JPS62135815A - Controller for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform proper exposure even in case of auxiliary light photography by storing object distance information and photometric value information in the 1st stroke of a release button and taking a picture in the 2nd stroke when a strobe light emitting device is not ready for light emission. CONSTITUTION:The photometric value information on a light measuring instrument is stored and the object distance information from an automatic focus detecting device is stored in the 1st stroke (half depression) of the release button 2 to perform photography preparing operation; and a photograph is taken in the 2nd stroke (full depression). When a discrimination means (CPU) 1 discriminates that the strobe light emitting device is ready for light emission, the photometric value information from a photometric circuit 4 is not stored and the object distance information is stored in the 1st stroke; and a shutter and stop part 7 performs exposure control over strobe light emission photography in the 2nd stroke on the basis of the photometric value information from the photometric instrument and object distance information. Further, when it is not discriminated that the strobe light emitting device is ready for the light emission, the exposure control is performed in the 2nd strobe on the basis of the stored photometric value information. Consequently, proper exposure is obtained even in case of auxiliary light photography.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field of the Invention) The present invention includes a photometry device, an automatic focus control device, and a strobe light emitting device. The present invention relates to a camera control device that enables exposure control that provides proper exposure to both sub-subjects.

(Background of the Invention) Conventionally, when the subject to be photographed has low brightness, a strobe light emitting device such as a xenon tube or flash bulb is used as auxiliary light to instantly illuminate the subject and reduce the amount of exposure. A camera is known that has a built-in strobe light emitting device that compensates for the lack of light by using auxiliary light to achieve proper exposure. This type of camera, for example, like a lens-shutter camera, has an automatic focus control device (hereinafter referred to as AFF1a) and an automatic exposure control device (hereinafter referred to as AE device) built in, and the first stroke of the release button activates the AP control. is activated to memorize the subject distance of the main subject (focus lock), and
The AE device operates and stores the exposure information that provides the proper exposure of the main subject (AE function), and then, by the second stroke following the first stroke of the release button, the focus is locked and the AE function is set as described above, and the photograph is first taken. The lens is driven to the in-focus position of the main subject, and the lens is configured to obtain proper exposure based on the exposure information.

When shooting using fill light, for example, when shooting during the day, the main subject has low brightness and the secondary subject has high brightness. It is necessary to derive the aperture aperture value of the camera using a calculation formula from the film sensitivity of the film to be used and the subject distance determined from the AFF 1a, and to adjust the aperture device to this value. In this case, since the distance to the main subject is adjusted by the aperture value based on the distance to the subject whose focus is locked by the AFF 1a, almost appropriate exposure can be obtained for the main subject that the camera is aiming at through fill-in photography.

However, when performing fill-in photography (daytime sync photography) by positioning the main subject (person) at the edge of the screen and the sub-subject (background) at the center of the screen, first move the camera to the main subject. Press the release button on the first stroke to lock the AF, then change the direction of the camera to remove the main subject from the center of the screen, bring the secondary subject (foreground) into the center of the screen, and press the release button on the second stroke. You will have to press it down to In that case, the first
Fill-in light photography is performed with the aperture aperture value calculated from the focus-locked subject distance in the stroke, so the main subject will receive proper exposure, but in the first stroke, AE lock is also performed in addition to focus lock. , that is, the main subject is exposed properly, so in the second stroke state mentioned above, even though the secondary subject is in the center of the screen, the exposure is not adjusted to the center of the screen, that is, the secondary subject is However, there is a drawback that no consideration is given to exposure at all, and the subject becomes overexposed.

(Objective of the Invention) It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera control device that solves this drawback and provides proper exposure for both the main subject and the secondary subject even in the case of fill-in photography.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention stores subject distance information with the first stroke of the release button when a strobe light emitting device is ready to fire, and performs light metering again after the flash preparation operation to perform fill-in photography. Furthermore, when the strobe light emitting device is not ready to emit light, the technical point is to store subject distance information and photometric value information with the first stroke of the release mirror, and to take a picture with the second stroke.

(Example) 1 to 3 show embodiments of the present invention.

The lens shutter camera of this embodiment has a strobe light emitting device that automatically pops up from the camera body when strobe light emission operation conditions are met, and an automatic focus control device that automatically drives the photographing lens to the in-focus position. have. In addition, the shirt release button has a two-stage push configuration, and when it is operated to the so-called half-press position (first stroke position), the automatic focus control device can forcibly prohibit the automatic focusing operation (focus lock). In addition to performing a focus control operation, the diaphragm/shutter device controlled by automatic exposure control can be released when the shutter is operated to the full-press position (second stroke position).

