JPH0723320A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to reproduce other pictures in addition to a picture recorded immediately before the operation of a wreck review operation part in the set state of a recording operation mode by selectively reproducing pictures other than the picture recorded immediately before the operation concerned when other operation is executed at succeeding timing. CONSTITUTION:When a view erase switch 36 is depressed after ending recording operation, a picture recorded immediately before the operation is reproduced on a monitor. When a down switch 34 is depressed while holding the depression of the switch 36, pictures before the picture recorded immediately before the operation are reproduced on the monitor while returning the frames of the pictures. When a VP switch 33 is depressed while holding the depression of the switch 36, pictures before the preceding picture are reproduced on the monitor while feeding their frames. When the switch 36 is not depressed, processing is returned to a main routine and the depressing operation of the switch 36 is turned to its stand-by state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera having a recview function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has previously proposed a technique equipped with a rec view function which allows an electronic still camera to reproduce an image recorded immediately before with one touch.

This rec view function is used, for example, in the VIE.
This is a function of reproducing the previously recorded image only while pressing a predetermined switch such as the W switch.

[0004]

However, since the conventional rec-view function can reproduce only the image recorded immediately before, when the continuous shooting function is used, for example, only the last image is confirmed. could not.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera that solves the problems of the conventional camera.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in response to a predetermined operation in a state where the recording operation mode is set, at least the image recorded by the recording operation immediately before the operation is performed is reproduced. Other operation performed at a timing after the initial operation to the REC / review operation section in a state in which the camera is set to the recording operation mode. In response to the above, a means for switching and selecting an image other than the image recorded by the recording operation immediately before the corresponding first operation so as to be reproducible is provided.

[0007]

In the present invention, when the REC / REVIEW operation unit is operated initially in the recording operation mode and another operation is performed at a subsequent timing, the recording operation immediately before the corresponding first operation is performed. An image other than the image recorded by is selected and reproduced.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show an example of a predetermined camera.

The electronic still camera of this example uses an IC memory card as a recording medium, and its configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 1 along the flow of signals.

An optical image of a subject incident through the optical system 1 is converted into an analog electric signal by an image pickup system 2 formed of a CCD or the like arranged on the image plane. The image pickup signal output from the image pickup system 2 is kept at a constant DC level by a clamp circuit 3, and then an analog / digital conversion circuit (hereinafter abbreviated as A / D conversion circuit) 4
Is converted into a digital signal by the frame memory 6
Written on and stored temporarily.

When the writing to the frame memory 6 is completed, data is read from the frame memory 6 under the control of the memory controller 5, and the discrete cosine transform circuit (hereinafter abbreviated as DCT. , DCT / IDCT.) 7, the data conversion necessary for data compression is performed, and the coder / decoder 8
Output to. In the coder section of this coder / decoder 8,
The video data is compressed while referring to the auxiliary memory 9 in which various data and tables necessary for performing the compression processing are written. And the compressed data is
An IC memory card 1 which is an information recording medium detachably attached to the electronic still camera through a data bus 20.
Written to zero.

Next, the description of the electronic still camera will be continued along the signal flow when the video data recorded as described above is reproduced.

The data read from the IC memory card 10 is input to the coder / decoder 8 through the data bus 20 and expanded to restore the compressed data in the decoder section of the coder / decoder 8. Processing is performed. The decompressed data is subjected to inverse DCT processing in the DCT circuit 7 and written in the frame memory 6. When the expansion processing of all the data is completed, the data is read from the frame memory 6 under the control of the memory controller 5, and the output is converted by the digital process 11 into, for example, an NTSC-compliant video signal. And D / A (digital /
After being converted into an analog signal by the analog) conversion circuit 12 and having a 75Ω impedance matching by the buffer 13, the electronic viewfinder (hereinafter, referred to as E).
Abbreviated as VF. ) 14, the image is reproduced so that the photographer can observe it. At the same time, the video signal is output to the external image output terminal 15.

