JPH0635036A - Finder for dealing with panorama - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a camera capable of making a user feel the extension of a panorama by closing a visual field frame once and succeedingly making a visual field of a panorama finder appear so as to enlarge in the horizontal direction when the visual field of the panorama finder is switched, as to a camera capable of switching normal photographing and panoramic photographing. CONSTITUTION:The movement of a visual field controlling plate which is closed in a vertical direction is as follows; (A) (B) (C). And the movement of the visual field controlling plate which is closed in a horizontal direction is as follows; (D) (E) (F). A method for forming the visual field of the panorama finder is attained by the combination of the visual field controlling plate for the vertical direction and the visual field controlling plate for the horizontal direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a viewfinder capable of switching from normal photography to panoramic photography.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In panoramic photography, since the upper and lower parts of a viewfinder visual field during normal photography are covered, the visual field becomes narrower in the vertical direction than the visual field during normal photography. In a conventional camera capable of switching between normal shooting and panoramic shooting, it is difficult to feel a panorama-specific spread because the field of view is wide and the panoramic viewfinder field is narrowed in the vertical direction.

[0003]

Therefore, there is a need for a method of switching to the field of view of the panoramic viewfinder that allows the user to feel the spread peculiar to panoramic photography.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a switching method capable of feeling a panorama peculiar to a panorama by closing the field frame and subsequently forming a panoramic viewfinder field when switching from normal shooting to panoramic shooting. It is in.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a camera capable of switching between normal photography and panoramic photography, and a changing member for changing the field of view of a panoramic viewfinder during panoramic photography, a means for closing a field frame, and the changing member. Driving means for changing the field of view to the panoramic viewfinder, and means for closing the field frame to close the field frame and then operating the changing means to form a panoramic view field. That solves the problems of the past.

[0006]

According to the structure of the present invention, the means for closing the field frame is operated to close the field frame and then the changing means is operated to form the panoramic view field.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The camera of this embodiment employs a trimming system capable of arbitrarily selecting the size of a photographing area without using a zoom lens. In the trimming system, for example, trimming information that specifies a part of the effective shooting area of the film surface is imprinted on a predetermined portion of the film at the time of shooting, and this information is read by a reading device at the time of printing, Only the area corresponding to the information is printed out. Therefore, even if the photographing lens used is a single focus lens, a pseudo zoom effect as if photographing with the zoom lens is obtained on the print. Therefore, shooting in which the trimming information is added to the film is called pseudo zoom shooting.

In this pseudo-zoom photography, the aspect ratio of the finished photograph is the same as the aspect ratio of the photograph taken in normal photography, but if a trimming system is applied, the horizontal aspect of the center excluding the upper and lower parts in the image forming area of the film You can also print only the part of to obtain a horizontally long panoramic photo with an aspect ratio different from that of a normal photo. In this case, as the trimming information, the trimming information for panoramic photographs, which is different from that for pseudo zoom photographing, is added to the film at the time of photographing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a camera to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a taking lens, and 123 is a power switch. Reference numeral 124 is an operation button for switching to wide, tele, and panorama, and 126 is a shirt button.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of a camera which enables the above-mentioned pseudo zoom photographing. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a taking lens, which is detachable from the camera body 4. Reference numeral 2 denotes a main mirror that guides the light that has passed through the taking lens 1 toward an upper finder optical system 3 and is provided in the camera body 4. 5 has shown the film. An AF sub-mirror 6 directs a part of the light from the taking lens 1 to an AF (automatic focus detection) module 7. The finder optical system 3 will be described in order from the upstream side of light. The focusing screen 8 is arranged at the position of the primary image plane that forms the primary image. The first mirror 10 is provided to direct the light from the first condenser lens 9 to the front. The second mirror 11 directs the light from the first mirror 10 further upward, and the relay system auxiliary lens 12 is provided to form a reduced virtual image of the primary image of the focusing screen 8 on the downstream side of the light from the focusing screen 8. Has been. The third mirror 13 is provided to guide the light from the relay system auxiliary lens 12 to the zoom relay lens system 14. The fourth mirror 15 is provided to direct the light from the zoom relay lens system 14 downward.
The field frame 17 is arranged at the position of the secondary image plane where the secondary image is formed through the second condenser lens 16. The fifth mirror 18 directs the light, which has passed through the field frame 17, parallel to the optical axis of the photographing lens 1 and toward the rear, so that the fixed eyepiece 1
The light is directed to 9.

