JP5602472B2 - Image capturing apparatus and method for controlling image capturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control method of the imaging apparatus and the imaging devices, and particularly, has a first instruction unit for instructing still image shooting, the second instruction unit for instructing a moving image, the operation of both the instruction unit The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus and a photographing apparatus control method for improving the above.

  In recent years, cameras that can shoot moving images in addition to still images have been provided. In this type of camera, in order to be able to immediately start either the still image shooting or the moving image shooting according to the photographer's intention, a dedicated operation member for moving image shooting mainly for shooting a moving image, In addition, a dedicated operation member for taking a still image for mainly taking a still image is arranged. The still image shooting during moving image shooting and the moving image shooting during still image shooting standby are independent operation systems.

  For example, Patent Document 1 includes a switch for starting and ending moving image shooting and a switch for performing still image shooting, and when a still image shooting switch is pressed while moving image shooting is performed. Discloses a still image / moving image camera that stops moving image shooting and records a still image automatically or by selection.

Japanese Patent No. 3673528

  As described above, a still image / moving image camera capable of both still image shooting and moving image shooting is provided. However, if one shooting control sequence conflicts with the other shooting control sequence, various shootings can be performed. It becomes a problem in the scene. Therefore, even if still image shooting and moving image shooting are configured as independent operation systems, an unusable mode may be generated and wasted. Even if convenience is improved by using independent operation buttons, the increase in the number of operation buttons increases the density of the operation buttons in a limited arrangement space, so that the operation becomes complicated, and there is an opportunity for photographing due to an erroneous operation. The risk of losing is increased. For this reason, the addition of a simple operation member is not preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in an imaging apparatus having a first instruction unit for instructing still image shooting and a second instruction unit for instructing moving image shooting. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographing apparatus and a photographing apparatus control method in which no contradiction occurs and an independent operation system is not wasted.

Imaging apparatus according to the first invention for achieving the above object, a first imaging instruction section for instructing still image shooting, and the second imaging instruction section for instructing the moving image shooting, the upper SL still image shooting and a photographing mode setting means for setting a photographing mode including moving image shooting, the second imaging instruction section, a second selectively setting the instruction of the moving image photographing as functions related to including at least two shooting Shooting instruction section customizing means, and still image shooting mode changing means for changing a still image shooting mode for performing still image shooting to a predetermined still image shooting mode, and the second shooting instruction section customizing means includes: When the still image shooting mode changing means changes to the shooting mode related to bulb shooting, the second shooting instruction section is configured to be switchable so as to issue an instruction related to still image shooting .

In the photographing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the second photographing instruction section customizing unit is configured to perform the second photographing instruction when the moving image photographing mode is set by the photographing mode setting unit. Only the functions related to the start and stop of moving image shooting are set as the shooting functions of the unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the photographing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the second photographing instruction unit customizing means is changed to the photographing mode related to bulb photographing by the still image photographing mode changing means. 2 is customized to give instructions regarding the start and end of bulb shooting.
When the photographing apparatus according to the fourth invention is changed to the photographing mode related to bulb photographing by the still image photographing mode changing means in the first invention, a photographing instruction by the first photographing instruction unit, Any instruction of the imaging instruction by the second imaging instruction unit is permitted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a photographing apparatus including a first photographing instruction unit for instructing still image photographing and a second photographing instruction unit for instructing moving image photographing. , It is determined whether a predetermined still image shooting mode including a shooting mode related to bulb shooting or a moving image shooting mode is set, and if the predetermined still image shooting mode is set as a result of the determination, A predetermined function is assigned to the second shooting instruction unit, and when the shooting mode related to the bulb shooting is changed, the second shooting instruction unit can be switched to issue an instruction related to still image shooting. .

According to the present invention, in an imaging apparatus having a first instruction unit for instructing still image shooting and a second instruction unit for instructing moving image shooting, no contradiction occurs in a shooting scene, and an independent operation system is wasted. It is possible to provide an imaging apparatus and a control method for the imaging apparatus that are not required.

It is a block diagram which shows mainly an electrical structure of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the external appearance perspective view seen from the back side of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the imaging | photography mode which changes according to the scene mode selected by operation of the imaging | photography mode dial of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the setting of the function of a moving image button in the menu screen of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the main operation | movement of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the video recording of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of powering on / changing a shooting mode of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of Flag2 content change of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st modification of operation | movement of Flag2 content change operation of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows imaging | photography operation | movement when a moving image button is set to the mode dependence function in the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd modification of the operation | movement of Flag2 content change operation of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the main operation | movement of the camera concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described using a camera to which the present invention is applied. A camera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a digital camera, and includes an imaging unit. The imaging unit converts the subject image into image data. Based on the converted image data, the subject image is converted to the main body. Live view is displayed on the display unit on the back. The photographer determines the shutter timing for the composition, still image, and moving image by observing the live view display.

  The camera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has a release button for shooting a still image (linked to the first switch) and a movie button for shooting a movie (linked to the second switch). When the button is operated, still image data is recorded on the recording medium. When the moving image button is operated, recording of moving image data is started, and when the moving image button is operated again, recording of moving image data is stopped. . The image data recorded on the recording medium can be reproduced and displayed on the display unit when the reproduction mode is selected.

  In addition, when shooting a still image, a bulb shooting mode can be selected. Bulb shooting involves exposure over a long period of time from several seconds to several tens of minutes.However, if you inadvertently depress the movie button during bulb shooting, stop bulb shooting, and start movie shooting, Is inappropriate. Moreover, bulb shooting is a dark subject and is not suitable for moving image shooting. Therefore, when the bulb shooting mode is selected, it is desirable to prioritize still image shooting over moving image shooting. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the bulb shooting mode is selected, moving image shooting is prohibited. It is also convenient to have a time function that instructs the end of bulb photography. Therefore, a time function is assigned to the moving image button.

