JPH11190873A - Camera with built-in stroboscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera with a built-in stroboscope enabling a subject to recognize the completion of photographing. SOLUTION: When strobe light is not radiated though a stroboscopic mode is set to other than 'inhibiting light emission' and the irradiation of the strobe light is allowed, a discharge tube for projecting strobe light is made to emit light immediately after closing a shutter so as to project completion light informing of the completion of photographing to the subject side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera with a built-in strobe for notifying completion of a photographing operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many recent cameras are provided with an autofocus function and an automatic exposure control function, and automatic focusing and adjustment of an aperture value and a shutter speed are performed. If such a camera is used, even a beginner can shoot with proper exposure.

On the other hand, cameras with a built-in strobe device have become widespread so that shooting can be performed not only indoors and at night, but also, for example, in backlit scenes under daylight. The strobe device illuminates the subject with the strobe light emitted by the light emitted from the discharge tube, and compensates for the lack of brightness of the subject.If the strobe device is mounted on a camera equipped with an automatic exposure control function, the It is generally controlled in conjunction with a control mechanism.

In many of such cameras, a two-stage press-down shutter button is used, and the shutter button also functions as a start switch for an autofocus function and an automatic exposure control function. When the shutter button is half-pressed, the distance measurement circuit and the photometry circuit are activated to focus and measure the subject brightness. When the shutter button is continuously depressed, the shutter mechanism and the flash circuit are activated to take a picture with proper exposure. Is performed.

[0005]

However, in a camera employing a two-stage push-in type shutter button, the subject may misunderstand that the photographing has been completed due to the movement of the lens barrel during focusing, and the subject may move. There are many. Also,
In the case of a camera in which a strobe device and an automatic exposure control mechanism are linked, the flash is fired during most shooting, so it is common to confirm the completion of shooting by checking whether or not the flash fired. ing. For this reason,
When the strobe does not emit light, such as when the brightness of the subject is sufficient or when photographing at a long distance, the subject may not be able to recognize that the photographing has been completed, and may continue posing forever.

[0006] In order to solve such a problem, there is a camera which emits an LED in conjunction with the operation of a shutter mechanism so as to notify a subject of completion of photographing. However, LEDs have poor visibility due to their small size, and have low brightness compared to strobe light.
A person accustomed to strobe light can easily overlook LED light emission.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a strobe built-in camera that allows a subject to recognize completion of photographing.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a camera with a built-in strobe of the present invention emits a discharge tube for strobe light emission immediately after a shutter is closed,
The completion light for notifying the photographing completion is projected toward the subject. Note that it may be determined whether or not the strobe light has been applied, and the completion light may be emitted when the strobe light has not been applied, and the completion light may not be emitted when the strobe light is applied.

In a camera provided with a switching means for determining whether or not strobe light irradiation is possible, when strobe light irradiation is permitted, completion light is allowed to be projected, and when strobe light irradiation is prohibited, strobe light irradiation is prohibited. The emission of the completion light may be prohibited. Also, a camera equipped with a self-timer that delays the interval from when the release operation is performed to when the shutter is activated determines whether or not the shutter activation timing is delayed, and when the activation timing is delayed, the completion light is output. May be allowed, and when the operation timing is not delayed, the emission of the completion light may be prohibited.

Further, in a camera having a pre-emission function for causing a discharge tube to emit light for a very short and specified short time immediately before irradiating a strobe light, when the completion light is projected, the fine emission specified for the pre-emission is used. The discharge tube may emit light in a short time.

[0011]

FIG. 5 shows an example of a camera with a built-in strobe. As shown in FIG. 1A, a photographing lens 11 is disposed at the center in the front of the camera 10, and a finder objective window 12, a light projecting window 13, a light receiving window 14, a photometric window 15, and a strobe are disposed above the camera. A light emitting window 16 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1B, a finder eyepiece window 17, a main switch 18,
Rewind switch 19, strobe mode switch 2
0 is provided. Further, a shutter button 21 is provided on the upper surface of the camera 10.

The taking lens 11 is held by a zoom lens barrel 22. When the camera 10 is not used, its front surface is covered by lens barriers 23a and 23b. When using the camera 10, the lens barriers 23a, 23b
Is opened, the zoom lens barrel 22 projects forward, and the photographing lens 11 is exposed.

