanism. The non-specified aperture position is used when operating at least one of the AE, AF, electronic zoom, movie display, movie recording shooting, and low resolution shooting by pixel thinning. To do.

  Thereby, the lens performance can be utilized to the maximum without deteriorating the captured image, and various performances of the camera can be improved.

  In order to embody the above method invention, a camera aperture control device according to the invention (2) is provided.

  Invention (2): In a device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, first restriction means for restricting a size of a diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and the normal photographing diaphragm A second limiting means for limiting a diaphragm size within a diaphragm range including an out-of-range diaphragm position outside the range; and at least one camera operation during automatic exposure adjustment (AE) and automatic focus adjustment (AF). The aperture is determined within the aperture range determined by the second limiting means, and the aperture mechanism is operated so as to realize the determined aperture. On the other hand, at the time of shooting for image recording, the normal is determined by the first limiting means. A camera aperture control apparatus comprising: a control unit that determines an aperture within a photographing aperture range and operates an aperture mechanism so as to realize the determined aperture.

  Invention (3): In a device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, first restriction means for restricting a size of a diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range capable of guaranteeing predetermined optical performance, and the normal photographing diaphragm A second restricting means for restricting the size of the diaphragm within an aperture range including an out-of-specified aperture position outside the range; and an aperture determined by the second restricting means when performing an enlarged photographing of the center of the screen by the electronic zoom function. When the aperture is determined within the range and the aperture mechanism is operated so as to realize the determined aperture, while shooting is performed without using the electronic zoom function, the normal shooting aperture range determined by the first limiting means And a control means for operating a diaphragm mechanism so as to realize the determined diaphragm, and a diaphragm control device for a camera.

  Invention (4): In a device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, first restriction means for restricting the size of the diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and the normal photographing diaphragm A second restricting means for restricting the size of the aperture within an aperture range including an out-of-specified aperture position outside the range; and when shooting for still image recording, the aperture is within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the first control means. And operating the aperture mechanism to realize the determined aperture, while at least one of the camera operations during movie display and movie recording is within the aperture range defined by the second limiting means. And a control means for operating the aperture mechanism so as to realize the determined aperture, and a diaphragm control device for a camera.

  Invention (5): In a device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, first restriction means for restricting the size of the diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and the normal photographing diaphragm A second restricting means for restricting the size of an aperture within an aperture range including an out-of-specified aperture position outside the range; and the first control means at the time of shooting in a high resolution mode in which the number of pixels during image recording is relatively large A low-resolution mode in which the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by, and the aperture mechanism is operated to realize the determined aperture, while the number of pixels during image recording is relatively smaller than the high-resolution mode. Control means for determining a diaphragm within a diaphragm range determined by the second restricting means and operating a diaphragm mechanism so as to realize the determined diaphragm. Camera aperture control device, characterized in that the.

  Inventions (6) to (11) provide a camera equipped with the aperture control device of inventions (1) to (5).

  Invention (6): A photographing lens, a diaphragm mechanism for adjusting the amount of light incident through the photographing lens, and a diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance for an optical system including the photographing lens and the diaphragm mechanism. A first limiting unit that limits the size of the aperture, a second limiting unit that limits the size of the aperture within an aperture range that includes an aperture position outside the normal shooting aperture range, and automatic exposure adjustment (AE) When at least one camera is operated during automatic focus adjustment (AF), an aperture is determined within the aperture range determined by the second limiting means, and the aperture mechanism is operated to realize the determined aperture. While performing the camera operation, the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the first restricting unit during shooting for image recording, and the aperture is set to realize the determined aperture. Camera comprising: the control means actuates the mechanism to perform the photographing operation for the image recording, the.