  Further, when shooting a still image, the AE bracket shooting mode can be selected. In the AE bracket shooting, a plurality of still images are shot while automatically changing the exposure condition. If the moving image button is inadvertently depressed during AE bracket shooting, AE bracket shooting is stopped, and moving image shooting is started, it is not suitable as still image shooting. In addition, since AE bracket shooting is a shooting method that assumes a series of shootings, a still image parameter must be held for AE bracket shooting during movie shooting when it is unknown. Not only is it a burden on the control, but depending on the holding time, it completely deviates from the intention of bracket shooting. Therefore, when the AE bracket shooting mode is selected, it is desirable to prioritize still image shooting over moving image shooting. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the AE bracket shooting mode is selected, moving image shooting is prohibited and AE lock and AF lock functions are assigned to the moving image buttons.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention other than the above-described bulb shooting mode and AE bracket shooting mode, when a panorama shooting mode, a multiple exposure shooting mode, or the like is selected, movie shooting is prohibited and the movie button is used. Assigns functions other than the moving image shooting start / stop function.

  The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram mainly showing an electrical configuration of a camera 100 according to the present embodiment. An aperture mechanism 103, a shutter 105, and an image sensor 107 are disposed on the optical axis of the photographing lens 101. The output of the image sensor 107 is connected to the A / D converter 109, and the output of the A / D converter 109 is connected to the memory 110. The memory 110 is connected to the image processing unit 111 and the system control unit 116. The system control unit 116 includes an imaging control unit 108, a shutter control unit 106, an aperture control unit 104, a lens control unit 102, an exposure control unit 112, an AF processing unit 113, a flash control unit 121, a nonvolatile memory 118, and an external memory 114. The display unit 115, the operation unit 117, and the power control unit 120 are connected to each other. The above-described imaging control unit 108 is connected to the imaging element 107, the shutter control unit 106 is connected to the shutter 105, the aperture control unit 104 is connected to the aperture 103, and the lens control unit 102 is the imaging lens 101. It is connected to the. The power control unit 120 is connected to the power supply unit 119, and the flash control unit 121 is connected to the flash charging unit 122 and the flash light emitting unit 123, respectively.

  The photographing lens 101 is an optical system for condensing a subject light beam on the image sensor 107 and forming a subject image. The photographing lens 101 is moved in the optical axis direction by the lens control unit 102 that operates in response to an instruction from the system control unit 116, and the focus state changes. The diaphragm mechanism 103 adjusts the incident amount of the subject light beam incident on the image sensor 107 via the photographing lens 101. The aperture amount of the aperture mechanism 103 is controlled by the aperture controller 104 that operates in accordance with an instruction from the system controller 116.

  The shutter 105 opens and closes the light flux of the subject image formed by the photographing lens 101, and is configured by a known lens shutter, focal plane shutter, or the like. The shutter opening time (shutter speed value) of the shutter 105 is controlled by the shutter control unit 106 that operates in accordance with an instruction from the system control unit 116.

  The image sensor 107 is a two-dimensional image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor, and is a photoelectric conversion such as a Bayer array color filter disposed on the front surface and a photodiode array corresponding to the color filter. It is composed of elements. Each color filter and each corresponding photoelectric conversion element form each pixel, and a pixel group forms an imaging region. The image sensor 107 receives the light collected by the photographing lens 101 by each pixel and converts it into a photocurrent, accumulates this photocurrent in a capacitor, and sends it to the A / D converter 109 as an analog voltage signal (image signal). Output. The imaging control unit 108 controls the operation of the imaging element 107 in accordance with an instruction from the system control unit 116.

  The A / D conversion unit 109 converts an analog voltage signal (image signal) output from the image sensor 107 into a digital image signal (image data). The memory 110 is a storage unit that temporarily stores various data such as image data obtained by the A / D conversion unit 109 and image data processed by the image processing unit 111. In this specification, as long as the signal is based on the image signal output from the image sensor 107, the image includes not only the signal A / D converted by the A / D converter 109 but also the image processed signal. This is called data.

  The image processing unit 111 reads out image data temporarily stored in the memory 110 and performs image processing such as white balance correction processing, synchronization processing, and color conversion processing on the image data. The image processing unit 111 performs image compression when recording in an external memory 114 described later, and decompresses compressed image data read from the external memory 114.

  The exposure control unit 112 calculates subject brightness (brightness of the scene including the subject) using the image data temporarily stored in the memory 110. Of course, the subject brightness may be calculated using a dedicated photometric sensor. An AF (Auto Focus) processing unit 113 extracts a high-frequency component signal from image data temporarily stored in the memory 110, and acquires a focus evaluation value by AF integration processing. Based on the focus evaluation value, the system control unit 116 performs drive control through the lens control unit 102 so that the photographing lens 101 is in the in-focus position. Of course, the AF processing unit 113 may be provided with a dedicated sensor such as a TTL phase difference AF sensor, and the focus shift amount of the photographing lens 101 may be obtained based on the output of the dedicated sensor. The exposure control unit 112 and the AF processing unit 113 perform processing suitable for each shooting mode during still image shooting and during moving image shooting, and the processing of both is different.

  The system control unit 116 includes an ASIC including a CPU and the like, and comprehensively controls various sequences of the camera 100 such as the imaging control unit 108 and the flash control unit 121. The operation unit 117 includes a power button 117a (hereinafter, see FIG. 2 for buttons), a release button 117b, a shooting mode dial 117c, a movie button 117d, a function button 117e, a cross button 117f, an OK button 117g, a menu button, various input keys. It is an operation member. When the user operates one of the operation members of the operation unit 117, the system control unit 116 executes various sequences according to the user's operation.