Further, 20 is a pupil position, and 23 is a flash light emitting portion. At the time of flash light emission, the third mirror is retracted so that the light passing through the light emission window 21 is projected. In this embodiment, since the relay type finder as described above is used, a large space can be formed in the central portion. Therefore, by providing the flash light emitting unit 23 in the illustrated portion, it is possible to achieve effective use of the space. Moreover, the zoom flash can be achieved by using the zoom relay lens system 14 without providing a special mechanism. The emission optical path will be described later with reference to FIG.

Further, the information recording device 26 is provided to record the trimming information corresponding to each of wide, tele and panorama on the film.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the total of six (even) mirrors of the main mirror 2 and the first to fifth mirrors 10, 11, 13, 15, 18 are used, the image to be photographed. On the other hand, the final viewfinder image becomes an erect image.

In the finder, the zoom relay lens system 14 is composed of a two-component three-lens system. The reason is that the zoom relay lens system 14 is driven to change the magnification in order to obtain a finder field of view having the same angle of view as that of a photograph produced by being read by a reading device at the time of printing based on the trimming information given to the film. Is.

The structure for driving the zoom relay lens system 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The lens holders 34 and 35 are movable only in the front-rear direction along the guide rod 41, and the pins 42 and 43 provided on the lens holders 34 and 35 are biased by the springs 44, respectively. The position is determined by contacting the surfaces 45 and 46. The cam plate 47 that cuts the cam surfaces 45, 46 is a gear 48, 49, 50, 5
It is driven by a motor 55 via 1, 52, 53, 54.
The cam plate 47 swings around the center axis of the gear 48, and the gear 51 swings around the center axis of the gear 50. The gears 52, 54 are worm gears, and can achieve high-speed deceleration compactly. A contact piece 60 is fixed to the lens holder 34, and the zoom position can be detected by the conduction between the contact piece 60 and the pattern on the encoder substrate 61 fixed on the body.

Next, the operation of the zoom relay lens system 14 will be described.

From wide to tele zoom relay lens system 1
In the operation of moving 4, the motor 55 rotates in the forward direction, and the rotation is transmitted to the worm gear 52 via the gear 54 and the gear 53. The rotation of the worm gear 52 is the gear 5
The gear 51 is swung in the direction of arrow a in the figure around the axis of 0. The gear 50 rotates as the gear 51 swings. The rotation of the gear 50 is transmitted to the gear 49 and the gear 48. The cam plate 47 is swung in the direction of arrow b in the figure around the shaft of the gear 48 by driving the gear 48. As the cam plate 47 swings, the lens holders 34 and 35 move in the direction of arrow c in the figure along the guide rod. The relative spacing between the lens holders 34 and 35 is determined by the fact that the pins 42 and 43 provided on the lens holders 34 and 35 are urged by the spring 44 and the cam surface 45,
The position is moved by moving along the cam surface while abutting on 46. In this way, the image magnification is controlled by the CPU shown in FIG. 7, which controls the entire camera,
The viewfinder field can be switched in synchronization with the switching of the shooting screen. Incidentally, FIG. 3 shows the case where the finder is wide, and FIG. 4 shows the case where it is tele. In addition, from tele to wide zoom relay lens system 14
The operation of moving is achieved by reversing the motor 55.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing mechanical movements of the third and fourth mirrors when the flash light emitting section 23 emits light. The third mirror 13 and the fourth mirror 15 shown by solid lines show the states of the mirrors before the flash emission. Third mirror 1
Both the third and fourth mirrors 15 are fixed by central axes 30 and 31. Shutter button 12
When the flash is emitted, the angles of the third mirror 13 and the fourth mirror 15 are changed as indicated by the broken line, and the flash is emitted toward the subject through the emission window 21. Light is emitted. The mechanism for changing the angles of the third mirror 13 and the fourth mirror 15 includes a belt 3 on the outer circumference of the central axes 30, 31 of the third and fourth mirrors.
By connecting 2 and transmitting a driving force from a motor (not shown) to the central shaft 31 of the fourth mirror, a mechanism for changing the angle of the third mirror 13 in synchronization with the rotation of the fourth mirror 15 is formed. Has become. Further, when the flash is emitted, the flash light is blocked at the pupil position 20 by closing a visual field regulating plate for forming a panoramic finder visual field, which will be described later. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a dedicated motor is provided for rotating the third and fourth mirrors, but the third and fourth mirrors are provided.
The rotation of the mirror and the motor for raising the main mirror may be combined.

