JPH0659314A - Camera and photographing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Structure] When performing self-timer shooting, for example, while the timer is operating, the brightness of the subject is measured and calculated by the photometric means (step 26), and after the timer setting time has elapsed (step 27), the brightness of the subject is measured. Is determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined value X (step 29). As a result, when the brightness of the subject exceeds the predetermined value X, the shutter is operated to perform the shooting (step 31), and when the brightness is equal to or less than the predetermined value X, the timer is extended (step 30) to perform the shooting. A sufficient time for the person to move to the photographing position is secured, and then the shutter is operated to perform photographing (step 31). [Effect] The photographer can safely move to the shooting position without being confused even in a dark situation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera having a self-timer mechanism and a photographing method using the self-timer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, cameras equipped with a self-timer mechanism, particularly autofocus (hereinafter referred to as "AF") cameras, have become widespread. Self-timer photographing is performed by the AF camera with a self-timer mechanism as follows.

First, after fixing the camera on a tripod and deciding the composition for photographing, the release button of the camera is pushed one step. As a result, the focus position is detected by the phase difference detection method and the lens is driven to the in-focus position based on the detection. Then press the release button in two steps to activate the timer. While the timer is operating, the brightness of the subject is measured (hereinafter referred to as "photometry"), and after the preset timer operating time has elapsed, the shutter operates at the aperture and shutter speed obtained from the photometric value, and shooting ( Exposure).

However, in such a conventional AF camera with a self-timer mechanism, the timer setting time is preset to the camera (usually about 10 to 12 seconds), or the timer is set in advance by the photographer. It can be set arbitrarily, but this timer setting time is
Once set, it does not change in conjunction with conditions such as photometric values, so there was the following problem.

That is, in general, self-timer shooting is
It is often done for the purpose of the release button operator to be a part of the subject, but at the time of self-timer shooting in relatively dark conditions such as night, evening, early morning,
The operator of the release button has to walk slowly and carefully to the target shooting position because his / her feet are dark, and therefore the operator is absent or in an unsuitable posture by the time the shutter is activated. There are times when you get a bad picture. Therefore, the operator of the release button may try to move to the target shooting position in a hurry, which may cause a risk of falling.

In consideration of such a situation, it is possible to set a long timer setting time (for example, about 20 to 30 seconds) in advance, but in this case, in a bright situation such as daytime. The self-timer shooting has a problem that the waiting time is too long. It is also possible for the photographer to select the timer setting time each time according to the brightness condition or the like, but this is not preferable because the number of operation steps in the self-timer photographing increases and it takes time.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera and a photographing method capable of safely photographing even in a self-timer photographing under a dark condition without any hassle.

[0008]

The above objects are achieved by the present invention described in (1) to (6) below.

(1) In a camera having photometric means for measuring the brightness of an object and control means having a built-in self-timer for delaying the time of shooting, when shooting by the self-timer, before the timer expires. The camera is characterized in that the photometry is performed by the photometry means, and when the result is less than a predetermined value, the timer is extended.

(2) The camera according to (1) above, wherein the extension time of the timer varies depending on the photometric result of the photometric means.

(3) The camera according to (1) or (2), which is configured to give a warning to that effect when the timer is extended.

(4) When taking a picture with a self-timer, the method has a photometric step of measuring the brightness of an object and a step of activating the timer of the self-timer, and the result obtained in the photometric step is below a predetermined value. In Case of,
A photographing method, wherein the timer is extended.

(5) The photographing method according to (4), wherein the extension time of the timer varies depending on the result obtained in the photometric step.

(6) The photographing method according to the above (4) or (5), which gives a warning to that effect when extending the timer.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A camera and a photographing method of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration when the camera of the present invention is applied to an autofocus camera. The autofocus camera 1 shown in the figure is a single-lens reflex camera, and has a camera body in which controls for AF operation, exposure calculation, sequence control, display device control, flash circuit control, wind motor drive control, and self-timer control are performed. Control means 2 composed of a microcomputer for controlling
have. The control means 2 includes a switch circuit 3, an AF motor 4, a shutter / aperture control circuit 5, a photometric means 6, an AF optical block 7, a warning lamp 9, an AF encoder 10 and a lens control means 11, which will be described below.
Each is electrically connected.

