JP5109864B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic still camera having a function of automatically taking a picture by recognizing a facial expression of a subject.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an electronic still camera that automatically detects an image by detecting that a subject person has closed his eyes for about 2 seconds or more, that is, a wink operation for a predetermined time (for example, Patent Document 1). reference). Since the opening and closing of the eyes in the face is easier to discriminate than changes in other parts, highly accurate detection is possible.

JP 2000-347277 A

  However, immediately after the subject's eyes wink, it is not always the shutter chance that the subject person intends. For example, when taking a group photo, it is not always possible to photograph a facial expression that everyone can satisfy because it is not known when a winking operation has been performed, except for a person who winks. In addition, although a human can perform three types of operations, right-eye wink, left-eye wink, and binocular wink, the camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 can detect only one type of wink operation, thereby increasing the functionality of the camera. Insufficient in terms of progress.

An electronic still camera according to a first aspect of the present invention is an open / close detecting means for detecting an open / closed state of an eye of a subject, and the presence / absence of a wink operation of the eye based on the open / closed state detected by the open / close detecting means. A wink determination unit that generates a wink output when the operation is determined; and an automatic image capturing unit that automatically captures the subject in accordance with the wink output of the wink determination unit. based on the output of the unit, the right eye wink of the subject, possess a left eye wink, a function of determining to identify at least two of the three wink operation of binocular wink, the automatic photographing means, When the wink determination unit determines that one of the two wink operations is performed, automatic shooting is performed after a predetermined time delay from the occurrence of the wink output. Wherein when the wink determination means determines that the other of the two wink operation and performs automatic photographing without delay of the predetermined time.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic still camera that detects an open / closed state of an eye of a subject, determines the presence / absence of a wink operation of the eye based on the open / closed state detected by the open / closed detection unit, and the wink A wink determination unit that generates a wink output when the operation is determined; and an automatic image capturing unit that automatically captures the subject in accordance with the wink output of the wink determination unit. based on the output of the unit, the right eye wink of the subject, possess a left eye wink, a function of determining to identify at least two of the three wink operation of binocular wink, the automatic photographing means, When the wink determination unit determines that one of the two wink operations is performed, automatic shooting is performed in the single-shot mode, and the wink determination unit performs the two wink operations. When it is determined that the other wink operation and performs the automatic photographing in the continuous shooting mode.

  According to the electronic still camera of the first aspect of the present invention, since the delay / non-delay mode setting means is provided, an appropriate photo opportunity can be selected according to the condition of the subject. According to the electronic still camera of the sixth aspect of the present invention, since it has a function of identifying and determining at least two of the three wink operations, it can contribute to the multi-functioning of the camera.

Hereinafter, an electronic still camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic still camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic still camera includes a photographing lens 11, an aperture 12, an image sensor 13, a buffer memory 14, an image processing unit 15, an image recording unit 16 such as a memory card, and a control unit 20. The electronic still camera also includes an automatic photographing unit 21, a timing unit 22, a face detection unit 23, an eye open / close detection unit 24, a smile detection unit 25, a wink determination unit 26, a self-timer 27, an indicator 28, and a liquid crystal display 29. Further, the electronic still camera includes a face data storage unit 31, an eye opening / closing data storage unit 32, a smile data storage unit 33, a wink activation shooting setting unit 40, a delay / non-delay mode setting unit 41, and a single / continuous shooting mode setting unit. 42 and a smile mode setting unit 43.

  The photographing lens 11 includes a plurality of lenses including a zoom lens and a focus lens, and forms a subject image on the image sensor 13. In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity, the taking lens 11 is shown as a single lens. The imaging element 13 generates an image signal by photoelectrically converting incident light L1 from the photographing lens 11.

  The image signal output from the image pickup device 13 is sent to the image processing unit 15 via the buffer memory 14, where predetermined various image processing is performed. In the stage before the start of photographing, the image signal from the image sensor 13 is sent to the liquid crystal display 29 via the buffer memory 14, the image processing unit 15, and the control unit 20, and is displayed as a through image. At the photographing stage, the image signal from the image sensor 13 is recorded in the image recording unit 16 via the buffer memory 14 and the image processing unit 15.

