JP6338471B2 - Imaging apparatus, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device that performs photometry based on an acquired image, and a control method and program thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an imaging apparatus that is not provided with a photometric sensor, in order to calculate an exposure amount at which the brightness of a subject is appropriate (hereinafter referred to as an appropriate exposure amount), a plurality of exposure amounts acquired using an image sensor are different. A method of performing photometry based on the image data is known.

  In Patent Document 1, as a method of acquiring image data with different exposure amounts, an imaging apparatus that acquires a plurality of images with different exposure amounts by rotating an ND filter having different light transmittances for each predetermined angle. Proposed.

JP 2007-274285 A

  However, when the technique of Patent Document 1 is applied to the photometric method as described above, it is necessary to acquire each image data after rotating the ND filter to a predetermined position. This increases the time required for photometry.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress the time required for photometry when performing photometry based on a plurality of image data having different exposure amounts.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an imaging unit, a photometric unit that performs photometry for each of a plurality of regions based on an image obtained by dividing the angle of view into a plurality of regions, and a light amount incident on the imaging unit. For each of the plurality of regions, a light amount control unit for setting a control value for adjusting the light amount by the light amount adjusting unit for each of the plurality of regions, and for each of the plurality of regions by the photometric unit. Exposure control means for setting an exposure amount based on the photometric result obtained in the step, wherein the exposure control means has a control value for the plurality of areas set by the light amount control means as a first control value. An exposure amount is set based on a photometric result based on an image obtained by performing imaging with the imaging unit in a state including a second control value different from the first control value. .

  According to the present invention, when photometry is performed based on a plurality of image data having different exposure amounts, the time required for photometry can be suppressed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera 100 that is an embodiment of an imaging apparatus embodying the present invention. It is a figure explaining ND filter 106 of digital camera 100 which is an embodiment of an imaging device which carried out the present invention exemplarily. It is a flowchart explaining the AE process at the time of starting the live view display of the digital camera 100 which is embodiment which implemented this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the exposure amount setting process of the digital camera 100 which is embodiment of the imaging device which implemented this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the transmittance | permeability of the light set to the ND filter of the digital camera 100 which is embodiment of the imaging device which implemented this invention.

  Hereinafter, a basic configuration of a digital camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) 100 that is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a camera 100 that is an embodiment of an imaging apparatus embodying the present invention.

  The lens barrel 101 is a lens barrel including a zoom lens 102, a focus lens 103, a diaphragm 104, a shutter 105, and an ND filter 106. The zoom lens 102 is an imaging lens that optically changes the angle of view by adjusting the focal length. The focus lens 103 is an imaging lens that adjusts the in-focus position.

  The diaphragm 104 is a member that adjusts the amount of light incident on the image sensor 107 described later. In the present embodiment, by controlling the driving of the diaphragm 104, it is possible to control the diaphragm value when the subject is imaged. The shutter 105 is a shielding member for switching an image sensor 107 described later between an exposure state and a non-exposure state. Although the present embodiment employs the shutter 105 that performs a mechanical operation, a so-called electronic shutter system may be employed. In the present embodiment, by controlling the driving of the shutter 105, it is possible to control the time (exposure time) for exposing the image sensor 107 to light. The aperture value and the exposure time are controlled by an exposure control unit 116 described later.

  The ND filter 106 is a light amount adjusting means constituted by a variable transmittance type neutral density filter in which physical elements capable of adjusting a light amount incident on an image sensor 107 (to be described later) are two-dimensionally arranged. In the present embodiment, a predetermined liquid crystal is employed as the physical element of the ND filter 106, but another physical element may be employed.

  The light transmittance (control value) of each element constituting the ND filter 106 can be set (changed) independently for each element by controlling the voltage to be applied by the filter control unit 112 described later. . Specifically, the ND filter 106 can adjust the amount of light incident on the image sensor 107 for each of the plurality of blocks based on the number of divisions when the image data is divided into a plurality of blocks (areas) for photometry. it can.

