JPH08190136A - Camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent work for confirming a shadow state made in a subject by normal light emission before photographing from being interrupted even when operation for designating the setting of a subject image state is performed in the midst of test light emission by constituting a camera system so that action for setting the subject image state can be controlled. CONSTITUTION: In the case autofocusing operation is performed in the midst of the test light emission, a microcomputer 1B controls the autofocusing action of a focus driving part 3 so that the action being the cause of changing a focusing state is restricted so as not to change the focusing state in the midst of the test light emission by limiting pitch in order to reduce the detection region of a focusing area and inhibiting a low contrast scanning action. Therefore, even when the condition of autofocusing action is changed between at the time of autofocusing operation and at the time of starting the test light emission, a user confirms the same focusing state as that at the time of starting the test light emission through a finder FR.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera system, and more particularly to a camera system equipped with a flash device capable of test flash.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some conventional flash devices emit test light (also called "modeling light emission") in addition to main light emission.
Those with the function of are known. The main flash is used for exposure during flash photography, while the test flash uses the viewfinder to view the shadows (lighting conditions, reflections, shadow direction, size, etc.) of the subject that are generated by the main flash. It is done to confirm before shooting.

The test light emission is performed by intermittently emitting a small amount of light from a flash device. That is, by using the flash light emitting portion used as the auxiliary illumination for the main light emission as it is, and controlling the light emission amount, the light emission timing, and the light emission cycle, the test light emission is performed by the intermittent light emission according to the test light emission mode. Examples of the test flash mode include portrait mode (frequency 2 Hz, flash count 3 times, flash time 1 second) and macro mode (frequency 40
Hz, the number of times of light emission is 160 times, and the light emission time is 4 seconds).

Since the flash light emitting portion of the flash device is used for both main light emission and test light emission, it has the following merits, for example, as compared with the case where a lamp or the like is separately provided only for test light emission. Since the irradiation direction and irradiation angle are the same as those of the main light emission, it is possible to accurately simulate the shaded state in which light is emitted by the main light emission. Can be made compact. Can be cheap.

By the way, in recent years, among commercially available autofocus single-lens reflex cameras, one having an eye control function is known. With this function, it is possible to select a distance measuring point by inputting a line of sight. In other words, when the user looks into the viewfinder and presses the shutter button halfway while looking at one of the focus areas provided in the viewfinder field, the user's line of sight is detected by the line-of-sight detection C
A CD (Charge Coupled Device) area sensor detects the focus area and the focus area at the detected line-of-sight position is selected. Then, the focus state in the selected focus area is detected, and the lens is driven based on the detection result to perform the autofocus.

[0006]

When an operation for instructing the activation of autofocus (half-pressing of the shutter button, eyepiece detection operation, etc.) is performed during the above-described test light emission, a subject (that is, a subject not intended by the photographer) , The subject other than the main subject, which is in focus during the test flash, is automatically focused, and as a result, the focus state of the subject image may change. Examples of such an autofocus operation include a lens drive operation performed to focus on a subject (background of the main subject, etc.) at a greatly defocused position, and a focus adjustment on a subject with low contrast. A low contrast scan operation, etc., which is referred to as an example. When the focus state of the subject image changes in this way,
There is a problem that the work of confirming the shaded state through the finder is forced to be interrupted.

Further, during the test light emission, the user tries to capture the entire subject while looking into the viewfinder, so that the main subject is not always captured accurately. Therefore, in the camera capable of selecting a distance measuring point by line-of-sight input,
When the line-of-sight detection that instructs activation of autofocus is performed during test flash, the autofocus operation is performed to focus on a subject not intended by the photographer, as a result, and as a result, the subject The focus state of the image may change. Therefore, also in this case, there is a problem that the work of confirming the shadow state through the finder is forced to be interrupted.

The cause of interrupting the checking operation of the shadow state is not limited to the change of the focus state due to the autofocus operation. For example, when the focal length changes due to zooming or switching between two or more focal points; the view angle changes that occur when changing the viewfinder field during trimming shooting or panoramic shooting. If changes during the test flash, the above confirmation work is interrupted.

A function of the camera to perform zooming so as to obtain an optimum shooting magnification based on the shooting distance obtained by autofocusing (so-called auto zoom function)
If the zoom lens is equipped with, the zooming will be linked to the auto focus, and the subject image state will change with the change of the focus angle and the change of the angle of view.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shadow state produced on a subject by main flashing even if an operation for instructing setting of a subject image state is performed during test flashing. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera system in which the work of confirming through the viewfinder before shooting is not interrupted.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a camera system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a camera body having a finder for confirming a state of a subject image, and a subject image confirmed through the finder. Subject image state setting means for setting a state, control means for controlling the setting operation of the subject image state setting means, main light emission for exposure during flash photography, and a shadow state produced on the subject by the main light emission And a light emitting means capable of performing test light emission for confirming through the viewfinder before photographing, wherein the control means is an operation for instructing setting of the subject image state during the test light emission. The setting operation of the subject image state setting means is controlled so that the subject image state during test light emission does not change even if To.

A camera system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a camera body having a finder for confirming a subject image state, subject image state setting means for setting a subject image state confirmed through the finder, and Control means for controlling the setting operation of the subject image state setting means, main light emission for exposure at the time of flash photography, and for confirming the shadow state produced on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder before photographing In a camera system including a light emitting unit capable of performing test light emission, the control unit changes the object image state when the operation for instructing the setting of the object image state is performed during the test light emission. By limiting the behavior that causes it to change,
The setting operation of the subject image state setting means is controlled so that the subject image state during test light emission does not change.

A camera system according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a camera body having a finder for confirming a subject image state, a subject image state setting means for setting a subject image state confirmed through the finder, and a flash. Light emitting means capable of main light emission for exposure at the time of shooting and test light emission for confirming a shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder before photographing, and the subject image state setting means And a control means for controlling the test light emission of the light emitting means, the control means performs an operation for instructing the test light emission during the setting operation of the subject image state. In this case, the test light emission during the setting operation is prohibited, and the operation for instructing the setting of the subject image state is performed during the test light emission. Expediently, so as to prohibit setting operation of the subject image state during the test firing, and controlling the object image condition setting means.