  The power button 117a in the operation unit 117 is an operation member for instructing the power on / off of the camera 100. The system control unit 116 is turned on when the power button 117a is pressed, and the power is turned off when the power button 117a is pressed again. . The release button 117b has a two-stage switch including a 1st release switch and a 2nd release switch (also referred to as a first switch). When the release button 117b is half-pressed, the 1st release switch is turned on. When the release button 117b is further pressed halfway and fully pressed, the 2nd release switch is turned on. When the 1st release switch is turned on, the system control unit 116 executes a shooting preparation sequence such as AE processing and AF processing. When the 2nd release switch is turned on, the system control unit 116 executes a still image shooting sequence to perform shooting.

  The moving image button 117d in the operation unit 117 is linked to the second switch, and is a button for instructing start and stop of moving image shooting. When the moving image button 117d is first depressed, moving image shooting starts. When the moving image button 117d is depressed again, moving image shooting is stopped. However, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, the function of the moving image button 117d can be assigned a function other than moving image shooting on the menu screen, and in this case, the function operates. The above-described system control unit 116 and the like function as a second switch customization unit that selectively sets at least two or more shooting functions including a moving image shooting start and stop function.

  The shooting mode dial 117c is a dial for setting an auto mode, an aperture priority mode, a shutter speed priority mode, a movie shooting mode (moving image shooting mode), a scene mode, a bulb shooting mode, and the like. It will be described later. The shooting mode change operation member such as the shooting mode dial 117c, the system control unit 116, and the like change a still image shooting mode for performing still image shooting to a predetermined still image shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode. Functions as a means.

  The external memory 114 is, for example, a storage medium that is detachable from the camera body, and stores the image data compressed by the image processing unit 111 and its associated data. The recording medium for recording image data or the like is not limited to an external memory that can be attached to and detached from the camera body, but may be a recording medium such as a hard disk built in the camera body.

  The display unit 115 includes a liquid crystal monitor 115a (see FIG. 2) disposed on the back surface of the camera body and the like, and performs live view display based on image data. In addition, the display unit 115 reproduces and displays the captured image recorded in the external memory 114, and further displays a menu screen for setting an exposure control value and the like and setting a shooting mode and the like. On this menu screen, the function of the moving image button 117d, the function setting of the function button (Fn button) 117e, and the like are performed. In addition, as long as it can display an image etc., not only a liquid crystal monitor but a display, such as organic EL, may be used.

  The nonvolatile memory 118 is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory, and stores various parameters necessary for the operation of the camera 100. The nonvolatile memory 118 also stores a program executed by the system control unit 116. The system control unit 116 reads parameters stored in the non-volatile memory 118 according to a program stored in the non-volatile memory 118, and executes various sequences.

  The power supply unit 119 supplies power necessary for the operation of each unit of the camera 100, and is configured by a power supply battery such as a secondary battery, for example. The power supply control unit 120 controls the power supply unit 119 such as detection of a power supply voltage and a remaining amount of a battery constituting the power supply unit 119.

  The flash control unit 121 controls the charging operation in the flash charging unit 122 and the light emitting operation in the flash light emitting unit 123 according to an instruction from the system control unit 116. The flash charging unit 122 includes a booster circuit that boosts the power supply voltage of the power supply unit 119 and a capacitor that stores energy using the boosted voltage. The flash charging unit 122 stores energy necessary for the flash light emitting unit 123 to emit light. . The flash light-emitting unit 123 includes, for example, a light-emitting tube such as a xenon (Xe) tube and a reflector, and the energy stored in the capacitor of the flash charging unit 122 when the light-emission instruction is received from the flash control unit 121. Use to emit light.

  Next, the appearance of the camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of the camera 100 as seen from the back side. The interchangeable lens 20 is attached to the camera body 10. On the upper surface of the camera body 10, a power button 117a, a release button 117b, and a shooting mode dial 117c are arranged.

  In addition, a liquid crystal monitor 115a is disposed on the back surface of the camera body 10, thereby performing various displays such as a live view display of a subject image and a menu screen display. A moving image button 117d and a function button 117e are arranged on the upper right side of the rear surface of the camera body 10, and a cross button 117g and an OK button 117f are arranged below these buttons. The cross button 117g moves the cursor on the menu screen or the like displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 115a, and can confirm the item selected by the cursor by pressing the OK button 117f.

  Next, the shooting mode set by the shooting mode dial 117c will be described with reference to FIG. The shooting mode dial 117c is rotatably supported, and symbols and pictorial symbols representing the scene mode 117ca, movie shooting mode (movie shooting mode) 117cb, bulb shooting mode 117cc, and the like are drawn on the shooting mode dial 117c. It is. A shooting mode index 117cg is imprinted in the vicinity of the shooting mode dial 117c, and when the shooting mode dial 117c is rotated to coincide with the shooting mode index 117cg, the matching shooting mode is set.

  When the scene mode 117ca is matched with the shooting mode index 117cg among the shooting modes, a scene selection screen is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 115a as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the scene SCN1 represents a portrait mode, the scene SCN2 represents a landscape mode, the scene SCN3 represents a sports mode, etc. As shown in FIG. 3, 14 scenes from a scene SCN1 to a scene SCN14 are prepared. Yes. When a scene is selected, the scene is sequentially changed by operating the upper button or the lower button of the cross button 117f, and the scene is determined by operating the OK button 117g. In addition, the scene determined by operating the menu button is canceled. When a scene is set, the system control unit 116 performs control such as exposure control, AF control, and image processing suitable for the set scene. The operation unit 117 such as the shooting mode dial 117c or the system control unit 116 is changed to a predetermined still image shooting mode that can be set when taking a still image such as a bulb shooting mode, a bracket shooting mode, and a panorama shooting mode. Still image shooting mode changing means is configured.

