JP6529381B2 - IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus including an imaging device such as a digital camera, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus capable of selecting a plurality of automatic exposure modes when shooting a moving image.

  Various measures have been taken in automatic exposure control at the time of moving image shooting in an image processing apparatus such as a digital camera. For example, in order to ensure continuity between frames even if the subject is blurred, the accumulation time is set to be as long as possible (1 / frame rate) in the frame. Also, in order to prevent the subject from moving and the focus position shifting, the aperture is narrowed to increase the depth of field.

  In addition, in order to improve the appearance when playing back a moving image, a dead zone not responding to the change is provided if the change is within a predetermined amount even if the exposure or focal position changes, and the change amount is a predetermined amount Even when it changes over, the response speed to the change is made slower than live view display.

  By the way, when responding to changes in exposure or focal position by means of aperture control or focal position control of the lens, if control speed is not further decreased depending on the type of lens, driving at the time of aperture control or focal position control of lens Sound may be recorded with the movie. For this reason, the control speed is further reduced to prevent the driving sound from being recorded in the moving image, and the user does not feel uncomfortable when reproducing the moving image.

  As for the control speed, when the moving image is not recorded, the drive sound of the lens aperture control and the focus position control is not recorded. For example, during the moving image recording standby, the aperture driving speed is made faster than during the moving image recording. A technology has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  In addition, regarding moving images as still images being continuously reproduced, for cutting out and displaying still images from moving images, for example, a desired still image is extracted from the reproduced moving image, and the extracted still image is recorded and reproduced. A technique for recording in accordance with the DCF standard has been proposed (Patent Document 2).

JP, 2011-191386, A JP, 2006-5856, A

  However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when the still image cut out from the moving image is displayed, if the amount of change in exposure or focus position exceeds a predetermined amount, it responds slowly following the actual change. For this reason, when a still image is cut out from a moving image, there is a possibility that the exposure or focus position may be shifted in the composition of a desired subject, and it becomes difficult to cut out a high quality still image desired by the user from the moving image.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing technique capable of cutting out a high-quality still image desired by the user from a moving image recorded in the automatic exposure mode.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: setting means for setting a second automatic exposure mode in which a moving image accumulation time is shorter than the first automatic exposure mode or the first automatic exposure mode; A determination unit that determines whether a change in exposure after the start of the change is within a predetermined amount, and a change in the exposure when it is determined by the determination unit that the change in exposure is not within a predetermined amount And control means for controlling the drive of the diaphragm following the movement, and the control means is configured to adjust the speed at which the change in the exposure changes when the second automatic exposure mode is set by the setting means. And controlling the drive of the aperture to be faster than the auto exposure mode.

  In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, the first automatic exposure mode or the setting means for setting the second automatic exposure mode in which the moving image accumulation time is shorter than that of the first automatic exposure mode; Following the change of the focal position, the judgment means for judging whether or not the change of the focal position is within the predetermined amount, and when the judgment means judges that the change of the focal position is not within the predetermined amount Control means for controlling the drive of the lens, wherein the control means is configured to adjust the speed at which the change in the focus position changes when the second automatic exposure mode is set by the setting means. The driving of the lens is controlled to be faster than the exposure mode.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to cut out a high-quality still image desired by the user from a moving image recorded in the automatic exposure mode.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a digital single lens reflex camera which is a first embodiment of an image processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a moving image program diagram of an automatic exposure mode 1; FIG. 10 is a moving image program diagram of an automatic exposure mode 2; FIG. 10 is a moving image program diagram of an automatic exposure mode 3; FIG. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between a change in luminance and a follow-up time during exposure tracking in live view display when moving from a dark state to a bright state, and in automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image. FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a change in luminance and a follow-up time during exposure tracking in live view display when moving from a bright state to a dark state, and in automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the drive amount of the diaphragm in live view display and automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image and the drive speed thereof. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a camera operation when the mode dial is set to a moving image shooting mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing upper limit values of lens driving speeds of a fine scan state and a rough scan state of autofocus in a digital single lens reflex camera which is a second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a camera operation when the mode dial is set to a moving image shooting mode.

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

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a digital single lens reflex camera which is a first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the digital single-lens reflex camera according to the present embodiment includes a camera body 100 and an interchangeable lens unit 300 detachably mounted on the camera body 100.

  First, the lens unit 300 will be described. The lens mount 306 coupled to the lens mount 106 of the camera body 100 includes various functions for electrically connecting the lens unit 300 to the camera body 100. The I / F 320 is an interface for connecting the lens unit 300 to the camera body 100 in the lens mount 306. The connector 322 is a connector for electrically connecting the lens unit 300 to the camera body 100.

  The connector 322 exchanges control signals, status signals, data signals and the like between the camera body 100 and the lens unit 300, and also has a function of supplying or supplying a current of various voltages. Further, the connector 322 may be configured to perform communication using not only electrical communication but also optical communication, voice communication, and the like.