In addition to these constituent elements, the electronic still camera is a character generator 16 for generating character information such as date and time for on-screen display on the screen.
And a display unit 17 for displaying various operation modes described later.
And an operation unit 18 for performing various operations, and the above-described components are controlled by the system controller 19.

Next, the strobe / photometry control system will be described.

The photometric system 23 drives and controls the imaging system 2, the internal strobe 21 and an external strobe (not shown) under the control of the system controller 19.

That is, the photometry system 23 is controlled by the system controller 19 so as to control the light emission modes of the internal strobe 21, for example, AUTO (automatic light emission) and FILL-IN (forced light emission). It has become. As will be described later, when an external strobe (not shown) is connected to the external strobe terminal 22 provided on the outer surface of the camera body, the internal strobe 21 is prohibited from emitting light in order to control the emission of the external strobe. Then, a control signal is sent from the external strobe terminal 22.

On the other hand, the photometric system 23 is equipped with a photometric sensor such as an infrared sensor, for example, and is controlled by the system controller 19 to calculate a signal for driving and controlling the CCD shutter in the image pickup system 2 to pick up the image. It is designed to be sent to the system 2.

When recording on the recording medium such as the IC memory card 10, it is converted into a format recognizable on a personal computer (for example, DOS format) and recorded.

Next, the operation section 18 will be described in detail.

2 and 3 show the operation unit 18 in the electronic still camera of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the camera, and FIG. 3 is a view from the eyepiece of the camera. FIG.

As shown in the figure, at the center of the upper surface of the camera body, there is an L corresponding to the above-mentioned display unit 17 (see FIG. 1).
A CD display unit 48 is provided for displaying various operations described later. The LCD display section 48
ZOOM switches T31 and W32 are provided for one measurement method. These switches are zoom switches for tele mode and wide mode, respectively. Further, in the figure of the ZOOM switches T31 and W32, an up switch (UP switch) 33 and a down switch (D) are provided below.
OWN switch) 34 is provided. These switches 33 and 34 are used for mode adjustment (for example, fine adjustment of white balance, change of shutter speed, change of exposure correction value, focusing of power focus, etc.) when the camera is in the recording mode. In the reproduction mode and the VIEW mode, it is used for frame advance and frame return.

Next, the function of each operation switch group arranged below the LCD display section 48 will be described.

In the figure, the WB switch 35 is used to change the white balance mode in the recording mode. VI
The EW ERASE switch 36 is
The image recorded immediately before is reproduced only while the button is pressed, and is used as a frame erase switch in the reproduction mode.
The +/- switch 37 is used for changing the exposure mode in the recording mode. The FOCUS switch 38 is used to change the focus mode of auto focus or power focus in the recording mode.

The ST switch 39 is used to change the flash mode in the recording mode. The PICTURE switch 40 is used to change the hue and the like in the recording mode. When the DRIVE switch 41 is in the recording mode,
It is used to change the recording speed mode, and is used to change the playback speed in playback mode. The MODE switch 42 is used to change the compression mode in the recording mode. The TIME switch 43 is used to set the time. The POWER switch 44 is used for powering on / off the camera of this example. The trigger switch 45 is
It is used to instruct the shooting operation.

A CAMERA / PLAY switch used for switching between a recording mode and a playback mode or switching between a transmission mode and a reception mode at the time of image transmission is provided on the edge of the camera body, which is further below the operation switches. 46, and an AUTO / manual switch 47 for switching between the full-auto shooting mode and the manual shooting mode in the recording mode, or setting the camera in the transmission mode. Also, on the front side surface of the camera body, there is a viewfinder of the camera,
EVF49 is arranged.

On the other hand, the internal strobe 21 (see FIG. 1) is arranged on the front surface of the camera body, and various light emission control is performed by the photometric system 23 controlled by the system controller 19 as described above. It is supposed to be done. Further, the external strobe terminal 22 (see FIG. 1) is provided in front of one side surface of the camera body, and an external strobe (not shown) is connected to the terminal 22.