The flash mode switch 20 is
The mode can be switched to four modes of "automatic light emission", "forced light emission", "red eye reduction", and "light emission inhibition".
In the "automatic flash" mode, the presence or absence of flash emission and the flash emission time are automatically set and controlled according to the subject brightness and the subject distance. In the “forced light emission” mode, regardless of the luminance of the subject, a strobe light is emitted toward the subject every time a picture is taken. "Red eye reduction"
In the mode, the flash is emitted for a short period of time immediately before flash photography, and the pupil of the subject is narrowed to reduce the red-eye effect. In the “flash prohibition” mode, flash emission during shooting is prohibited.

The shutter button 21 doubles as a start switch for the autofocus function and the automatic exposure control function, and is a two-stage push-in switch. When the shutter button 21 is half-pressed, focusing is automatically performed and measurement of the subject brightness is performed. When the shutter button 21 is continuously depressed, the shutter speed and the aperture value of the program shutter are controlled in accordance with the brightness of the subject, and shooting is performed with an appropriate exposure value. At the same time, strobe light emission control is performed. If the subject luminance value has not reached the predetermined level, strobe light is emitted from the strobe light emission window 16.

FIG. 4 shows an electrical configuration of the camera 10. When the main switch 18 is turned on, the lens control circuit 32, the distance measuring circuit 33, the photometric circuit 34, the exposure control circuit 35, and the flash circuit 3
6 is supplied with power. When the main switch 18 is turned off, the power supply to each circuit is cut off.

A half-press switch 37 is connected to the distance measuring circuit 33 and the photometric circuit 34, and a full-press switch 38 is connected to the exposure control circuit 35. When the shutter button 21 is pressed, the half-press switch 37 and the full-press switch 37 are connected. One of the push switches 38 is short-circuited. The above-described strobe mode changeover switch 20 is connected to the exposure control circuit 35 and the strobe circuit 36.

The distance measuring circuit 33 includes a light projecting device 41 and a light receiving device 42 inside the light projecting window 13 and the light receiving window 14, and operates when the half-press switch 37 is turned on. Floodlight 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes, for example, an IRED, which irradiates a spot-like infrared light toward a subject. The light receiver 42 is, for example, a PSD
(Semiconductor position sensor), which receives infrared light emitted from the projector 41 and reflected by the object, and outputs a light receiving signal corresponding to the incident angle. The distance measuring circuit 33 calculates a subject distance based on the light receiving signal output from the light receiver 42 and sends the distance signal to the lens control circuit 32 and the exposure control circuit 35.

The lens control circuit 32 includes a main switch 1
When the shutter 8 is turned on, the lens barriers 23a and 23b are opened, and the zoom lens barrel 22 is projected forward. When a distance signal is input from the distance measurement circuit 33, a part of the photographing lens 11 is moved to a position corresponding to the subject distance via a lens driving unit (not shown) so that the main subject is focused. Adjust to.

When the half-press switch 37 is turned on, the photometric circuit 34 measures the luminance of the subject by the photometric element 43 incorporated inside the photometric window 15 and sends a luminance signal to the exposure control circuit 35.

The exposure control circuit 35 includes a full-press switch 38.
Is turned on, the flash emission time t based on the subject distance measured by the distance measurement circuit 33, the subject brightness value measured by the photometry circuit 34, and the flash mode set by the flash mode switch 20. Is set, and the set value is sent to the flash circuit 36. At the same time, the exposure control circuit 35 controls the shutter speed and the aperture value of the program shutter so that proper exposure is achieved when the subject is irradiated with strobe light emitted from the discharge tube 44 by light emission during the time t. I do.

The flash circuit 36 controls the emission time and emission timing of the discharge tube 44. Strobe circuit 36
Causes the discharge tube 44 to emit light for the strobe light emission time t set by the exposure control circuit 35 when a synchro signal Sync is input in synchronization with opening and closing of the shutter. Further, when the strobe mode set by the strobe mode switch 20 is “red-eye reduction”, a strobe pre-emission operation described later is controlled. Note that the flash circuit 36 starts a charging operation immediately after the main switch 18 is turned on, and accumulates charges for flash emission.

Next, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG.
The operation of 0 will be described. When the photographer loads the camera 10 with the film and turns on the main switch 18, the lens barriers 23a and 23b are opened, and the zoom lens barrel 22 projects forward. At the same time, it is determined whether or not the loaded film can be photographed. When the film can be photographed, the film is fed, and the first photographing frame is positioned at the photographing position. On the other hand, when the film cannot be photographed, the film is not fed.

When the first photographing frame is positioned at the photographing position, the strobe circuit 36 is operated to perform charging, and charges for strobe light emission are stored. This completes the shooting preparation.