  The aperture control unit 340 controls the aperture 312 in cooperation with a shutter control unit 40 that controls the shutter 12 of the camera body 100 described later, based on the photometric information from the photometric control unit 46. The focus detection control unit 342 controls focusing of the lens 310.

  The lens system control circuit 350 controls the entire lens unit 300. The lens system control circuit 350 includes a memory for storing operation constants, variables, programs and the like. In addition, the lens system control circuit 350 is non-volatile that holds identification information such as the unique number of the lens unit 300, management information, function information such as open aperture value and minimum aperture value, focal length, and current and past setting values. It also has a memory.

  Next, the camera body 100 will be described. The lens mount 106 mechanically couples the camera body 100 and the lens unit 300. The mirrors 130 and 132 guide the light flux incident on the lens 310 to the optical finder 104 by a single lens reflex system. The mirror 130 may be a quick return mirror or a half mirror.

  The light beam incident on the lens 310 is imaged as an optical image on the imaging device 14 through the diaphragm 312, the lens mounts 306 and 106, the mirror 130, and the focal plane shutter 12. The imaging device 14 is configured of a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, or the like, and photoelectrically converts the formed object image. In front of the image pickup device 14, an optical element such as an optical low pass filter is disposed.

  The A / D converter 16 converts an analog signal output from the imaging device 14 into a digital signal. The timing generation circuit 18 is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50, and supplies clock signals and control signals to the imaging device 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, respectively.

  The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on data from the A / D converter 16 or data from the memory control circuit 22. The image processing circuit 20 also performs predetermined arithmetic processing using image data output from the A / D converter 16 as necessary. Furthermore, the image processing circuit 20 performs TTL (through-the-lens) AF processing, AE processing for the system control circuit 50 to control the shutter control unit 40 and the focus adjustment unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result. Flash light control (imaging plane EF) processing can be performed. The AF process is not limited to the contrast method, and may be a phase difference method.

  Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the image data output from the A / D converter 16, and based on the obtained arithmetic result, TTL auto white balance (AWB) processing or an object Detect the face or movement of The face detection detects the direction and the size, and the motion detection detects the movement speed from the movement direction and the movement amount.

  In the present embodiment, the focus adjustment unit 42 and the photometry control unit 46 are provided exclusively. Therefore, the AF processing, the AE processing, and the EF processing are performed using the focus adjustment unit 42 and the photometry control unit 46, and the AF processing, the AE processing, and the EF processing using the image processing circuit 20 are not performed. It does not matter. Further, each processing of AF processing, AE processing and EF processing is performed using the focus adjustment unit 42 and the photometry control unit 46, and each processing of AF processing, AE processing and EF processing using the image processing circuit 20 is performed. You may do so.

  The memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32. The image data output from the A / D converter 16 is written to the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or only via the memory control circuit 22.

  The display image data written in the image display memory 24 is displayed on the image display unit 28 such as an LCD or an organic display via the D / A converter 26. When the live view function is effective, imaging (charge accumulation) by the imaging device 14 and reading of imaged image data are sequentially performed in a predetermined cycle (frame rate), and the memory control circuit 22 and D / A converter The image display unit 28 sequentially displays via the display 26.

  Further, based on an instruction from the system control circuit 50, state information of the camera is also displayed on the image display unit 28 instead of the image. As status information of the camera, for example, single shot / continuous shooting display, self timer display, compression ratio display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded images, number of remaining shots displayed, shutter speed, aperture value display, exposure correction Display, flash display, red-eye reduction display can be exemplified. In addition, macro shooting display, buzzer setting display, battery remaining power display, battery remaining power display, error display, information display by multi-digit numbers, information display by multiple digits, display of mounting / demounting state of recording medium 200, lens unit 300 as camera status information. The attachment / detachment state display of and the communication I / F operation display can be exemplified.

  Furthermore, as the camera state information, date / time display, and a display showing a connection state with an external computer can be exemplified. Further, on the image display unit 28, a warning is displayed to notify of an abnormality detected by the camera. For example, in addition to a warning that there is no free space in the recording medium 200, a warning when something that requires initialization of the recording medium 200 is detected, a warning when acquisition of memory necessary for shooting is not possible, a warning that can not shoot or record , Alert warnings, etc. are also included. Further, the image display unit 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction of the system control circuit 50, and when the display is turned off, the power consumption of the camera body 100 can be significantly reduced. .

  The memory 30 stores the captured still image or moving image. The memory 30 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images or a predetermined amount of moving images. As a result, even in the case of continuous shooting for continuously shooting a plurality of still images or panoramic shooting, it is possible to perform high-speed and large-scale image writing to the memory 30. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area of the system control circuit 50.

