JP6884809B2 - Imaging device and its control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and a control method thereof, and particularly to a lighting control method of a member that can be lit.

Conventionally, a camera provided with a light emitting display unit and an operating member has been proposed for warning display and improvement of operability in a dark place. In Patent Document 1, regarding the display unit indicating a warning, the LED light of the display unit is difficult to enter into the viewing angle of the photographer when the photographer is looking into the finder, and the LED light of the display unit is displayed when the line of sight is moved from the finder. It is disclosed that the LED is arranged so as to be within the viewing angle of the photographer. According to this, glare due to the LED light of the display unit can be reduced at the time of shooting, and the warning display can be easily visually recognized except at the time of shooting. According to Patent Document 2, in a mobile phone that lights a liquid crystal panel and an operation key, if there is no operation for a certain period of time while receiving information from the outside, the operation key is pressed while the liquid crystal panel is kept lit. It is disclosed that the light is turned off.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-65003 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-262533

However, in Patent Document 1, since it is essential to arrange the LED light indicating a warning when the photographer is looking into the viewfinder at a position where it is difficult to enter the viewing angle, there is a restriction on the arrangement position of the display unit on the image pickup apparatus. It will occur. In Patent Document 2, since the operation keys continue to light up if a certain period of time has not passed, the user may feel dazzling.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the limitation of the arrangement position on the image pickup apparatus for the member that can be lit, and to reduce the hindrance to the user at the time of shooting.

Operation members that can be turned on and
The first display means that can be lit and
Operation buttons related to shooting that can operate the first stage and the second stage deeper than the first stage,
When the operating member and the first display means are lit, the operating member is turned off without turning off the first display means in response to the operation in the first step. It is characterized by having a control means for controlling the operation.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the limitation of the arrangement position on the image pickup apparatus and reduce the hindrance to the user at the time of shooting for the member that can be lit.

It is an external view of the digital camera which is an embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital camera which is an embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the lighting control processing of the operation member which can be lit in embodiment of this invention. It is a list which shows the example of the operation state transition of the operation member which can be lit according to the operation of the user, and the display part outside the finder in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B show external views of a digital camera 100 as an example of a device to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100. In FIG. 1, the display unit 28 is a display unit provided on the back surface of the camera for displaying images and various information. The outside viewfinder display unit 43 is a display unit provided outside the viewfinder of the camera, and various setting values of the camera such as the shutter speed and the aperture are displayed. Of the viewfinder outside display units 43, the viewfinder outside display unit 43a is provided on the upper surface of the camera, and the viewfinder outside display unit 43b is provided on the lower part of the camera display unit 28. The shutter button 61 is an operation unit for giving a shooting instruction. The terminal cover 40 is a cover that protects a connector (not shown) such as a connection cable for connecting a connection cable to an external device and the digital camera 100. The main electronic dial 71 is a rotation operation member included in the operation unit 70, and by turning the main electronic dial 71, it is possible to change set values such as a shutter speed and an aperture. The power switch 72 is an operating member that switches the power of the digital camera 100 on and off. The sub electronic dial 73 is a rotation operation member included in the operation unit 70, and can move the selection frame, feed an image, and the like. The cross key 74 is included in the operation unit 70, and is a cross key (four-way key) capable of pressing up, down, left, and right portions, respectively, and can be operated according to the pressed portion of the cross key 74. The SET button 75 is included in the operation unit 70, is a push button, and is mainly used for determining a selection item or the like.

The live view button (LV button) 76 is included in the operation unit 70, and is a button for switching ON / OFF of the live view (LV) in the still image shooting mode. In the moving image shooting mode, it is used to instruct the start and stop of movie shooting (recording). The AF frame selection button 77 is included in the operation unit 70, and is a button that can arbitrarily select an AF frame or a zone. The AE lock button 78 is included in the operation unit 70, and is a button capable of fixing the exposure when the user wants to determine the focus and the exposure separately. The menu button 79a is included in the operation unit 70, and can confirm / change the setting contents of the digital camera 100. The info button 79b is included in the operation unit 70, and the information display content to be displayed can be switched each time the button is pressed. The playback button 79c is included in the operation unit 70 and is an operation button for switching between the shooting mode and the playback mode. By pressing the playback button 79c during the shooting mode, the playback mode can be entered, and the latest image among the images recorded on the recording medium 200 can be played back and displayed on the display unit 28. The enlargement / reduction button 79d is included in the operation unit 70, and is an operation button for turning on / off the enlargement mode and changing the enlargement ratio during the enlargement mode in the live view display of the shooting mode. In the playback mode, it functions as an enlargement button for enlarging the reproduced and displayed image and increasing the enlargement ratio. The reduction is a button for reducing the enlargement ratio of the enlarged reproduced image and reducing the displayed image. The erase button 79e is included in the operation unit 70, and can erase the image being reproduced in the reproduction mode. The protect button 79f is included in the operation unit 70 and can protect important images from being accidentally erased. The image to which the protection information is added by pressing the protect button 79f is not erased even if the erase button 79e is pressed. The quick setting button (Q button) 79g is included in the operation unit 70, and when the setting value related to shooting is displayed on the display unit 28, if the Q button 79g is pressed, it is displayed without transitioning to the setting menu screen. You can change the set value. The operation buttons 79a to 79g are operation members that can be lit by the operation unit lighting unit 300, which will be described later. The operation buttons 79a to 79g are collectively referred to as the operation buttons 79. The operation button 79 is not a display, and there is no display function capable of changing the display form.