Here, the normal photographing and the special photographing described later will be described in detail. The normal shooting state is a state of shooting on a normal shooting screen (aspect ratio of 1: 1.5), pseudo zooming is performed to wide and tele, and a viewfinder field corresponding to each shooting state is formed. . Further, the trimming information is written in a predetermined portion of the film, and the writing is synchronized with the release. On the other hand, the special photographing state is a state of photographing on a panoramic photographing screen (aspect ratio is 1: 3), and a viewfinder field corresponding to the panoramic photographing is formed. Further, trimming information corresponding to the panoramic state is written in a predetermined portion of the film, and the writing is synchronized with the film winding after the release.

FIG. 6 is a camera having three kinds of shooting states of wide, tele, and panorama, in which the time during which the operation button 124 is pressed is measured, and when the time is longer than a certain time, the mode is switched to the panorama. It is a first embodiment according to claim 1 of the present invention in which wide and tele are switched alternately when the time is short.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the camera shown in this embodiment. The CPU shown in FIG. 7 controls the entire camera shown in the flowchart of FIG. Figure 6
The flowchart will be described step by step.

In step S1, the main switch 123
The flag is reset by turning on the
The information stored in the memory is initialized. Next, in step 2, a focus position detection calculation is performed by the automatic focus adjustment device, and based on the result, a focusing lens (not shown) is driven to focus. Next, step S3
Then, photometry is performed and the optimum exposure value is calculated. Next, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the flash 23 needs to emit light according to the brightness of the subject obtained in step S3. If the flash 23 is required to emit light, the process proceeds to step S5 and the flash flag is set. On the other hand, if flash emission is not required, the process proceeds to step S6 and the flash flag is reset. next,
In step S7, it is determined whether the operation button 124 has been pressed. If the operation button 124 is not pressed in step S7, the routine from step S2 to step S7 is repeated until the operation button 124 is pressed.
When the operation button 124 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S8.

Steps S8 to S described below
10 measures the time when the operation button 124 is pressed,
This is a routine for discriminating the difference between the two operation methods when the operation button 124 is pressed for a longer time and shorter than a certain time.

In step S8, the timer starts. Next, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the timer count has ended. In step S9, it is determined whether or not the timer has finished counting the predetermined time. If the counting is not completed in step S9, the process proceeds to step S10. Step S10
Then, it is determined whether or not the operation button 124 is pressed,
If the operation button 124 is not pressed, step S1
Go to 1. In step S11, the timer is reset. On the other hand, if the operation button 124 is pressed in step S10, the process returns to step S9. When the operation button 124 is continuously pressed, the counting of the timer is completed and the process proceeds to step S12 to reset the timer.

In steps S13 to S18, which will be described below, when the operation button 124 is pressed for a time shorter than the count of the fixed time of the timer, the finder optical system is switched to wide or tele, while the operation button is pressed. This is a routine for switching to the panorama when 124 is pressed for a time longer than the fixed time of the timer.

In step S13, it is determined whether or not the tele flag is set. If the tele flag is set, the process proceeds to step S14, the tele flag is reset, and then the process proceeds to step S15 to switch to wide. On the other hand, when the tele flag is reset in step S13, the process proceeds to step S16, the tele flag is set, and then the process proceeds to step S17 to switch to tele. Further, as described above, step S9
If it is determined that the time during which the operation button 124 is being pressed is longer than the fixed time set by the timer, the process proceeds to step S12, the timer is reset, and the process proceeds to step S18 and the shooting state is switched to the panorama. To be As described above, when the operation button 124 is pressed for a time shorter than the fixed time, the mode is switched to wide or tele. However, as to whether the mode is switched to wide or tele, when the current is tele, that is, the tele flag is set. In the case, the mode is switched to the wide mode, and in the case of the current wide mode, that is, the tele flag, the mode is switched to the tele mode. That is, switching between tele and wide is performed alternately. As described above, in this embodiment, when switching the shooting state, the shooting state is switched using pseudo zoom. Therefore, the information recording device 26 gives trimming information to the film according to the trimming magnification,
At the time of printing, it is printed based on the trimming information. In addition, the viewfinder field corresponding to each photographing state is designed to obtain the same angle of view as that of a photograph obtained by being read by the reading device at the time of printing. In step S18, a panorama processing subroutine described later is performed. Also, step S15, step S
17, after the processing of step S18 is performed,
The process again proceeds to step S2, and the above routine is repeated.