  Invention (7): An imaging lens, an aperture mechanism that adjusts the amount of light incident through the imaging lens, an imaging device that converts light incident through the imaging lens and the aperture mechanism into an electrical signal, and the imaging An electronic zoom processing means for generating an enlarged image of the area using a signal of a partial area corresponding to the central portion of the screen among image signals output from the element, and an operation for selecting whether to use the electronic zoom processing means Means, a recording means for recording image data acquired via the image sensor on a recording medium, and an aperture of a diaphragm within a normal photographing aperture range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance for an optical system including the photographing lens and the diaphragm mechanism. A first restricting means for restricting the size; a second restricting means for restricting the size of an aperture within an aperture range including an outside-specified aperture position outside the normal photographing aperture range; and the electronic zoom. When performing magnified shooting of the central portion of the screen by the control unit, the aperture is determined within the aperture range determined by the second limiting unit, and the aperture mechanism is operated so as to realize the determined aperture, and shooting is performed. On the other hand, when shooting without using the electronic zoom processing means, the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the first limiting means, and the aperture mechanism is operated to realize the determined aperture. And a control means for executing shooting.

  Invention (8): The electronic zoom processing means can change an enlargement ratio, and the camera has a magnification designation means for designating an enlargement ratio in the electronic zoom processing means, and an enlargement ratio designated by the magnification designation means. The camera according to the invention (7), further comprising a non-standard aperture variable means capable of changing the non-standard aperture position accordingly.

  Invention (9): An imaging lens, an aperture mechanism that adjusts the amount of light incident through the imaging lens, an imaging device that converts light incident through the imaging lens and the aperture mechanism into an electrical signal, and the imaging Display output means for displaying video input via the element on the display means, recording means for recording the image data acquired via the imaging element on a recording medium, optical including the photographing lens and the aperture mechanism A first limiting means for limiting a diaphragm size within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance of the system; and a diaphragm size within a diaphragm range including a non-specified diaphragm position outside the normal photographing diaphragm range. The second limiting means for limiting, and at the time of shooting for still image recording, the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the first control means, and the determined aperture is realized. The recording mechanism is operated to perform shooting, while the video input via the image sensor is output to the display output means in real time and the video input via the image sensor is recorded as a moving image. When operating at least one of the cameras for movie recording to be stored in the means, the stop is determined within the stop range determined by the second restricting means, and the stop mechanism is operated so as to realize the determined stop. And a control means for executing photographing.

  Invention (10): An imaging lens, an aperture mechanism that adjusts the amount of light incident through the imaging lens, an imaging device that converts light incident through the imaging lens and the aperture mechanism into an electrical signal, and the imaging The recording means for recording the image data acquired through the element on the recording medium, and the aperture size is limited within a normal imaging aperture range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance for the optical system including the imaging lens and the aperture mechanism. First restricting means, second restricting means for restricting the size of the aperture within an aperture range including an out-of-standard aperture position outside the normal photographing aperture range, and resolution designating means for designating resolution at the time of image recording When the high resolution mode in which the number of pixels at the time of image recording is relatively large is designated by the resolution designation means, the normal photographing aperture range determined by the first control means is set. The aperture is determined and the aperture mechanism is operated so as to realize the determined aperture, and shooting is performed. On the other hand, the resolution designation means causes the number of pixels at the time of image recording to be relatively smaller than that in the high resolution mode. When the low resolution mode is designated, a control unit that determines an aperture within an aperture range determined by the second limiting unit, operates the aperture mechanism to realize the determined aperture, and performs shooting. A camera characterized by comprising

  Invention (11): The resolution specifying means can change the resolution in a plurality of stages, and the camera is capable of changing the non-specified aperture position according to the number of pixels indicated by the resolution specified by the resolution specifying means. The camera according to claim 10, further comprising an outer aperture varying unit.

  Invention (12): A method for controlling the aperture of a lens used in a camera, and controls the size of the aperture to be used within the first aperture limit range during normal shooting without causing the flash to fire, while An aperture control method for a camera, characterized in that the size of an aperture to be used is controlled within a second limit range different from the first aperture limit range during flash photography for flashing.

  Invention (13): In the camera aperture control method according to the invention (12), the method measures the subject distance, and when the subject distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the aperture is controlled within the second limit range. An aperture control method for a camera, characterized by controlling the aperture.