The illumination button 58 is included in the operation unit 70, and each time the operation unit 70 is pressed, the operation unit illumination unit 300 and the finder outside display unit illumination unit 59 can be turned on / off. As a result, the corresponding operation buttons 79 and the display unit 43 outside the finder are turned on / off. The quick return mirror 12 is instructed by the system control unit 50 and is moved up and down by an actuator (not shown). The communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens side (detachable). The finder eyepiece 16 is a peep-type finder for confirming the focus and composition of the optical image of the subject obtained through the lens unit 150 by observing the focusing screen 13. The eyepiece detection sensor 57 is arranged in the vicinity of the finder eyepiece portion 16 and can determine whether or not the user is looking into the finder. The lid 202 is a lid of a slot that stores the recording medium 200. The grip portion 90 is a holding portion having a shape that makes it easy for the user to hold the digital camera 100 with his / her right hand.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the lens unit 150 is a lens unit equipped with an interchangeable photographing lens. The lens 103 is usually composed of a plurality of lenses, but here, only one lens is shown for brevity. The communication terminal 6 is a communication terminal for the lens unit 150 to communicate with the digital camera 100 side, and the communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 side. The lens unit 150 communicates with the system control unit 50 via the communication terminals 6 and 10, controls the aperture 1 via the aperture drive circuit 2 by the internal lens system control circuit 4, and controls the aperture 1 via the AF drive circuit 3. Then, the lens 103 is focused by shifting the position of the lens 103.

The AE sensor 17 measures the brightness of the subject through the lens unit 150. The photometric information from the AE sensor 17 is sent to the system control unit 50, and the system control unit 50 determines the automatic exposure value (aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity), which is a parameter related to exposure, and controls according to the automatic exposure value. Do.

The focus detection unit 11 outputs defocus amount information to the system control unit 50. The system control unit 50 controls the lens unit 150 based on this, and performs phase difference AF.

The quick return mirror 12 (hereinafter referred to as the mirror 12) is instructed by the system control unit 50 at the time of exposure, live view shooting, and moving image shooting, and is moved up and down by an actuator (not shown). The mirror 12 is a mirror for switching the light flux incident from the lens 103 between the finder eyepiece 16 side and the image pickup unit 22 side. Normally, the mirror 12 is arranged so as to guide the light flux to the finder eyepiece portion 16, but when shooting is performed or in the case of live view display, the light flux is guided to the image pickup unit 22. It jumps upward and evacuates from the luminous flux (mirror lockup). Further, the mirror 12 is a half mirror so that a part of the light can be transmitted through the central portion thereof, and a part of the light flux is transmitted so as to be incident on the focus detection unit 11 for performing focus detection.

By observing the focusing screen 13 through the pentaprism 14 and the finder eyepiece 16, the photographer can confirm the focus and composition of the optical image of the subject obtained through the lens unit 150.

The shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control the exposure time of the imaging unit 22 under the control of the system control unit 50.

The image pickup unit 22 is an image pickup device composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. The A / D converter 23 converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The A / D converter 23 is used to convert an analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing unit 24 performs resizing processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. In addition, the image processing unit 24 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data. The system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation result obtained by the image processing unit 24. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are performed. Further, the image processing unit 24 performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data, and performs a TTL method AWB (auto white balance) process based on the obtained calculation result.

The output data from the A / D converter 23 is written directly to the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or via the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23, and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, moving images for a predetermined time, and audio.

Further, the memory 32 also serves as a memory (video memory) for displaying an image. The D / A converter 19 converts the image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies it to the display unit 28. In this way, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed by the display unit 28 via the D / A converter 19. The display unit 28 displays on a display such as an LCD according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 19. The digital signal once A / D converted by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is analog-converted by the D / A converter 19 and sequentially transferred to the display unit 28 for display as an electronic viewfinder. It functions and can display through images (live view display). Hereinafter, the image displayed in the live view will be referred to as an LV image.

The display unit 41 in the viewfinder displays a frame (AF frame) indicating the AF point at which autofocus is currently being performed, an icon indicating the setting state of the camera, and the like via the display unit drive circuit 42 in the viewfinder. To.