Once the strobe light emitting device has been popped up, the user manually presses the strobe light emitting device back into the camera body, and at this time, the strobe light emitting device is no longer able to emit light.

As shown in Fig. 1, the control device of this camera has a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as microcomputer) 1, into which various detected value data are input and stored, and based on the human data. The entire camera is divided.

The configuration and operation of this camera control device are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
With reference to the drawings, cases in which the main subject has high brightness and cases in which the main subject has low brightness will be explained separately.

(When the main subject is a high-brightness subject) If the main subject is a high-brightness subject that does not require an auxiliary light, normal shooting operations will be performed, and the focus lock and AE lock will be activated by pressing the release button halfway. Hanging,
The distance to the main subject and appropriate exposure information are stored, and by pressing the button fully, focus control and exposure control are performed to complete photography. This will be explained in detail below.

The release button 2 has a first switch Swl that operates when it is operated to the half-press position, and a second switch Sw2 that operates when it is operated to the full-press position.
and 1st from Sv2. Detection signal 31 as second signal.
52 is supplied to the microcomputer 1. When the first switch Swl is turned on, power is supplied to the electric circuit of the camera, and power supply is ensured when the switch SWI is pressed. (Step SP 1. Step 5P2).

When the detection signal S1 is obtained, the microcomputer 1 outputs the first photometry command signal S13 to the photometry circuit 4, and the photometry circuit 4 sets the center weight for the main subject in the photometry area at the center of the photographic screen. A photometric operation is performed, and the first photometric value data E1 based on the side light output 315 obtained as a result is compared with predetermined reference data. As a result, if the main subject is of low brightness (in other words, if auxiliary light from a strobe light emitting device is required when photographing the main subject), a drive signal 318 is supplied to the pop-up section 6. Then, use the pop-up unit 6 to pop up the strobe light emitting device so that it protrudes from the camera body, and if the main subject is of high brightness (i.e., when photographing the brightness of the main subject, the strobe light emitting device can be used to supplement illumination). When the light is unnecessary), the drive signal 31B is not supplied to the pop-up section 6 and the strobe light emitting device is made inactive. (Step SP3~Step SP5゜Step 5PL9).

If the microcomputer 1 does not supply the drive signal 318 to the pop-up section 6, the microcomputer 1 has determined that the brightness of the main subject is sufficient to obtain a proper exposure without illumination by strobe light, and the light metering operation of the photometer circuit 4 will not be able to obtain the brightness of the main subject. Photometric output 315
The first photometric data E1 based on is stored in the memory (,11
0tsuku).

Then, the microcomputer 1 outputs a first photometry command signal 313 to the photometry circuit 4, and also outputs a drive signal 311 to the autofocus section 3.
is operating. Similarly, the autofocus unit 3 detects the subject distance of the main subject located in the focus detection area at the center of the shooting screen, and stores distance value data R in the memory of the microcomputer 1 based on the detection output 312 (focus lock detection area). )do. (Step SP6 to Step 5P8) Alternatively, the drive signal 317 may be directly output to the lens drive unit 5 based on the distance measurement data from the autofocus unit 3 to drive the photographing lens to the in-focus position.

When the photographer starts the photographing operation and further presses down the release button 2 from the half-press position to the fully-press position, the pop-up section 6 is inactive at this time, so the photograph is taken using natural light. At this time, the first switch SWI is turned on and the second switch Sw2 is turned on by the release button 2, so that the detection signals 31 and 32 are inputted to the microcomputer l. Upon receiving the detection signal S2, the microcomputer 1 outputs a drive output 317 to the lens drive section 5, thereby moving the photographing lens to the in-focus position based on the distance measurement value data R stored in the memory. . (Step SP9~Step 5P
12) At this time, when the photographer releases the release button 2 from the halfway pressed position, the power supply state is canceled and the camera returns to its initial state.

1 when release button 2 is pushed to the fully pressed position;
The microcomputer 1 performs automatic exposure calculation processing based on the photometric value data E1 stored in the memory. Based on the control values (aperture value data, shutter speed data) thus determined, a drive signal 520 is output to the diaphragm/shutter control unit 7 to perform exposure control. In this way, once the photographing with proper exposure is completed, the microcomputer 1 outputs the drive signal 323 to the film feeding section 9 to wind the film by one frame, and the film feeding section 9 When winding of the film is completed, it outputs a winding completion signal S24 to the microcomputer 1. When the microcomputer 1 receives this winding completion signal S24,
Cancels the power supply state and stops power supply. (Step 5
P16~Step 5PI8).