  The compression / decompression circuit 32 reads the image data stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and writes the processed image data to the memory 30 again. The compression / decompression circuit 32 also has a function of compression encoding moving image data into a predetermined format or expanding a moving image signal from predetermined compression encoded data.

  The shutter control unit 40 controls the shutter 12 in cooperation with the aperture control unit 340 that controls the aperture 312 based on the photometric information from the photometric control unit 46. The focus adjustment unit 42 performs an AF (Auto Focus) process. The focusing unit 42 forms an optical image by causing the light beam incident on the lens 310 of the lens unit 300 to enter through the diaphragm 312, the lens mounts 306 and 106, the mirror 130, and the focusing sub mirror (not shown). Measure the in-focus state of the captured image.

  The photometry control unit 46 performs an AE (automatic exposure) process. The photometry control unit 46 exposes an image formed as an optical image by causing a light beam incident on the lens 310 of the lens unit 300 to enter through the diaphragm 312, the lens mounts 306 and 106, the mirror 130, and the sub-mirror for photometry. Measure the condition. The flash 48 also has a light emission function of AF auxiliary light and a flash light control function. The photometry control unit 46 also has an EF (flash light control) processing function by cooperating with the flash 48.

  In addition, AF control may be performed using the measurement result by the focus adjustment unit 42 and the calculation result obtained by calculating the image data from the A / D converter 16 by the image processing circuit 20. Furthermore, exposure control may be performed using the measurement result by the photometry control unit 46 and the calculation result obtained by calculating the image data from the A / D converter 16 by the image processing circuit 20. The system control circuit 50 incorporates a CPU and the like and controls the entire camera body 100. The memory 52 stores constants, variables, programs and the like for the operation of the system control circuit 50.

  The display unit 54 outputs an operation state, a message, and the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like according to the execution of the program in the system control circuit 50. The display unit 54 is installed at a single or a plurality of easily visible positions in the vicinity of the operation unit 70 of the camera body 100. Further, a part of the display unit 54 is installed in the optical finder 104.

  Among the display contents of the display unit 54, the display contents to be displayed on the image display unit 28 such as an LCD are as follows. First, there are displays related to shooting modes such as single shot / continuous shot shooting display, self timer display, and the like. In addition, there are displays related to recording, such as a compression rate display, a display of the number of recording pixels, a display of the number of recordings, and a display of the number of remaining shots. In addition, there are displays related to shooting conditions such as a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, a light control correction display, an external flash light emission display, and a red eye reduction display. In addition, there are macro photographing display, buzzer setting display, battery remaining amount display, error display, information display by plural digits, and mounting / removing state display of the recording medium 200. In addition, there are also display / removal status display of the lens unit 300, communication I / F operation display, date / time display, display showing connection status with an external computer, etc.

  Further, among the display contents of the display unit 54, those displayed in the optical finder 104 include, for example, those shown below. Focus display, shooting preparation completion display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, flash charge completion display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, recording medium write operation display and the like.

  As the non-volatile memory 56, an electrically erasable / recordable EEPROM or the like in which a program or the like is stored is used.

  The mode dial 60 can switch and set each function photographing mode such as an automatic photographing mode, a program photographing mode, a shutter speed priority photographing mode, an aperture priority photographing mode, a manual photographing mode, and a depth of focus priority (depth) photographing mode. In addition, the mode dial 60 can switch and set each function photographing mode such as a portrait photographing mode, a landscape photographing mode, a close-up photographing mode, a sport photographing mode, a night scene photographing mode, a panoramic photographing mode, and a moving image photographing mode.

  The shutter switch (SW1) 62 is turned on while the release button 114 is operated (for example, half-pressed), and instructs the system control circuit 50 to start operations such as AF processing, AE processing, AWB processing, and EF processing. The shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on when the operation of the release button 114 is completed (for example, full press), and the system control circuit 50 includes a series of processes including exposure processing, development processing, compression / decompression processing, and recording processing. The start of the still image shooting operation is instructed.

  First, in the exposure processing, the image data is written to the memory 30 through the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22 in the signal read from the image pickup device 14, and the calculation in the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 is further performed. Development processing is performed. Further, in the compression / decompression process, the image data is read from the memory 30, compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 32, and the image data is written or transmitted from the memory 30 to the recording medium 200 by the recording process.

  The reproduction switch 66 instructs the start of a reproduction operation of reading out an image photographed in the photographing mode from the memory 30 or the recording medium 200 and displaying the image on the image display unit 28. The playback switch 66 can also set each function mode such as playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, PC connection mode and the like.

  The live view on / off button 68 doubles as a moving image recording start / end button, and is a button for starting / stopping the live view function when the mode dial 60 is other than the moving image shooting mode. When the live view function is started, shooting and display processing are sequentially performed so that the image display unit 28 functions as an electronic viewfinder. In addition, when the mode dial 60 is in the moving image shooting mode, shooting and display processing are sequentially performed so that the image display unit 28 functions as an electronic viewfinder, and the live view on / off button 68 starts / ends moving image recording. Button.