Next, the recording operation of this example will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

When the recording operation is started (step S
1) First, it is determined which mode the strobe mode set by the ST switch 39 is currently set to (step S2). That is, AUTO (automatic light emission) mode, FILL-IN (forced light emission) mode,
It is determined which of the OFF (internal strobe emission prohibition) modes is set. When the AUTO (automatic light emission) mode and the FILL-IN (forced light emission) mode are set, the system controller 19 controls the internal strobe 21 to be used (step S3) and turns off (internal strobe light emission). When the (prohibit) mode is set, the operation of the internal strobe 21 is prohibited, and if an external strobe (not shown) is connected to the external strobe terminal 22, a control signal is output from the external strobe terminal 22. Output (step S4).

Thereafter, the image pickup processing operation (step S5),
The recording processing operation (step S6) is performed to complete the recording operation.

That is, the above-mentioned AUTO mode and FI
When the LL-IN mode is selected, the use of the internal strobe is permitted and the photographing using the internal strobe is enabled. When the OFF mode is selected and the external strobe is connected to the external strobe terminal, the light emission control of only the external strobe is performed. Further, when the OFF mode is selected and the external strobe is not connected, light emission control is not performed as a simple OFF operation mode of the internal strobe.

According to such an example, the user can naturally perform a shooting operation without being particularly conscious of the use of the internal strobe and the use of the external strobe when shooting the strobe. Becomes

That is, when an external strobe is connected, it is premised that only the external strobe is used for photographing, so the light of the internal strobe is an obstacle, but in this example, the internal strobe emits light. Since the light emission control of the external strobe is performed after prohibiting the above, such a problem does not occur. If the external strobe is not used (nothing is connected to the external strobe terminal), the OFF mode is simply the internal strobe off operation mode. For example, the external strobe mode (EXT mode) as in the conventional case is used. ), It is possible to eliminate useless modes and to provide switch operations that are easy for the user to understand.

Next, an electronic still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The electronic still camera of the present embodiment has a basic configuration similar to that of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and a part of the role and operation of the switch group shown in FIG. Are different.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. It should be noted that this flowchart shows only the rec / review operation among the operations of the entire camera.

After the recording operation is completed (step S2
1) When the VIEW ERASE switch 36 (see FIG. 2) is pressed to turn it on (the initial predetermined operation in the present invention) (step S22), the image recorded immediately before is reproduced on the monitor (step S22). Step S23). After this,
When the DOWN switch 34 is further pressed while pressing the VIEW ERASE switch 36 (other predetermined operation in the present invention) (step S24),
The image before the image recorded immediately before is played back on the monitor while the frame is returned (step S25). On the other hand, while pressing the VIEW ERASE switch 36,
Further, when the UP switch 33 is pressed (another predetermined operation in the present invention) (step S26), the image before the image recorded immediately before is played back on the monitor while being advanced frame by frame (step S27). . In step S22, the VIEW ERASE switch 3
When 6 is not pressed, the process returns to the main routine to enter the pressing operation standby state of the VIEW ERASE switch 36.

That is, while the predetermined switch (the VIEW ERASE switch 36 in this application example) is being pressed, the immediately preceding image can be reproduced and the VI
Each time the EWERASE switch 36 is pressed and the other switch, the UP switch 33 or the DOWN switch 34, is pressed, frame advance or frame return can be performed.

According to the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to easily confirm all the images such as the images immediately after the start of shooting even for continuously recorded images such as continuous shooting and interval shooting.

By the way, when it is considered to apply a general-purpose concept to a recording medium of an electronic still camera, for example, a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive, an IC memory card drive or the like used in a computer or the like, the recording is performed. There arises a problem of how to format (initialize) the medium. As this format, various kinds of systems are known at present, and each has a different form under the present circumstances. Then, when formatting the recording medium, the user needs to recognize which method is to be adopted.

However, in the conventional electronic still camera, when formatting the recording medium,
The operation was automatically performed without discriminating the method. As described above, the automatic format operation may cause a problem when compatibility with a personal computer or the like is considered. Furthermore, when the formatted recording medium is used in an electronic still camera, it becomes necessary to determine whether the format is suitable for the camera system.

Therefore, the present applicant proposes the following technical means in view of such circumstances.

