JP2010245810A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: if a photographic condition is returned to a default setting, a live-view image of the default setting can be displayed, however in order to return to the default setting, a plurality of times of operations are required and all of a plurality of photographic conditions changed are reset. <P>SOLUTION: A imaging apparatus is disclosed in which a user can switch between a first live-view mode during which live-view image data reflected with photographic conditions are displayed while maintaining the photographic conditions and a second live-view mode during which live-view image data reflected with settings resetting the photographic conditions are displayed, and the live-view modes are switch in accordance with a switching instruction from the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus having a live view display function.

  A digital camera equipped with a live view display function that enables image confirmation before shooting is known. In Patent Document 1, a shooting condition setting change menu screen is superimposed on a live view image, and as soon as the shooting condition setting is changed, a live view image reflecting the changed shooting condition is displayed. Technology is disclosed.

JP 2001-212354 A

  However, the live view display after changing the settings when multiple shooting condition settings such as exposure compensation, white balance setting, saturation adjustment, and gradation adjustment are changed to the default shooting conditions. The user may wish to compare this with the default live view display. In this case, if you return the shooting conditions to the default settings, you can display the live view image with the default settings, but multiple operations are required to return to the default settings, and all of the changed shooting conditions are all There was a problem of being reset.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can easily switch between a live view display based on a changed shooting condition and a live view display of a default setting without changing the setting of the shooting condition.

  An imaging apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject to obtain an image signal, an image processing unit that processes the image signal to obtain live view image data according to a shooting condition, and the live A display unit for displaying view image data, a shooting condition setting unit for a user to set the shooting condition, a shooting condition storage unit for storing shooting conditions set by the shooting condition setting unit, and the shooting condition storage A first live view mode in which live view image data reflecting the shooting conditions is displayed on the display unit while holding the shooting conditions stored in the display unit, and a live view reflecting the settings obtained by resetting the shooting conditions A live view mode switching operation unit for a user to switch between a second live view mode for displaying image data on the display unit, and In response to the operation of the view mode switching unit, characterized in that it and a display switching unit for switching the live view mode of the display unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily switch and display a live view image reflecting a shooting condition and a live view image reflecting a setting after resetting the shooting condition without changing the setting of the shooting condition.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital still camera which is an imaging device in one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the processing flow performed with the digital still camera which is an imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating each state of Status_LV. It is the figure which put together the transition state of Status_LV. It is a flowchart which shows the control content at the time of live view display. It is a figure which shows the example of the display method at the time of displaying the live view image which reflected the setting which reset the imaging condition on LCD.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital still camera that is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment.

  The lens 101 condenses the optical image of the subject on the image sensor 102. The lens 101 may be a single focus lens or a zoom lens.

  The lens drive control circuit 112 issues a command to drive the lens 101 to the lens drive unit 111 based on a focus evaluation value calculated by the microcomputer 107 described later. The lens driving unit 111 drives the lens 101 based on an instruction from the lens driving control circuit 112 to change the focal length and the focus position.

  The image sensor 102 is an image sensor in which a Bayer array color filter is arranged in front of a photodiode constituting each pixel. The Bayer array has a line in which R pixels and G (Gr) pixels are alternately arranged in a horizontal direction, and a line in which G (Gb) pixels and B pixels are alternately arranged, and the two lines are further divided. It is configured by alternately arranging in the vertical direction. The imaging element 102 outputs the amount of light to the imaging circuit 103 as a charge amount by receiving and photoelectrically converting the light collected by the lens 101 by a photodiode constituting the pixel. The image sensor 102 may be a CMOS type or a CCD type.

  The imaging circuit 103 performs waveform shaping on the electrical signal (analog image signal) read from the imaging element 102 while reducing reset noise and the like, and further increases the gain so that the target brightness is obtained. The A / D converter 104 converts the analog image signal output from the imaging circuit 103 into a digital image signal (hereinafter referred to as image data).

  A bus 199 is a transfer path for transferring various data generated in the digital camera to each unit in the digital camera. The bus 199 is connected to the A / D converter 104, the image processor 105, the JPEG processor 106, the microcomputer 107, the SDRAM 108, the memory I / F 109, and the LCD driver 110.