  Invention (14): In the camera aperture control method according to the invention (12), the method performs preliminary light emission to illuminate a subject before exposure for image recording, and shoots the subject illuminated by the preliminary light emission. The invention (12), wherein split photometry is performed to divide the screen into a plurality of areas, and whether or not to use the second limit range is determined based on the detection result of the split photometry. The aperture control method of the camera as described in 1.

  Invention (15): In the diaphragm control method for a camera according to invention (12), the method controls the diaphragm within the second limit range when a wide conversion lens is attached to the camera. A feature of a camera aperture control method.

  Invention (16): A method for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, wherein the lens is used outside a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and outside the guaranteed range of the predetermined optical performance. A method for controlling a diaphragm of a camera, comprising preparing a non-standard aperture position that enables the aperture mechanism and controlling the diaphragm mechanism so as to use the non-standard aperture position in accordance with a selected photographing mode.

  Invention (17): The camera aperture control method according to invention (16), wherein the non-specified aperture position is used when the portrait mode is selected as the photographing mode.

  Invention (18): A method for controlling the focal position of a photographic lens for forming an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, wherein the resolution of the captured image can be changed by a resolution changing means, and the resolution changing means The first focal position driving range for limiting the focal position driving range of the photographing lens at the time of high resolution photographing set is different from the first focal position driving range at the time of low resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means. A second focal position driving range that limits the focal position driving range of the lens in the range, and when high-resolution imaging is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing unit, the second focal position driving range is within the first focal position driving range. While adjusting the focal position of the lens, when low-resolution imaging is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing means, the imaging level is within the second focal position driving range. Camera lens control method characterized by adjusting the focal position of FIG.

  Invention (19): A method for controlling the focal position of the photographing lens in a camera equipped with an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographing lens into an electric signal, which is obtained via the imaging means. A first focal position driving range for limiting a focal position driving range of the photographing lens during normal photographing not using an electronic zoom function for obtaining an enlarged image by electronically processing the image signal, and the electronic zoom function A second focus position drive range is provided for limiting the focus position drive range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first focus position drive range at the time of electronic zoom shooting, and the first focus position at the time of normal shooting. While adjusting the focal position of the photographing lens within the focal position driving range, the focal position of the lens is within the second focal position driving range during the electronic zoom photographing. Camera lens control method, characterized in that to adjust.

  Invention (20): A method for controlling the focal length of a photographic lens for forming an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, wherein the resolution of the captured image can be changed by the resolution changing means, and the resolution changing means The first focal length variable range that restricts the focal length variable range of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution photographing set is different from the first focal length variable range at the time of low-resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means. A second focal length variable range that limits the focal length variable range of the photographing lens is prepared, and when high-resolution imaging is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing means, the first focal length variable range is used. While the focal length of the photographing lens is changed, the focal length of the photographing lens is changed within the second variable focal length range when low-resolution photographing is performed. Camera lens control method, characterized in that.

  Invention (21): A method for controlling the focal length of the photographing lens in a camera having an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographing lens into an electrical signal, which is obtained via the imaging means. A first focal length variable range for limiting a focal length variable range of the photographing lens at the time of normal photographing without using an electronic zoom function for obtaining an enlarged image by electronically processing the obtained image signal, and the electronic zoom function. A second focal length variable range that limits the focal length variable range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first focal length variable range at the time of the electronic zoom used is prepared, and at the time of the normal photographing, the first focal length variable range is prepared. While changing the focal length of the photographing lens within the variable focal length range, the focal length of the photographing lens is within the second variable focal length range during the electronic zoom photographing. Camera lens control method, characterized in that to change.

  Invention (22): A method for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, storing optical data relating to the performance of the lens, detecting a camera shake amount at the time of shooting, and detecting the detected camera shake amount. An aperture control method for a camera, wherein the optical data is compared and an aperture to be used is changed based on the comparison result.