  Next, function assignment of the moving image button 117d will be described with reference to FIG. The function of the moving image button 117d can be changed by operating the menu button, opening the customize menu screen on the liquid crystal monitor 115a, selecting "button function", and operating the cross button 117f. That is, the function can be sequentially changed by operating the upper button or the lower button of the cross button 117f, and the function can be set by operating the OK button 117g. The setting of these shooting functions is performed by the operation unit 117 such as the moving image button 117d and the system control unit 116, and functions as a customizing unit for the second switch linked to the moving image button 117d.

  When the function to be assigned to the moving image button 117d is set, the flag (Flag) 1 is written in the nonvolatile memory 118 or a random access memory (RAM) (not shown). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a face & back function for properly exposing the face and background on the screen, a preview function for performing a preview display, a one-touch WB function for setting a white balance by one touch, and the like, as shown in FIG. Street functions can be assigned.

  When the 10th AEL / AFL function among the 15 functions is assigned to the movie button 117d, the AE lock function for properly exposing the subject at the center of the screen when the movie button 117d is operated, and the subject The AF lock function for focusing is executed. Further, when the eleventh moving image start / stop function is assigned, moving image shooting is started when the moving image button 117d is operated, and moving image shooting is stopped when the moving image button 117d is operated again. Further, when the 13th OFF function is assigned, no operation is performed even if the moving image button 117d is operated. Further, when the 14th time function is assigned, exposure is started when the moving image button 117d is operated during bulb shooting (that is, the shutter 105 is opened), and exposure is ended when the moving image button 117d is operated again (that is, the shutter 105 is operated). Close). Furthermore, when the 15th mode-dependent function is assigned, it depends on other set shooting modes, for example, shooting modes such as bulb shooting mode, bracket (BKT) shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, multiple exposure shooting mode, etc. The function of the movie button 117d is automatically changed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, functions such as a time function during bulb photographing and an AEL / AFL function can be assigned in addition to the moving image start / stop function that is the original function of the moving image button 117d. Bulb shooting, auto bracket shooting, and the like are not used during moving image shooting, and a time function, an AEL / AFL function, and the like that are frequently used in such a case are assigned to the moving image button 117d.

  Next, the operation of the camera 100 in the present embodiment will be described using the flowcharts shown in FIGS. This flow is executed by the system control unit 116 according to a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 118. The flow shown in FIG. 5 is a main routine operation. This main routine starts executing when the power button 117a of the operation unit 117 is turned on.

  When the operation of the main routine is started, a live view operation is first performed (S1). In the live view operation, the image signal output from the image sensor 107 is subjected to image processing for live view display by the image processing unit 111, and the processed image data is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 115 a of the display unit 115. The photographer looks at this live view display, determines the composition of the still image or moving image, and determines the shutter timing.

  When the live view operation is performed, it is next determined whether or not the release button 117b of the operation unit 117 is half-pressed, that is, whether or not the 1st release switch is on (S3). If the result of this determination is that the first release switch is on, AF processing is executed (S5). In this step, the system control unit 116 makes the subject image formed on the image sensor 107 the clearest based on the focus evaluation value obtained by the AF processing unit 113, in other words, the focus state. Thus, the focus state of the taking lens 101 is controlled via the lens control unit 102.

  Once the AF process is performed, photometry is performed (S7) and exposure calculation is performed (S9). In these steps, the system control unit 116 calculates subject luminance in the exposure control unit 112, and obtains exposure control values such as an aperture value and a shutter speed (accumulation time) using the calculated subject luminance. The aperture value and shutter speed are calculated by apex calculation or table reference.

  If exposure calculation is performed in step S9, or if the result of determination in step S3 is that the first release is not on, a moving image switch (also referred to as a second switch) that is turned on / off in conjunction with the moving image button 117d is next. ) Is turned on (S11). Here, the determination is made based on on / off of a moving image switch state flag that is reversed every time the moving image button 117d is operated.

  If the result of determination in step S11 is that the movie switch is on, movie switch function processing is next executed (S13). The function assigned to the moving image button 117d is stored as a moving image button function reference flag in the nonvolatile memory 118 or a volatile memory (not shown), and this flag is read to determine the processing contents. The moving image button function reference flag is set in a power-on / shooting mode change subroutine which will be described later with reference to FIG. The operation when the moving image start / stop function is assigned to the moving image button 117d will be described later with reference to FIG.

  When the moving image switch function processing in step S13 is executed, or if the result of determination in step S11 is that the moving image switch is not on, it is next determined whether or not the 2nd release switch is on (S15). Here, it is determined whether or not the release button 117b is fully pressed. If the result of this determination is that the 2nd release switch is not on, processing returns to step S1. Until the 2nd release switch is turned on, the system control unit 116 repeatedly executes step S1 to step S13, performs live view display, and performs AF (automatic focus adjustment) and AE (automatic exposure control) with respect to changes in the subject. ). When the moving image button 117d is operated, the function assigned to the moving image button 117d is executed.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S15 is that the 2nd release switch is on, still image shooting is started (S21). In still image shooting, the system control unit 116 controls the shutter control unit 106 and the aperture control unit 104 to achieve proper exposure of the shutter 105 and the aperture 103, and the image data acquired by the image sensor 107 at this time is used as the image processing unit. After processing by 111, it is recorded in the external memory 114.

  When still image shooting is started in step S21, next, as in step S11, it is determined whether or not the movie switch is on (S23). If the result of this determination is that the movie switch is on, Similarly to step S13, the moving image switch function process is executed (S25). In the case of simple single frame shooting, when the 2nd release is turned on, still image shooting starts and ends immediately. However, in bulb shooting, auto bracket shooting, continuous shooting, etc., even if still image shooting is started, Does not end. During this time, the function assigned to the movie button 117d can be executed by operating the movie button 117d. For example, if bulb shooting is started when a time function is assigned to the movie button 117d, bulb photography can be ended by operating the movie button 117d.