  The image data output from the A / D conversion unit 104 is temporarily stored in the SDRAM 108 via the bus 199. The SDRAM 108 is a storage unit that temporarily stores various data such as image data obtained by the A / D conversion unit 104 and image data processed by the image processing unit 105 and the JPEG processing unit 106.

  The image processing unit 105 performs various image processing such as optical black subtraction processing, white balance correction processing, synchronization processing, gamma correction processing, and color reproduction processing on the image data read from the SDRAM 108.

  When the image data is recorded, the JPEG processing unit 106 reads the image data from the SDRAM 108, compresses the read image data according to the JPEG compression method, and temporarily stores the compressed JPEG image data in the SDRAM 108. The microcomputer 107 creates a JPEG file by adding a JPEG header necessary for constructing a JPEG file to the JPEG image data stored in the SDRAM 108, and sends the created JPEG file via the memory I / F 109. To the recording medium 115. The recording medium 115 is, for example, a recording medium including a memory card that can be attached to and detached from the camera body, but is not limited thereto.

  The LCD driver 110 displays an image on the LCD 116. For image display, rec view display that displays image data immediately after shooting for a short time, playback display of a JPEG file recorded on the recording medium 115, and display of moving images such as a live view image (also referred to as a through image). Is included. During live view display for displaying a live view image, display according to Status_LV described later is performed. Also, when playing back a JPEG file recorded on the recording medium 115, the JPEG processing unit 106 reads the JPEG file recorded on the recording medium 115 and performs expansion processing, and then temporarily expands the expanded image data to the SDRAM 108. Remember me. The LCD driver 110 reads the decompressed image data from the SDRAM 108, converts the read image data into a video signal, and then outputs it to the LCD 116 to display an image.

  The microcomputer 107 having a function as a control unit comprehensively controls various sequences of the digital camera body. The microcomputer 107 is connected to a lens drive control circuit 112, an operation unit 113, and a flash memory 114.

  The operation unit 113 is an operation member such as a power button, a release button, and various input keys. When one of the operation members of the operation unit 113 is operated by the user, the microcomputer 107 executes various sequences according to the user's operation. The power button is an operation member for instructing power on / off of the digital camera. When the power button is pressed, the microcomputer 107 turns on or off the power of the digital camera. The release button has a two-stage switch of a first release switch and a second release switch. When the release button is pressed halfway and the first release switch is turned on, the microcomputer 107 performs a shooting preparation sequence such as AE processing and AF processing. When the release button is fully pressed and the second release switch is turned on, the microcomputer 107 performs shooting by executing a shooting sequence.

  The flash memory 114 includes various parameters necessary for the operation of the digital camera such as a white balance gain and a low-pass filter coefficient corresponding to the white balance mode, Status_LV that is a parameter indicating a display method of live view display, which will be described later, and a digital still The serial number for identifying the camera is stored. The flash memory 114 also stores various programs executed by the microcomputer 107. The microcomputer 107 reads parameters necessary for various sequences from the flash memory 114 according to a program stored in the flash memory 114, and executes each process.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow performed by a digital still camera that is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment. When the user presses the power button to turn on the digital still camera, the microcomputer 115 starts the process of step S201.

  In step S201, it is determined whether or not the live view display is in an off state. As will be described later, Status_LV, which is a parameter indicating a display method of live view display, is recorded in the flash memory 114 before the camera is turned off. Immediately after the power is turned on, live view display processing corresponding to Status_LV recorded in the flash memory 114 is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining each state of Status_LV. Status_LV = 0 is a mode for displaying a live view image reflecting a setting in which the shooting condition is reset. The setting with the shooting conditions reset is a shooting condition setting when the digital still camera is shipped from the factory, that is, a default shooting condition setting.