  Invention (23): A device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, a first diaphragm limiting means for restricting the size of a diaphragm used during normal photographing that does not emit a strobe, and a strobe that emits a strobe A second aperture limiting unit that limits the size of the aperture used at the time of shooting within a range different from the first aperture limiting unit, and the aperture within the aperture range determined by the first limiting unit at the time of normal shooting. While determining and operating the aperture mechanism to realize the determined aperture, at the time of strobe shooting, the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the second limiting means, and the determined aperture is realized. And a control means for operating the aperture mechanism as described above.

  Invention (24): The control means uses the second aperture restriction means when the subject distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance based on the measurement result of the subject distance. A diaphragm control device for a camera according to claim 1.

  Invention (25): Preliminary light emission means for illuminating a subject by emitting light before exposure for image recording, photometry means for measuring light by dividing a photographing screen into a plurality of areas, and when preliminary light emission is performed by the preliminary light emission means And a determining means for determining whether or not to use the second restricting means based on a photometric detection result of the photometric means. The aperture control apparatus for a camera according to the invention (23), .

  Invention (26): The control means uses the second aperture limiting means when the wide conversion lens is mounted based on the detection result from the detection means for detecting that the wide conversion lens is mounted on the camera. A diaphragm control device for a camera according to the invention (23), characterized in that it is characterized in that:

  Invention (27): In a device for controlling a diaphragm of a lens used in a camera, first restriction means for restricting the size of a diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance, and the normal photographing diaphragm A second restricting means for restricting the size of the stop within an aperture range including an out-of-specified aperture position outside the range, and a normal photographing aperture range determined by the second restricting means according to the selected photographing mode. A control device for a camera, comprising: a control unit that determines an aperture and operates an aperture mechanism so as to realize the determined aperture.

  Invention (28): The aperture control apparatus for a camera according to invention (27), wherein the second aperture limiting means is used when a portrait mode is selected as the photographing mode.

  Invention (29): An apparatus for adjusting the focal position of a photographic lens for forming an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, wherein the apparatus focuses on the photographic lens during high-resolution imaging set by resolution changing means. A first limiting unit that limits the position driving range; and a second limiting unit that limits the focal position driving range of the photographing lens in a range different from that of the first limiting unit during low-resolution imaging set by the resolution changing unit. The control unit controls the driving of the photographing lens within a focus position driving range determined by the first limiting unit at the time of the high resolution shooting, and the focus position driving determined by the second limiting unit at the time of the low resolution shooting. And a control means for driving and controlling the photographing lens within a range.

  Invention (30): An apparatus for controlling the focal position of the photographing lens in a camera provided with an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographing lens into an electrical signal, the apparatus comprising the imaging means A first restricting means for restricting a focus position driving range of the photographing lens during normal photographing not using an electronic zoom function for obtaining an enlarged image by electronically processing an image signal acquired via the electronic zoom; and the electronic zoom It is determined by a second restricting means for restricting the focal position driving range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first restricting means at the time of electronic zoom photographing using the function, and by the first restricting means at the time of normal photographing. While driving the photographic lens within the focal position driving range, the front is moved within the focal position driving range determined by the second limiting means during the electronic zoom photographing. Lens control device for a camera, characterized in that it and a control means for driving and controlling the photographing lens.

  Invention (31): An apparatus for controlling the focal length of a photographic lens for forming an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, wherein the apparatus focuses on the photographic lens during high-resolution imaging set by resolution changing means. A first restriction unit that restricts a variable range of distance; and a second restriction unit that restricts the variable focal length range of the photographing lens in a range different from that of the first restriction unit at the time of low-resolution imaging set by the resolution changing unit. The photographic lens is driven and controlled within a variable focal length range determined by the first limiting device during the high-resolution imaging, and a focal length variable range determined by the second limiting device during low-resolution imaging. And a control means for controlling the driving of the photographing lens.