The outside viewfinder display unit 43 displays various settings of the camera, such as the shutter speed and the aperture, via the outside viewfinder display unit drive circuit 44.

The finder external display unit lighting unit 59 (hereinafter, illuminating unit 59) is a lighting member such as an LED that makes the finder external display unit 43 visible even in a dark place. The lighting unit 59 can illuminate the display unit 43 outside the finder at a required timing and a required time based on the instruction of the system control unit 50.

The non-volatile memory 56 is a memory that can be electrically erased and recorded, and for example, EEPROM or the like is used. The non-volatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, and the like for the operation of the system control unit 50. The program referred to here is a program for executing various flowcharts described later in the present embodiment.

The eyepiece detection sensor 57 detects the approach (eyepiece) and separation (eyepiece) of the eye (object) with respect to the finder eyepiece 16. The system control unit 50 switches the display (display state) / non-display (non-display state) of the display unit 41 in the finder according to the state detected by the eyepiece detection sensor 57. As the eyepiece detection sensor 57, for example, an infrared proximity sensor is used, and the infrared proximity sensor can detect the approach of some object to the finder eyepiece portion 16.

The system control unit 50 is a control unit including at least one processor or circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100. By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above, each process of the present embodiment described later is realized. For example, a RAM is used in the system memory 52, and constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, a program read from the non-volatile memory 56, and the like are developed. The system control unit 50 also controls the display by controlling the memory 32, the D / A converter 19, the display unit 28, and the like.

The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock.

The mode changeover switch 60, the first shutter switch 62, the second shutter switch 64, and the operation unit 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 50. The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. The modes included in the still image shooting mode include an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, an aperture priority mode (Av mode), a shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode), and a program AE mode. In addition, there are various scene modes, custom modes, etc. that are shooting settings for each shooting scene. From the mode changeover switch 60, the user can directly switch to any of these modes. Alternatively, after switching to the shooting mode list screen once with the mode changeover switch 60, one of the displayed plurality of modes may be selected and switched using another operating member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

The first shutter switch 62 is turned on by pressing the shutter button 61 provided on the digital camera 100 up to the first stage, so-called half-pressing (shooting preparation instruction), and generates the first shutter switch signal SW1. The first shutter switch signal SW1 starts operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing.

The second shutter switch 64 is turned on when the shutter button 61 is pressed to a second stage deeper than the first stage (half-pressed), that is, when the shutter button 61 is fully pressed (shooting instruction), and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. .. The system control unit 50 starts a series of shooting processes from reading the signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing the image file to the recording medium 200 by the second shutter switch signal SW2.

Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is assigned a function as appropriate for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and acts as various function buttons. The function buttons include, for example, an end button, a back button, an image feed button, a jump button, a narrowing down button, an attribute change button, and the like. For example, when the menu button 79a is pressed, various settable setting menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings by using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28 and the up / down / left / right four-direction buttons and the SET button.

The operation unit 70 is various operation members as an input unit that receives an operation from the user. The operation unit 70 includes a push button, a rotary dial, a touch sensor, and the like, and includes at least the following operation units. Shutter button 61, AF-ON button 69, main electronic dial 71, power switch 72, sub electronic dial 73, cross key 74, SET button 75, LV button 76, AF frame selection button 77, AE lock button 78. Operation buttons 79 (menu button 79a, info button 79b, play button 79c, enlargement / reduction button 79d, erase button 79e, protect button 79f, Q button 79g).

The operation unit lighting unit 300 is a member lighting means such as an LED that makes the operation button 79 visible even in a dark place. A member that transmits light is used for the operation button 79, an operation unit lighting unit 300 is arranged behind the operation button 79, and the operation button 79 is illuminated by irradiating light from the back of the operation button 79. Information indicating the function of each button is printed on the operation button 79, and when the operation unit lighting unit 300 emits light, the user can visually recognize the information indicating the function of each button. The operation unit lighting unit 300 can illuminate the operation button 79 at a necessary timing and for a necessary period based on the instruction of the system control unit 50. As a result, for example, in a dark place, even if the user does not remember the arrangement of the operation buttons 79, the operation buttons 79 are lit by the light emission of the operation unit lighting unit 300, so that the user can visually recognize each function and arrangement of the operation buttons 79. can do.

The display lighting unit 82 is a lighting member that illuminates the display unit 28. The display unit 28 is turned on when the backlight of the display illumination unit 82 emits light. However, the display unit 28 may not be lit by the backlight, but may be lit by the display itself, which is the display unit 28, emitting light.

When the recording operation of image data is being executed on the recording medium, the notification unit 81 lights / blinks to display a warning to that effect. If the card or battery is taken out while the notification unit 81 is lit / blinking, the image data, the recording medium, or the camera may be damaged, so a warning is displayed.