  The operation unit 70 includes various buttons, a touch panel, and the like. In the moving image shooting mode, the selection of the automatic exposure mode of the moving image, the moving image size, and the moving image frame rate can be selected by the operation unit 70.

  The operation unit 70 includes a menu button, a set button, an image recording mode of a photographed image, a compression rate, an image quality, a flash setting button, a single shot / continuous shot / self timer switching button, a menu shift + (plus) button, and a menu shift − (Minus) button is included. In addition, the operation unit 70 includes a play image move + (plus) button, a play image move − (minus) button, a shooting image quality selection button, an exposure correction button, a light control correction button, a date / time setting button, an image display unit 28 An image display on / off switch is included to set the on / off of the. The functions of the plus button and the minus button can also be realized by associating the rotation direction of the rotary dial switch with plus or minus.

  Furthermore, the operation unit 70 includes a quick review on / off switch for setting a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data captured immediately after shooting, and a compression mode switch for selecting a compression rate of JPEG compression. Furthermore, the operation unit 70 includes a reproduction switch for setting each function mode such as a reproduction mode, multi-screen reproduction / erase mode, PC connection mode, etc., and an AF mode setting switch for selecting one shot AF mode and servo AF mode. Be

  The one-shot AF mode is a mode in which when the shutter switch SW1 (62) is turned on, the autofocus operation is started, and once in focus, the in-focus state is maintained. The servo AF mode is a mode in which the autofocus operation is continuously performed while the shutter switch SW1 (62) is on.

  The power switch 72 can switch and set the power on and power off modes of the camera body 100. Further, the power switch 72 can switch and set the power on and power off of various accessory devices such as the lens unit 300 and the recording medium 200 connected to the camera body 100.

  The power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, and a switch circuit that switches blocks to be energized. The power supply control unit 80 detects the presence or absence of a battery, the type of battery, and the remaining amount of battery, controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control circuit 50, and requires necessary voltage. During the period, the information is supplied to each unit including the recording medium 200.

  The power supply unit 86 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, a Li-ion battery, or a Li polymer battery, an AC adapter, etc. It is detachably mounted on the 100.

  The I / F 90 is an interface with the recording medium 200. The recording medium 200 is detachably attached to the camera body 100 via the connectors 92 and 206. The recording medium attachment / detachment detection circuit 98 detects whether the recording medium 200 is attached to the connector 92.

  In the present embodiment, the interface and connector of the recording medium are one system, but a plurality of interfaces and connectors of the recording medium may be configured. Further, interfaces and connectors of different standards may be combined.

  As the interface and the connector, those conforming to various storage medium standards can be used. For example, a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, an SD card or the like is used. When the I / F 90 and the connector 92 are configured using ones conforming to the standards such as a PCMCIA card and a CF card, various communication cards can be connected.

  Communication cards include LAN cards, modem cards, USB cards, and IEEE 1394 cards. There are also P1284 card, SCSI card, PHS, etc. By connecting these various communication cards, it is possible to mutually transfer image data and management information attached to the image data with peripheral devices such as a computer and a printer.

  The optical finder 104 can guide the light flux incident on the lens 310 through the stop 312, the lens mounts 306 and 106, and the mirrors 130 and 132, and can form an optical image and display it. Thus, it is possible to perform shooting using only the optical finder 104 without using the electronic finder function by the image display unit 28. Further, in the optical finder 104, a part of functions of the display unit 54, such as an in-focus state, a shake warning, a flash charge, a shutter speed, an aperture value, an exposure correction, etc., are displayed.

  The I / F 120 is an interface for connecting the lens unit 300 to the camera body 100. The connector 122 exchanges functions such as control signals, status signals and data signals between the camera body 100 and the lens unit 300, and also has a function of supplying currents of various voltages.

  Various optical information (aperture, zoom position, pupil distance, focal length, etc.) communicated via the connector 122 are stored in the memory 30 of the camera body 100. The request for communication may be made from the camera body 100 side or may be made from the lens unit 300 side every time the information is updated. Further, the connector 122 may be configured to perform communication by optical communication and voice communication as well as by electric communication.

  The recording medium 200 includes a recording unit 202 including a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, an interface 204 with the camera body 100, and a connector 206 for connecting to the camera body 100. As the recording medium 200, a memory card such as a PCMCIA card or Compact Flash (registered trademark), a hard disk or the like can be used. Also, micro DAT, magneto-optical disc, optical disc such as CD-R or CD-RW, phase change optical disc such as DVD, etc. may be used.