  Invention (32): An apparatus for controlling the focal length of the photographic lens in a camera having an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographic lens into an electrical signal, which is obtained via the imaging means. A first limiting means for limiting a variable range of the focal length of the photographing lens during normal photographing without using an electronic zoom function for obtaining an enlarged image by electronically processing the processed image signal, and using the electronic zoom function A second limiter that limits the focal length variable range of the lens at a range different from the first limiter at the time of electronic zoom shooting, and a focal length variable range determined by the first limiter at the time of normal shooting. The photographing lens is driven and controlled at the same time, while the electronic zoom photographing, the photographing lens is controlled within a focal length variable range determined by the second limiting means. Lens control device for a camera, characterized in that it comprises control means for dynamic control, the.

  Invention (33): A device for controlling the aperture of a lens used in a camera, the device comprising a blur amount detecting means for detecting a blur amount of the camera, and a memory for storing optical data relating to the performance of the lens And a control means for comparing the detection result of the blur detection means with the optical data and changing the aperture used at the time of photographing based on the comparison result. .

  As other modes in which the lens is used outside the performance guarantee range according to the shooting conditions (interlocking range wider than the range used for normal shooting), there are modes shown below.

  The image performance around the screen worsens as the aperture becomes wider, but when shooting with flash, there is often a subject in the center of the screen, and the surrounding area is low-luminance, so the image is taken even if the image performance is somewhat poor There is no problem. In view of this fact, there is a mode in which an extra wide aperture is used at the time of flash photography in order to increase the flash reach distance.

  Invention (34): photographing lens, aperture mechanism for adjusting the amount of light incident through the photographing lens, strobe light emitting means for emitting auxiliary light to the subject during exposure, and for normal photographing without using the strobe light emitting means A first aperture limiting means for limiting the size of the aperture used; and a second aperture limiting the size of the aperture used at the time of flash photography using the flash light emitting means within a range different from the first aperture limiting means. And a restricting means.

  Invention (35): The camera has distance measuring means for measuring a subject distance, and uses the second aperture limiting means when the subject distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance. Camera.

  As shown in the invention (35), in the case where the camera includes a distance measuring means, it is preferable to control the use of extra opening according to the detected distance. In other words, if the distance is within the distance range where the strobe light can reach with the wide aperture within the guaranteed performance range, photographing is performed with the wide aperture, and if the distance is longer than that, photographing is performed with the extra wide aperture.

  Invention (36): The camera includes a preliminary light emitting means for emitting light before exposure for image recording to illuminate a subject, a photometric means for measuring light by dividing a photographing screen into a plurality of areas, and the preliminary light emitting means. A determining means for determining whether or not to use the second restricting means based on a photometric detection result of the photometric means when preliminary light is emitted. camera.

  It is preferable to use the extra opening at the time of flash photography only when the subject is illuminated by the preliminary light emitting means before the exposure for recording and it is confirmed that the subject is present at the center of the screen as a result of the divided photometry. Of course, the strobe light emitting means can also be used as the preliminary light emitting means.

  Invention (37): The camera has a wide conversion lens mounting portion and detection means for detecting that the wide conversion lens is mounted on the mounting portion, and based on the detection result of the detection means, The camera of the invention (34), wherein the second aperture limiting means is used when a conversion lens is attached.

  When a wide conversion lens is attached to the lens barrel of the camera, the strobe light does not reach the peripheral portion due to the light distribution characteristics of the strobe, so there is no practical problem even if the peripheral image performance is poor. Therefore, there is a mode in which an aperture outside the performance guarantee range (extra open aperture) is used when the wide conversion lens is mounted.

  Invention (38): A photographing lens, a diaphragm mechanism for adjusting the amount of light incident through the photographing lens, and a diaphragm within a normal photographing diaphragm range that can guarantee a predetermined optical performance for an optical system including the photographing lens and the diaphragm mechanism. A first restricting means for restricting the size of the aperture, a second restricting means for restricting the size of the aperture within an aperture range including an out-of-specified aperture position outside the normal imaging aperture range, and a mode for setting the imaging mode. According to the shooting mode setting means and the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode setting means, the aperture is determined within the normal shooting aperture range determined by the second limiting means, and the determined aperture is realized. And a control means for operating an aperture mechanism.