A camera system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a camera body having a finder for confirming an image state of an object, a visual line detecting means for detecting a visual line position of a user looking into the finder, and confirmation through the finder. The subject image state setting means for setting the subject image state, the subject line state detected by the line-of-sight detecting means, and the subject image state information preset corresponding to the line-of-sight position, based on the subject image state information. Control means for controlling the setting operation of the image state setting means, main light emission performed for exposure during flash photography, and a test performed for confirming the shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder before photographing And a light emitting means capable of emitting light, wherein the control means controls the line-of-sight position during the test light emission. Even if the operation is performed to instruct the detection,
The setting operation of the subject image state setting means is controlled so that the subject image state during test light emission does not change.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the object image state setting means is controlled by the control means so that the object image state during the test light emission does not change even if an operation for instructing the setting of the object image state during the test light emission is performed. Since the setting operation of is controlled, even if the conditions of this setting operation change between the above operation and the start of test flash, the user can confirm the same subject image state as when the test flash started through the viewfinder. it can.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when an operation for instructing the setting of the object image state is performed during the test light emission, the operation causing the change of the object image state is limited, so that the test light emission is performed. Since the setting operation of the subject image state setting means is controlled by the control means so that the inside subject image state does not change, even if the condition of this setting operation changes between the above operation and the start of test light emission, The user can confirm the same subject image state as at the start of test light emission through the viewfinder.

According to the third invention, when the operation for instructing the test light emission is performed during the setting operation of the subject image state, the control means controls the light emitting means so as to prohibit the test light emission during the setting operation. Therefore, the subject image state setting means does not malfunction due to the influence of the test light emission, and the setting operation is not interrupted. Further, when an operation for instructing the setting of the subject image state during the test light emission is performed, the control means controls the subject image state setting means so as to prohibit the setting operation of the subject image state during the test light emission. Therefore, even if the condition of the setting operation changes between the above operation and the start of the test light emission, the user can confirm the same subject image state as that at the start of the test light emission through the viewfinder.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the subject image state setting means is controlled by the control means so that the subject image state does not change during the test light emission even if the operation for instructing the sight line position detection operation is performed during the test light emission. Since the setting operation is controlled, even if the user moves his or her line of sight during the test light emission, the user can check the same subject image state as at the start of the test light emission through the viewfinder.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A camera system according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the first embodiment. The first embodiment is a camera body (hereinafter referred to as "body") B and a flash device.
(Hereinafter referred to as "flash".)
It is used with the flash F connected to the body B.
By mounting the flash F directly on the body B,
The body B and the flash F may be connected, but when the flash F is separated from the body B and used, the flash F and the body B may be connected by a cable and has a function of wireless flash photography. By doing so, the flash F and the body B may be wirelessly connected.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the side of the body B, a microcomputer (microcomputer) 1B; a focus state detection unit 2; a focus drive unit 3; switches S0, S1, S2, SLB;
A finder FR and the like are provided. The microcomputer 1B is
The operation of each part of the body B is controlled. Focus state detector 2
Detects the focus state of the camera with respect to the subject. The focus drive unit 3 drives the motor by the drive amount obtained by the calculation of the microcomputer 1B based on the focus state information detected by the focus state detection unit 2. As a result, the focus state is set.

S0 is a power switch, S1 is a photometry / distance measurement start switch which is turned on by half-pressing a shutter button 604 (FIG. 2) described later, and S2 is a shutter button 604 (FIG. 2).
The release switch, which is turned on when the button is fully pressed, is a spot metering switch, which is turned on when a spot metering button 605 (FIG. 2) described later is pressed. The finder FR is for confirming a subject image state such as a focus state and an angle of view.

The spot metering switch SLB is a switch that is used both for setting the spot metering mode and for requesting a test light emission. If the flash F side is in the test light emission mode when turned on as described later, the test light emission is performed. A test light emission request signal for starting is generated and transmitted to the flash F. The test light emission request signal corresponds to the test light emission request switch SL on the flash F side.
It is also generated when F is turned on.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the body B combined with the flash F. FIG. 2A is a perspective view seen from the front side.
(b) is a perspective view seen from the back side. A lens mounting portion 602, to which an interchangeable lens (not shown) is mounted, is provided substantially in the center of the front surface of the body B. This lens mounting portion 602
A built-in flash 601 is provided on the upper part of.
When the pull-up button 601A is pressed, the built-in flash 601 moves up from the inside of the body B to expose a light emitting portion (not shown).

The spot metering button 605 is an operation button in which the functions of spot metering and test flash in the test flash mode are multiplexed, and when the spot metering button 605 is pressed, the spot metering switch SLB is turned on.
The N state is set. The shutter button 604 is an operation button for turning on the switches S1 and S2.

The operation button (that is, the spot metering button 605) for starting the test light emission is provided on the side of the body B. In the situation where the shadow state of the subject is confirmed while looking through the viewfinder FR, a flash described later is provided. F
This is because the operation button 10 (FIG. 3) on the side is difficult or inoperable. That is, flash F
Is attached directly to the body B, the finder FR
It is difficult to operate the buttons on the flash F side while looking into the camera. Also, when shooting with the flash F separated from the body B (in the case of the above-mentioned cable connection or wireless flash shooting), it may not be possible to operate the buttons. Because it is possible.

However, if the test light emission can be started by operating the button on the body B side, it becomes easy to make an erroneous operation. That is, the shutter button 604 is pressed during the test flash to turn on the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1, and the spot photometry button 605 is pressed during the autofocus (AF) operation to turn on the spot photometry switch SLB.
It is easy to let them do it. According to the camera system embodying the present invention, even if such an erroneous operation is performed, a problem will not occur due to the control described later.

At the rear position of the built-in flash 601 is an accessory shoe 60 to which a flash F is attached.
3 is provided. The accessory shoe 603 has
4 protruding from the mounting portion 304 (FIG. 4) of the flash F
Four terminal plates (not shown) with which the contact pins P1 to P4 contact each other are provided. When the flash F is directly attached to the body B, the contact pins P1 to P4
A communication line is connected via this communication line, and various information relating to flash emission is serially communicated via this communication line. In the normal mode, the light emission control signal is transmitted to the flash F by the serial communication.

Next, the flash F will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a microcomputer 1F; a flash light emitting unit 4; switches S3, SLF, SM, etc. are provided on the flash F side. The microcomputer 1F controls the operation of each part of the flash F. The flash light emitting unit 4 is configured to continue emitting light with a predetermined light amount for a predetermined time while repeating charging and light emission. S3 is a power switch, S
LF is a test light emission request switch, and SM is a mode switch for selectively switching between a test light emission mode and a main light emission mode.