In the conventional method in which the photographing state is simply switched to the cyclic state, the photographing state is temporarily switched to the unused photographing state when the photographing state desired to be used is selected, which may require extra operation and time. In the present embodiment, switching to tele, wide, or panorama is performed by distinguishing between two operating methods when the time during which the operation button 124 is pressed is longer than a certain time and when it is shorter than a certain time. Made it possible to switch consciously. As an effect, extra operations and time can be reduced as much as possible compared to the conventional method of simply switching the shooting state cyclically, so that a camera that switches the shooting state with a good usability can be provided. .

FIG. 8 shows a case in which the operation button 124 is pressed once and then the operation button 124 is pressed again within a fixed time in a camera having three shooting states of wide, tele and panoramic. Is a panorama, and is a second embodiment according to claim 1 of the present invention in which wide and tele are alternately switched when the operation button 124 is not pressed within a certain time. In the above-described first embodiment, the time during which the operation button 124 is pressed is measured and the shooting state is switched based on the result, but in the present embodiment, the number of times the operation button 124 is pressed is counted within a fixed time. The first is that the shooting state is switched based on the result.
The only difference is the embodiment.

The flowchart of FIG. 8 will be described step by step. In the flowchart of FIG. 8, processes similar to those of the routine described above with reference to FIG. 6 are indicated by the same step numbers as those shown in FIG. 6, and description thereof will be omitted.

Steps S19 to S21 described below are determination means for determining an operation method different from that of the above-described first embodiment. The operation button 124 is counted by counting the number of times the operation button 124 is pressed. Is a routine for discriminating the difference between the two operation methods when the button is pressed once again within a certain time and when it is not pressed again.

In step S19, the timer starts. Next, in step S20, it is determined whether or not the timer has finished counting the certain period of time. If it is determined that the timer has finished counting the certain period of time, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the timer is reset. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the timer has not finished counting the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the operation button 1
It is determined whether 24 has been pressed, and if so, the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if the operation button is not pressed, the process returns to step S20 again. If the count of the timer is completed while the operation button 124 is not pressed, step S2
Go to 2 and reset the timer.

The flow after step S23 is a means for switching the photographing state. If the operation button 124 is not pressed during the counting of the fixed time of the timer, it is switched to wide or tele, while the operation button 124 is operated. Is a routine for switching to the panorama when is pressed during the counting of the fixed time of the timer.
Since this routine performs the same processing as steps S13 to S18 of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

In the conventional method in which the photographing state is simply switched to the cyclic state, the photographing state is temporarily switched to the unused photographing state when the photographing state desired to be used is selected, which may require extra operation and time. To switch between tele and wide or panorama, press the operation button 1
It is possible to consciously switch the photographing state by operating by distinguishing between the two operating methods when the button 24 is pressed for a certain period and when it is not pressed. As an effect, extra operation and time can be reduced as much as possible, as compared with the conventional method in which the shooting state is simply switched to cyclic as in the first embodiment described above, and therefore, the usability is improved. It is possible to provide a camera that can change the shooting condition in good condition.

FIG. 9 shows an operation button 1 in a camera having three shooting states of wide, tele and panoramic, by measuring the time when the panorama is used and the time when the tele is used.
Claim 24 of the present invention, which enables the camera to determine whether to switch from panorama to tele and to switch from panorama to wide based on the measured result in synchronization with the operation of 24. It is a third embodiment described in 10.

The flowchart of FIG. 9 will be described step by step. In the flowchart of FIG. 9, the processes described above with reference to FIG. 6 are indicated by the same step numbers as those described above with reference to FIG. 6, and description thereof will be omitted.

Steps S24 to S30 described below are performed when the panorama usage time is longer than a certain time, when the panorama usage time is shorter than the certain time, and when the tele is used less than the certain time. Is a routine for determining whether the panoramic use time is shorter than a fixed time and the tele use time is longer than the fixed time.