  Invention (39): The camera according to invention (38), wherein the second aperture limiting means is used when a portrait mode is selected by the photographing mode setting means.

  Among various shooting modes in which appropriate shooting conditions are automatically set in accordance with the shooting scene, for example, in the portrait mode, it is considered that the photograph is better when the periphery is blurred to make the central person stand out. Therefore, when photographing in the portrait mode, there is no problem even if the peripheral image performance is deteriorated, so an aperture outside the performance guarantee range is used.

  Invention (40): A photographing lens for forming an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, a focal position control means for adjusting a focal position of the photographing lens, a resolution changing means for changing the resolution of a photographed image, A first limiting means for restricting a focal position driving range of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means; and a focal position driving range of the photographing lens at the time of low-resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means. And a second restricting means for restricting the image in a range different from the first restricting means.

  Invention (41): By electronically processing a photographic lens, an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographic lens into an electrical signal, and an image signal obtained through the imaging means Electronic zoom means for obtaining an enlarged image, focus position control means for adjusting the focus position of the photographing lens, and first restriction means for restricting the focus position driving range of the photographing lens during normal photographing without using the electronic zoom means And a second restricting means for restricting a focus position driving range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first restricting means at the time of electronic zoom photographing using the electronic zoom means. camera.

  The focus position that can be adjusted by focusing is usually limited in the macro area. This is because the resolution of the entire image, the resolution of the peripheral portion, and distortion increase. However, since shooting in low resolution mode or electronic zoom (image enlargement processing by image signal processing) does not affect the shot image, shooting at a closer distance than the limited range (focus close limit). Enable.

  Invention (42): A photographing lens, an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the photographing lens into an electrical signal, a focal length control means for changing a focal length of the photographing lens, and a photographed image A resolution changing means for changing the resolution of the first lens, a first limiting means for limiting a focal length variable range of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution shooting set by the resolution changing means, and a low resolution set by the resolution changing means A camera, comprising: a second restricting unit that restricts a variable focal length range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first restricting unit during photographing.

  Invention (43): By electronically processing an imaging lens, an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the imaging lens into an electrical signal, and an image signal acquired through the imaging means Electronic zoom means for obtaining an enlarged image, focal length control means for changing the focal length of the photographing lens, and first restriction means for restricting the focal length variable range of the photographing lens during normal photographing without using the electronic zoom means And a second restricting means for restricting a variable focal length range of the photographing lens in a range different from the first restricting means at the time of electronic zoom photographing using the electronic zoom means. camera.

  In the case of a zoom lens, the optical TELE end is often limited by the lens performance, but since there is no effect on the captured image when shooting in low resolution mode or electronic zooming, the optical TELE end is even more optical than the normal variable focal length. Allows side shooting.

  Invention (44): A photographing lens, a diaphragm mechanism for adjusting the amount of light incident through the photographing lens, a blur detecting means for detecting a blur amount of the camera, and a storage means for storing optical data relating to the performance of the photographing lens And a control means for comparing the detection result of the shake detection means with the optical data and changing the aperture used at the time of photographing based on the comparison result.

  Camera shake tends to occur when the focal length of the photographic lens is at the TELE side, but when shooting in the low resolution mode, it may not stand out even if the camera shakes slightly. Therefore, the amount of blurring of the image due to camera shake is calculated, and this calculation result is compared with the image performance data in the extra open. When the amount of blur due to the camera shake is larger, the extra open aperture is used to increase the shutter speed. Shoot at a point that balances camera shake and image performance.

  As a method that can be commonly applied to each of the above-described aspects, it is possible to control the contour enhancement so as to enhance the contour enhancement correction for the image signal so as to compensate for the decrease in resolution caused by the decrease in the image performance of the optical system. preferable.