  The automatic photographing unit 21 outputs photographing operation signals to the photographing lens 11, the diaphragm 12, and the image sensor 13 in accordance with the output signal from the control unit 20 or the output signal from the time measuring unit 22, and starts photographing the subject. The timer 22 starts counting a predetermined time when a signal from the control unit 20 is input, and outputs a signal for instructing the automatic photographing unit 21 to start shooting after the predetermined time has elapsed.

  The face detection unit 23 inputs through image data sent from the image sensor 13 via the buffer memory 14, the image processing unit 15, and the control unit 20, and the through image data is stored in the face data storage unit 31 in advance. By comparing with existing face data, a human face in the image is detected. For the face detection, for example, a detection method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-16573 can be used. In this detection method, feature points are extracted from an input image to detect a face area, a face size, and the like of a subject. The feature points include end points of eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, and face contour points, such as the head vertex and the lower end point of the chin.

  The face data storage unit 31 stores, for example, feature point data relating to the shape of eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips.

  As other face detection, for example, a detection method disclosed in JP-A-2005-157679 can be used. In this detection method, first, a luminance difference between two pixels in an input image is learned as a feature amount, and an estimated value indicating whether or not a face exists in a predetermined region in the input image based on the feature amount. And when the estimated value is 1 or more, it is determined that a face exists in the predetermined area.

  The eye opening / closing detection unit 24 inputs a partial image of a predetermined area determined to be a face area by the face detection unit 23, and compares this partial image with the eye opening / closing data stored in the eye opening / closing data storage unit 32 in advance. By doing this, it is detected whether the eyes of the subject person are open or closed. The eye open / close detection unit 24 outputs an open signal indicating the open state while detecting that the eyes are open, and sets the closed state while detecting that the eyes are closed. The closing signal shown is output. As the eye open / closed detection, for example, a detection method disclosed in JP 2000-347277 A can be used. This detection method calculates the area of the white part of the eye and detects whether the eye is open or closed depending on the size of the area.

  The eye opening / closing data storage unit 32 stores the relationship between the area (number of pixels) of the white portion of the eye and the eye opening / closing state as a table. The table is input to the eye opening / closing detection unit 24 via the control unit 20 when the eye opening / closing detection unit 24 detects opening / closing of the target eye, and the number of pixels of the target eye is collated with the table. Eye opening / closing is detected.

  As another detection method, for example, there is a method using the red-eye phenomenon disclosed in JP-A-7-295036. That is, when the eyes are open, the red-eye phenomenon occurs due to the strobe light irradiation, and when the eyes are closed, the red-eye phenomenon does not occur even when the strobe light is irradiated, so that the eye opening / closing can be detected.

  The smile detection unit 25 inputs a partial image of a predetermined area that is determined to be a face area by the face detection unit 23, compares the partial image with smile data stored in advance in the smile data storage unit 33, and compares the face image of the partial image. It is determined that the expression is a smile. For the smile detection, for example, a detection method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-46591 can be used. In this detection method, smile evaluation (evaluation of the degree of smile of facial expression) is performed on the input partial image. Smile evaluation refers to smile data stored in advance, calculates the evaluation points for the shape of each element of the eyebrows, pupils, and lips, weights each evaluation point with a coefficient, and adds up the smile evaluation value It is what.

  The smile data storage unit 33 stores a smile sample image as a smile evaluation reference table (smile data). The smile detection unit 25 compares the partial images determined to be a face area with these sample images, and detects a smile.

  The wink determination unit 26 determines that the eye opening / closing operation of the subject is a wink based on an output signal from the eye open / close detection unit 24, that is, a close signal and an open signal. Wink is a human intentional movement in which an open eye is closed for a certain time and then reopened. In order to distinguish the wink from the natural blink, the wink determination unit 26 counts the time from the closing of the eye to the reopening, that is, the duration of occurrence of the closing signal, and the time is sufficiently longer than the blinking time. If the value exceeds the value, it is determined that it is a wink.