In step S24, it is determined whether or not the panorama flag is set. If it is determined that the panorama flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the tele use time is a fixed time a.
Is longer than. Therefore, when it is determined that the tele time is longer than the certain time a, the process proceeds to step S26, and the tele time flag is set. On the other hand, when it is determined that the tele time is shorter than the fixed time a, the process proceeds to step S27, and the tele time flag is reset. In steps S24 to S27, it is determined whether the used time of the panorama, which will be described later, is longer than the fixed time b by setting the teletime flag whether the used time of the tele is longer or shorter than the fixed time a. And how to switch the shooting state is determined. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that the panorama flag is set, the process proceeds to step S28 and the panorama flag is reset. Next, step S29.
Then, it is determined whether or not the used time of the panorama is longer than the constant time b. If the used time of the panorama is shorter than the fixed time b in step S29, the process proceeds to step S30, and it is determined whether or not the teletime flag is set.

Steps S31 to S40, which will be described below, are means for switching by determining by the camera whether to switch from panorama to tele and to switch from panorama to wide in synchronization with the operation of the switching operation button 124. When the panorama usage time is longer than the certain time b, or when the panorama usage time is shorter than the certain time b and the tele usage time is less than the certain time a, the panorama is switched to the wide and the panorama This is a routine for switching from panorama to tele when the usage time is shorter than the fixed time b and the usage time of the tele is longer than the fixed time a.

In step S31, it is determined whether or not the tele flag is set. If the tele flag is set, the process proceeds to step S32, the panorama flag is set, and the panorama is switched to step S33. In step S33, a panorama processing subroutine described later is performed. Next, in step S34, the panorama timer is reset and the timer starts again. On the other hand, if the teleflag is reset in step S31, or if the telelime flag is set in step S30, step S35.
Then, the tele flag is set and the mode is switched to tele in step S36. Next, in step S37,
The teletimer is reset and the timer starts again. When it is determined that the used time of the panorama is longer than the certain time b in step S29, or step S29
If the teletime flag is reset at 30, the process proceeds to step S38. In step S38, the tele flag is reset, and it is switched to wide in step S39. Next, in step S40, the teletime flag is reset. In addition, the flow after the processes of step S34, step S37, and step S40 are performed, the process proceeds to step S2 again, and the above-described routine is repeated.

In this embodiment, in synchronization with the operation of the operation button,
The camera itself can determine whether to switch from panorama to tele or to wide. As an effect, when using the tele and wanting to use the tele again with a little panorama, the camera can judge and switch to the tele.
Therefore, an extra operation and time can be reduced as much as possible, and it is possible to provide a camera that switches the shooting state with a good usability.

FIGS. 10 and 11 measure the time when the panorama of the camera having three shooting states of wide, tele and panorama is used. In the fourth embodiment, it is possible to switch to cyclic in a tele pattern and to switch to a cyclic in a panorama → tele → wide pattern when the usage time of the panorama is shorter than a fixed time.

The flowchart of FIG. 10 will be described step by step. The flowchart of FIG. 10 is a routine similar to steps S1 to S7 described above with reference to FIG. 6, and description thereof will be omitted.

Steps S41 to S46 of FIG.
Is a routine for discriminating between a case where the panorama is used for longer than a fixed time and a case where it is shorter than the fixed time.

In step S41, it is determined whether the panorama flag is set. If it is determined that the panorama flag is not set, step S4
Go to 2. In step S42, it is determined whether or not the rotation flag is set. On the other hand, when the panorama flag is reset in step S41, the process proceeds to step 43, the panorama flag is reset, and the process proceeds to step 44. In step S44, it is determined whether the panorama usage time is longer than the fixed time c. When it is determined in step S44 that the panorama usage time is shorter than the fixed time c, step S44
Proceeding to 45, the rotation flag is reset.
On the other hand, in step S44, if the panorama usage time is longer than c, the process proceeds to step S46 and the rotation flag is set. While the above-described third embodiment makes a determination for switching the shooting state depending on the usage time of both panorama and tele, in the present embodiment, the determination for switching the shooting state only by the usage time of the panorama. Are doing

Steps S47 to S62 described below are means for switching the photographing state in synchronization with the operation of the operation button 124. When the panorama usage time is longer than a certain time c, it switches to cyclic in a panorama → wide → tele pattern, and when the panorama usage time is shorter than a certain time, panorama → tele → wide pattern cyclic This is a routine for switching to.