  The image sensor 107 is a charge storage type image sensor composed of a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, and pixels for imaging are two-dimensionally arranged. When the optical image of the subject that has passed through the lens barrel 101 is formed on the image sensor 107, an electrical signal (image data) corresponding to the optical image of the subject is output.

  The signal processing unit 108 is a signal processing unit that converts image data output from the image sensor 107 into a video signal and performs predetermined processing. In addition, the signal processing unit 108 can perform gain amount adjustment, pixel interpolation processing, color conversion processing, lens aberration correction, and sampling for image data. Note that image data input / output to / from the signal processing unit 108 is appropriately converted into digital image data.

  The lens barrel drive control unit 109 is a control unit composed of a driving IC or the like, and controls the driving of the lens barrel drive unit 110 based on an instruction from the system control unit 113 described later. The lens barrel drive unit 110 is a driving unit configured by various motors such as a DC motor and a stepping motor, and drives each unit constituting the lens barrel unit 101 based on a control signal from the lens barrel drive control unit 109. Let

  For example, the lens barrel drive unit 110 can drive the aperture 104 and the shutter 105 based on the set aperture value and exposure time. In addition, the lens barrel driving unit 110 can drive the focus lens 103 based on an AF evaluation value for focus detection calculated by an AF control unit 115 described later.

  The filter control unit 112 controls a predetermined voltage applied to the ND filter 106, thereby controlling light transmittance (control value) of each element constituting the ND filter 106. ND filter control means (light quantity control means) It is.

  The above-described control of each part constituting the lens barrel unit 101 is performed based on control signals from the lens barrel drive control unit 109 and the filter control unit 112 according to instructions from the system control unit 113 described later.

  The system control unit 113 is a control unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and comprehensively controls the overall operation of the camera 100 by instructing each unit constituting the camera 100 to operate. Note that the system control unit 113 can also execute a program stored in a memory 117 described later and perform control according to the processing of the program.

  Inside the system control unit 113, a photometric calculation unit 114, an AF control unit 115, and an exposure control unit 116 are provided. The photometric calculation unit 114 is a photometric unit that measures the subject based on the acquired image data. Specifically, the photometric calculation unit 114 divides the image data output from the image sensor 107 and subjected to various processes by the signal processing unit 108 into a plurality of blocks (areas), and measures the subject, The brightness value (photometric result) Bv is acquired. The luminance value Bv of each block acquired by the photometry is temporarily recorded in the memory 117.

  After calculating the luminance value Bv of each block, the photometric calculation unit 114 sets a weighting coefficient for the calculated luminance value Bv. Then, the photometry calculation unit 114 calculates an exposure control evaluation value by averaging the product of the luminance value Bv of each block multiplied by the set weighting coefficient. In the present embodiment, exposure control is performed based on the evaluation value.

  In addition, since the area | region (photometry area | region) used for photometry within an angle of view changes based on the set photometry mode, in this embodiment, a weighting coefficient is set according to the preset photometry mode.

  For example, when the photometry mode is a so-called evaluation photometry mode, a predetermined weighting coefficient is set for all the blocks within the angle of view. When the photometry mode is a so-called spot photometry mode, the weighting coefficient of each block outside the predetermined range intended by the user is set to zero. That is, in the spot photometry mode, the exposure control evaluation value is calculated without reflecting the luminance value of each block outside the predetermined range. Therefore, in this embodiment, in each block within the angle of view, a block whose weighting coefficient is a value other than 0 is set as a photometric area, and a block whose weighting coefficient is set to 0 is set as an area outside the photometric area.

  The AF control unit 115 is a control unit that controls driving of the focus lens 103 via the lens barrel drive control unit 109 and the lens barrel drive unit 110. The AF control unit 115 acquires an AF evaluation value for focus detection based on the contrast information of the image data, and controls driving of the focus lens 103 based on the AF evaluation value. Note that an AF sensor may be provided separately from the image sensor 107 and the drive of the focus lens 103 may be controlled based on a known method such as a phase difference method using the AF sensor.