If the moving image switch function process is executed in step S25, or if the result of determination in step S23 is that the moving image switch is not on, it is next determined whether or not still image shooting has ended (S27). Here, it is determined whether or not the recording of the image data of the still image is finished. In the case of simple single frame shooting, the end of still image shooting ends when image data of a still image is recorded, but in the case of predetermined still image shooting, shooting ends at the next time point.
(1) In continuous shooting mode, when the 2nd release is turned off and continuous shooting is stopped,
(2) In the bracket shooting mode, when a predetermined number of bracket (BKT) shootings are completed,
(3) In the panorama shooting mode, the end of panorama shooting is instructed, and when panorama shooting ends,
(4) In the multiple exposure shooting mode, when the end of multiple exposure shooting is instructed and the multiple exposure shooting ends.
If the result of determination in step S27 is that still image shooting has not been completed, processing returns to step S23 and still image shooting is continued. On the other hand, when the still image shooting is completed as a result of the determination, the process returns to step S1.

  Next, the motion picture shooting operation when the motion picture start / stop function is assigned to the motion picture button 117d will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This moving image shooting flow is executed in step S13 when the moving image switch is turned on as a result of the determination in step S11 of FIG.

  When the moving image shooting flow starts, moving image shooting is started (S31). Here, the image data acquired by the image sensor 107 is processed by the image processing unit 111 and then recorded in the external memory 114. At the same time, live view display is performed on the display unit 115.

  When moving image shooting is started, it is subsequently determined whether or not the moving image switch is turned on as in step S11 (S33). As described above, when the moving image shooting start / stop function is assigned to the moving image button 117d, the moving image shooting is stopped when the moving image button 117d is operated again. Therefore, in this step, it is determined whether or not the moving image switch linked to the moving image button 117d is turned on in order for the photographer to stop moving image shooting.

  If the result of determination in step S33 is that the movie switch is on, movie shooting stop processing is carried out (S51). Here, processing for ending the recording operation of moving image data is performed. When this moving image shooting stop process is performed, the flow returns to the original flow.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S33 is that the moving image switch is not on, it is determined whether or not the 1st release switch is on, as in step S11, while continuing to shoot moving images (S35). In this embodiment, when the release button 117b is pressed halfway during moving image shooting, automatic focus adjustment and automatic exposure control are performed.

  If the result of determination in step S35 is that the 1st release switch is on, AF processing is first performed (S37). AF processing suitable for moving image shooting is performed, and the subject such as the center of the screen is focused. Subsequently, photometry is performed (S39), and exposure calculation is performed (S41). Thereby, even during movie shooting, the subject can be focused and movie shooting can be performed with appropriate exposure.

  If exposure calculation is performed in step S41, or if the result of determination in step S35 is that the 1st release switch is not on, it is next determined whether or not the 2nd release switch is on (S43). In this embodiment, even when a movie is being shot, if the release button 117b is fully pressed, still image shooting is permitted. Therefore, in this step, the state of the 2nd release switch is determined. Yes. If the result of this determination is that the 2nd release switch is off, processing returns to step S33 and video shooting continues unless the video button 117d is operated.

  If the 2nd release switch is turned on as a result of the determination in step S43, the sequence proceeds to a still image shooting sequence. First, similarly to step S51, a moving image shooting stop process is performed (S45). When the moving image shooting stop process is performed, as in step S21, still image shooting is started (S47), and it is determined whether or not still image shooting has ended (S49). As a result of this determination, when the still image shooting is completed, the process returns to step S31 and the moving image shooting is resumed.

  Thus, in the moving image shooting in the present embodiment, the moving image shooting is stopped when the moving image button 117d is operated again after the moving image shooting is started. In addition, when the release button 117d is half-pressed during moving image shooting, AF processing, AE processing, and the like are performed, and when the release button 117d is fully pressed, still image shooting is performed. When the shooting of the still image is completed, the moving image shooting can be resumed immediately, so that the moving image shooting → still image shooting → moving image shooting can be smoothly switched. Of course, when the still image shooting is completed, the shooting of the still image and the moving image may be ended without restarting the moving image.

  Next, the change of the function assigned to the moving image button 117d in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, depending on the shooting mode, it may be better to automatically set the function assigned to the moving image button 117d to a specific function. For example, when the bulb shooting mode is set, movie shooting is not performed. Therefore, it is convenient to assign a bulb shooting end instruction (time function) to the movie button 117d. The operation member is not provided, and the size of the camera can be reduced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when a predetermined still image shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode is set, a predetermined function is automatically assigned to the moving image button 117d in the power-on / shooting mode change subroutine. I am doing so.

  This power-on / shooting mode change subroutine is performed when the power button 117a of the camera 100 is operated to turn on the power, when the shooting mode is set by the shooting mode dial 117c, and when the shooting mode is set on the menu screen. When it is executed.

  If the power on / shooting mode change subroutine is entered, it is first determined whether or not the bulb shooting mode is set (S61). As described above, the photographing mode dial 117c is turned to determine whether or not the bulb photographing mode 117cc is selected. If the result of this determination is not bulb shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is bracket (BKT) shooting mode (S63). Since the bracket shooting mode is set on the menu screen, it is determined in this step whether or not it is set on the menu screen.

  If the result of determination in step S63 is not bracket shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is panoramic shooting mode (S65). Since the panorama shooting mode is set in the scene mode 117ca, it is determined in this step whether or not it has been set on the scene setting screen of the scene mode.

  If the result of determination in step S65 is not panoramic shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is in multiple exposure shooting mode (S67). Since the multiple exposure shooting mode is set on the menu screen, it is determined in this step whether or not it has been set on the menu screen.