The switch circuit 3 is a circuit for inputting various switches such as a release switch, a photometric switch, and a self-timer photographing selection switch to the control means 2. AF
The motor 4 is a drive source that moves the focusing lens of the lens unit mounted on the mount of the camera body in the optical axis direction, and according to the signal output from the control means 2,
The drive is controlled so that a focused state is obtained.

The shutter / aperture control circuit 5 is a circuit for controlling the aperture operation, electrically holding the shutter, and controlling the operation of the quick return mirror. Photometric means 6
Is to measure the brightness of the subject. The photometric means 6 has a light receiving element such as a silicon photodiode (SPD), photoelectrically converts light from the subject received by the light receiving element, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of light received. . Based on this voltage value, the calculation unit of the control means 2 performs exposure calculation to determine the aperture value, shutter speed, and the like.

The AF optical block 7 is, for example, a focus position detection mechanism using a phase difference detection method (passive method),
It is composed of a pupil division optical system such as a condenser lens and a separator lens, and an image pickup device which receives reflected light from a sub-mirror through the pupil division optical system. A part of the incident light from the taking lens is passed through the sub-mirror installed on the back surface of the quick return mirror to the AF optical block 7
To the image pickup device. Then, the video signal obtained from this image pickup device is sent to the control means 2 and is subjected to arithmetic processing in its arithmetic section to obtain focal position information (defocus amount d). Based on this focal position information, the focusing is performed. The amount of movement of the lens to the in-focus position, that is, the number of AF pulses corresponding to the amount of rotation of the AF motor 4 is calculated.

As such an AF optical block 7,
For example, the one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-210335 can be used, and a so-called multi-point focus position detection method in which a plurality of focus position detection zones in the photographing screen are used can also be adopted.

When the autofocus camera of the present invention is a compact camera, a focus position detection mechanism based on an infrared active system is generally adopted, so that the AF optical block 7 includes an infrared light emitting element and a lens. It is composed of an infrared light emitting portion and a light receiving portion mainly composed of a position sensitive device (PSD) that receives reflected infrared light from a subject.

The control means 2 has a built-in self-timer means 8. In other words, the timer of this self-timer means 8 is programmed as software in the control means 2 by a microcomputer. In this case, as the timer setting time, a time peculiar to the autofocus camera 1 (for example, about 10 to 12 seconds) is set in the camera in advance. Note that the photographer may be allowed to arbitrarily set the timer setting time in advance.

The warning lamp 9 is lit to notify when the timer described later is extended. The warning lamp 9 is preferably an LED, for example, and is preferably installed in front of the camera body so that it can be confirmed even from the position of the subject. Note that, in the present invention, instead of a warning lamp such as the warning lamp 9 or in combination with a warning warning, a similar content may be warned by voice.

The AF encoder 10 includes the AF motor 4
When the focusing lens is driven by, the driving amount is detected optically and in real time. This AF
The lens drive amount (rotation amount of the AF motor 4) detected by the encoder 10 is obtained as an AF pulse.
By counting the F pulses, the actual lens drive amount is made appropriate.

The lens control means 11 is provided on the side of the lens unit and stores various kinds of information (for example, the brightness of the lens, the focal length, various correction data, etc.) of the lenses constituting the lens unit, and is connected to the control means 2. Exchange this information between them.

In such an autofocus camera 1, when taking a picture by the self-timer, the photometric means 6 performs photometry before or during the operation of the timer, and when the result is less than a predetermined value, the timer is extended. Is configured to. Hereinafter, an example of the photographing method of the present invention by the illustrated autofocus camera 1 will be sequentially described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3.