  Based on the acquired evaluation value for exposure control, the exposure control unit 116 sets an exposure amount (hereinafter referred to as an appropriate exposure amount) so that the subject has appropriate brightness, and based on the exposure amount, the camera 100 Exposure control means for instructing each part of the operation. Note that the exposure amount in this embodiment is a value for setting the brightness of an image to be acquired, such as an aperture value, exposure time, gain amount (ISO sensitivity), light transmittance of the ND filter 106, and the like. This is set by changing the exposure condition.

  By operating each part of the camera 100 based on the result of each process described above, a TTL (through-the-lens) type focus adjustment process (AF process), automatic exposure control process (AE process), AWB ( Auto white balance) processing is executed.

  The memory 117 is a storage means that can be electrically erased and stored, and is, for example, an EEPROM represented by a flash memory or the like. The memory 117 stores various data used in the present embodiment. For example, a program executed in the camera 100 and operation constants, an exposure condition used for a display start AE process to be described later, a calculation formula used for processing in the camera 100, and the like are stored in the memory 117 in advance. The program executed in the camera 100 is a program for instructing an operation similar to the flow shown in FIGS.

  In addition, the memory 117 has a recording area of image data configured by a recording element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and can record a predetermined number of still images, a moving image of a predetermined time, and audio data. . That is, the acquired digital image data can be recorded. Further, the memory 117 is also used as an image display memory (video memory), a work area of the system control unit 113, and a recording buffer of a recording medium 118 described later. The digital image data recorded in the memory 117 is converted into analog image data for display (through image) by a D / A conversion unit (not shown) and transmitted to the display unit 119 described later.

  The recording medium 118 is a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk capable of recording digital image data recorded in the memory 117. In this embodiment, a memory card that can be inserted into and removed from the camera 100 is used as the recording medium 118, but an optical disk such as a DVD-RW disk or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk may be used. Good. Further, the recording medium 118 may be built in the camera 100 in advance.

  The display unit 119 reads out the image data recorded in the memory 117 and displays a display composed of a TFT type LCD (Thin Film Transistor Driven Liquid Crystal Display) that displays analog image data converted by a D / A conversion unit (not shown). Means. In the present embodiment, live view display of image data acquired by sequentially displaying a through image or the like as display analog image data on the display unit 119 under the control of the system control unit (display control unit) 113 is performed. it can. Note that a configuration in which live view display is performed using an electronic viewfinder (not shown) may be used.

  The built-in strobe 120 is a light emitting means built in the camera 100, and can perform pre-light emission for AF auxiliary light or strobe light control.

  The operation unit 121 is an input device group including operation members such as switches, buttons, dials, and touch panels for the user to make various instructions and settings for the camera 100. For example, a power switch, a release button, a menu button, a direction instruction button, an execution button, and the like are included. In this embodiment, when the release button is in the SW1 state (for example, half-pressed), operations such as AF processing, AE processing, and AWB processing are started, and when the release button is in the SW2 state (for example, fully pressed), the subject is imaged. Executed.

  The operation unit 121 is provided with a mode setting button 122 as mode setting means for setting a photometric mode. The user can set the photometry mode by operating the mode setting button 122. As metering modes that can be set in this embodiment, in addition to the above-described evaluation metering mode and spot metering mode, a center-weighted metering mode that focuses on the approximate center of the angle of view, and a metering area than spot metering are available. There is a large partial metering mode. The photometry mode is set at an arbitrary timing by the user operating the mode setting button 122. The set photometry mode is recorded in the memory 117 and is read out by the photometry calculation unit 114 when performing photometry.

  The power supply unit 124 is a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, or an AC adapter, and supplies power to the power supply control unit 123. The power supply control unit 123 includes a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches an energization block, and the like.