The main light emission mode is a light emission mode of main light emission performed for the exposure during exposure during flash photography.
The test light emission mode is a light emission mode for causing the flash F to perform a test light emission, and the viewfinder can be used to determine the shaded state (illumination state, reflection state, shadow direction and size of the subject, etc.) that occurs on the subject due to main flashing during flash shooting. This is a light emission mode of test light emission performed for confirmation through FR before photographing.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the flash F combined with the body B. FIG.
(b) shows the side surface of the flash F. Flash F
A plurality of operation buttons 10 corresponding to the respective functions of the flash F are provided on the back surface of the. For example, switching of the mode switch SM (FIG. 1) for selective switching of the light emission mode (test light emission mode / main light emission mode) is performed by operating a part of these operation buttons 10.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the flash F. In the figure, the flash circuit 400 is mainly provided in the flash light emitting unit 4 (FIG. 1), and the flash control circuit 500 is mainly provided in the microcomputer 1F.

The flash circuit 400 includes a xenon discharge tube 401 which is a light emitting source, a light emission control circuit 402 which controls light emission of the xenon discharge tube 401, and the xenon discharge tube 4 described above.
Main capacitor C for supplying discharge energy to 01
M, a voltage detection circuit 403 for detecting the voltage of the main capacitor CM, a DC-DC converter 404 for generating the charging voltage of the main capacitor CM, and a power supply battery E.

The main capacitor CM is the DC-
A rectifying diode D is provided at the output end of the DC converter 404.
And is charged by the DC-DC converter 404 at a predetermined high voltage.

The above-mentioned voltage detection circuit 403 consisting of a resistor R1 and a resistor R2 connected in series is connected in parallel to the main capacitor CM, and the voltage V _C of the main capacitor CM is a divided voltage V _C '(= R2V _C / ( R1 + R2)) is detected. In addition, the light emission control circuit 402, the xenon discharge tube 401, and the IGBT (I
A series circuit of switching transistors Q each of which is composed of a nsulated gate bipolar transistor is connected in parallel, and the accumulated charge of the main capacitor CM is discharged to the xenon discharge tube 401, and the xenon discharge tube 401 emits light.

The trigger terminal of the xenon discharge tube 401 and the base of the switching transistor Q are respectively a control terminal T1 and a control terminal T2 of the light emission control circuit 402.
The emission control circuit 402 controls the emission operation of the xenon discharge tube 401. Light emission control circuit 4
Reference numeral 02 controls the output of a trigger signal to the xenon discharge tube 401 and the ON / OFF drive of the switching transistor Q on the basis of light emission conditions such as the amount of light emission, the number of times of light emission, and the light emission frequency input from the CPU 505, and a predetermined light emission condition. Then, the xenon discharge tube 401 is caused to emit light.

For example, in the modeling mode (test emission mode), the xenon discharge tube 401 has a frequency of 40%.
The pulse train signal of Hz is sent as a trigger signal for 4 seconds, and the xenon discharge tube 401 is multi-emitted 160 times.

The flash control circuit 500 includes a zoom circuit 502 for controlling the zoom operation of the flash light emitting section 4 and an LCD (liquid crystal display) 50 constituting a display section.
3. A key matrix circuit 504 that constitutes the operation unit and a CPU 505 that centrally controls the drive of the flash F.

The zoom circuit 502 controls driving of a reflector (not shown) of the xenon discharge tube 401.
It is composed of a drive motor 502A for driving the reflector and a motor drive circuit 502B for controlling the drive of the drive motor 502A. The motor drive circuit 502B is a CP
Based on the information on the zoom position output from the ZOOM terminal of U505, the drive motor 502A is driven by a predetermined amount to set the reflector to the instructed zoom position.

The LCD 503 has a plurality of displays,
A predetermined display is turned on based on the display information output from the LCD output terminal of the CPU 505.

The key matrix 504 has a power switch S3, a test light emission request switch SLF, etc.
A switch operation signal is input to the KEY terminal of the CPU 505.

The CPU 505 uses the "ZOOM", "L"
In addition to the "CD output" and "KEY" terminals, "OSC",
"READY" and "TRIG" control terminals and "SC"
K ”,“ SI / SO ”,“ X ”, and“ GND ”connection terminals with the camera body. Above SCK terminal, SI
The / SO terminal, the X terminal, and the GND terminal are connected to the contact pins P1, P2, P3, and P4 provided on the mounting portion 304, respectively.

The OSC terminal is a control terminal for controlling the boosting operation of the DC-DC converter 404. READ
The Y terminal is a control terminal that monitors the charging state of the main capacitor CM, and the voltage of the main capacitor CM detected by the voltage detection circuit 403 is input to the READY terminal. CPU505 is the main capacitor CM
When the voltage of 2 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined voltage value, a boosting control signal is output from the OSC terminal to start charging.

The TRIG terminal is used for the xenon discharge tube 40.
1 is a control terminal for controlling light emission, and a control signal is output from the TRIG terminal to the light emission control circuit 402 at light emission timing according to light emission conditions such as the amount of light emission, the number of light emission, the light emission frequency.

The SCK terminal is an input terminal for a control signal and a clock for serial communication between the CPU 505 and the CPU in the body B. SI / SO terminal is the CPU 505
And an input / output terminal for data exchanged between the CPUs in the body B. The X terminal is an input terminal for the timing signal of the X contact sent from the body B, and the GND terminal is a ground terminal.

Next, the control operation of the microcomputer 1B on the body B side in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
(Body side sequence) will be described. Body B power is O
When N (power switch S0 is turned on), the microcomputer 1B is reset, and the process proceeds to the initial setting of the body state in step A10. In the initial setting of body state (A10), each switch state of body B is read and each mode is set.
Further, each data of the microcomputer 1B is initialized.

After the initial setting, it is determined in step A20 whether the spot photometry switch SLB is in the ON state. O
When it is determined that the state is N, the body B communicates with the flash F in step A30 (hereinafter referred to as "BF communication"), and then the process proceeds to step A40. At this time, if the test light emission mode is set on the flash F side, the test light emission described later is performed. When it is determined to be OFF in step A20, the process skips to step A40.

In step A40, it is determined whether or not the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is ON. If it is OFF, the process returns to step A20, and if it is ON, the process proceeds to step A50. In step A50, flash information
(That is, BF communication is performed in order to input information indicating whether or not the test flash is currently being emitted.) By this BF communication, the state of the flash F is known.
The sequence on the flash F side will be described later with reference to FIG.

After the flash information is input, the process proceeds to step A60 to check whether the flash F is emitting a test light.
The judgment is made based on the information obtained in the BF communication (A50). If the test flash is being emitted, the test flash flag is set in step A80 (test flash flag: 1). On the other hand, if the test light emission is not being performed, the test light emission flag is cleared in step A70 (test light emission flag: 0). Based on this flag state, the control conditions for the following autofocus operation will change.