  Next, the automatic exposure mode at the time of moving image shooting will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. In the present embodiment, there are three automatic exposure modes 1 to 3. FIG. 2 is a moving image program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 1. FIG. 3 is a moving image program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 2. FIG. 4 is a moving image program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 3. The automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 are controlled by the system control circuit 50 based on the respective moving picture program diagrams. Here, the auto exposure mode 1 corresponds to an example of the first auto exposure mode of the present invention, and the auto exposure modes 2 and 3 correspond to an example of the second auto exposure mode of the present invention.

  The moving picture program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 1 shown in FIG. 2 is such that the storage time of the image is as long as possible in the frame, and as a result, the time when the image is not stored between the frames It is controlled to be short. For this reason, when the moving image is played back, there is a feature that the movement of the subject looks smooth.

  The moving image program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 2 shown in FIG. 3 is for shooting a moving image in which the camera shake and the subject shake are suppressed. Specifically, the accumulation time of the moving image is short by comparing the accumulation time of the moving image program diagram of FIG. 2 with the accumulation time of 1 / focal length (F) of the lens or the movement time of the subject. Priority is given to control the remaining parameters with the control values obtained from the moving picture program diagram of FIG.

  For example, when the above-mentioned accumulation time becomes an accumulation time shorter than the accumulation time of the moving image program chart, the correction is made with the gain, and then the iris is corrected. If the correction can not be made with the gain or the aperture, the accumulation time is increased to control the appropriate exposure. When the moving image shot in the automatic exposure mode 2 is reproduced, the motion of the subject appears discretely, but when the still image is cut out from the moving image, blurring of the subject is reduced.

  The moving picture program diagram of the automatic exposure mode 3 shown in FIG. 4 is for photographing a moving picture with a shallow depth of field, and is controlled so that the aperture of the lens takes the opening side preferentially. The moving image taken in auto exposure mode 3 has a blurred background and a clearer image when the still image is cut out from the moving image, so it looks more like a portrait picture than a still image cut out from a general moving image It becomes a picture.

  Thus, the automatic exposure mode 2 and the automatic exposure mode 3 are automatic exposure modes intended to cut out a still image from a recorded moving image. In the automatic exposure mode 2 and the automatic exposure mode 3, it is required to follow the exposure when the exposure changes and the focal position control by the movement of the subject not the image quality or appearance as a moving image but how quickly to follow.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the change in brightness and the follow-up time during exposure tracking in live view display and in the auto exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image when the subject brightness changes from dark to bright . FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the change in brightness and the follow-up time during exposure tracking in live view display and in the auto exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image when the subject brightness changes from bright to dark. .

  In FIG. 5, the diagram (a) shows the exposure tracking when recording a moving image in the automatic exposure mode 1, and the diagram (b) shows the exposure tracking when recording a moving image in the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3. Diagram (c) shows the exposure tracking during live view display. Also, in FIG. 6, the diagram (d) shows the exposure following when recording a moving image in the automatic exposure mode 1, and the diagram (e) shows the exposure when recording a moving image in the automatic exposure mode 2, 3 The follow-up is shown, and the diagram (f) shows the exposure follow-up at the time of live view display.

  The relational expression of exposure tracking time in FIG. 5 is (c) <(b) <(a), and the relational expression of exposure tracking time in FIG. 6 is (f) <(e) <(d) It becomes. From this, the speed of exposure tracking is slower toward the right side of the equation in both FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, but the auto exposure modes 2, 3 follow the exposure tracking speed at the time of live view display The speed may be the same or faster.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the drive amount of the diaphragm and the drive speed in live view display and in the automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 of a moving image.

  In FIG. 7, line (g) relates to the aperture when moving image recording is performed in automatic exposure mode 1, and line (h) relates to the aperture when moving image recording is performed in automatic exposure modes 2 and 3. i) relates to the aperture in live view display. From FIG. 7, the relational expression of the drive speed of the diaphragm at the time of aperture control is (i) <(h) <(g), and becomes slower toward the right side. The drive speed of the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3 may be the same as or faster than the drive speed of the diaphragm at the time of live view display.

  In addition to the appearance as a moving image, there are driving noises of an aperture and a lens recorded together with the moving image as constraints for restricting the drive of the diaphragm and the lens during moving image recording. This driving sound is recorded as a moving image when the diaphragm or lens is driven at a high speed above a predetermined speed, and the driving speed varies depending on the type of lens.

  Therefore, it is possible to tell whether or not moving image recording is in progress from the camera body 100 to the lens unit 300, and restrict the driving speed of the diaphragm or lens on the lens unit 300 side during moving image recording other than the dead zone range. . On the other hand, in the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3, the drive sound of the diaphragm and the lens recorded along with the moving image is not minded, so the diaphragm and the lens system control circuit 350 of the lens unit 300 are not notified The lens can be driven at high speed.

  FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the camera operation when the mode dial 60 is set to the moving image shooting mode. In each process of FIG. 8, a program stored in the non-volatile memory 56 or the like of the camera body 100 is expanded in the memory 30 and executed by the CPU or the like of the system control circuit 50.