  Then, the power supply control unit 123 detects the presence / absence of the battery in the power supply unit 124, the battery type, the remaining battery level, and the like, and controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 113. The necessary voltage is supplied to each part of the camera 100 for a necessary period. The above is the basic configuration of the camera 100 of the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the AE process of this embodiment will be described. The range of luminance values of the subject that can be measured at once using an image sensor such as the image sensor 107 is limited. This is due to the wide dynamic range of the imaging sensor. In general, the dynamic range of the imaging sensor is about 4 to 5 levels in terms of the luminance value of the subject. . Therefore, when the subject is photometrically measured based on the image data acquired by the image sensor 107, only the brightness range of about 4 to 5 steps can be measured at a time.

  In particular, when starting live view display on the display unit 119 or when the brightness of the subject changes abruptly, it is difficult to predict the brightness of the subject. As described above, as the AE process in the case where it is difficult to predict the brightness of the subject, it is known that a plurality of pieces of image data are acquired with a plurality of preset exposure amounts before the display of the through image is started. It has been. It is known to calculate the exposure amount (appropriate exposure amount) of the display through image based on the plurality of image data. Note that the plurality of preset exposure amounts are set such that the brightness of the plurality of pieces of image data to be acquired changes at a predetermined interval.

  However, in the above-described AE processing, it is necessary to acquire a plurality of image data with a plurality of exposure amounts set in advance, so that the time required for photometry increases. In this case, the time required until the through image is displayed on the display unit 119 also increases.

  Therefore, as the AE process of the present embodiment, the subject is photometrically measured based on image data acquired in a state where the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is varied in a plurality of regions within the angle of view. And the problem mentioned above is solved by setting exposure amount based on the result of the said photometry. The details will be described below. In the present embodiment, a case where live view display of a through image is started will be described by taking the above-described AE process as an example.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the ND filter 106 of the camera 100 which is an embodiment of the imaging apparatus embodying the present invention. In FIG. 2, a subject (coast) to be imaged is illustrated for the purpose of explaining the ND filter 106.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example in which the angle of view of the ND filter 106 is divided into a plurality of M × N blocks. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 when the photometry mode is the evaluation photometry mode. In this case, since the entire angle of view becomes the photometric area 300, the light transmittance of all blocks within the angle of view is set.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in this embodiment, the ND filter 106 can be divided into a plurality of blocks, and the light transmittance can be set for each block. Here, the number of divisions of the ND filter 106 is set to be the same as the number of divisions of the photometric image data set by the photometric calculation unit 114. For example, when the image data is divided into M × N for photometry, the ND filter 106 is M × N at the same position as each block of the photometry image data and the same division number. Divide into pieces.

  In the present embodiment, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is set based on the photometry mode. For example, when the metering mode is set to the evaluation metering mode, as shown in FIG. 2B, the entire angle of view of the ND filter 106 depends on the light transmittance of each block in the metering region 300. The light transmittance of the ND filter is set so as to draw a staggered pattern. Specifically, the transmittance A (gray portion in FIG. 2 (b)) and the transmittance B (white in FIG. 2 (b)) so that the light transmittance of each block is different from the blocks adjacent to the top, bottom, left and right. Part). The transmittance A (first control value) and the transmittance B (second control value) may be set to any value as long as they have different light transmittances.

In the present embodiment, the luminance value Bv of each block of image data acquired with the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 set as described above is acquired. Here, assuming that the gain amount when imaging the subject is Sv, the exposure time (shutter speed) is Tv, the aperture value is Av, and the light transmittance of each block of the ND filter 106 is ΔND, the luminance value Bv of each block. Using equation (1)
Bv = {(Av + ΔND) + Tv} −Sv (1)
Can be calculated as Each exposure condition in Formula (1) is a value expressed in APEX. By using the expression (1), it is possible to calculate the luminance value Bv in consideration of the information regarding the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 for each of a plurality of blocks. Note that the exposure conditions (Av, Sv, Tv) used in the AE process when starting the live view display are predetermined values stored in the memory 117 in advance. In the present embodiment, as this predetermined exposure condition, an exposure condition is set such that the output corresponding to the approximate center of the luminance range measured by the camera 100 is the median value of the dynamic range of the image sensor 107. The default exposure condition may be any value as long as it is a general value.