Next, the autofocus operation will be described.
First, in order to check the focus state of the camera, an integration / dump operation is performed based on the output from the focus state detection unit 2.
(A90). In the integration control, AF auxiliary light emission integration / normal integration is performed based on the state of the AF auxiliary light present flag that is set later. Then, in order to obtain the deviation amount based on the integrated / dumped information, the algorithm control is performed (A100).

Here, the algorithm control will be described with reference to FIG. First, difference conversion is performed based on the data input from the focus state detection unit 2 (FIG. 1) (B10). Next, it is determined whether or not the test light emission is being performed depending on the state of the test light emission flag (B20). Then, if the test light emission is in progress (test light emission flag: 1), the pitch limit flag is set in step B40 in order to limit the pitch (pitch limit flag: 1). On the other hand, if the test light emission is not in progress (test light emission flag: 0), the pitch limit flag is cleared in step B30 (pitch limit flag: 0) in order to apply no pitch limit. Enforcing the pitch limitation means reducing the shift range in the correlation calculation. Therefore, if the pitch is limited, the focus area detection range can be reduced.

Next, in step B50, a correlation function calculation for obtaining the focus shift amount is performed based on the difference-converted data. In this calculation, the range for obtaining the focus shift amount is determined by referring to the pitch limit presence / absence information (that is, the state of the pitch limit flag) set in steps B30 and B40. Here, only the central portion of the focus area is correlated by the pitch limitation assuming that the main subject is in the center of the focus area. As a result, the focus state of the background state is no longer detected, so it is possible to prevent focusing on the background of the main subject (that is, missing behind the focus), and the focusing operation does not work for a greatly defocused position. Will not be.

In step B60, the correlation function calculation (B
It is determined whether the deviation amount obtained in step 50) is reliable data based on the contrast and the degree of coincidence. If it is determined to be reliable, the process proceeds to pitch-defocus conversion (hereinafter referred to as "P-D conversion") processing in order to convert the shift amount into the defocus amount (B70). Then, in step B80, a scan prohibition flag that prohibits scanning in low contrast is set (scan prohibition flag: 1), in step B90 the AF auxiliary light present flag is cleared (AF auxiliary light flag: 0), and the process returns.

The scan prohibition flag (B80) is a flag that is set when the scanning operation is completed in the lens drive process (A110 in FIG. 5). Also,
Scanning at low contrast refers to the operation of driving the focusing lens to search for a high contrast state when the contrast of the subject is low. By prohibiting the low contrast scan, the focus state does not change during the low contrast scan, so that it is possible to prevent the confirmation work from being interrupted during the test light emission.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step B60 that the light emission is not reliable, it is determined whether or not the test light emission is being performed depending on the state of the test light emission flag (B100). If the test light emission is in progress (test light emission flag: 1), the scan prohibition flag is set (B80) as in the case of the above reliability, and AF is performed.
The flag with auxiliary light is cleared (B90) and the process returns.

If it is determined in step B100 that the test light emission is not in progress (test light emission flag: 0), the process proceeds to step B110, and the scan prohibition flag is reset in order to permit the scan in the low contrast.
(Scan prohibition flag: 0). Then, it is determined whether or not the AF auxiliary light is emitted during the low contrast scan.
(B120).

If it is determined in step B120 that AF auxiliary light is present, the AF auxiliary light present flag is set (B1
30) On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no AF auxiliary light, AF
The flag with auxiliary light is cleared (B140) and the process returns. In the integration / dump processing (A90 in FIG. 5), this AF
By referring to the auxiliary light presence flag, the integration during the AF auxiliary light emission is controlled.

Returning to the flow of the sequence on the body side in FIG. As described above, the algorithm control (FIG. 6) limits the operation during the test light emission, and the result is output. Then, based on the flag set in the algorithm (FIG. 6), the focus driving unit 3 drives the lens for the low-con scan operation and the focusing operation (A11).
0).

After the lens driving process (A110), it is checked whether the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is still in the ON state (A120). If the S1 ON state continues,
Skipping to step A50, the autofocus operation and the like are repeated again. On the other hand, if it is not in the S1 ON state, after the body operation stop processing (for example, lens retraction) is performed in step A130, the initial state of the body state is returned (A10).

Next, based on the flowchart of FIG. 7, the microcomputer 1F on the flash F (FIG. 1) side in the first embodiment.
The control operation (flash side sequence) will be described. When the power of the flash F is turned on (power switch S3 is ON), the microcomputer 1F is reset, and the microcomputer 1F enters a flash activation waiting state (sleep state) (C1
0). If any switch provided in the flash F is turned on or if there is a BF communication request from the body B, the flash state is exited and switch state check processing is performed (C20). In this switch state check processing, mode setting is performed according to the state of each switch (for example, the mode switch SM), and B-
F communication is performed.

Next, in step C30, the mode switch S
It is determined whether the switch state of M is the test light emission mode state. If not in the test flash mode, step C
In step 40, the main light emission mode sequence process is performed. The main light emission mode sequence process is a light emission mode process for flash photography that is normally performed, and a description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it is in the test light emission mode state, the process proceeds to step C50 to determine the ON / OFF state of the spot photometry switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF.

If it is determined in step C50 that the spot photometry switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF are in the OFF state, the test light emission flag indicating that test light emission is in progress is cleared in step C60 (test light emission flag: 0. ), The test flash operation is turned off (C7
0). Then, BF communication is performed to notify the body B side that the flash F is in the test light emission OFF state (C80). After sending the communication data, the microcomputer 1F returns to the flash activation waiting state (C10).

On the other hand, in step C50, the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is turned on.
If it is determined to be in the state, the test light emission flag is set in step C90 (test light emission flag: 1), and the test light emission operation is turned on (C100).

While the test light emission operation of step C100 is ON, the test light emission is performed until the time-out timer operates and the light-emission completion signal is output after the time-out. Therefore, if the light emission completion signal is set after the test light emission operation, the process proceeds to step C60 to perform the light emission stop operation (C60 to C80), while if the test light emission is in progress, the test light emission to the body B is performed. BF communication is performed to indicate that the communication is in progress (C120). The above loop (C50, C90-
Turn around C120).