  The self-timer 27 starts timing by an activation operation such as pressing of a shutter button, and sends an operation signal for photographing to the photographing lens 11, the diaphragm 12 and the image sensor 13 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  The indicator 28 is provided on the exterior surface of the electronic still camera on the subject side, and is composed of, for example, an LED. The indicator 28 displays that the self-timer function is being operated by the self-timer 27 and that the delay time is being measured by the timer unit 22 (delay display). The indicator 28 changes the display form in order to distinguish between the operation of the self-timer function and the time measurement of the delay time by the time measuring unit 22. For example, the blinking cycle of the LED is changed or the emission color is changed. Further, the indicator 28 may be constituted by a plurality of LED elements, and a difference may be provided in the display pattern. For example, in a matrix pattern, a distinction is made between lighting in the horizontal direction and lighting in the vertical direction.

  The liquid crystal display 29 is provided on the back of the electronic still camera, and is used for composition confirmation at the time of photographing, reproduction of recorded images, and the like. The liquid crystal display 29 has a variable screen angle and direction, and the screen can be directed toward the subject. The liquid crystal display 29 may display the above-described wink determination result, smile level, and the like.

  The wink activation shooting setting unit 40 is an operation unit for setting ON / OFF of a mode for automatically shooting when a wink operation which is a feature of the present invention is detected, that is, a wink activation shooting mode.

  The delay / non-delay mode setting unit 41 selects a delay mode in which automatic shooting is performed after a predetermined time delay from the occurrence of wink output and a non-delay mode in which automatic shooting is performed immediately without a predetermined time delay from the occurrence of wink output. It is an operation part to set up automatically. When the delay mode is selected, the delay time is also set. The method for setting the delay time may be a method of selecting one of several preset times or a method of inputting an arbitrary time.

  The single shooting / continuous shooting mode setting unit 42 is an operation unit that selectively sets a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode. Single shooting refers to shooting one image with a single shooting instruction, and continuous shooting refers to shooting a plurality of images continuously with a single shooting instruction. If the continuous shooting mode is selected, set the number of continuous shots.

  The smile mode setting unit 43 is an operation unit that sets ON / OFF of a mode for automatically shooting when a smile is detected from the facial expression of the subject.

  Here, the function of the indicator 28 when the smile mode is set will be described. The indicator 28 may be used to indicate that the smile detection unit 25 is detecting a smile. In other words, the LED blinking cycle or emission color is configured to be different from the display mode during the operation of the self-timer function and during the measurement of the delay time by the timer unit 22.

The electronic still camera configured as described above is customized to execute automatic shooting in any one of the following six modes when a wink operation is detected when the wink activation shooting mode is selected. be able to.
(A) Delay mode + single shooting mode (b) Delay mode + continuous shooting mode (c) Non-delay mode + single shooting mode (d) Non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode (e) Smile mode + single shooting mode (f) Smile mode + continuous shooting mode

  FIG. 2 is a first example of a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic still camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the wink activation shooting mode. For example, a case will be described in which the mode (a) is set to be executed when a wink is detected.

  In step S11, the user sets the wink activation shooting mode by operating the wink activation shooting setting unit 40. In step S12, the user sets the delay mode by operating the delay / non-delay mode setting unit 41 and a desired delay time. Set up. In step S13, the single shooting / continuous shooting mode setting unit 42 sets the single shooting mode. In step S <b> 14, the face detection unit 23 detects the face of the subject. In step S15, attention is paid to the detected face eyes, and the eye opening / closing detection unit 24 detects that the subject's eyes are closed.

  In step S <b> 16, the wink determination unit 26 determines that the wink is a wink when the closing signal from the eye open / close detection unit 24 continues for a predetermined time or longer and then switches to an open signal. In step S <b> 17, the wink determination unit 26 generates a wink output signal indicating wink determination, and the output signal is input to the timer unit 22 and the indicator 28 via the control unit 20.

  In step S18, the time counting unit 22 starts measuring time according to the wink output, and the indicator 28 is activated to display that the delay time is being measured. When the timed time T becomes equal to a desired delay time T0 set in advance, the timed unit 22 generates an output signal for instructing the automatic photographing unit 21 to perform photographing. In step S <b> 19, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs photographing of a subject, that is, single photographing for capturing one image.

  When the delay mode + continuous shooting mode of mode (b) is set, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs continuous photographing of a plurality of sheets based on the output of the time measuring unit 22.