  As described above, the dynamic range of the image data acquired in the state where the light transmittance within the angle of view of the ND filter 106 is different was acquired with the fixed light transmittance set for the entire angle of view. It is wider than image data. Accordingly, by performing photometry using image data acquired with different light transmittances set within the angle of view, a wide range of luminance values can be measured even with one photometry.

  Details of the AE process described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining AE processing when starting live view display of the camera 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, an AE process (hereinafter referred to as a display start AE process) immediately after starting the camera 100 and when displaying a through image on the display unit 119 will be described as an example. The flow shown in FIG. 3 assumes a case where the evaluation photometry mode is set in advance by the user.

  When the camera 100 is activated and the display start AE process is started, the photometry calculation unit 114 reads the photometry mode set in advance by the user from the memory 117 in step S101. In step S102, the photometry calculating unit 114 sets a photometry area based on the read photometry mode. Specifically, based on the read photometry mode, the photometry calculation unit 114 sets the number of divisions of image data for photometry described later and a block for performing photometry among the plurality of divided blocks.

  Since it is assumed that the evaluation metering mode is set by the user this time, the entire image data is set as a metering region, and metering is performed on all of the divided blocks. Even when the evaluation metering mode is set, a configuration in which only a predetermined block is metered may be used.

  In step S103, the exposure control unit 116 executes a process for setting an exposure amount when acquiring image data (hereinafter referred to as an exposure amount setting process). The exposure amount set in step S103 is an exposure amount for acquiring image data for photometry for performing photometry calculation in step S105 described later.

  The details of the exposure amount setting process will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining exposure amount setting processing of the camera 100 which is an embodiment of the imaging apparatus embodying the present invention. When the exposure amount setting process is started, the exposure control unit 116 reads information on the exposure condition for the display start AE process from the memory 117 in step S201. As described above, the exposure condition is set such that the output corresponding to the approximate center of the luminance range measured by the camera 100 is the median value of the dynamic range of the image sensor 107. In the exposure amount setting process performed in step S108 described later, information regarding the exposure condition (exposure amount) set in step S106 is read from the memory 117.

  Next, in step S202, the exposure control unit 116 sets the exposure condition by controlling the drive and operation of each unit of the camera 100 based on the exposure condition read in step S201. For example, the aperture 104 and the shutter 105 are driven under the control of the exposure control unit 116, and the aperture value and the exposure time are set based on the previously read exposure conditions. Further, under the control of the exposure control unit 116, the signal processing unit 108 sets an analog gain amount and a digital gain amount.

  Next, in step S203, the filter control unit 112 reads information on the photometry mode and the photometry area from the memory 117, and sets the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 for each block in the photometry area based on the photometry mode. Here, since it is assumed that the evaluation metering mode is set by the user, as shown in FIG. 2B, the corresponding transmittance A and transmittance B are set for each of a plurality of blocks. . The above is the exposure amount setting process of the present embodiment.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in step S104, the system control unit 113 controls the operations of the image sensor 107 and the signal processing unit 108 based on the set exposure condition (including the light transmittance of the ND filter 106), and performs photometry. Get image data. The image data is recorded in the memory 117.

  Next, in step S105, the photometry calculation unit 114 reads the photometry image data from the memory 117, and divides the image data into a plurality of blocks based on the information about the photometry area set in step S102. Then, the photometric calculation unit 114 calculates a luminance value Bv of each block, and calculates an evaluation value for exposure control based on the luminance value.

  Next, in step S106, the exposure control unit 116 calculates an exposure amount based on the evaluation value for exposure control calculated in step S105. Note that the exposure amount is an exposure amount of a through image when live view display is performed on the display unit 119. That is, in the present embodiment, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 includes at least the transmittance A (first control value) and the transmittance B (second control value) within the same angle of view. Set to. Then, an evaluation value for exposure control is acquired based on the luminance value for each block of the image data acquired in this state, and an appropriate exposure amount is set based on the evaluation value. With this configuration, it is possible to calculate an appropriate exposure amount when acquiring a through image based on an image acquired by one imaging.