When taking a picture, the photographer first operates the strobe mode changeover switch 20 to set the strobe mode. After this, the photographer sets the viewfinder eyepiece window 18
When the main subject is framed at an appropriate position by looking into the camera and the shutter button 21 is half-pressed, the half-press switch 37 is turned on. As a result, the distance measurement circuit 33 and the photometry circuit 34 operate, and the subject distance and the subject brightness are measured. Then, the lens control circuit 32 moves a part of the photographing lens 11 to a position corresponding to the subject distance via the lens driving unit, and adjusts the main subject so as to be in focus.

When the photographer stops pressing the shutter button 21 and the half-press switch 37 is turned off, the subject distance and the subject luminance value measured by the distance measuring circuit 33 and the photometric circuit 34 are cleared, and the photographing is performed. Lens 11
Is returned to the initial position.

When the photographer continues to press the shutter button 21 half-pressed, the full-press switch 38 is turned on, and the photographing is performed. The photographing operation is performed according to the sequence shown in FIG. 2, and is controlled in accordance with the flash mode set by switching the flash mode switch 20. When the strobe mode is set to “flash off”, the exposure control circuit 35 sets the strobe light emission time t to “0” and sends the set value to the strobe circuit 36. At the same time, based on the subject distance measured by the distance measurement circuit 33 and the subject brightness value measured by the photometry circuit 34, the exposure control circuit 35 detects the subject only by natural light without providing auxiliary light using strobe light. An aperture value and a shutter speed are controlled to open and close the shutter so as to obtain proper exposure. Note that the flash emission time t
Is set to “0”, the flash circuit 36 does not cause the discharge tube 44 to emit light even when the sync signal Sync is input to the flash circuit 36 in synchronization with opening and closing of the shutter.

When the flash mode is set to "forcible flash", the exposure control circuit 35 controls the flash firing time t
Is set to the maximum time T during which all charges for strobe light emission are emitted and the maximum amount of strobe light can be applied to the subject, and this set value is sent to the strobe circuit 36. At the same time, the aperture value and the shutter speed are controlled based on the subject distance and the subject brightness value to open and close the shutter so that the subject is properly exposed when the maximum amount of strobe light is irradiated. When the sync signal Sync is input to the strobe circuit 36 in synchronization with the opening and closing of the shutter, the discharge tube 44
Emits light at the maximum time T, and strobe light is emitted from the strobe light emission window 16 toward the subject.

In the "forced light emission" mode, the discharge tube 44 always emits light and flash light is emitted during photographing.
The person who has become the subject can recognize the completion of shooting by the strobe light.

When the flash mode is set to "red-eye reduction", the flash circuit 36 first performs flash pre-flash. The stroboscopic pre-emission is for causing the discharge tube to emit light for a very short time immediately before performing the flash photography, thereby narrowing the pupil of the subject to reduce the red-eye effect, and is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. First, the discharge tube 44 is caused to emit light by setting the pre-emission time t ₀ to a very short prescribed short time T ₁ , and immediately charge by the amount reduced by this discharge. Subsequently, the discharge tube 44 is caused to emit light with the pre-emission time t ₀ being a very short time T ₂ , and charging is performed again for the discharged amount. Thereafter, the discharge tube 44 is further caused to emit light by setting the pre-emission time t ₀ to a very short time T ₃ , and the strobe pre-emission is completed when the discharge tube 44 is fully charged again.

In the above description, the pre-emission time t _{0 is set} to T ₁ ,
T ₂ and T ₃ were changed, but the pre-emission time t
₀ may be set to the same time for all three times. In addition, the number of pre-emissions is not limited to three, and a single effect can sufficiently obtain a red-eye reduction effect.

In FIG. 2, when the pre-flash emission ends, the exposure control circuit 35 sets the flash emission time t to the maximum time T, and sends the set value to the flash circuit 36. At the same time, the aperture value and the shutter speed are controlled based on the subject distance and the subject brightness value so that the subject is properly exposed when the maximum amount of strobe light is emitted,
Open and close the shutter. When the sync signal Sync is input to the flash circuit 36 in synchronization with the opening and closing of the shutter, the discharge tube 44 emits light for a maximum time T, and flash light is emitted from the flash emission window 16 toward the subject.

Also in the "red-eye reduction" mode, the discharge tube 44 always emits light and emits a strobe light at the time of photographing, so that the subject can recognize the completion of the photographing by the strobe light.