As described above, the microcomputer 1B limits the pitch in order to reduce the detection area of the focus area when the autofocus operation is performed during the test light emission (B30 and B40 in FIG. 6). , The low-contrast scan operation is prohibited (B80 in FIG. 6) to limit the operation that causes the focus state to change, and the focus drive unit 3 does not automatically change the focus state during the test flash. Controls focus movement. Therefore, even if the conditions of this autofocus operation change between the autofocus operation and the start of test flash,
The user can confirm the same focus state as at the start of test light emission through the finder FR.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is configured similarly to the first embodiment except for the control method. Therefore, the circuit configuration of the system, the external appearance of the body B, the external appearance of the flash F, and the circuit configuration of the flash F are as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, respectively.

The control operation (body side sequence) of the microcomputer 1B on the body B side in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power of the body B is turned on (power switch S0ON), the microcomputer 1B is reset, and the process proceeds to the initial setting of the body state in step D10. In the initial setting of the body state (D10), each switch state of the body B is read to set each mode, and each data of the microcomputer 1B is initialized.

After the initial setting, it is determined in next step D20 whether or not the spot photometry switch SLB is ON. O
If it is determined to be in the N state, BF communication is performed in step D30, and then the process proceeds to step D40. At this time, if the test light emission mode is set on the flash F side, the test light emission described later is performed. When it is determined to be in the OFF state in step D20, the process skips to step D40.

In step D40, it is determined whether or not the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is in the ON state. If it is in the OFF state, the process returns to step D20, and if it is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step D50. At step D50, a flash check is performed.

The flash check operation (D50 in FIG. 8) will be described with reference to FIG. First, in order to determine the operation of the flash F, the test light emission flag is cleared in step F10 (test light emission flag: 0), and the autofocus signal flag is set in step F20.
(Autofocus signal flag: 1).

Then, in order to send the data on the body B side to the flash F side, BF communication is performed (F30). Then B
-F After activating the timer to open the communication interval (F
40), BF communication is performed to fetch the data on the flash F side to the body B side (F50), and the process returns. In this way, by fetching the data on the flash F side into the body B side, it is possible to determine whether or not autofocus is performed on the body B side.

Returning to the flow of the body side sequence in FIG. In step D60, it is determined whether or not the flash F side is in the test light emission based on the state of the test light emission flag. If the test light emission is in progress (test light emission flag: 1), the process returns to the flash check (D50) again. This loop (D
The sequence (50, D60) prevents the autofocus operation during the test flash. On the other hand, if it is not in the test light emission mode, the process proceeds to D70 to focus and the integration / dump operation is performed based on the output from the focus state detection unit 2.

After the integration / dump operation (D70), step D
Proceeding to the algorithm control of 80, the focus shift amount is obtained based on the data obtained by the integration / dump. Then, the focus drive unit 3 drives the lens so as to move the lens based on the calculated shift amount (D90). After the lens driving (D90) is completed, the autofocus signal flag is cleared (autofocus signal flag: 0) in step D100, and BF communication is performed in step D110. By this BF communication, the auto focus signal information (auto focus signal flag: 0) is sent to the flash F side microcomputer 1F.

Next, the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is turned on.
It is checked whether it is in the state (D120). If the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is in the ON state, step D5
After returning to 0, the flash check and autofocus operation are repeated again. On the other hand, metering / distance measurement start switch S
If 1 is OFF, body motion stop processing (D13
0, for example, lens retraction) is performed, and then the body state is returned to the initial setting (D10).

Next, based on the flow chart of FIG. 9, the microcomputer 1F on the flash F (FIG. 1) side in the second embodiment.
The control operation (flash side sequence) will be described. When the power of the flash F is turned on (power switch S3 is ON), the microcomputer 1F is reset and the microcomputer 1F enters a flash activation waiting state (sleep state) (E1
0). If any switch provided in the flash F is turned on or if there is a BF communication request from the body B, the flash mode is exited and the initial mode check (E20) starts.

Here, the initial mode check operation (E20 in FIG. 9) will be described with reference to FIG. When entering the flow of the initial mode check, first, the switch state is checked (G10). In this switch state check processing, mode setting is performed according to the state of the mode switch SM. Then, it is determined whether or not the switch state of the mode switch SM is the test light emission mode state (G20). If it is not in the test light emission mode state, the process proceeds to step G30 and the main light emission mode sequence process is performed. The main light emission mode sequence process is a light emission mode process for flash photography that is normally performed, and a description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, if it is in the test light emission mode, the process proceeds to step G40 to perform BF communication. With this BF communication, information on the side of the body B (spot metering switch SLB
(ON / OFF state of, whether or not AF is in progress) is taken into the flash F side. Next, it is determined whether the test light emission request signal is set (that is, whether the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is in the ON state) (G50).

When it is determined in step G50 that the test light emission request signal is not set (when the spot metering switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF are in the OFF state), the test light emission flag is cleared in step G60 (test Light emitting flag: 0), and BF communication is performed to inform the microcomputer B of the body B side (G70).
Next, in order to indicate the light emission OFF state, the test light emission OK flag is cleared in step G80 (test light emission OK flag: 0). And it returns.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step G50 that the test light emission start signal is set (when the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is in the ON state), it is determined whether or not the auto focus is being performed. It is judged by the flag (G90). If the body B side shows the auto focus state (auto focus signal flag: 1), the test light emission OK flag is cleared in step G80 (test light emission OK flag: 0),
To return. This process prohibits test flash during autofocus. If the body B side does not indicate the autofocus state (autofocus signal flag: 0), the test light emission OK flag is set in step G100 (test light emission OK flag: 1), and step G11
At 0, the test light emission flag is set (test light emission flag: 1) and the process returns.

As described above, the flash F from the body B side
Data and flash F captured in the microcomputer 1F
After deciding whether or not the test light emission is to be performed based on the determination based on the switch information, the process returns to the flash side sequence of FIG.

Then, in step E30, the test light emission is OK.
It is determined whether the flag is set. If the test flash OK flag is not set (test flash OK
Flag: 0), return to the initial mode check (E20). On the other hand, if the test light emission OK flag is set (test light emission OK flag: 1), the test light emission sequence (E4
Proceed to 0) to perform test flash, and then step E5.
It is judged whether or not the test flash is completed at 0, and the loop of the test flash sequence is repeated until the test flash is completed.
(E40, E50). After the test flash is completed, step E10
The process returns to the flash activation status check process.

As described above, the spot metering switch SLB
Alternatively, the control is performed so that the test light emission is not performed even if the light emission request switch SLF is turned on. When the test light emission is performed during the autofocus operation, the subject lighted by the test light emission is focused even if the subject brightness is low. This is because the distance will be incorrect and the distance will be incorrect.