  Next, in step S107, the exposure control unit 116 executes the exposure amount setting process again based on the exposure amount calculated in step S106. The difference between the exposure amount setting processes in step S107 and step S103 is that the exposure amount calculated in step S106 is read in step S201. Furthermore, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 set in step S203 is set to the same value within the angle of view.

  Unlike the exposure amount setting process in step S103 described above, the appropriate exposure amount has already been determined in the step S107. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 in each block of the photometric area. Therefore, in the exposure amount setting process in step S107, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is set to the same value within the angle of view. At this time, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is set based on the appropriate exposure amount calculated previously.

  Next, in step S108, the system control unit 113 controls the operations of the image sensor 107 and the signal processing unit 108 based on the set exposure condition, and acquires a through image. Thereafter, recording of the through image in the memory 117 and display on the display unit 119 are started. The above is the display start AE process of this embodiment.

  As described above, the camera 100 according to the present embodiment divides the ND filter 106 into a plurality of blocks in the same manner as the photometric image data, and the light transmittance for each of the plurality of blocks based on the set photometric mode. Set. At this time, at least two or more different light transmittances are set within the angle of view. Then, image data is acquired using the ND filter 106 set as described above, and photometry is performed based on the image data.

  With this configuration, even when light metering is performed based on the image output from the image sensor 107, it is possible to appropriately meter a subject having a wide range of luminance values with a single light metering. Therefore, the camera 100 of the present embodiment can suppress the time required for photometry when performing photometry based on a plurality of image data having different exposure amounts, and the time required to calculate the appropriate exposure amount. Can be shortened.

  Here, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 except when the above-described evaluation photometry mode is set will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the light transmittance set in the ND filter 106 of the camera 100 which is an embodiment of the imaging apparatus embodying the present invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of the photometry area 310 and the ND filter 106 when the center-weighted photometry mode is set. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of the photometry area 320 and the ND filter 106 when the spot photometry mode is set. FIG. 5C is a diagram for exemplifying the photometry area 330 and the ND filter 106 when the center-weighted photometry mode is set, and shows a case where the light transmittances are made concentrically different. Yes.

  When the center-weighted metering mode is set, the user's intention to capture an image near the center of the angle of view is strong. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the center-weighted photometry mode is set, the photometry area 310 is set in a circular shape with the approximate center of the angle of view as a reference, as illustrated in FIG. Then, the ND filter 106 sets the transmittance of the light of the block overlapping the photometry area 320 to the transmittance C and the transmittance D as illustrated in FIG. The transmittance C and the transmittance D are different light transmittances.

  When the spot photometry mode is set, an area (spot) set by the user is set as the photometry area 320. The other configuration is the same as the above-described center-weighted metering mode, and the ND filter 106 converts the transmittance of the light overlapping the metering region 320 to the transmittance E and the transmission as shown in FIG. Set to rate F.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, a configuration in which the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is varied concentrically may be employed. In this case, the ND filter 106 is divided into a plurality of concentric blocks based on the photometric area 330, and the transmittance G and the transmittance H are set for each block. Here, a configuration may be adopted in which the number of divisions of image data to be measured is set in accordance with the number of divisions of the ND filter 106.

  Thus, in the photometry mode in which the entire angle of view is not in the photometry area, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is changed in the photometry area set in each photometry mode. With this configuration, it is not necessary to apply a voltage to the block outside the photometric area of the ND filter 106, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  In this embodiment, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is configured to set two different values. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is not limited thereto. The configuration may be such that the transmittance of two or more different lights is set. For example, when three different light transmittances are set within the angle of view of the ND filter 106, the ND filter 106 is controlled so that blocks having different transmittances are evenly arranged within the angle of view. .

  Further, the ND filter 106 divided into a plurality of blocks may be configured such that the light transmittance is not changed without applying a voltage to the pixels of the predetermined block. For example, in the ND filter 106 illustrated in FIG. 2B, a predetermined voltage is applied only to the pixels in the gray block, and no voltage is applied to the pixels in the white block.