  In FIG. 8, in step S801, the system control circuit 50 causes the image sensor 14, the timing generation circuit 18, and the like to display a moving image on the image display unit 28 at the moving image frame rate and moving image size set by the operation unit 70. And control the image processing circuit 20 and the like. Then, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the live view on / off button 68 has been turned on to instruct start of recording of a moving image. If instructed, the process proceeds to step S 805. If not instructed, the system is instructed The processing of steps S802 to S804 is repeated until

  In step S802, the system control circuit 50 causes the image processing circuit 20 to perform photometry using the image information of the imaging surface of the imaging device 14, and proceeds to step S803. In step S803, the system control circuit 50 determines, based on the photometric information, whether the change in exposure is within a predetermined range and is within the range of the dead zone not responding to the change. If within the range of the dead zone, the process returns to step S801. If it is out of the range of the dead zone, the process proceeds to step S804. In step S804, the system control circuit 50 performs exposure control by changing the accumulation time and the gain of the diaphragm 312 and the imaging device 14 via the diaphragm control unit 340, and returns to step S801.

  On the other hand, in step S805, the system control circuit 50 causes the image processing circuit 20 to perform photometry using the image information of the imaging surface of the imaging device 14, and proceeds to step S806. In step S806, the system control circuit 50 determines, based on the photometric information, whether the change in exposure is within the predetermined range and is within the range of the dead zone not responding to the change. If it is within the dead zone, the process proceeds to step S813. If it is out of the range of the dead zone, the process proceeds to step S 807.

  In step S 807, the system control circuit 50 determines which one of the auto exposure modes 1 to 3 the auto exposure mode of the moving image is. In the case of the auto exposure mode 1, the system control circuit 50 proceeds to step S 808. In the case, the process proceeds to step S810. The system control circuit 50 also obtains the exposure tracking speed v from the amount of change in luminance of the photometric information.

  In step S808, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the exposure tracking speed v in the automatic exposure mode 1 exceeds the upper limit value v1. If it exceeds, the process proceeds to step S809, and if it does not exceed The process proceeds to step S812. In step S809, the system control circuit 50 limits the exposure tracking speed v to the upper limit value v1 and proceeds to step S812. Here, the upper limit value v1 has a good appearance when the moving image is reproduced, and is set to a relatively low tracking speed such that the driving sound at the time of aperture control is not recorded along with the moving image.

  In step S810, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the exposure tracking speed v in the automatic exposure mode 2 or 3 exceeds the upper limit value v2. If it exceeds, the process proceeds to step S811, and if it does not The process proceeds to step S812. In step S811, the system control circuit 50 limits the exposure tracking speed v to the upper limit value v2 and proceeds to step S812. Here, the upper limit value v2 is a value faster than the upper limit value v1 and the driving sound at the time of aperture control is recorded along with the moving image, but when the still image is cut out from the moving image, the blurring of the exposure is reduced Is set to a relatively fast tracking speed.

  In step S812, the system control circuit 50 determines the accumulation time, gain, and aperture value of the imaging device 14 according to the set exposure tracking speed, performs exposure control of the imaging device 14, and proceeds to step S813. .

  In step S813, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the live view on / off button 68 has been turned off. If the live view on / off button 68 has not been turned off, the process returns to step S805. .

  As described above, the present embodiment has the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3 aiming to cut out a still image from a recorded moving image. Then, in the auto exposure modes 2 and 3, the driving sound at the time of aperture control is recorded along with the moving image, but when cutting out a still image from the moving image, a relatively high-speed tracking speed such that blurring of the exposure is reduced Exposure control is performed. As a result, it is possible to cut out a high-quality still image desired by the user without exposure blur from the recorded moving image.

  In the present embodiment, the case of limiting the driving speed of the diaphragm on the camera body 100 side has been exemplified, but as described above, the camera body 100 notifies the lens unit 300 that moving image recording is performed, and the lens unit 300 side The driving speed of the diaphragm may be limited. That is, when the lens unit 300 is informed of moving picture recording from the camera body 100, the drive speed of the diaphragm is limited in the automatic exposure mode 1 and the drive sound of the diaphragm is recorded in the moving picture except in the dead zone range. It may not be done.

Second Embodiment
Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, a digital single-lens reflex camera which is a second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the upper limit values of the lens drive speeds of the fine scan state and the rough scan state of the autofocus for each of the live view display and the automatic exposure modes 1 to 3 of the moving image. Here, the coarse scan is a drive method that drives the lens 310 largely in a wide focus range to obtain a rough focus position, and the dense scan drives the lens 310 small in a narrow focus range to obtain a final focus. This is a drive method for obtaining the position.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the upper limit value of the drive speed of the coarse scan lens 310 is higher than the upper limit value of the drive speed of the fine scan lens 310. Further, the relational expression of the upper limit of the drive speed of the lens 310 in the fine scan auto exposure mode 1 and the auto exposure modes 2 and 3 and live view display is Vf1 <Vf3 <Vf5. On the other hand, the relational expression of the upper limit of the drive speed of the lens 310 in the rough scan auto exposure mode 1, auto exposure modes 2 and 3, and live view display is Vf2 <Vf4 <Vf6. In any of the scan modes, the driving speed of the lens 310 is slower toward the right of the equation.