As described above, when the operation for instructing the test light emission is performed during the autofocus operation, the microcomputer 1F controls the flash light emitting unit 4 so as to prohibit the test light emission during the autofocus operation. The focus state detection unit 2 does not malfunction due to the influence of the test light emission, and the autofocus operation is not interrupted.

Further, when the autofocus operation is performed during the test light emission, the focus drive section 3 is controlled by the microcomputer 1B so that the autofocus operation during the test light emission is prohibited and the autofocus operation is performed after the test light emission is completed. Since the control is performed, even if the condition of the autofocus operation changes between the autofocus operation and the start of the test light emission (for example, when the flash F emits the test light emission, the subject has a high reflectance). Then, the user can check the same focus condition as at the start of the test flash through the viewfinder FR, and the autofocus operation can be performed without waiting for the autofocus operation to be performed again. You can focus.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. Figure 12
It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of 3rd Example. 12
The reference numeral 5 designates a line-of-sight detection unit composed of a circuit for detecting the line-of-sight position of the user looking into the finder FR.
B controls the setting operation of the focus drive unit 3 based on the line-of-sight position detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 5 and the focus state information set in advance corresponding to the line-of-sight position. SE is a visual axis detection mode setting switch for setting the visual axis detection mode. In the third embodiment, the eye-gaze detecting unit 5 and the eye-gaze detecting mode setting switch SE are provided, and the first and second embodiments described above are provided.
It has the same circuit configuration as that of FIG. Also, body B
And the appearance of the flash F and the flash circuit configuration,
This is similar to the first and second embodiments.

Here, the structure and operation of the sight line detecting section 5 will be briefly described. The line-of-sight detection unit 5 is composed of an infrared light emitting diode, a condenser lens, a CCD area sensor, and the like. When the user looks into the finder FR, the infrared light emitting diodes illuminate the eyes of the user. The light reflected by the cornea and the entire image of the eyeball are formed on the CCD area sensor by the condenser lens. The microcomputer 1B calculates the rotation angle of the eyeball by obtaining the center position of the pupil and the position of the reflected light from the image of the eyeball formed on the CCD area sensor, and the user sees which position in the finder FR. Detect if there is.

Next, the control operation (body side sequence) of the microcomputer 1B on the body B side in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power of the body B is turned on (power switch S0ON), the microcomputer 1B
Is reset and the process proceeds to step H10. In the initial setting of the body state (H10), each switch state of the body B is read to set each mode, and the microcomputer 1B
Initialize each data of.

After the initial setting, it is determined in next step H20 whether or not the spot photometry switch SLB is in the ON state. O
If it is determined to be in the N state, after performing BF communication in step H30, the process proceeds to step H40. At this time, if the test light emission mode is set on the flash F side, the test light emission described later is performed. When it is determined in step H20 that it is in the OFF state, the process skips to step H40.

In step H40, it is determined whether or not the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is in the ON state. If it is OFF, the process returns to step H20, and if it is ON, the process proceeds to step H50. In step H50, flash information
(That is, BF communication is performed in order to input information indicating whether or not the test flash is currently being emitted.) By this BF communication, the state of the flash F is known.
The sequence on the flash F side will be described later with reference to FIG.

After the flash information is input, the process proceeds to step H60 to check whether the flash F is emitting a test light.
Judgment is made based on the information obtained in BF communication (H50). If the information sent is during test flash, step H50
Returning to step H70, if the information sent is not in the test flash, the process proceeds to step H70.

If the process proceeds to step H50, BF communication
Until the information test obtained at (H50) is no longer emitting test light, the loop (H50, H60) is cycled to enter the waiting state. On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step H70, whether or not the body B is in the visual axis detection mode is determined from the ON / OFF state of the visual axis detection mode setting switch SE. If not in line-of-sight detection mode (SEOFF), line-of-sight detection OFF
The operation is performed (H100), and the process proceeds to step H110 to perform auto focus. If the line of sight detection mode
(SEON), it is determined whether or not the selected position by the sight line detection is confirmed (H80). If the selected position has already been determined, the visual axis detection OFF operation is performed to exit the visual axis detection operation (H100), and the process proceeds to step H110 to perform autofocus. If the selected position is not fixed, the visual axis detection ON operation is performed (H90), and the visual axis detection operation is continued until the selected position is fixed (H80, H90).

In step H110, the integration / dump operation is performed based on the output from the focus state detection unit 2 in order to check the focus state of the camera. Then, in order to obtain the deviation amount based on the integrated / dumped information, the algorithm control is performed (H120). When it is determined by the algorithm of step H120 that the lens is not in focus, the focus drive unit 3 drives the lens to bring it into focus (H130).

After the lens driving (H130) is completed, it is checked whether or not the photometry / distance measurement start switch S1 is still in the ON state (H140). If the S1 ON state continues,
Skipping to step H50, the autofocus operation and the like are repeated again, and the body state is continuously focused each time the autofocus operation is repeated. On the other hand, S1ON
If not in the state, return to the initial setting of the body state (H1
0).

Next, the control operation (flash side sequence) of the microcomputer 1F on the flash F (FIG. 10) side in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the power of the flash F is turned on (power switch S3 is ON), the microcomputer 1F is reset and the microcomputer 1F is reset.
Enters the flash activation wait state (sleep state) (I1
0). If any switch provided in the flash F is turned on or if there is a BF communication request from the body B, the flash state is exited and switch state check processing is performed (I20). In this switch state check processing, mode setting is performed according to the state of each switch (for example, the mode switch SM).

Next, in step I30, the mode switch S
It is determined whether the switch state of M is the test light emission mode state. If it is not in the test flash mode, step I
In step 40, the main light emission mode sequence process is performed. The main light emission mode sequence process is a light emission mode process for flash photography that is normally performed, and a description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it is in the test light emission mode state, the process proceeds to step I50 to determine the ON / OFF state of the spot photometry switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF.

If it is determined in step I50 that the spot photometry switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF are in the OFF state, the test light emission flag indicating that the test light emission is in progress is cleared in step I110 (test light emission flag: 0. ), BF communication is performed to inform the body B side that the flash F is in the test light emission OFF state (I120). As described above, the body B side receives this communication data and turns this on to the eye gaze detection operation.
Used as data for turning off / on. After sending the communication data, the microcomputer 1F returns to the flash activation waiting state (I
10).

If it is determined in step I50 that the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is in the ON state, the test light emission flag is set (test light emission flag: 1) in step I60, and BF communication is performed.
(I70). After the BF communication is completed, the flash F is made to emit a test light (I80).