  Invention (45): Imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through a photographing lens into an electrical signal, and contour enhancement means for performing correction for enhancing a contour component of a video signal acquired through the imaging means , A control method for determining an enhancement degree by the contour emphasizing unit according to at least one of a diaphragm at the time of photographing, a focal position of the photographing lens, and a focal length of the photographing lens. An outline emphasis control method characterized by changing an amount.

  Specifically, enhancement correction can be controlled by changing the circuit gain and coring level of the contour enhancement circuit.

  Invention (46): Imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through a photographing lens into an electrical signal, and contour enhancement means for performing correction for enhancing a contour component of a video signal acquired through the imaging means , A control device for determining the degree of enhancement by the contour enhancement unit according to at least one of a diaphragm at the time of photographing, a focal position of the photographing lens, and a focal length of the photographing lens. An outline emphasis control device characterized by changing an amount.

  Invention (47): An imaging lens, an imaging means for converting an optical image of a subject incident through the imaging lens into an electrical signal, and correction for enhancing a contour component of a video signal acquired through the imaging means The contour emphasizing means to be performed, and the control amount for determining the degree of emphasis by the contour emphasizing means is changed according to at least one condition among the aperture during photographing, the focal position of the photographing lens and the focal length of the photographing lens, And a control means for controlling the contour emphasis means.

  Invention (48): In a solid-state imaging device having a structure in which a large number of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged and a microlens is arranged in front of each photoelectric conversion element, the aperture ratio of the microlens is changed depending on the arrangement position of the microlens. A solid-state imaging device.

  The invention described in the invention (48) provides a solid-state imaging device capable of suppressing image performance deterioration around the screen.

  Invention (49): The solid-state imaging device according to the invention (48), wherein the aperture ratio decreases toward the periphery of the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device.

  By reducing the aperture ratio of the microlens arranged in the peripheral portion among the microlenses arranged on the solid-state imaging device, the peripheral image performance deterioration can be suppressed.

[Effect of the invention]
As described above, according to the present invention, an unspecified aperture (extra open aperture, extra small aperture) that is not used in normal shooting is prepared, and AE, AF, electronic zoom, movie display, thinning shooting (low resolution mode) ), Etc., use a non-standard aperture. As a result, the lens performance can be fully utilized without deteriorating the captured image, and various performances of the camera can be improved.

  Further, not only the aperture but also the zoom movable range, the focus adjustment range, and the like can be expanded, and the performance of the camera can be enhanced by effectively utilizing the area outside the performance guarantee range depending on the shooting conditions. Furthermore, further performance improvement can be achieved by combining signal processing techniques unique to the electronic camera, such as an electronic zoom function and contour enhancement correction.

1 is a front perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a rear perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. The graph which shows the mode of a change of MTF by aperture_diaphragm | restriction A graph showing how the aperture range for which performance can be guaranteed is expanded when using the electronic zoom A graph showing how the aperture range that can be used in the thinning mode is expanded Explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the shooting angle of view and the detection area during AF The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 1st aspect. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between imaging | photography angle of view and AE division | segmentation photometry detection area The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 2nd aspect. Explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the normal shooting angle of view and the shooting angle of view when using the electronic zoom The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 3rd aspect. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 4th aspect. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 5th aspect. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the camera control which concerns on a 6th aspect. The front side perspective view of the camera which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 16. Block diagram of the camera shown in FIG. Conceptual diagram of split metering The block diagram of the camera which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. A graph showing the relationship between the focal position and the MTF (for low-resolution imaging) The graph which shows the relationship between a focus position and MTF (in the case of electronic zoom) Graph showing the relationship between focal length and MTF (for low-resolution photography) Graph showing the relationship between focal length and MTF (in the case of electronic zoom) Conceptual diagram showing the zoom range by combining optical zoom and electronic zoom Block diagram showing an example of an edge enhancement circuit Sectional drawing of the solid-state image sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,70,90 ... Camera, 12 ... Shooting lens, 13 ... Mode dial (shooting mode setting means), 14 ... Strobe light emission part (strobe light emission means, preliminary light emission means), 15 ... Distance sensor (ranging means), DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... Liquid crystal monitor (output means for a display), 26 ... Iris diaphragm (diaphragm mechanism), 28 ... Solid-state image sensor (imaging means), 30 ... Aperture control circuit, 32 ... Control CPU (1st aperture restriction means, 2nd Aperture limiting means, first limiting means, second limiting means, control means, non-specified aperture variable means, determination means, focal position control means, focal length control means), 42... Signal processing unit (electronic zoom processing means) , Electronic zoom means), 44... Image display device (display output means), 46 .. operation unit (operation means, magnification designation means, resolution designation means), 72... Conversion lens, 74. Conversion detection circuit, 91 ... zoom lens, 92 ... focus lens, 94 ... zoom control circuit, 95 ... focus control circuit, 97 ... non-volatile memory (storage means), 100 ... contour correction circuit, 110 ... contour signal generation circuit, 114 ... Coring circuit, 120 ... CCD, 122 ... Photodiode (photoelectric conversion element), 124 ... Microlens, 126 ... Light shielding mask