In step S47, it is determined whether or not the tele flag is set. If the tele flag is not set, the process proceeds to step 48 and the panorama flag is set. Then, in step S49, the panorama is switched to the panorama, and then in step S50, the panorama timer is reset and the timer is started. Further, in step S49, a panorama processing subroutine described later is performed. On the other hand, if the tele flag is set in step S47, the process proceeds to step 51 and the tele flag is reset. Then, proceed to step S52,
The shooting state can be switched to wide. As mentioned above,
If it is determined in step S42 that the rotation flag is set, the process proceeds to step S53. In step S53, it is determined whether or not the tele flag is set. If it is determined in step S53 that the tele flag is not set, the process proceeds to step 54 and the tele flag is set. Then, it progresses to step S55 and is switched to tele. On the other hand, if the tele flag is set in step S53, the process proceeds to step 56 and the panorama flag is set. Succeedingly, in a step S57, the photographing state is switched to the panorama. Then, step S5
The process proceeds to step 8 and the panorama timer is reset and the panorama timer starts. Further, in step S57, a panorama processing subroutine described later is performed. Further, as described above, in step S44, it is determined whether or not the use time of the panorama is longer than the constant time c, and the process proceeds to step S45 and step S46, respectively. If the panorama usage time is shorter than the fixed time c, the process proceeds to step S59 following step S45, the tele flag is set, and the mode is switched to tele in step S60. On the other hand, when the usage time of the panorama is longer than the constant time c, the process proceeds to step S61 following step S46, the tele flag is reset, and the mode is switched to wide in step S62. Also, step S50, step S52, step S55, step S58, step S
After the processing of 60 and step S62 is performed, the flow proceeds to step S2 again, and the above-described routine is repeated.

In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the camera capable of trimming photographing is described, but in order to achieve the present invention, the camera capable of trimming photographing is necessary. Does not occur. For example, a zoom lens is used as the shooting lens, and switching between wide and tele is performed in synchronization with the operation buttons by changing the focal length.In panoramic shooting, the exposed film surface is restricted to the angle of view of the panorama. The present invention can be applied to a method of photographing.

Here, the panorama processing shown in the flowcharts of the first to fourth embodiments will be described.

In panoramic photography, the size of the visual field area is actually smaller than the visual field area during normal photography in order to cover the upper and lower parts of the viewfinder visual field during normal photography. Therefore, when switching from the normal shooting state to the panoramic shooting state, if the upper and lower parts of the viewfinder field area during normal shooting are simply covered while looking through the viewfinder, the shooting area is simply reduced and it is difficult to feel the spread of the panorama.

Therefore, when switching to the field of view of the panoramic viewfinder of this embodiment, the field of view frame is closed once, and while the field of view frame is closed, zooming is performed to widen, and subsequently the field of view of the panoramic viewfinder appears to expand. To With this method, the photographer does not realize the phenomenon that the photographing area decreases, so that the panorama can be felt.

A first embodiment of panorama processing is shown in FIG. A first embodiment of the panorama processing will be described step by step with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

Before proceeding to the explanation of FIG. 15, FIG.
14 will be described. FIG. 12 is a view showing the mechanical movement of the field limiting plate. The mechanism for covering the upper and lower parts of the field of view is composed of two sheets, a field limiting plate for covering the upper part and a field restricting plate for covering the lower part. Rack portions are respectively formed on opposite surfaces of an end portion a of the upper visual field regulating plate and an end portion b of the lower visual field regulating plate, and the rack portions are formed by the pinion c.
Mesh with. When the pinion c is rotated, the visual field limiting plate for covering the upper part is lowered, and at the same time, the visual field restricting plate for covering the lower part is raised to cover the vertical visual field. The movement of the field of view control plate that closes in the vertical direction is (A) → (B) →
Move like (C). Further, the edge d of the panoramic finder visual field regulating plate of the present embodiment is corrected to have a predetermined curved shape so that it looks like a straight line at the time of observation in order to prevent the edge d from being bent due to the distortion of the eyepiece. Further, in this embodiment, a visual field regulating plate for covering the left and right direction is provided with the same structure as the mechanism for covering the upper and lower parts of the visual field area. The horizontal visual field regulating plate is a member different from the upper and lower visual field regulating plates and does not serve also as the upper and lower visual field regulating plates. Similarly, a pinion dedicated to the horizontal visual field regulating plate is provided. The movement of the field of view control plate that closes in the left and right direction is (D) →
Move like (E) → (F). In FIG. 12, the vertical and horizontal movements are shown separately in order to facilitate understanding of the vertical and horizontal movements. The method for forming a panoramic finder visual field described below is achieved by a combination of a vertical visual field regulating plate and a horizontal visual field regulating plate.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show how the viewfinder field shape is actually changed from the pupil position when the field limiting plate is controlled as shown in FIG. However,
Nothing can be seen when the field of view is completely closed, so the illustration showing that state is omitted.