While the test light emission operation is ON, the light emission timer operates and light is emitted until the time-out occurs. After the time-out, the test light emission completion signal is output. If it is set, the test light emission OFF operation is performed (I10
0), the test light emission flag is cleared in step I110 (test light emission flag: 0), and B-
Information is sent to the body B side by F communication, and the flash activation factor wait state is entered (I10). On the other hand, if the test light emission completion signal is not set in the determination of step I90 (state of test light emission), the process returns to step I50 and the above loop (I50 to I90) is repeated until the test light emission is completed.

As described above, even if an operation for instructing the sight line position detecting operation to the sight line detecting section 5 is performed during the test light emission, the test light emission information sent from the flash F side is sent.
By prohibiting the line-of-sight detection operation and the autofocus operation based on the (test light emission flag), the microcomputer 1B uses the autofocus of the focus state detection unit 2 and the focus drive unit 3 so that the focus state does not change during the test light emission. Since the operation is controlled, even if the user moves his or her line of sight during the test light emission, the user can confirm the same focus state as at the start of the test light emission through the finder FR. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the line-of-sight detection during test light emission, and provide the user with a comfortable shooting state. In this embodiment, both the line-of-sight detection operation and the autofocus operation are prohibited during the test light emission, but the focus state does not change unless the autofocus operation is performed, so only the line-of-sight detection operation during the test light emission is performed. You may control so that it may be performed.

According to the first to third embodiments in which the setting operation of the subject image state is the autofocus operation for setting the focus state, the autofocus operation for instructing the setting of the focus state is performed during the test light emission. However, since the microcomputer 1B controls the autofocus operation of the focus drive unit 3 so that the focus state during the test flash does not change, the condition of the autofocus operation changes between the autofocus operation and the start of the test flash. However, the user can confirm the same focus state as at the start of the test light emission through the viewfinder, and there is an effect that the work of confirming the shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder FR is not interrupted. As a result, it is possible to comfortably perform the above-mentioned confirmation work using test light emission.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Figure 15 shows
It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of 4th Example. FIG.
In the figure, 6 is a zoom drive unit that drives the motor of the zoom lens for zooming, and SZ is a zoom switch that is turned on when a zoom button (not shown) provided on the body B is pressed. The fourth embodiment has the same circuit configuration as the above-described first and second embodiments (FIG. 1) except that the zoom drive section 6 and the zoom switch SZ are provided. The appearance of the body B and the flash F and the flash circuit configuration are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

The control operation (body side sequence) of the microcomputer 1B on the body B side in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Power of body B is ON
When the power switch S0 is turned on, the microcomputer 1B is reset and the process proceeds to the initial setting of the body state in step J10. In the initial setting of body state (J10), body B
Each switch setting is read to set each mode, and each data of the microcomputer 1B is initialized.

After the initial setting, in the next step J20, it is determined whether or not the spot photometry switch SLB is in the ON state. O
If it is determined to be in the N state, after performing BF communication in step J30, the process proceeds to step J40. At this time, if the test light emission mode is set on the flash F side, the test light emission described later is performed. When it is determined in step J20 that it is in the OFF state, the process skips to step J40.

At step J40, the zoom switch SZ
It is determined whether or not is ON. If it is OFF, the process returns to step J20, and if it is ON, the process proceeds to step J50. At step J50, a flash check is performed.

Here, the flash check operation (see FIG.
J50) will be described with reference to FIG. First, in order to determine the operation of the flash F, the test light emission flag is cleared in step L10 (test light emission flag: 0), and the zoom signal flag is set in step L20 (zoom signal flag: 1).

Then, BF communication is performed to send the data on the body B side to the flash F side (L30). Then B
-F After activating the timer to open the communication interval (L
40), BF communication is performed to fetch the data on the flash F side to the body B side (L50), and the process returns. In this way, by fetching the data on the flash F side into the body B side, it is possible to determine on the body B side whether or not to perform zooming.

Returning to the flow of the sequence on the body side in FIG. In step J60, it is determined whether or not the flash F side is in the test flash state based on the state of the test flash flag. If the test light emission is in progress (test light emission flag: 1), the process returns to the flash check (J50) again. This loop (J
50, J60), the zoom operation is prevented during the test flash. On the other hand, if it is not in the test light emission mode, the zoom lens is driven by the zoom driving unit 6 to perform zooming (J70).

After the driving of the zoom lens (J70) is completed, the zoom signal flag is cleared at step J80 (zoom signal flag: 0), and BF communication is performed at step J90. With this BF communication, zoom signal information (zoom signal flag: 0) is sent to the flash F side microcomputer 1F.

Next, it is checked whether the zoom switch SZ is in the ON state (J100). Zoom switch S
If Z is in the ON state, the process returns to step J50 to repeat the flash check and zoom operation again. On the other hand, if the zoom switch SZ is off, the process returns to step J20.

Next, based on the flow chart of FIG. 17, the microcomputer 1 on the flash F (FIG. 1) side in the fourth embodiment will be described.
The control operation of F (sequence on the flash side) will be described. When the power of the flash F is turned on (power switch S3 is ON), the microcomputer 1F is reset and the microcomputer 1F enters a flash activation waiting state (sleep state) (K1
0). If any switch provided in the flash F is turned on or if there is a BF communication request from the body B, the flash mode is exited and the initial mode check (K20) is started.

Here, the initial mode check operation (see FIG.
K20) will be described with reference to FIG. When entering the flow of the initial mode check, first, the switch state is checked (M10). In this switch state check processing, mode setting is performed according to the state of the mode switch SM. Then, it is determined whether or not the switch state of the mode switch SM is the test light emission mode state (M20). If it is not in the test light emission mode, the process proceeds to step M30 to perform the main light emission mode sequence process. The main light emission mode sequence process is a light emission mode process for flash photography that is normally performed, and a description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, if it is in the test light emission mode, the process proceeds to step M40 to perform BF communication. With this BF communication, information on the side of the body B (spot metering switch SLB
ON / OFF state, whether or not zoom is in progress)
Take to the side. Next, it is determined whether the test light emission request signal is set (that is, whether the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is in the ON state) (M50).