When the flash mode is set to "auto flash", the exposure control circuit 35 sets the aperture value for the subject to be properly exposed based on the subject distance and the subject brightness value.
The shutter speed and the flash emission time t are set.
Then, the set value of the flash emission time t is stored in the flash circuit 3
6 and controls the aperture value and shutter speed to open and close the shutter. When the sync signal Sync is input to the flash circuit 36 in synchronization with opening and closing of the shutter,
The flash circuit 36 causes the discharge tube 44 to emit light at the light emission time t. As a result, strobe light is emitted from the strobe light emission window 16 toward the subject.

The flash emission time t is set within a range from "0" to the maximum time T. When the subject distance exceeds a predetermined distance and the strobe light does not reach, or when the subject brightness is sufficiently bright and the auxiliary light by the strobe light is unnecessary, the strobe emission time t is set to “0”. Then, even if the sync signal Sync is input to the strobe circuit 36, the discharge tube 44 does not emit light.

When the shutter is opened and closed and the photographing operation is completed, the flash emission time t is confirmed. Strobe light emission time is "t = 0", when flash photography is not performed, the discharge tube 44 is emitting a complete light emission time t _e the fine short T _1. The complete light is projected by light emission in the fine short time T _1, who was the subject can recognize the completion of the shooting. On the other hand, when the flash emission time is “t ≠ 0” and the flash photography is performed, the subject can recognize the completion of the photography by the flash light, so that the short time T _{1 of the} discharge tube 44 can be recognized. Is not performed, and the completion light is not emitted.

[0036] The setting values of the complete light emission time t _e, the first
It is not limited to a fine short T ₁ defined for pre-emission times eyes. The completed light emission time t _e may be long enough to allow the person who has become the subject to recognize the light emission of the discharge tube, so that the short time T specified for the second pre-emission is used.
It may be used ₂ or fine short T ₃ of the third for, or may be separately set.

In FIG. 1, when photographing is completed, one frame of the film is fed, and a new photographing frame is positioned at the photographing position. As a result, a shooting standby state is established, and the next shooting operation is enabled. Then, photographing and one-frame feeding are repeated, and when exposure of all the photographed frames is completed, the film is rewound. When the photographer turns on the rewind switch 19 during a series of photographing operations described above,
The photographing operation is stopped, and the film is rewound.

The present invention has a self-timer for delaying the interval from when the release operation is performed to when the shutter is activated, and it is of course applicable to a camera in which the photographer takes a picture while the photographer is away from the camera. it can. In this case, if it is determined whether or not the photographing is performed by the self-timer after determining whether or not the flash photographing has been performed, the completion light can be emitted only at the time of the self-timer photographing in which it is particularly difficult to recognize the completion of the photographing.

In the above-described embodiment, the emission of the completion light is also prohibited when the irradiation of the strobe light is prohibited. However, the completion light is also emitted when the strobe mode is "emission prohibited". May shine. Further, the completion light may be emitted every time the shutter is opened and closed regardless of whether or not the strobe light has been irradiated.

[0040]

As described above, according to the camera of the present invention, immediately after the shutter is closed, the discharge tube for emitting the strobe light is made to emit light, and the completion light indicating the completion of the photographing is directed to the subject side. Therefore, even when the strobe light is not emitted, the person who is the subject can recognize the completion of the shooting by the completion light.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of the camera of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a shooting operation sequence shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a pre-light emission operation sequence shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical configuration of the camera of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a camera with a built-in strobe provided with an automatic exposure control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera 20 Strobe mode switch 21 Shutter button 37 Half-press switch 38 Full-press switch 44 Discharge tube

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A camera having a built-in strobe device that emits a discharge tube in synchronization with opening and closing of a shutter, and irradiates a strobe light projected by the emission toward a subject.
A strobe built-in camera, wherein the discharge tube emits light immediately after the shutter is closed, and a completion light for notifying completion of shooting is projected toward the subject. Determining whether or not the strobe light has been emitted, and emitting the completion light when the strobe light has not been emitted, and not emitting the completion light when the strobe light has been emitted. The camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1. 3. A switching means for determining whether or not the strobe light can be irradiated, wherein when the strobe light irradiation is permitted, the completion light is allowed to be projected and strobe light irradiation is prohibited. 3. The camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the completion light is sometimes prohibited. 4. A self-timer for delaying an interval from when a release operation is performed to when a shutter is activated, wherein it is determined whether or not the shutter activation timing is delayed. 4. The camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein the completion light is allowed to be emitted, and when the operation timing is not delayed, the emission of the completion light is prohibited. 5. A pre-emission function for causing the discharge tube to emit light for an extremely short and defined short time immediately before irradiating the strobe light, wherein the discharge tube is emitted in a very short time when the completion light is projected. 5. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein said camera emits light.