A first embodiment of the panorama processing subroutine shown in FIG. 15 will be described. In step S63, FIG.
The field-of-view regulation plate covering the upper and lower parts of 2 is (A) → (B) →
It moves like (C), and in FIG. 13, (a) → (b) →
As in (c) → (d), the viewfinder shape seen from the pupil position changes. In step S64, the focal length is switched to wide. In step S65, the visual field regulating plate that covers the left and right portions of FIG. 12 moves in the order of (D) → (E) → (F), and the finder is closed. Next, step S
In FIG. 66, the visual field regulating plate that covers the upper and lower parts of FIG. 12 is (C).
→ Moves as shown in (B) and moves to the position where the viewfinder field matches the print during panoramic shooting. Step S
At 66, the field-of-view restricting plate that covers the left and right portions is in a state where the finder is closed. In step S67, the visual field regulating plate that covers the left and right parts of FIG. 12 moves as (F) → (E) → (D), and in FIG. 13, (e) → (f) → (g) → (h). Thus, the viewfinder shape seen from the pupil position changes. The panorama processing is performed as described above.

FIG. 16 shows the second embodiment of the panorama processing subroutine. Similar to the first embodiment of the panorama processing subroutine, the steps will be described step by step with reference to FIGS. 12 and 14. In step S68, the visual field regulating plate that covers the left and right portions of FIG. 12 moves as (D) → (E) → (F),
The viewfinder is closed. In step S69, the focal length is switched to wide. In step S70, as shown in FIG.
The field-of-view restricting plate covering the upper and lower parts of 2 moves from (A) to (B), and the field of view of the finder moves to a position matching the print during panoramic photography. In step S71, as shown in FIG.
The field-of-view control plate that covers the left and right parts of 2 is (F) → (E) →
It moves like (D), and in FIG. 14, (e) → (f) →
The viewfinder shape seen from the pupil position changes from (g) to (h). The panorama processing is performed as described above.

In FIG. 17, liquid crystal is used for the field frame 17. The liquid crystal can block light by turning it on, and can transmit light by turning it off.
The field frame is formed by an assembly of a plurality of segments (rectangular shape in the figure). By turning on or off these segments in various patterns, the panoramic viewfinder field can be formed in a variety of ways.

18 and 19 show a process of forming a panoramic viewfinder field by turning on or off each segment of the liquid crystal field frame of FIG. 17 in various patterns. The blank part where the segment is erased corresponds to the part where the segment is extinguished, and corresponds to the state of the change in the viewfinder shape that is actually seen from the pupil position. If the segment is illuminated, the four edges of the segment are painted. The state (A) shows a state in which no segment is lit at all, and a state in which the field of view is not closed at all.

FIG. 20 shows a third embodiment of the panorama processing subroutine. The flow of the subroutine of FIG. 20 is shown in FIG.
8 and FIG. 19 respectively. The subroutine of FIG. 20 will be described step by step with reference to FIG. In step S72, (A) → (B) → in FIG.
As in (C) → (D) → (E), the segments are lit one by one in sequence from the outer periphery in the vertical direction and the viewfinder field is closed. In step S73, the focal length is switched to wide. In step S74, (F) → (G) → (H)
→ As in (I), the segments are turned off slowly from the center to the outside to form a panoramic viewfinder field.

A modified embodiment of the subroutine of FIG. 20 will be described step by step with reference to FIG. Step S7
In 2, the segments are lit one row at a time from the outer circumference in the left-right direction to close the viewfinder field, as in (A) → (B) → (C) → (D) → (E). In step S73, the focal length is switched to wide. In step S74, as in (F) → (G) → (H) → (I), the segments are slowly turned off from the center toward the outside to form a panoramic viewfinder field.