Next, the case where the non-delay mode + single shooting mode of mode (c) is set will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S21, the user sets the wink activation shooting mode by operating the wink activation shooting setting unit 40. In step S22, the user sets the non-delay mode by operating the delay / non-delay mode setting unit 41. In step S23, The single shooting mode setting unit 42 sets the single shooting mode. In step S24, the face detection unit 23 detects the face of the subject. In step S25, attention is paid to the eyes of the detected face, and the eye opening / closing detection unit 24 detects that the eyes of the subject are closed.

  In step S <b> 26, the wink determination unit 26 determines that the wink is the wink when the closing signal from the eye open / close detection unit 24 continues for a predetermined time or more and then switches to the open signal. In step S <b> 27, the wink determination unit 26 generates a wink output signal, and the output signal is input to the control unit 20. The control unit 20 immediately activates the automatic photographing unit 21 according to the wink output signal. In step S28, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs photographing of a subject, that is, single photographing for capturing one image.

  When the non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode of mode (d) is set, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs continuous photographing of a plurality of sheets based on the output of the control unit 20.

  In the electronic still camera according to the present embodiment, if the wink activation shooting mode and the smile mode setting unit 43 set the wink activation shooting mode and the smile mode, respectively, the wink determination unit 26 winks. Smile mode starts based on the output. When the smile detection unit 25 detects a smile, the automatic photographing unit 21 immediately performs automatic photographing. Even in the smile mode, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs single shooting or continuous shooting according to the setting of the single shooting / continuous shooting mode setting unit 42.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the delay mode is set, the timer unit 22 measures a predetermined delay time according to the wink output, and then the automatic photographing unit 21 is activated by the output of the timer unit 22. On the other hand, when the non-delay mode is set, the control unit 20 immediately activates the automatic photographing unit 21 according to the wink output. Instead of such a configuration, the time counting unit 22 may be operated according to the wink output in both the delay mode and the non-delay mode, and the delay time may be set to zero in the non-delay mode. .

  As described above, the electronic still camera according to the first embodiment can select and take a delay mode and a non-delay mode, and the delay mode is particularly effective when taking a group photo. . That is, one of a plurality of subject persons winks, the wink determination unit 26 determines the wink, and the time counting unit 22 measures the time, the person other than the person who performed the wink operation takes time to shoot. be able to. Further, since the indicator 28 displays while the time measuring unit 22 is measuring time, a large number of subject persons can clearly see the progress of the delay time and can have more margin. On the contrary, when the subject person is one person, if the non-delay mode is set, photographing is performed immediately after the winking operation of the person, so that photographing can be performed with good timing.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic still camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The electronic still camera according to this embodiment is different from the electronic still camera according to the first embodiment in that the wink determination unit 126 not only determines the wink operation, but also wink types, that is, right eye wink and left eye wink. In addition, the three operations of the binocular wink can be identified. Therefore, this difference will be described in detail.

  In the second embodiment, the eye open / close detection unit 124 outputs an open signal indicating an open state and a close signal indicating a closed state for each of the right eye and the left eye of the subject. That is, the eye opening / closing detection unit 124 outputs four signals of right eye opening, right eye closing, left eye opening, and left eye closing. The wink determination unit 126 determines whether the eye to be determined is the right eye or the left eye based on an output signal from the eye open / close detection unit 124. Therefore, the wink determination unit 126 determines not only the presence / absence of a wink but also a right eye wink, a left eye wink, and a binocular wink. Such identification of the right eye or the left eye may be determined from, for example, the position or bias with respect to the contour of the face, or may be determined from the relative distance from the feature points of the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips. As described above, the wink determination unit 126 can perform wink determination for the right eye, the left eye, and both eyes.

  When the electronic still camera configured as described above detects a winking operation of a subject, the electronic still camera shifts to a shooting mode set in advance as a standard mode according to the type of the wink, and automatically in that mode. It is intended to shoot. The standard mode is set at the time of shipment of the camera. Specifically, the delay mode + single shooting mode is set when the right eye wink is detected, the non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode is set when the left eye wink is detected, and the smile mode + single shooting mode is set when the binocular wink is detected.

  FIG. 5 is a first example of a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic still camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention in the wink activation shooting mode. FIG. 6 is a second example of a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic still camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention in the wink activation shooting mode. FIG. 7 is a third example of a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic still camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention in the wink activation shooting mode.