  If the result of determination in step S67 is not multiple exposure shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not movie shooting mode is in effect (S69). Since the movie shooting mode is set by the shooting mode dial 117c, it is determined in this step whether or not the movie shooting mode has been set by the shooting mode dial 117c.

  If the result of determination in step S69 is not movie shooting mode, the movie button function reference flag is changed to flag (Flag) 1. As described above with reference to FIG. 4, the flag 1 stores the function set when the function of the moving image button 117d is assigned. The movie button function reference flag is a flag that is referred to when the movie switch function process is executed in steps S13 and S25. Therefore, when the flag 1 is set as the movie button function reference flag, the function assigned to the movie button 117d by the photographer is executed as it is.

  If the result of determination in steps S61 to S69 is Yes, that is, if it is bulb shooting mode, bracket shooting mode, panorama shooting mode, multiple exposure shooting mode, or movie shooting mode, The button function reference flag is changed to flag (Flag) 2 (S73). In these shooting modes, the function is automatically changed to a predetermined function instead of the function assigned to the moving image button 117d by the photographer. Since the processing in step S73 is a subroutine “Change Flag2 contents”, the details will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Next, the Flag2 content change subroutine will be described. When the subroutine for changing the contents of Flag 2 is entered, first, similarly to step S61, it is determined whether or not it is the bulb photographing mode (S81). If the result of this determination is that it is in bulb exposure mode, the content of Flag2 is changed to Fn14 (time function) (S83). With this change, the moving image button 117d is assigned a time function, and when the moving image button 117d is operated, the moving image button 117d functions as an operation member for a shooting stop instruction in bulb shooting. If there is a time function at the time of bulb shooting, the cable release is unnecessary, and the convenience of bulb shooting is improved.

  If the result of determination in step S81 is not bulb shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is bracket (BKT) shooting mode (S85). If the result of this determination is bracket shooting mode, the content of Flag2 is changed to Fn10 (AEL / AFL function) (S87). The bracket shooting mode is a mode in which a plurality of images are shot with different exposure amounts while changing the aperture value and the shutter speed value. If there is an AEL function for fixing a reference exposure, the convenience of bracket shooting Will improve.

  If the result of determination in step S85 is not bracket shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is panoramic shooting mode (S89). If the result of this determination is panoramic shooting mode, the contents of Flag2 are changed to Fn10 (AEL / AFL function) (S91). Panorama shooting is a mode in which landscapes are continuously shot while sequentially changing the shooting direction. However, when the brightness varies depending on the shooting direction, the brightness of the background becomes discontinuous. Therefore, if the reference exposure is fixed by the AEL function, the convenience of panoramic shooting is improved.

  If the result of determination in step S89 is not panoramic shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not it is in multiple exposure shooting mode (S93). If the result of this determination is that it is in multiple exposure shooting mode, the content of Flag2 is changed to Fn10 (AEL / AFL function) (S95). Multi-exposure shooting is shooting in which exposure is repeated each time the release button 117b is fully pressed, but the brightness differs depending on the timing when the release button 117b is fully pressed, resulting in unnatural multiple exposure. Therefore, if there is an AEL function for adjusting the addition exposure, the convenience of multiple exposure shooting is improved.

  If the result of determination in step S93 is not multiple exposure shooting mode, it is next determined whether or not movie shooting mode is in effect (S97). If the result of this determination is movie shooting mode, the contents of Flag2 are changed to Fn11 (moving image start / stop function) (S99). In the present embodiment, the function of the movie button 117d can be selected and assigned from various functions as described with reference to FIG. 4, while the movie shooting mode is set by the shooting mode dial 117c. Can do. For this reason, when the movie shooting mode is selected and a function other than the movie start / stop function is assigned to the movie button 117d, movie shooting cannot be started. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the movie shooting mode is set, the moving image start / stop function is automatically assigned to the moving image button 117d.

  If the result of determination in step S97 is not movie shooting mode, or if the contents of Flag2 are changed in steps S83, S87, S91, S95, or S99, the original flow is restored.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the moving image button 117d is selected from various functions and assigned. Except for the video start / stop function, these functions are not used during movie shooting, or do not impair shooting even when used during movie shooting. In a camera having a shooting button, no contradiction occurs in the shooting scene, and the independent operation system is not wasted.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, when a predetermined shooting mode, for example, a bulb shooting mode, a bracket shooting mode, a panoramic shooting mode, or a multiple exposure shooting mode is set, the moving image button 117d is predetermined. The function is assigned. For this reason, it is convenient for the photographer to omit the operation of assigning the function of the moving image button 117d according to the set photographing mode.

  In the present embodiment, a predetermined shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode in which a predetermined function is assigned to the moving image button 117d is an example, and functions may not be automatically assigned to all of these shooting modes. Of course, functions may be assigned to other shooting modes.

  In the present embodiment, when the power is turned on or the photographing mode is changed, a predetermined function is assigned to the moving image button 117d in a predetermined photographing mode such as a bulb photographing mode. However, other timings may be used. For example, it is determined whether or not the camera is in the shooting standby state at the timing when the movie button 117d is pressed, and in the non-shooting standby state (in other words, when the movie is being recorded or In the middle of still image shooting), the processing in steps S61 to S73 (see FIG. 7) may be performed. In this case, the system control unit 116 or the like constitutes a shooting standby state determination unit that determines whether the shooting standby state of the still image shooting or the moving image shooting is in a shooting standby state or a non-shooting standby state.

  Next, a first modified example of changing the contents of Flag2 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, when a predetermined still image shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode or a bracket shooting mode is set, the function of the moving image button 117d is assigned according to each shooting mode. On the other hand, in the first modified example, when the predetermined still image shooting mode is set, the mode-dependent function is set uniformly.