  Since the light transmittance of the pixel to which no voltage is applied is approximately 100%, a difference is provided in the light transmittance within the angle of view of the ND filter 106 only by setting the light transmittance of the gray block. Can do. With this configuration, power consumption can be suppressed by the amount of blocks to which no voltage is applied while setting different light transmittances within the angle of view of the ND filter 106.

  Note that the ND filter 106 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which different light transmittances are not set in each block divided into a plurality of blocks. In this embodiment, since the image data is measured for each divided block, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is set on the basis of each block of the image data divided for the photometry. The effects of the invention can be obtained.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary. For example, since the ND filter 106 can set the light transmittance in units of pixels, the light transmittance of the ND filter 106 is set in a form other than the staggered pattern or the concentric circle as described above. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is such that the control unit and the processing unit provided in the camera 100 operate in cooperation with each other to control the operation of the camera 100. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. It is not something. Even if the program according to the flow of FIGS. 3 and 4 described above is stored in the memory 117 in advance, and the system control unit 113 executes the program, the operation of the camera 100 is controlled. Good.

  Moreover, as long as it has the function of a program, it does not ask | require the form of programs, such as an object code, the program run by an interpreter, and the script data supplied to OS. The recording medium for supplying the program may be, for example, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk or a magnetic tape, or an optical / magneto-optical recording medium.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where a digital camera is employed as an example of an imaging apparatus that implements the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to various imaging devices within the scope of the gist such as a portable device such as a digital video camera or a smartphone.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various recording media. Then, the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads out and executes the program.

100 Digital camera (imaging device)
106 ND filter (light quantity adjusting means)
112 Filter control unit (light quantity control means)
114 Photometric calculation unit (photometric means)
116 Exposure control unit (exposure control means)

Claims (7)

Imaging means;
A photometric means for performing photometry for each of the plurality of areas based on an image obtained by dividing the angle of view into a plurality of areas;
A light amount adjusting means capable of adjusting a light amount incident on the imaging means for each of the plurality of regions;
A light amount control means for setting a control value for adjusting the light amount by the light amount adjusting means for each of the plurality of regions;
Exposure control means for setting an exposure amount based on a photometric result obtained for each of the plurality of areas by the photometric means;
Have
The exposure control unit includes the imaging unit in a state in which control values for the plurality of regions set by the light amount control unit include a first control value and a second control value different from the first control value. An image pickup apparatus characterized in that an exposure amount is set based on a photometric result based on an acquired image.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light amount control unit sets at least two or more different control values in the plurality of regions. Mode setting means for setting a photometric mode when performing photometry by the photometric means,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light amount control unit sets the control value for each of the plurality of regions based on a photometric mode set by the mode setting unit. The control value is light transmittance,
4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light amount adjusting unit is an ND filter capable of changing the transmittance of the light for each of the plurality of regions. 5. The light amount control means sets the control value for each of the plurality of areas before starting sequential display of images on the display means,
The exposure control unit is configured to obtain a photometric result based on an image obtained by performing imaging with the imaging unit in a state where control values for the plurality of set areas include the first control value and the second control value. 5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an exposure amount of an image to be sequentially displayed is set before starting the sequential display of the image on the display unit. An imaging unit; and a light amount adjusting unit capable of adjusting a light amount incident on the imaging unit for each of the plurality of regions based on a plurality of regions when an image captured by the imaging unit is divided for photometry. A control method for an imaging apparatus provided with
A photometric step of performing photometry for each of the plurality of regions based on an image obtained by dividing an angle of view into the plurality of regions;
A light amount control step of setting a control value for adjusting the light amount by the light amount adjusting means for each of the plurality of regions;
An exposure control step of setting an exposure amount based on a photometric result obtained for each of the plurality of regions by the photometric step;
Have
In the exposure control step, the imaging unit includes a control value for the plurality of regions set in the light amount control step including a first control value and a second control value different from the first control value. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus, comprising: setting an exposure amount based on a photometric result based on an image obtained by performing imaging with   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 6.

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