[When the main subject is low brightness]

If you have a low-brightness main subject that requires fill light, and you move the main subject to the edge of the screen and the secondary subject to the center of the screen, you can lock the focus by pressing the release button halfway as described above. If you perform AE rotation and AE rotation, the exposure will not match the sub-subject, so lock the focus by pressing the release button halfway, and after the strobe light emitting device prepares to fire, remetering the light with the metering device, and then press the release button fully. I am trying to take pictures based on this. This will be explained in detail below.

When the release button 2 is pressed down to the half-press position, a detection signal S1 is output to the microcomputer 1, and the power supply from the power supply to the electric circuit of the camera is maintained in the same manner as described above. (Step SPI, Step 5P2).

When the detection signal S1 is obtained, the microcomputer 1 outputs the first photometry command signal S13 to the photometry circuit 4, causes the photometry circuit 4 to perform center-weighted photometry on the main subject, and the result is The first photometric value data E1 based on the photometric output S15 is compared with predetermined reference data. As a result, if the main subject is of low brightness (that is, if auxiliary light from a strobe light emitting device is required when photographing the main subject), the pop-up section 6
A drive signal 318 is supplied to the camera body, and the strobe light emitting device is popped up using the pump up section 6 so as to protrude from the camera body. Since the pump-up section 6 operates, the strobe light emitting device is placed in a pop-up shape 6 (
! II, the light emission preparation state (FLi), and the pump up part 6
A setting completion signal S19 is input to the microcomputer 1 from the microcomputer 1. Then, the microcomputer 1 sends the drive signal 3 to the boost circuit 8.
21 to charge the main capacitor of the strobe light emitting device. (Step SP4. Step 5PL9).

Note that the light emitting preparation state of the strobe light emitting device is not limited to the time when the automatic pop-up described above is completed, and may be, for example, when the strobe light emitting device is powered on or when the main capacitor of the strobe light emitting device is completed charging.

The microcomputer 1 sends a first photometry command signal 313 to the photometry circuit 4.
At the same time, a drive signal 311 is also output to the autofocus section 3 to operate the autofocus section 3. The autofocus unit 3 detects the subject distance of the main subject in the focus detection area at the center of the photographic screen, and stores the distance measurement data R in the memory (focus lock) based on the detection output 312. (Step SP5゜Step SP7.Step 5P8).

When the photographer begins shooting and presses the release button further down from the halfway to fully pressed position, the first switch S
WI and the second switch SW2 are turned on, and the detection signals Sl and S2 are input to the microcomputer 1. At this time, a charging completion signal 322 indicating that charging of the main capacitor is completed has already been input from the boosting circuit 8 of the strobe light emitting device. Further, upon receiving the detection signal S2, the microcomputer 1 outputs a drive output 517 to the lens drive unit 5, thereby moving the photographing lens to the in-focus position based on the distance measurement value data R stored in the memory. . (Step SP9 to Step 5P12).

Then, the microcomputer 1 outputs a second photometry command signal 514 to the photometry circuit 4 by receiving the setting completion signal S19 from the pop-up section 6 and the detection signal S2 of the release t[12. Upon receiving the second photometry command signal S14, the photometry circuit 4 detects the photometry area (an area that almost overlaps with the focus detection area).
The second photometry value data E2 is output to the microcomputer 1 based on the photometry output 816 obtained by the photometry operation. (Step 5P13. Step 5
P14).

Further, the microcomputer 1 calculates the aperture value corresponding to the light emission amount of the strobe light emitting device based on the distance measurement data R stored in the memory, and also calculates the aperture value data based on the photometry data E2. Shutter speed data that takes the aperture value data into consideration is obtained by exposure calculation, and the aperture value data and shutter speed data are supplied to the aperture/shutter control section 7 as control values. A drive signal S20 corresponding to the control value is output to the aperture/shutter control section 7 to perform exposure control. (Step 5P15. Step 5P16)
.

In this way, when flash photography with proper exposure is completed, the microcomputer 1 outputs a drive signal 323 to the film feeding unit 9 to wind the film by one frame, and the film feeding unit 9 outputs a winding completion signal S24 to the microcomputer 1 when winding of the film is completed. When the microcomputer 1 receives this hoisting completion signal S24, it cancels the power supply state and stops the power supply. (Step 5P17゜Step 5P18).