With reference to FIG. 5, the case where the delay mode + single shooting mode is set to be executed when the right eye wink is detected will be described.
In step S31, the user selects a wink activation shooting mode. In step S32, the face detection unit 23 detects the face of the subject. In step S33, attention is paid to the detected face eye, and the eye opening / closing detection unit 124 detects that the right eye is closed and the left eye is opened. In step S34, the wink determination unit 126 determines that the time t during which the right eye is closed is equal to or greater than a predetermined time t0. In step S35, it is detected that the right eye is opened again. In step S <b> 36, a signal (right eye wink output) instructing an operation to be performed by the right eye wink, that is, an operation in the delay mode + single shooting mode, is output from the wink determination unit 126 to the control unit 20.

  In step S37, in response to the signal input from the control unit 20, the timer unit 22 starts measuring time, and the indicator 28 is activated to display that the delay time is being measured. When the timed time T becomes equal to the predetermined delay time T0 (T = T0), an output for instructing the automatic photographing unit 21 to perform photographing is generated from the timekeeping unit 22. In step S38, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs single-shot photographing of the subject.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a case will be described in which the non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode is set when the left eye wink is detected. In this case, the number of continuous shot frames may be arbitrarily set by the user. Further, the time difference between frames may be arbitrarily set.

  Steps S41 and S42 are the same as steps S31 and S32 in FIG. In step S43 of FIG. 6, attention is paid to the eyes of the detected face, and the eye opening / closing detection unit 124 detects that the left eye is closed. In step S44, the wink determination unit 126 determines that the time t during which the left eye is closed is equal to or greater than a predetermined time t0. In step S45, it is detected that the left eye is open again. In step S46, a signal (left eye wink output) instructing an operation to be performed by the left eye wink, that is, an operation in the non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode, is output from the wink determination unit 126 to the control unit 20.

  In step S47, in response to a signal input from the control unit 20, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs photographing of the subject (continuous shooting), and images with a predetermined number of continuous shooting frames are continuously shot.

  As described above, when automatic shooting is performed immediately after the wink output is generated, that is, without the elapse of the delay time, it is important to generate the left eye wink output after the detection of the left eye opening in step S45 described above. is there. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation where the subject person takes a picture with his eyes closed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a case will be described in which a smile mode + single shooting mode is set to be executed when a binocular wink is detected.
Steps S51 and S52 are the same as steps S31 and S32 in FIG. In step S53 of FIG. 7, attention is paid to the detected eyes of the face, and the eye opening / closing detection unit 124 detects that both eyes are closed simultaneously. In step S54, the wink determination unit 126 determines that the time t during which both eyes are closed is equal to or greater than a predetermined time t0. In step S55, it is detected that both eyes are open again. By executing Step S55, it can be confirmed that the binocular wink is distinguished from the natural blink. In step S <b> 56, a signal (binocular wink output) instructing an operation to be performed with the binocular wink, that is, an operation in the smile mode + single shooting mode, is output from the wink determination unit 126 to the control unit 20.

  In step S57, the indicator 28 is activated to display that the shooting is in the smile mode. The indicator 28 changes the LED display color or the LED blinking period in order to distinguish the smile mode setting from the operation of the self-timer function or the time measurement of the delay time by the time measuring unit 22. In step S58, the smile detection unit 25 determines that the facial expression of the subject is a smile. Based on the smile determination, an output for instructing the automatic photographing unit 21 to shoot is generated from the control unit 20. In step S59, the automatic photographing unit 21 performs single-shot photographing of the subject.

As described above, since the electronic still camera according to the second embodiment can use the shooting mode set in the camera in advance as the standard mode according to the type of wink, the photographer sets the mode again. No need to focus on shooting.
In addition, since the three shooting modes can be used properly, the shooting range is widened and the user's satisfaction is increased.

Although the electronic still camera according to the second embodiment has been described as identifying three types of wink operations and using three shooting modes, only two types of wink operations, for example, a right eye wink and a left eye wink are used. Alternatively, the one-eye wink and the binocular wink may be identified.
In addition, the setting of the standard mode is not limited to when the camera is shipped, but may be performed by the user before shooting. In the above embodiment, the delay mode + single shooting mode is executed when the right eye wink is detected, the non-delay mode + continuous shooting mode is executed when the left eye wink is detected, and the smile mode + is detected when the binocular wink is detected. Although the camera is set to execute the single shooting mode, it can be set to execute a mode desired by the user by right eye wink detection, left eye wink detection, and binocular wink detection. For this purpose, the delay / non-delay mode setting unit 41, the single / continuous shooting mode setting unit 42, and the smile mode setting unit 43 indicated by dotted lines in FIG. The shooting mode, continuous shooting mode, and smile mode can be arbitrarily selected.