  The driving speed V of the lens 310 in the auto exposure mode 1 is slower than the driving speed V of the lens 310 in live view display in consideration of the appearance of a moving image. In the case of the auto exposure modes 2 and 3, the driving speed V of each lens 310 is the same as the driving speed V of the lens 310 of the live view display, in consideration of the fact that the focus is adjusted faster than the appearance of moving pictures. ing. The driving speed V of the lens 310 in the auto exposure modes 2 and 3 may be faster than the driving speed V of the lens 310 in live view display.

  FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the camera operation when the mode dial 60 is set to the moving image shooting mode. In each process of FIG. 10, a program stored in the non-volatile memory 56 or the like of the camera body 100 shown in FIG. 1 is developed in the memory 30, and executed by the CPU or the like of the system control circuit 50.

  In FIG. 10, in step S1001, the system control circuit 50 displays the moving image on the image display unit 28 at the moving image frame rate and moving image size set by the operation unit 70. And control the image processing circuit 20 and the like. Then, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the live view on / off button 68 is turned on to instruct start of recording of a moving image, and if instructed, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if not instructed, instructed The processing of steps S1002 to S1004 is repeated until it is reached.

  In step S1002, the system control circuit 50 causes the image processing circuit 20 to perform distance measurement using the image information of the imaging surface of the imaging device 14, and proceeds to step S1003. In step S1003, the system control circuit 50 determines, based on the evaluation value of the distance measurement information, whether or not the change of the focus position is within a predetermined amount and within the range of the dead zone (focusing range) which does not respond to the change. Then, the system control circuit 50 returns to step S1001 if it is within the range of the dead zone, and proceeds to step S1004 if it is outside the range of the dead zone. In step S1004, the system control circuit 50 performs focus position control of the lens 310 via the focus detection control unit 342, and returns to step S1001.

  On the other hand, in step S1005, the system control circuit 50 causes the image processing circuit 20 to perform distance measurement using the image information of the imaging surface of the imaging device 14, and proceeds to step S1006. In step S1006, the system control circuit 50 determines, based on the evaluation value of the distance measurement information, whether or not the change of the focus position is within a predetermined amount and within the range of the dead zone (focusing range) which does not respond to the change. Then, the system control circuit 50 proceeds to step S1019 if it is within the range of the dead zone, and proceeds to step S1007 if it is outside the range of the dead zone.

  In step S1007, the system control circuit 50 determines which one of the auto exposure modes 1 to 3 the auto exposure mode of the moving image is. In the case of the auto exposure mode 1, the process proceeds to step S1008. In the case, the process proceeds to step S1013. In step S1008, the system control circuit 50 determines the scan mode of the automatic exposure mode 1 and proceeds to step S1010 in the case of the coarse scan, and proceeds to 1009 in the case of the fine scan.

  In step S1009, referring to FIG. 9, the system control circuit 50 sets the upper limit value Vf1 = Vmax of the focal position control speed corresponding to the fine scan in the auto exposure mode 1, and proceeds to step S1011. In step S1010, system control circuit 50 sets the upper limit value Vf2 = Vmax of the focal position control speed corresponding to the rough scan in auto exposure mode 1 with reference to FIG. 9, and proceeds to step S1011. Here, the upper limit value Vmax has a good appearance when reproducing a moving image, and is set at a relatively low control speed such that the driving sound of the lens at the time of focus position control is not recorded with the moving image.

  In step S1011, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the focal position control speed V determined in the distance measurement in step S1005 exceeds the upper limit value Vmax. If it exceeds, the process proceeds to step S1012 and exceeds If not, the process proceeds to step S1018. In step S1012, the system control circuit 50 sets the focal position control velocity V to the upper limit value Vmax, and the process proceeds to step S1018.

  On the other hand, in step S1013, the system control circuit 50 determines the scan modes of the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3. In the case of the coarse scan, the process proceeds to step S1015, and in the case of the fine scan, the process proceeds to 1014.

  In step S1014, the system control circuit 50 sets the upper limit value Vf3 = Vmax of the focal position control speed corresponding to the fine scan in the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3, referring to FIG. 9, and proceeds to step S1016. In step S1015, referring to FIG. 9, the system control circuit 50 sets the upper limit value Vf4 = Vmax of the focal position control speed corresponding to the rough scan in the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3, and proceeds to step S1016. The upper limit value Vmax here is a value faster than the upper limit value max in step S1012, and the drive sound of the lens at the time of focus position control is recorded along with the moving image, but when the still image is cut out from the moving image The control speed is set to a relatively high control speed such that blurring of the focus position is reduced.