In this flowchart, the configuration is such that the first photometry command signal s14 is output after receiving the detection signal S2 of the release button 2, but the invention is not limited to this, and when the strobe light emitting device is popped up. It is only necessary that the photometering circuit 4 is activated to perform photometry again after the detection of the photometer, and it goes without saying that the photometry circuit 4 may start the photometry again immediately before step SP7 in FIG. 2, for example.

Here, the microcomputer 1 outputs the second photometry command signal 314 to the photometry circuit 4 by receiving the setting completion signal S19 from the pop-up section 6 and the detection signal S2 from the opening 2 of the relay 11. A description will be given of whether to cause the photometry circuit 4 to perform a photometry operation again.

For example, in the case of daytime synchronized shooting (fill light shooting) when the main subject is dark and the secondary subject is bright, first place the main subject (for example, a person) in the center of the shooting screen and press the release button 2 halfway. Push the button down until it activates the autofocus unit 3 and stores the distance measurement data in the memory inside the microcontroller (
focus lock). In this state, if you move the camera a little to move the main subject from the center of the screen to the edge of the screen, the bright blue tatami mat, which is the secondary subject, will come to the center of the screen. Then, when the release button is further pressed to the fully pressed position in this shooting screen state, the photometry circuit 4 receives the second photometry command signal 31 from the microcomputer 1 as described above.
4, the subject (bright background in this case) in the photometry area (area that almost overlaps with the focus detection area) is photometered again, and the second photometry value data E2 is generated based on the photometry output 316 obtained from the photometry operation. is stored in the memory of microcontroller 1 (
AE lock).

Therefore, the main subject can be properly exposed by illumination from the strobe light emitting device, and the secondary subject can be properly exposed using this photometric data E.
Since exposure control is performed based on 2, appropriate exposure can be obtained. In comparison, for example, assume that this camera is configured such that when the release button is pressed halfway, the focus is locked and the AE lock is achieved. Place the main subject in the center of the camera's shooting screen, press the shutter release 11 to the halfway position, hold the camera, position the main subject at the edge of the shooting screen, position the secondary subject in the center, and release the shutter. When pressing the button further to perform daytime synchronized shooting, the main subject will be properly exposed due to the illumination of the strobe light emitting device, but the secondary subject will be overexposed because the main subject was with AE locked. There is a risk of it being stored away. For the above reasons, I decided to perform photometry again.

Next, another embodiment will be described using FIG.

This example is almost the same as the example described above, so
Explain the different parts of the structure.

In this embodiment, if the main subject has low brightness, the strobe light emitting device is automatically activated on the camera side, and it is necessary to determine whether or not it is popped up in step SP5 shown in FIG. disappears. Therefore, when the microcomputer 1 determines that the main subject has low brightness and the detection signal s2 of the release button 2 is input to the microcomputer 1, the photometry circuit 4 performs photometry again as in the above-described embodiment. Other than that, this embodiment is the same as the embodiment described above.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of a lens-shutter type camera was described, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, when a strobe light emitting device is attached to a -eye reflex camera to perform strobe photography. However, it is applicable.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, even in the case of fill-in photography, even if the main subject is moved from the center of the screen and the sub-subject is positioned near the center, both the main subject and the sub-subject can be properly exposed. There is an effect that can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a control device that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a flowchart showing the operation of the control device, and FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the control device. 1 shows a flowchart diagram. (Explanation of symbols of main parts) 1...Microcomputer, 2...Release button, 3...Autofocus section, 4...Photometering circuit,

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] It has a built-in photometry device, an automatic focus detection device, and a strobe light emitting device, and stores the photometric value information of the photometer at the first stroke of the release button, as well as the object distance information from the automatic focus detection device. In a camera that performs a photographing preparation operation and performs photographing in a second stroke following the first stroke, the camera comprises: a determining means for determining whether or not the strobe light emitting device is in a flash preparation state; If it is determined that the light emission is ready, the first stroke stores the subject distance information without storing the photometric value information, and the second stroke stores the photometric value information of the photometric device at that point in time. and the stored object distance information, and when the determining means determines that the strobe light emitting device is not in a flash preparation state, the stored subject distance information is set in the first stroke. A camera control device comprising: exposure control means for controlling exposure in the second stroke based on photometric value information.