According to the embodiment of the panorama processing subroutine as described above, it is possible to sense the spread peculiar to panoramic photography by once closing the field of view frame and performing zooming to form the panoramic viewfinder field.

The present embodiment can also be used for the following applications. During long-time exposure or when using the self-timer, the light coming from the viewfinder eyepiece reaches the film surface and is exposed, which is a problem. In order to solve the problem, conventionally, light shielding is performed by using a known eyepiece shutter or the like in the vicinity of the viewfinder eyepiece. Using the configuration described above in the present embodiment, by using the visual field regulating plate and the liquid crystal visual field frame provided for forming the panoramic finder visual field, the eyepiece is closed by synchronizing with the film exposure and closing the visual field frame. It can also be used as a shutter.

FIG. 21 shows a release routine. The release is processed by interrupting the main routine shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11. When the release button is pressed, the main mirror is raised in step S75. Next, in step S76, it is determined whether or not the flash flag is set. If the flash flag is set in step S76, the process proceeds to step S77, the angles of the third and fourth mirrors are changed, and the flash is emitted. Since it is dangerous for light to enter the eye during flash emission, in step S78, the field frame 17 is closed by a field limiting plate for forming a panoramic view to prevent the flash light from entering the eye. Then, in step S79, the exposure of the film is started,
In step S80, the flash emits light. If the flash flag is reset in step S76, the film is exposed without flash emission in step S81. In step S82,
The film is wound up, and in step S83, shooting information is recorded on the film. The above routine is processed by interrupting the main routine shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 each time the release button is pressed.

[0063]

As described above, in the structure described in the present invention, the means for closing the field frame is operated to close the field frame and then the changing means is operated to form the panoramic view field. The effect is that by closing the view frame, the impression of the viewfinder shape (wider in the vertical direction than the panoramic viewfinder shape) during normal shooting before switching to the panoramic viewfinder shape is blurred before the panoramic viewfinder field is formed, so it is unique to panorama. You will be able to feel the spread of.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of a single-lens reflex camera to which an embodiment of the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a camera capable of pseudo zoom.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing driving of a zoom relay lens system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing driving of a zoom relay lens system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing mechanical movements of third and fourth mirrors.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that is the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit of the camera of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart that is a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart which is a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a mechanical movement of a field limiting plate.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing changes in the finder shape seen from the pupil position.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing changes in the finder shape seen from the pupil position.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart applied to the first embodiment for forming a panoramic viewfinder field.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart applied to the second embodiment for forming a panoramic viewfinder field.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a field frame using liquid crystal.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing changes in the finder shape of the field frame using liquid crystal.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing changes in the finder shape of the field frame using liquid crystal.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart applied to the first embodiment for forming a panoramic viewfinder field with a field frame using liquid crystal.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a process of releasing and recording shooting information on a film.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Shooting Lens 2 Main Mirror 3 Viewfinder Optical System 4 Camera Body 5 Film 6 AF Sub Mirror 7 AF Module 8 Focus Plate 9 First Condenser Lens 10 First Mirror 11 Second Mirror 12 Relay Auxiliary Lens 13 Third Mirror 14 Zoom Relay Lens System 15 Fourth Mirror 16 Second Condenser Lens 17 Field Frame 18 Fifth Mirror 19 Eyepiece 20 Pupil Position 23 Flash Emitting Section 26 Information Recording Device (Information Writing Device) 30 Third Mirror Central Axis 31 Fourth Mirror Central Axis 32 belt 34 lens holder 35 lens holder 41 guide bar 42 pin 43 pin 44 spring 45 cam surface 46 cam surface 47 cam plate 48 to 54 gear 55 motor 56 surface on cam plate 57 surface on cam plate 58 protrusion 59 protrusion 60 contact piece 61 ENKO Edge of the substrate a top of the field regulating plate end of the rack portion b lower part of the field regulating plate end of the rack portion c pinion d predetermined curved shape formed field regulating plate of

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Makoto Ando 2-33 Azuchi-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka Osaka International Building Minolta Camera Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a camera capable of switching between normal shooting and panoramic shooting, a changing member for changing the panoramic viewfinder field during panoramic shooting, a means for closing a field frame and the changing member are driven to bring the panoramic viewfinder field into view. Corresponding to a panorama, comprising: changing means for changing and activating the means for closing the field frame, closing the field frame, and then activating the changing means for forming a panoramic viewfinder field. Finder.