[First Configuration] As shown in FIG. 2, it is judged whether or not the photometric switch is turned on (step 20). If the photometric switch is turned on, the photometric means 6 measures the brightness of the object, and the control means. 2, the AF optical block 7 measures the distance, and the control means 2 performs the calculation (step 21). If the photometric switch is not on, it is determined again after a certain period of time whether the photometric switch is on.

After AF distance measurement and calculation are performed, the AF motor 4 is driven based on the AF distance and calculation to drive the lens to obtain a focused state (step 22). Next, it is determined whether or not the release switch (second stage switch) is on (step 23), and if it is on, the process proceeds to the release process. If the release switch is not on, the process returns to step 20.

In the release processing, it is first determined whether or not self-timer photographing is performed (step 24). This judgment is made based on the input to the control means 2 of the self-timer photographing selection switch by the switch circuit 3. If the result of determination in step 24 is that it is not self-timer shooting, the shutter is immediately activated to shoot (step 31).

If the result of determination in step 24 is self-timer photography, the operation of the timer of the self-timer means 8 is started (step 25). Further, the photometric means 6 performs photometry, and the control means 2 performs exposure calculation (step 26). Based on the result of this calculation, the shutter speed and the aperture are determined, and these are, for example,
The shutter / aperture control circuit 5 is displayed on the display unit such as D to notify the photographer and based on the determined value.
Is controlled.

After step 26, it is determined whether or not the timer set time has elapsed (step 27). If the timer setting time has not elapsed, the process returns to step 26. When the timer set time has elapsed, it is determined whether the timer of the self-timer means 8 has already been extended (step 28).

If the result of determination in step 28 is that the timer has been extended, the shutter is operated to take an image (step 31), and if not extended, the brightness of the subject obtained in step 26 is obtained. It is determined whether B _v is equal to or less than the predetermined value X (step 29).

X is set to a value of about B _v 0, for example. The value of X may be preset in the camera 1 or may be preset by the photographer. The subject brightness B _v may be obtained from either a value measured before the self-timer is started or a value measured after the self-timer is started, or may be calculated from a minimum value or an average value thereof. .

If the result of determination in step 29 is that the subject brightness> X, it is determined that the surroundings are in a sufficiently bright state, so the shutter is actuated and photographing is performed (step 31).

If the result of determination in step 29 is that the subject brightness ≦ X, the surroundings are relatively dark and it is determined that the release operator must be careful when walking to the target shooting position. Therefore, reset the timer to extend the self-timer time (Step 3
0), return to step 25 and restart the self-timer.

The timer setting time in step 30 may be set in the camera in advance as described above, or may be set by the photographer to an arbitrary time, and the setting time is the first timer. It may be the same as or different from the set time (for example, a shorter time).

Further, the timer setting time in step 30 is not limited to a fixed time, and may be a time which continuously or stepwise varies depending on the measured brightness of the subject. In this case, the lower the brightness of the subject,
It is preferable to increase the timer setting time, so that the release operator (photographer) can secure the necessary and sufficient time to safely move to the target shooting position depending on the ambient brightness. It

Although not shown, step 29
If the subject brightness ≦ X as a result of the determination in (1), the warning lamp 9 may be turned on or a warning (display) may be given by voice or the like as described later, if necessary. This allows the release operator to recognize the extension of the timer.

After step 30, steps 26 and 2
After step 7, the same judgment as described above is made again in step 28. Here, since the timer has already been extended, it is determined that the timer has been extended, the shutter is operated, and photographing is performed (step 31).

[Second Configuration] As shown in FIG. 3, steps 20 to 26 are the same as those in the first configuration.

After step 26, the self-timer means 8
Judge whether or not the timer has already been extended (Step 3
2) If the timer has been extended, the process proceeds to step 36 to be described later, and if not extended, it is determined whether or not the brightness B _{v of} the subject obtained in step 26 is equal to or less than a predetermined value X. A judgment is made (step 33). Note that this determination is similar to that of the first configuration.