  Status_LV = 1 is a mode for displaying a live view image reflecting imaging conditions. Shooting conditions include exposure settings for exposure correction, white balance settings for white balance correction, color adjustment settings for adjusting color, gradation adjustment settings for gradation correction, and special effect filter processing. This includes settings, scene mode settings for shooting a specific scene, aspect ratio settings for changing the aspect ratio, sharpness adjustment settings for adjusting sharpness, noise reduction filter settings, and the like. Special effects filter processing includes, for example, soft focus processing that moderately blurs the image, light tone processing that softly expresses shadows and highlights, toy photo processing that reduces the amount of peripheral light in the image, and colorful and impressive colors There are pop art processing for emphasis, rough monochrome processing for reproducing high contrast monochrome photographs with coarse particles. The scene mode setting for specific scene shooting includes a portrait mode for shooting a person, a landscape mode for landscape shooting, a macro mode for macro shooting, a sports mode for shooting a fast-moving subject, and the like.

  Status_LV = 2 is a mode in which the live view display is off.

  As described above, immediately after the power is turned on, live view display corresponding to Status_LV stored in the flash memory 114 is performed. Accordingly, when the Status_LV stored in the flash memory 114 is Status_LV = 2, control for turning off the live view display is performed. If it is determined in step S201 that the live view display is not in the off state, the process proceeds to step S204. If it is determined that the live view display is in the off state, the process proceeds to step S202.

  In step S202, Status_LV is set to 2.

  In step S203, it is determined whether or not the live view button included in the operation unit 113 has been operated. The live view button is an operation button for changing the display method of the live view display. As will be described later, there are two types of live view button operations: a long-press operation that continues to be pressed for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) and a short-press operation that is pressed for less than a predetermined time. Regardless of whether or not the live view button has been operated. If it is determined that the live view button has been operated, the process proceeds to step S204. If it is determined that the live view button has not been operated, the process proceeds to step S212.

  In step S204, Status_LV = 1 is set.

  In step S205, it is determined whether or not the live view button has been pressed for a short time. The microcomputer 107 has a timer for measuring the time when the live view button is operated, and determines whether or not the live view button is pressed for a short time based on the measured time of the timer. If it is determined that the live view button has not been pressed, the process proceeds to step S208. If it is determined that the live view button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S206, Status_LV = 0 is set. That is, if the live view display mode is a mode for displaying a live view image reflecting the shooting conditions and Status_LV = 1, and a short press operation of the live view button is performed, the settings for resetting the shooting conditions are reflected. Switch to the mode for displaying live view images.

  In step S207, it is determined whether or not the live view button has been pressed again for a short time. If it is determined that the live view button has been short-pressed again, the process returns to step S204, and Status_LV = 1 is set. In other words, if the Live View button is pressed for a short time when the Live View button is pressed while the Live View display mode is Status_LV = 0, which is a mode for displaying a live view image that reflects the settings obtained by resetting the shooting conditions, the shooting conditions are reflected. Switch to the mode for displaying live view images.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S207 that the short press operation of the live view button has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S208. In step S208, it is determined whether or not the live view button has been pressed for a long time. If it is determined that the live view button has been operated for a long time, the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, Status_LV = 2 is set. That is, when a long press operation of the live view button is performed in the status_LV = 0 or status_LV = 1 in which the live view display is on, the live view display is turned off.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S208 that the live view button has not been pressed for a long time, the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, it is determined whether the shooting conditions have been changed. When the user operates various buttons or dials included in the operation unit 113, exposure setting, white balance setting, color adjustment setting, gradation adjustment setting, special effect filter processing setting, scene mode setting for specific scene shooting, aspect ratio If it is determined that at least one shooting condition among the shooting conditions such as ratio setting, sharpness adjustment setting, and noise reduction filter setting has been changed, the process proceeds to step S211. If it is determined that the shooting condition has not been changed, the process proceeds to step S212. .

  In step S211, Status_LV = 1 is set. That is, when the shooting condition is changed by the user, the mode is switched to the mode for displaying the live view image reflecting the changed shooting condition even if the live view button is not operated.

  In step S212, it is determined whether to turn off the power of the digital still camera. When the power button is pressed by the user or when the camera is not operated for a predetermined time, it is determined that the power is turned off. If it is determined that the power of the digital still camera is not turned off, the process returns to step S201. If it is determined that the power of the digital still camera is turned off, the process proceeds to step S213.