  When entering the “Change Flag2 content” subroutine according to the first modification, as in the first embodiment, in step S81 to step S97, the bulb photographing mode has been set (S81), or the bracket photographing mode is set. It is determined whether it is set (S85), set to panoramic shooting mode (S89), set to multiple exposure shooting mode (S93), or set to movie shooting mode (S97).

  If the determination result in step S81 to step S97 is Yes, that is, the set shooting mode is the bulb shooting mode, bracket shooting mode, panorama shooting mode, multiple exposure shooting mode, movie shooting mode. If it is any of the above, Flag2 is set to Fn14 (mode-dependent function) (S101). The mode-dependent function is automatically set to an optimum function in the set shooting mode according to the set shooting mode.

  The mode dependent function will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows the shooting operation when the mode-dependent function is set, and the leftmost mode column shows the set shooting mode. In the operation order combination column on the right side of the mode column, the operation contents when the release button 117b or the moving image button 117d is operated first (1st), and the release button 117b or the moving image button 117d is operated second (2nd). The operation details when the release button 117b or the moving image button 117d is operated third (3rd) are shown.

  The right side of the column of the operation order combination shows the photographing operation, shows the operation procedure, and further shows the customization on the right side. In the column of customization, “normal” is a procedure set in a normal state, and “◯” indicates contents that can be changed on a menu screen or the like.

  For example, the mode-dependent function in the present embodiment performs still image shooting when the release button 117b is operated when the shooting mode is set to still mode (simple still image shooting mode). To finish. Thereafter, even if the moving image button 117d is operated, it is ignored (in the case of (2) in the figure). On the other hand, when the still mode is set and the moving image button 117d is first operated, the moving image shooting is started, and when the moving image button 117d is operated again, the moving image shooting is ended (see FIG. In the case of middle (3)), when the release button 117b is operated, a still image is shot, and when the moving image button 117d is operated again, the moving image shooting is terminated (in the case of (4) in the figure).

  When the bulb shooting mode is set, when the release button 117b is first operated, the still image shooting is started, and when the release button 117b is operated next, the still image shooting is ended ( Next, in the case of (5) in the figure, when the moving image button 117d is operated instead of the release button 117b, this operation is ignored (in the case of (6) in the figure). On the other hand, when the moving image button 117d is operated for the first time, still image shooting is started. Next, when the moving image button 117d is operated, the still image shooting is ended (in the case of (7) in the figure). When the release button 117b is operated instead of the moving image button 117d, the operation is disregarded and the still image shooting is ended by the operation of the next moving image button 117d (in the case of (8) in the figure).

  When the panorama shooting mode, the multiple exposure shooting mode, the bracket shooting mode, the movie shooting mode, the shutter speed (ss) priority movie shooting mode, and the live view (LvB) movie shooting mode are set, the operations shown in FIG. Works with the procedure. As described above, when the mode-dependent function is set, an optimal operation is executed according to the operation order of the release button 117b and the moving image button 117d according to the set shooting mode.

  As described above, in the first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, when a predetermined still image shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode is set, the mode-dependent function is automatically set and the set shooting is performed. The function of the moving image button 117d is optimized according to the mode. In FIG. 10, shooting modes that are not shown in the determination conditions of the flowchart of FIG. 9, such as the still shooting mode, are described. However, as described in FIG. This is because it is a function that can be set.

  Next, a second modified example of changing the contents of Flag2 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second modification, when the predetermined still image shooting mode is set, the OFF function is uniformly set so that no processing is performed for the operation of the moving image button 117d.

  When entering the Flag2 content change subroutine of this modification shown in FIG. 11, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, in step S81 to step S93, is the bulb photography mode set (S81) or the bracket photography mode is set? Whether the panorama shooting mode has been set (S89) or the multiple exposure shooting mode has been set (S93) is determined.

  If the determination result in step S81 to step S93 is Yes, that is, the set shooting mode is any of bulb shooting mode, bracket shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, and multiple exposure shooting mode. If there is, Flag2 is set to Fn13 (off function) (S111). When the off function is set, no processing is executed even if the moving image button 117d is operated.

  Therefore, in this modified example, when a predetermined still image shooting mode such as a bulb shooting mode is set, even if the photographer mistakenly assigns an inappropriate function to the moving image button 117d, the function is processed. There is nothing to do.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment of the present invention, if a function other than the movie start / stop function is assigned to the movie button 117d, movie shooting cannot be performed even if the movie shooting mode is set. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when the movie shooting mode is set, moving image shooting can be started and stopped by operating the release button 117b.

  The configuration in the present embodiment is the same as the configuration in the first embodiment, and only the main flow shown in FIG. 5 is changed to the flowchart shown in FIG. Further, the main flow shown in FIG. 12 is obtained by adding steps S17 to S20 to the main flow shown in FIG. Therefore, this difference will be mainly described.

  When the main flow is entered, live view operation is performed (S1), and when the release button 117b is half-pressed, AF processing, photometry processing, and exposure calculation are performed (S5 to S9), and the moving image button 117d is operated. And moving image switch function processing (S11, S13). When the release button 117b is fully pressed (S15 → Yes), it is determined whether the movie shooting mode is set (S17). Here, it is determined whether or not the movie shooting mode is set by the shooting mode dial 117c.

  If the result of determination in step S17 is that movie shooting mode has been set, movie shooting is started as in step S31 (see FIG. 6) (S18). Here, the image data acquired by the image sensor 107 is processed by the image processing unit 111 and then recorded in the external memory 114. At the same time, a live view display of the recorded image is performed on the display unit 115.