If the result of determination in step 33 is that the subject brightness> X, it is determined whether or not the timer setting time has elapsed (step 36), and if the result of that determination is that the timer setting time has elapsed. In step S37, the shutter is operated to take an image (step 37). If the timer setting time has not elapsed, the process returns to step 26.

If the result of determination in step 33 is that subject brightness ≦ X, a warning is given to extend the time of the self-timer (step 34), and the timer is reset (step 35). Extend the timer. Then, the process returns to step 25 to restart the self-timer.

The warning in step 34 is given visually or by sound such as lighting of the warning lamp 9 or display on the display unit of the camera, and the warning contents (display contents) are, for example, the surroundings. The situation is dark, you should be careful about your feet, you should extend the timer, and the extended time. Regarding the timer setting time, the first
The configuration is the same.

After step 25, the same judgment as described above is made again in step 32 after step 26. Here, since the timer has already been extended, it is determined that the timer has been extended, and the process proceeds to step 36.

As a result of the determination in step 36, if the timer reset time has elapsed, the shutter is operated to take an image (step 37). If the timer reset time has not elapsed, the step 26 is executed. Back in front of
Thereafter, the same steps are repeated until the timer reset time has elapsed.

In the first and second configurations as described above,
In self-timer shooting, when shooting in dark conditions such as at night, extend the timer to secure enough time for the release operator (photographer) to move to the target shooting position. Therefore, the release operator can move safely without rushing, and it is possible to prevent the shutter from being released during the movement to take an unintentional photograph.

In the present invention, one autofocus camera may be configured to select either the flowchart of FIG. 2 or the flowchart of FIG. In the first and second configurations, the brightness of the subject obtained by the measurement is compared with the predetermined value X to determine whether to extend the timer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example,
Information (photometric result) obtained from the brightness of the subject such as the aperture value and / or the shutter speed obtained by calculation may be compared with a predetermined value to determine whether to extend the timer.

Although the configuration in which the present invention is applied to a single-lens reflex AF camera has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a compact camera or a manual focus camera. You can also

[0050]

As described above, according to the camera and the photographing method of the present invention, when the self-timer is used for photographing, the timer is extended according to the brightness of the subject.
Even in shooting in a dark situation, the photographer can safely move and shoot without rushing to the shooting position. Further, since the timer extension time sufficient for safe movement is secured, it is possible to prevent the shutter from being released during the movement to take an unintentional photograph.

Further, in photographing in a bright situation, the timer is not extended, so that it is not necessary to wait an unnecessarily long time before the shutter is released. Since the extension of the timer is automatically performed according to the brightness of the subject, the photographer does not have to adjust the timer setting time each time, and the self-timer photographing can be easily performed. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a camera of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a photographing method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another example of the photographing method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Auto Focus Camera 2 Control Means 3 Switch Circuit 4 AF Motor 5 Shutter / Aperture Control Circuit 6 Photometric Means 7 AF Optical Block 8 Self Timer Means 9 Warning Lamp 10 AF Encoder 11 Lens Control Means 20 to 37 Steps

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A camera having photometric means for measuring the brightness of an object and control means having a built-in self-timer means for taking a picture with a time delay, when a picture is taken by the self-timer before the timer expires. A camera which is characterized by performing photometry by the photometry means and extending a timer when the result is below a predetermined value. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the extension time of the timer changes according to a photometric result of the photometric means. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein when the timer is extended, a warning to that effect is given. 4. A method comprising: a photometric step of measuring the brightness of an object and a step of activating a timer of the self-timer when photographing with a self-timer, wherein the result obtained in the photometric step is below a predetermined value. In this case, the photographing method is characterized by extending the timer. 5. The photographing method according to claim 4, wherein the extension time of the timer changes according to the result obtained by the photometric step. 6. The photographing method according to claim 4, wherein a warning is issued when extending the timer.