  In step S1016, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the focal position control speed V obtained in the distance measurement in step S1005 exceeds the upper limit value Vmax. If it exceeds, the process proceeds to step S1017 and exceeds If not, the process proceeds to step S1018. In step S1017, the system control circuit 50 sets the focal position control speed V to the upper limit value Vmax, and the process proceeds to step S1018.

  In step S1018, the system control circuit 50 drives the lens 310 at the focus position control speed V set via the focus detection control unit 342 to perform focus position control, and the process proceeds to step S1019. In step S1019, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the live view on / off button 68 has been turned off. If the live view on / off button 68 has not been turned off, the process returns to step S1005. .

  In this embodiment, in the automatic exposure modes 2 and 3 aiming to cut out a still image from a recorded moving image, the drive sound at the time of focus position control is recorded together with the moving image, but when the still image is cut out from the moving image The focus position control is performed at a relatively high control speed at which the focus position blurring is reduced. As a result, it is possible to cut out a high-quality still image desired by the user without blurring of the focal position from the recorded moving image. Other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Similarly, in the present embodiment, the camera body 100 may notify the lens unit 300 that moving image recording is performed, and the focal position control speed may be limited on the lens unit 300 side. That is, when the lens unit 300 is notified of moving image recording from the camera body 100, the focal position control speed is limited in the auto exposure mode 1 and the lens driving sound is recorded in the moving image except in the dead zone range. It may not be done.

  The present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiments, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, the present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read the program. It can also be realized by the process to be executed. It can also be implemented by a circuit (eg, an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

14 imaging device 20 image processing circuit 50 system control circuit 60 mode dial 100 camera body 300 lens unit 310 lens 312 aperture 340 aperture control unit 342 focus detection control unit 350 lens system control circuit

Claims (10)

Setting means for setting a second automatic exposure mode in which a moving image accumulation time is shorter than the first automatic exposure mode or the first automatic exposure mode;
A determination unit that determines whether a change in exposure after the start of recording of a moving image is within a predetermined amount;
And control means for controlling the drive of the diaphragm in accordance with the change in the exposure when it is determined by the determination means that the change in the exposure is not within a predetermined amount.
The control means controls the drive of the diaphragm so that the speed following the change of the exposure becomes faster than the first auto exposure mode when the second auto exposure mode is set by the setting means. An image processing apparatus characterized by   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit limits an upper limit of a speed to follow a change in the exposure when the first automatic exposure mode is set by the setting unit. .   3. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control means limits the upper limit of the speed to follow the change of the exposure when the second automatic exposure mode is set by the setting means. Processing unit. Setting means for setting a second automatic exposure mode in which a moving image accumulation time is shorter than the first automatic exposure mode or the first automatic exposure mode;
Determining means for determining whether or not the change of the focal position after the start of the recording of the moving image is within a predetermined amount;
And control means for controlling the driving of the lens following the change in the focus position when it is determined that the change in the focus position is not within the predetermined amount by the determination means.
The control means controls the driving of the lens so that the speed following the change of the focal position becomes faster than the first auto exposure mode when the second auto exposure mode is set by the setting means. An image processing apparatus characterized in that.   5. The image processing according to claim 4, wherein the control means limits the upper limit of the speed following the change of the focal position when the first automatic exposure mode is set by the setting means. apparatus.   6. The control method according to claim 4, wherein the control unit limits the upper limit of the speed following the change of the focal position when the second automatic exposure mode is set by the setting unit. Image processing device. A setting step of setting a second automatic exposure mode in which the moving image accumulation time is shorter than the first automatic exposure mode or the first automatic exposure mode;
A determination step of determining whether a change in exposure after the start of recording of the moving image is within a predetermined amount;
A control step of controlling the drive of the diaphragm following the change in the exposure when it is determined in the determination step that the change in the exposure is not within a predetermined amount;
The control step controls the drive of the aperture so that the speed following the change in the exposure becomes faster than the first auto exposure mode when the second auto exposure mode is set in the setting step. An image processing method characterized in that. A setting step of setting a second automatic exposure mode in which the moving image accumulation time is shorter than the first automatic exposure mode or the first automatic exposure mode;
A determination step of determining whether or not the change of the focal position after the start of the recording of the moving image is within a predetermined amount;
A control step of controlling driving of the lens following the change of the focus position when it is determined that the change of the focus position is not within a predetermined amount in the determination step;
The control step controls the driving of the lens so that the speed following the change in the focal position becomes faster than the first auto exposure mode when the second auto exposure mode is set in the setting step. An image processing method characterized by:   A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

Images