The technical means is a camera capable of selectively setting the recording operation mode and the reproduction operation mode, regardless of whether the camera is set to the recording operation mode or the reproduction operation mode. A means is provided for discriminating whether or not the applied information recording medium is formatted in a manner compatible with this camera and, when discriminating that the formatted information is not formatted in a compatible manner, displaying means to that effect. It is characterized by having.

An electronic still camera to which the above technical means is applied will be described below.

The electronic still camera has a basic structure similar to that of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and an IC memory card as an information recording medium can be mounted therein. The camera has a function of formatting the mounted IC memory card in a unique format, and when the IC memory card is mounted,
It has a discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the IC memory card is formatted, and a display means for displaying that fact when the IC memory card is not formatted.

The operation of the technical means will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. It should be noted that this flowchart shows only the operation when the above IC memory card is mounted, out of the operations of the entire camera.

When the camera is in the operating state (step S11) and the above-mentioned IC memory card is mounted (step S12), it is discriminated whether or not the IC memory card is formatted (step S).
13). If the IC memory card is unformatted, the LCD display unit 48 shown in FIG. 2 warns that the IC memory card is unformatted (step S1).
7), permitting formatting by the camera (step S18)

On the other hand, in step S13, if the mounted IC memory card has already been formatted, it is discriminated whether or not the format is equivalent to the format in the camera (step S14).
If the format is the same, the recording / reproducing operation is permitted (step S15). If the format is different from that of another system, the LCD display unit 48 warns about this (step S19).

In step S12, the IC
When the memory card is not mounted, a warning that the IC memory card is not mounted is issued (step S19), and the process ends (step S20).

In the above-mentioned application example, the LCD display section is taken as an example of the display means for each warning, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the warning operation is performed by means such as producing sound or on-screen display. May be.

In the above-mentioned camera, when it is determined that the discrimination result by the discrimination function is not suitable, the user can be warned by giving a warning, for example, on the LCD display section. In addition, by displaying not only whether or not the camera system is compatible, but if it is not compatible, how it is incompatible, for example, whether it is unformatted, is formatted for another system, etc. It is possible to present it to people in a way that is easy to understand, and it is also useful for protecting data.

Further, normally, the information recording medium can be formatted only in the reproduction mode or a special mode (ERASE mode or the like) in order to protect the data, but it is judged as unformatted by the discrimination means. By allowing the format even in the recording mode only at the time, it is possible to provide the user with an easy-to-use system. That is, in the case of an unformatted recording medium, there is no need to be careful in the sense of data protection, so there is no problem in formatting in the recording mode.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, even for continuously recorded images such as continuous shooting and interval shooting, it is possible to easily check all images such as images immediately after the start of shooting. It will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of a camera.

FIG. 2 is an external top view showing the camera of the above example.

FIG. 3 is an external side view of the camera of the above example as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing main operations of the camera of the above example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a REC / REVIEW function of the present invention in the camera shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 6 is an IC in the camera shown in FIGS.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when a memory card is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical system 2 Imaging system 3 Clamp circuit 4 Analog / digital conversion circuit 5 Memory control 6 Frame memory 7 DCT circuit 8 Coder / decoder circuit 9 Auxiliary memory 10 IC memory card 11 Digital process 12 Digital / analog conversion circuit 13 Impedance conversion buffer 14 EVF 15 External monitor terminal 16 Character generator 17 Display section 18 Operation section 19 System controller 20 Data bus 21 Strobe 22 External strobe terminal 23 Photometric system 48 LCD display section 33 Up switch 34 Down switch 36 VIEW ERASE switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rec review operation section for reproducing at least an image recorded by a recording operation immediately before the operation is performed in response to a predetermined operation in a state where the recording operation mode is set. A provided camera, based on another predetermined operation performed at a timing after the initial predetermined operation to the REC / review operation unit in a state where the camera is set to the recording operation mode, A camera provided with means for switching and selecting an image other than an image recorded by a recording operation immediately before the initial predetermined operation so that the image can be reproduced.