  When movie shooting is started, it is next determined whether or not the 2nd release switch is on (S19). Here, it is determined whether or not the release button 117b is fully pressed. If the result of this determination is that the 2nd release switch has not changed from OFF to ON, moving image shooting is continued until the 2nd release switch is turned ON. As a result of the determination in step S19, when the 2nd release switch changes from off to on, moving image shooting is terminated (S20). Here, similarly to step S51, a process for ending the recording operation of moving image data is performed.

  When the moving image shooting is finished, or when the result of determination in step S17 is that the movie shooting mode is not set, step S21 and subsequent steps are executed as in the first embodiment. That is, still image shooting is started from whether the release button 117b has been operated (S21). When the moving image switch is operated, moving image switch function processing is performed (S23, S25), and whether still image shooting is completed. If it is determined that the process has not been completed, the process returns to step S23. If the result of determination is that the process has ended, the process returns to step S1.

  Thus, in the second embodiment of the present invention, when a function other than the moving picture start / stop function is assigned to the moving picture button 117d, a moving picture shooting start and stop function is assigned to the release button 117b. . Therefore, even when a function other than the moving image start / stop function is assigned to the moving image button 117d, moving image shooting can be performed.

  As described above, in each embodiment and each modification of the present invention, the first switch (2nd release switch) linked to the release button 117b that performs still image shooting and the start and stop of moving image shooting are performed. A second switch linked to the moving image button 117d, a customizing means for selectively setting at least two shooting functions including a start and stop function of moving image shooting, and a second switch (see FIG. 4), Still image shooting mode changing means for changing a still image shooting mode for performing image shooting to a predetermined still image shooting mode (see FIG. 3), and predetermined still image shooting changed by the still image shooting mode changing means In accordance with the mode, the second switch is switched to a function other than the moving image shooting start / stop function. That is, when the mode is changed to the predetermined still image mode, a function suitable for the predetermined still image mode other than the moving image shooting start / stop function is assigned to the moving image button 117d. For this reason, in a camera having a still image shooting button and a moving image shooting button, no contradiction occurs in the shooting scene, and the independent operation system is not wasted.

  In each embodiment and each modification of the present invention, when setting the shooting mode, the bulb shooting mode is operated by the shooting mode dial 117c, the panoramic shooting mode is operated by the operation in the scene mode, and the bracket is set. The shooting mode and the multiple-exposure shooting mode are performed by operations on the menu screen. However, the setting of the shooting mode is not limited to these, and may be set by each means.

  In each embodiment and each modification of the present invention, the bulb shooting mode, the bracket shooting mode, the panorama shooting mode, and the multiple exposure shooting mode have been described as the predetermined still image shooting modes. The predetermined function may not be assigned to the moving image button 117d, and the function may be automatically assigned when a still image shooting mode other than these is set.

  In the present embodiment, the digital camera is used as the photographing device. However, the camera may be a digital single-lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, and may be used for moving images such as video cameras and movie cameras. It may be a camera, or may be a camera built in a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game machine, or the like. In any case, the present invention can be applied to any photographing device capable of still image photographing and moving image photographing.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, you may delete some components of all the components shown by embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera body, 20 ... Interchangeable lens, 100 ... Digital camera, 101 ... Shooting lens, 102 ... Lens control part, 103 ... Aperture mechanism, 104 ... Aperture control part , 105 ... shutter, 106 ... shutter control unit, 107 ... imaging device, 108 ... imaging control unit, 109 ... A / D conversion unit, 110 ... memory, 111 ... Image processing unit 112... Exposure control unit 113... AF processing unit 114... External memory 115... Display unit 115 a. ... Operating section, 117a ... Power button, 117b ... Release button, 117c ... Shooting mode dial, 117ca ... Scene mode, 117cb ... Movie shooting mode, 117cc ... Shooting mode index, 117cg, shooting mode index, 117d, moving image button, 117e, function button, 117f, cross button, 117g, OK button, 118, non-volatile memory, 119 ..Power supply unit, 120 ... Power supply control unit, 121 ... Flash control unit, 122 ... Flash charging unit, 123 ... Flash light emitting unit

Claims (5)

A first shooting instruction section for instructing still image shooting;
A second shooting instruction section for instructing movie shooting;
Shooting mode setting means for setting a shooting mode including still image shooting and moving image shooting;
Second shooting instruction section customizing means for selectively setting the second shooting instruction section as a function relating to at least two or more shooting including the moving image shooting instruction;
Still image shooting mode changing means for changing the still image shooting mode for performing still image shooting to a predetermined still image shooting mode;
Have
The second shooting instruction section customizing means can be switched so that the second shooting instruction section is instructed for still image shooting when the still image shooting mode changing means is changed to a shooting mode related to bulb shooting. An imaging apparatus characterized by being configured as described above. When the moving image shooting mode is set by the shooting mode setting unit, the second shooting instruction unit customizing unit sets only a function related to start and stop of moving image shooting as a shooting function of the second shooting instruction unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The second shooting instruction unit customizing unit instructs the second shooting instruction unit to start and end bulb shooting when the still image shooting mode changing unit changes to the shooting mode related to bulb shooting. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographing apparatus is customized.   When the shooting mode is changed to the shooting mode related to the bulb shooting by the still image shooting mode changing means, both the shooting instruction by the first shooting instruction unit and the shooting instruction by the second shooting instruction unit are permitted. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, configured as described above. A method of controlling an imaging apparatus having a first imaging instruction unit for instructing still image shooting and a second imaging instruction unit for instructing movie shooting,
Determine whether a preset still image shooting mode or movie shooting mode including the shooting mode related to bulb shooting is set,
As a result of the determination, when the predetermined still image shooting mode is set, a predetermined function is assigned to the second shooting instruction unit ,
When the shooting mode related to the bulb shooting is changed, the second shooting instruction unit can be switched to give an instruction related to still image shooting.
A method for controlling an imaging apparatus.