  In step S213, Status_LV indicating the display method of the live view display is recorded in the flash memory 114. However, if the current Status_LV is a live view display mode that reflects the setting that resets the shooting conditions, Status_LV = 0, it is recorded in the flash memory 114 as Status_LV = 1. This is to prevent the live view image reflecting the setting that resets the shooting condition from being displayed unintentionally immediately after the power is turned on. That is, when the live view image is displayed immediately after the power is turned on, the live view image reflecting the shooting conditions is set to be displayed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram summarizing the transition state of Status_LV. When a short press operation of the live view button is performed in the state of Status_LV = 1 which is the first live view mode, the state shifts to the state of Status_LV = 0 which is the second live view mode. In addition, when a long press operation of the live view button is performed in the state of Status_LV = 1, the state shifts to the state of Status_LV = 2 that is the third live view mode.

  When the live view button is pressed for a short time in the state of Status_LV = 0, which is the second live view mode, or when the shooting conditions are changed, Status_LV = which is the first live view mode. Transition to state 1. In addition, when a long press operation of the live view button is performed in the state of Status_LV = 0, the state shifts to the state of Status_LV = 2 that is the third live view mode.

  When the live view button is operated in the state of Status_LV = 2 that is the third live view mode, regardless of the operation time, the state shifts to the state of Status_LV = 1 that is the first live view mode.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control content of the live view display. In step S401, it is determined whether Status_LV indicating the display method of the live view display is 2. If it is determined that Status_LV = 2, the process proceeds to step S402. In step S402, the live view display is turned off, and the live view display process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S401 that Status_LV = 2 is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S403. In step S403, it is determined whether Status_LV = 1. If it is determined that Status_LV = 1, the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, a live view image reflecting the shooting conditions is generated, and the generated live view image is displayed on the LCD 116. The generation of the live view image reflecting the shooting conditions can be performed by a known method.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S403 that Status_LV = 1 is not established, the process proceeds to step S405. In this case, since Status_LV = 2, a live view image reflecting the setting in which the shooting condition is reset is generated, and processing for displaying the generated live view image on the LCD 116 is performed. At this time, a display is made so that the user can easily recognize that the image is a live view image reflecting the setting in which the shooting conditions are reset.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display method when displaying a live view image on the LCD 116 that reflects the setting in which the shooting conditions are reset. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, a display 51 “Reset Sim” is superimposed on the live view image. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the outer frame 52 of the live view image is blinked and displayed in a predetermined color. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the user resets the shooting conditions by the display 51 “Reset Sim” and in the example shown in FIG. 6B by the presence of the blinking outer frame 52. It can be easily visually recognized that the live view image reflects the setting. Note that the display method indicating that the live view image reflects the setting in which the shooting conditions are reset is not limited to the method illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

  Here, in step S405, a process for displaying the live view image reflecting the “setting for resetting the shooting condition” on the LCD 116 is performed, and the shooting condition itself is not reset. That is, when the shooting condition is changed by the user, the changed shooting condition is stored in the flash memory 114, but the shooting condition stored in the flash memory 114 is reset even when the process of step S405 is performed. Instead, it is held as it is. Accordingly, when a short press operation of the live view button is performed in the state of Status_LV = 0, the shooting conditions stored in the flash memory 114 can be read and a live view image reflecting the shooting conditions can be quickly displayed. it can.

  In addition, since the shooting conditions are not reset but are retained, even if the display is changed to the display of live view image data that reflects the settings for which the shooting conditions have been reset, if the user presses the release button, the shooting conditions are changed. Shooting can be performed quickly.

  As described above, according to the imaging apparatus of the embodiment, the live view image data reflecting the shooting condition is stored in the LCD 116 in accordance with the operation of the live view button by the user while holding the shooting condition stored in the flash memory 114. The first live view mode to be displayed is switched to the second live view mode in which live view image data reflecting the setting obtained by resetting the shooting conditions is displayed on the LCD 116. As a result, the user can easily switch between live view display that reflects the shooting conditions and live view display that reflects the settings after resetting the shooting conditions, simply by operating the live view button. That is, it is not necessary to perform a plurality of operations for resetting the shooting conditions in order to switch from the live view display state reflecting the shooting conditions to the live view display state reflecting the settings where the shooting conditions are reset. Even when live view display that reflects the setting that resets the shooting conditions is performed, the shooting conditions remain stored in the flash memory 114, so that the live view display that reflects the shooting conditions can be quickly switched to. Can do.