In the electronic still camera of the present invention, the following modifications can be considered.
In the electronic still cameras according to the first and second embodiments, it is possible to detect any person's winking operation, but it is also possible to detect only the winking operation of a specific person, for example, a person who has registered a face. Good. In this case, a face recognition unit is provided in the camera to determine whether or not the face of the person in the through image is the face of a registered person in the face recognition data. Specifically, the face recognition unit calculates the position of the detected feature point of the face, the size of each face part, the relative distance of each feature point, and the like. Next, the face recognition unit compares the calculation result with the face recognition data to determine the similarity between the face of the person in the through image and the face of the registered person. Then, the face recognition unit determines that the person in the through image matches a predetermined registered person when the similarity exceeds a threshold value. The winking operation of the registered person enables easy and reliable detection because the characteristics of the face and eyes are known.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above as long as the characteristics are not impaired.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic still camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the 1st example of the flowchart showing the operation | movement at the time of the wink start photography mode of the electronic still camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a 2nd example of the flowchart showing the operation | movement at the time of wink start photography mode of the electronic still camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic still camera which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a 1st example of the flowchart showing the operation | movement at the time of wink starting imaging | photography mode of the electronic still camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a 2nd example of the flowchart showing the operation | movement at the time of the wink starting imaging | photography mode of the electronic still camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a 3rd example of the flowchart showing the operation | movement at the time of wink start photography mode of the electronic still camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

20: Control unit 21: Automatic photographing unit 22: Time counting unit 23: Face detection unit 24, 124: Eye open / close detection unit 25: Smile detection unit 26, 126: Wink determination unit 27: Self-timer 28: Indicator 31: Face data storage Unit 32: Eye open / close data storage unit 33: Smile data storage unit 40: Wink activation shooting setting unit 41: Delay / non-delay mode setting unit 42: Single / continuous shooting mode setting unit 43: Smile mode setting unit

Claims (4)

Open / close detection means for detecting the open / closed state of the subject's eye;
A wink determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a wink operation of the eye based on the open / closed state detected by the open / close detection unit, and generates a wink output when the wink operation is determined;
Automatic photographing means for automatically photographing the subject in accordance with the wink output of the wink determination means,
The wink determination unit has a function of identifying and determining at least two of three wink operations of the right eye wink, the left eye wink, and the binocular wink of the subject based on the output of the open / close detection unit. Yes, and
The automatic photographing unit performs automatic photographing after a predetermined time delay from the occurrence of the wink output when the wink determination unit determines that one of the two wink operations is performed, and the wink determination unit performs the two wink operations. An electronic still camera, wherein automatic shooting is performed without delay of the predetermined time when it is determined that the other is the other . Open / close detection means for detecting the open / closed state of the subject's eye;
A wink determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a wink operation of the eye based on the open / closed state detected by the open / close detection unit, and generates a wink output when the wink operation is determined;
Automatic photographing means for automatically photographing the subject in accordance with the wink output of the wink determination means,
The wink determination unit has a function of identifying and determining at least two of three wink operations of the right eye wink, the left eye wink, and the binocular wink of the subject based on the output of the open / close detection unit. Yes, and
The automatic photographing means performs automatic photographing in the single shooting mode when the wink determination means determines that one of the two wink operations is performed, and determines that the wink determination means is the other of the two wink operations. An electronic still camera characterized by automatic shooting sometimes in continuous shooting mode . The electronic still camera according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The wink determining means determines that the one-eye wink operation is performed when the open / close detecting means detects that one eye of the subject is open and at the same time the other eye is closed. An electronic still camera. The electronic still camera according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Smile detection means for detecting a smile from the facial expression of the subject;
Smile mode setting means for operating the automatic photographing means based on the output of the smile detection means,
An electronic still camera, wherein the automatic photographing unit performs automatic photographing when the smile detecting unit detects a smile after the wink determining unit determines that it is a wink operation.

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