When it is determined in step M50 that the test light emission request signal is not set (when the spot metering switch SLB and the test light emission request switch SLF are in the OFF state), the test light emission flag is cleared in step M60 (test Light emitting flag: 0), and BF communication is performed to inform the microcomputer 1B on the body B side (M70).
Next, in order to indicate the light emission OFF state, the test light emission OK flag is cleared in step M80 (test light emission OK flag: 0). And it returns.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step M50 that the test light emission start signal is set (when the spot photometry switch SLB or the test light emission request switch SLF is in the ON state), whether or not zooming is in progress is determined by a zoom signal flag. Judge (M90). If the body B side indicates the zoom state (zoom signal flag: 1), the test light emission OK flag is cleared in step M80 (test light emission OK flag: 0), and the process returns. By this processing, test light emission during zooming is prohibited. If the body B side does not indicate the zoom state (zoom signal flag: 0), step M1
00 to set the test flash OK flag (test flash OK
K flag: 1), the test light emission flag is set in step M110 (test light emission flag: 1), and the process returns.

As described above, the flash F from the body B side
Data and flash F captured in the microcomputer 1F
After deciding whether or not the test light emission is to be performed based on the determination based on the switch information, the process returns to the sequence on the flash side in FIG.

Then, in step K30, the test light emission is OK.
It is determined whether the flag is set. If the test flash OK flag is not set (test flash OK
Flag: 0), return to initial mode check (K20). On the other hand, if the test light emission OK flag is set (test light emission OK flag: 1), the test light emission sequence (K4
Proceed to 0) to perform test flash, and then step K5
It is judged whether or not the test flash is completed at 0, and the loop of the test flash sequence is repeated until the test flash is completed.
(K40, K50). After completing the test flash, step K10
The process returns to the flash activation status check process.

As described above, when the zoom operation is performed during the test flash (SZON), the zoom operation during the test flash is prohibited and the zoom operation is performed after the test flash is completed (J40 to J100). Since the zoom drive unit 6 is controlled by the microcomputer 1B, the user can confirm the same angle of view state as at the start of the test light emission through the finder FR, and perform zooming without waiting for the zoom operation to be performed again. You can

The setting operation of the subject image state is the focal length state
According to the fourth embodiment, which is the zoom operation for setting the (angle of view), even if the zoom operation for instructing the setting of the focal length state is performed during the test light emission, the angle of view during the test light emission remains unchanged. The microcomputer 1B controls the zoom operation of the zoom drive unit 6 so that it does not change. Therefore, even if the zoom operation conditions change between the zoom operation and the test flash start (for example, when the auto zoom function is activated). ), The user can confirm the same angle of view state as at the time of starting the test light emission through the viewfinder, and the effect of not interrupting the work of confirming the shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder FR before photographing is obtained. As a result, it is possible to comfortably perform the above-mentioned confirmation work using test light emission. The operation for setting the angle-of-view state is not limited to the zoom operation, but as described above, when the focal length is changed by switching the focus of two or more focal points, or when the viewfinder field is switched during trimming shooting or panoramic shooting. Even in such cases, similar effects can be obtained by controlling in the same manner as in the present embodiment.

[0118]

As described above, according to the camera system of the present invention, even if an operation for instructing the setting of a subject image state is performed during test light emission, the shadow state produced on the subject by the main light emission can be found in the viewfinder. Through this, it is possible to obtain the effect that the work of checking before shooting is not interrupted. As a result, it is possible to comfortably perform the above-mentioned confirmation work using test light emission.

Further, when the operation for instructing the test light emission is performed during the setting operation of the subject image state, the test light emission during the setting operation is controlled so as to be prohibited so that the setting operation of the subject image state is performed. It is possible to prevent interruption and incorrect setting.

Even if an operation for instructing the sight line position detection operation is performed during the test light emission, if the subject image state is controlled so as not to change during the test light emission, even if the user moves the line of sight, confirmation is made. Work can be performed comfortably without interruption.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a front surface and a back surface of a body which constitutes the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a back surface and a side surface of a flash which constitutes the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a flash which constitutes the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a body side sequence in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an algorithm in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flash-side sequence in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a body side sequence in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flash-side sequence in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flash check in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an initial mode check in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a body side sequence in the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flash-side sequence in the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a body side sequence in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a flash-side sequence in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing flash check in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an initial mode check in the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1B ... Body side microcomputer 1F ... Flash side microcomputer 2 ... Focus state detection unit 3 ... Focus drive unit 4 ... Flash light emission unit 5 ... Line-of-sight detection unit 6 ... Zoom drive unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kotaro Kawabe, 2-3-3 Azuchi-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Katsuyuki Namba 2-chome, Azuchi-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka No. 13 Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A camera body having a finder for confirming a subject image state, a subject image state setting means for setting a subject image state confirmed through the finder, and a setting operation of the subject image state setting means. And a test light emission means for confirming the shaded state of the subject caused by the main light emission through the viewfinder before the photographing, In the camera system including, the control unit controls the subject image so that the subject image state during the test light emission does not change even if an operation for instructing the setting of the subject image state is performed during the test light emission. A camera system characterized by controlling a setting operation of a state setting means. 2. A camera body having a finder for confirming a subject image state, a subject image state setting means for setting a subject image state confirmed through the finder, and a setting operation of the subject image state setting means. And a test light emission means for confirming the shaded state of the subject caused by the main light emission through the viewfinder before the photographing, In the camera system including: and, when the operation for instructing the setting of the subject image state is performed during the test light emission, the control unit limits an operation that causes the subject image state to be changed. By so doing, the setting operation of the subject image state setting means is controlled so that the subject image state during test light emission does not change. Camera system to be used. 3. A camera main body having a finder for confirming a subject image state, a subject image state setting means for setting a subject image state confirmed through the finder, and a body for exposure during flash photography. Light emission means capable of performing main light emission and test light emission performed for confirming the shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder, setting operation of the subject image state setting means, and the light emitting means And a control unit for controlling the test light emission, wherein the control unit performs the setting operation when the operation for instructing the test light emission is performed during the setting operation of the subject image state. If the operation to instruct the setting of the subject image state is performed during the test firing, the subject image status during the test firing is A camera system for controlling the subject image state setting means so as to prohibit a state setting operation. 4. A camera body provided with a finder for confirming a subject image state, a sight line detecting means for detecting a sight line position of a user looking into the finder, and a subject image state confirmed through the finder. The setting operation of the subject image state setting means is performed based on the subject image state setting means to be performed, the sight line position detected by the sight line detecting means, and the subject image state information preset corresponding to the sight line position. Control means for controlling, and a light emitting means capable of main light emission for exposure during flash photography and test light emission for confirming the shadow state caused on the subject by the main light emission through the viewfinder before photographing. In the camera system including: A camera system for controlling the setting operation of the subject image state setting means so that the subject image state during test light emission does not change.