Claims (9)

A method for controlling a focal position of a photographing lens that forms an image of a subject on an imaging surface of a camera,
The resolution of the captured image can be changed by the resolution changing means,
A first focal position that limits a focal position driving range as a focal adjustment range from the infinity side to the near distance limit, which can adjust the focal position of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution imaging set by the resolution changing unit. It prepared a driving range, a second focus position driving range that limits the focal position driving range of the photographing lens in a different range from that of the first focal position drive range in the low-resolution imaging is set by the resolution changing means And
When high-resolution shooting is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing unit, the focal position of the photographing lens is adjusted within the first focus position driving range, while low-resolution shooting is performed according to the setting of the resolution changing unit. In this case, the camera lens control method adjusts the focal position of the photographing lens within the second focal position driving range. An apparatus for adjusting the focal position of a photographic lens that forms an image of a subject on the imaging surface of a camera, the apparatus comprising:
A first restricting means for restricting a focus position driving range as a focus adjustment range from the infinity side to a near distance limit capable of adjusting the focus position of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means; ,
A second limiting means for limiting a different range from that of the first restriction means the focal position driving range of the photographing lens in the low-resolution imaging is set by the resolution changing means,
During the high resolution shooting, the shooting lens is driven and controlled within the first focus position driving range determined by the first limiting means, while the second focus determined by the second limiting means during the low resolution shooting. Control means for driving and controlling the photographing lens within a position driving range;
A lens control apparatus for a camera, comprising: A photographic lens that forms an image of the subject on the imaging surface of the camera;
A focal position control means for adjusting a focal position of the photographing lens;
Resolution changing means for changing the resolution of the captured image;
First restriction means for restricting a focus position driving range as a focus adjustment range from the infinity side to the near distance limit, which can adjust the focus position of the photographing lens at the time of high-resolution photographing set by the resolution changing means. When,
A second limiting means for limiting a different range from that of the first restriction means the focal position driving range of the photographing lens in the low-resolution imaging is set by the resolution changing means,
A camera characterized by comprising   2. The camera lens control according to claim 1, wherein the usable range of the second focus position driving range is an extended range closer to the first focus position driving range than the first focus position driving range. Method. The usable range of the second focal position driving range determined by the second limiting means is extended closer to the first focal position driving range determined by the first limiting means. The camera lens control device according to claim 2 , wherein the lens control device is a camera. The focus position driving range defined by the second restricting means is an extended range that can be used closer to the focus position driving range defined by the first restricting means. The camera according to claim 3 . The resolution and a camera lens control method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that a shooting resolution determined by the combination of the image size and the compression rate. 6. The camera lens control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the resolution is a photographing resolution determined by a combination of an image size and a compression rate. The camera according to claim 3 or 6 , wherein the resolution is a photographing resolution determined by a combination of an image size and a compression rate.

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