  In addition, according to the imaging apparatus in the embodiment, the user can set the first live view mode in which the live view image data reflecting the shooting conditions is displayed and the shooting conditions are reset only by operating the live view button. The second live view mode in which the reflected live view image data is displayed and the third live view mode in which the live view image data is not displayed can be switched.

  Further, when the current live view mode is the second live view mode, when the shooting condition is changed by the shooting condition setting operation by the user, live view image data reflecting the changed shooting condition is displayed. Since the mode is switched to the first live view mode, the live view mode reflecting the user's intention can be performed without the user operating the live view button.

  In addition, when displaying live view image data in the second live view mode, the display is different from the case of displaying live view image data in the first live view mode. The display in the view mode and the display in the second live view mode can be easily distinguished.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, when the power of the digital still camera is turned off, Status_LV indicating the display method of the live view display is Live View display mode that reflects the setting in which the shooting conditions are reset. In this case, it is recorded in the flash memory 114 as Status_LV = 1, but may be recorded as Status_LV = 0.

  In the above-described embodiment, each live view mode is switched according to the operation of the live view button by the user. However, a dedicated button for switching the live view mode may be provided. For example, a button corresponding to each of the first, second, and third live view modes may be provided, and when the user performs a button operation, live view display in the live view mode corresponding to the button may be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Lens 102 ... Imaging device 103 ... Imaging circuit 104 ... A / D conversion part 105 ... Image processing part 106 ... JPEG processing part 107 ... Microcomputer 108 ... SDRAM
109 ... Memory I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... LCD driver 111 ... Lens drive part 112 ... Lens drive control circuit 113 ... Operation part 114 ... Flash memory 115 ... Recording medium 116 ... LCD

Claims (9)

An imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and obtains an image signal;
According to the shooting conditions, an image processing unit that processes the image signal to obtain live view image data;
A display unit for displaying the live view image data;
A shooting condition setting unit for the user to set the shooting conditions;
A shooting condition storage unit that stores shooting conditions set by the shooting condition setting unit;
A first live view mode in which live view image data reflecting the shooting conditions is displayed on the display unit while holding the shooting conditions stored in the shooting condition storage unit, and a setting in which the shooting conditions are reset. A live view mode switching operation unit for the user to switch between a second live view mode for displaying the reflected live view image data on the display unit;
A display switching unit that switches a live view mode of the display unit in accordance with an operation of the live view mode switching operation unit by a user;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The live view mode switching operation unit allows the user to switch between the first live view mode, the second live view mode, and a third live view mode in which the live view image data is not displayed on the display unit. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an operation unit. A timer unit for measuring an operation time when the user operates the live view mode switching operation unit;
The display switching unit is configured to change another live view mode from a current live view mode based on a live view mode when the live view mode switching operation unit is operated by a user and an operation time of the live view mode switching operation unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the imaging apparatus is switched to a view mode.   When the current live view mode is the first live view mode and the operation time of the live view mode switching operation unit is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the display switching unit switches to the third live view mode. 4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein switching is performed to the second live view mode if the operation time of the live view mode switching operation unit is less than the predetermined time.   When the current live view mode is the second live view mode and the operation time of the live view mode switching operation unit is a predetermined time or more, the display switching unit switches to the third live view mode. 5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein switching is performed to the first live view mode if the operation time of the live view mode switching operation unit is less than the predetermined time.   When the live view mode switching operation unit is operated by a user when the current live view mode is the third live view mode, the display switching unit performs the first live view mode regardless of the operation time. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging apparatus is switched to a view mode.   The display switching unit reflects the changed shooting condition when the shooting condition is changed by a setting operation of the shooting condition setting unit by the user when the current live view mode is the second live view mode. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the live view image data is switched to a first live view mode for displaying the live view image data on the display unit. When displaying live view image data in the second live view mode, a display control unit that performs a display different from the case of displaying live view image data in the first live view mode;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The shooting condition settings include exposure settings, white balance settings, color adjustment settings, gradation adjustment settings, special effect filter settings, scene mode settings for specific scene shooting, aspect ratio settings, sharpness settings, and noise reduction filter settings. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the settings is included.