The power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power supply control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period. The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

The recording medium I / F18 is an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The communication unit 54 is connected by a wireless or wired cable to transmit and receive video signals and audio signals. The communication unit 54 can also be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and the Internet. The communication unit 54 can also communicate with an external device using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy. The communication unit 54 can transmit an image (including an LV image) captured by the image pickup unit 22 and an image recorded on the recording medium 200, and can receive an image and various other information from an external device. ..

The posture detection unit 55 detects the posture of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Based on the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55, whether the image taken by the image pickup unit 22 is an image taken by holding the digital camera 100 horizontally or an image taken by holding the digital camera 100 vertically. Can be determined. The system control unit 50 can add orientation information according to the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the image pickup unit 22, or rotate and record the image. is there. As the posture detection unit 55, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used. It is also possible to detect the movement (pan, tilt, lift, whether or not it is stationary, etc.) of the digital camera 100 by using the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor, which is the posture detection unit 55.

In this embodiment, the lighting control process of the operation button 79 in the digital camera 100 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for controlling the lighting of the operation button 79 so as not to interfere with the shooting when the user takes a picture. This control process is realized by the system control unit 50 expanding the program stored in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program. The flowchart of FIG. 3 is started when the digital camera 100 is activated in the shooting mode and is in the shooting standby state.

In S301, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not at least one of the pressing operations of the menu button 79a / play button 79c / LV button 76 / Q button 79g / info button 79b has been performed. If there is a press, the process proceeds to S302, and if not, the process proceeds to S303.

In S302, the system control unit 50 issues a light emission instruction to the operation unit lighting unit 300, lights the operation button 79, and displays a screen corresponding to the button pressed in S301 on the display unit 28. When the menu button 79a is pressed, the setting menu screen is displayed on the display unit 28. The setting menu screen allows you to check and change the setting items of the digital camera 100. When the play button 79c is pressed, the image stored in the recording medium 200 is displayed on the display unit 28 so that the user can check the image. When the LV button 76 is pressed, the LV image is displayed on the display unit 28, and the user can take a picture while checking the displayed LV image. When the Q button 79g is pressed, a plurality of setting items related to shooting displayed on the display unit 28 are displayed in a selectable state. As a result, the set value can be easily changed without transitioning to the setting menu screen. When the info button 79b is pressed, shooting information related to the image is displayed on the display unit 28. Specifically, the display of the image without the shooting information, the simple shooting information and the display of the image, and the detailed shooting information and the display of the image are displayed in order according to the pressing of the info button 79b. As simple shooting information, for example, a set value related to exposure and a recorded image quality are displayed. As detailed shooting information, for example, in addition to simple shooting information, a histogram showing the brightness distribution of the image, a white balance correction amount, and a grid line are displayed. When transitioning to the screen corresponding to the button pressed in S301, it can be assumed that the user is operating while looking at the operation button 79 without touching the finder eyepiece unit 16. Therefore, by lighting the operation button 79 and the display unit 43 outside the finder, the visibility of the operation button 79 is improved in both dark and bright places.

In S303, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the illumination button 58 has been pressed. If there is a press, the process proceeds to S304, and if not, the process proceeds to S307. In response to the pressing of the lighting button 58, the system control unit 50 switches the operation button 79 on / off by switching the lighting / extinguishing of the operation unit lighting unit 300. When the lighting button 58 is pressed in S303, the pressing button is stored in the system memory 52.

In S304, the system control unit 50 refers to the system memory 52 and determines whether or not the operation button 79 is lit before the illumination button 58 is pressed in S303. If the operation button 79 is lit, the process proceeds to S305, and if not, the process proceeds to S306.

In S305, the system control unit 50 turns off the operation button 79 and the display unit outside the finder 43 by turning off the operation unit lighting unit 300 and the lighting unit 59, and proceeds to S307. For example, when the user moves from the state where the operation button 79 is lit for the purpose of confirming the position of the operation button 79 when shooting in a dark place to a bright place, the operation button 79 is lit. Since it can be visually recognized, it is not necessary to keep the operation button 79 lit. Therefore, if the lighting button is pressed while the operation button 79 is lit, the operation button 79 is turned off. The display unit 43 outside the viewfinder is also turned off for the same reason. Further, when it is inconvenient for the user to light the operation button 79 and the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder, such as when shooting an animal at night, the operation button 79 can be set not to be always lit on the setting menu screen.

In S306, the system control unit 50 lights the operation button 79 and the display unit outside the finder 43 by causing the operation unit illumination unit 300 and the illumination unit 59 to emit light, and proceeds to S307. Information indicating a function is printed on the operation button 79, and when the operation unit lighting unit 300 emits light, the operation button 79 lights up so that the information indicating the printed function can be visually recognized. For example, when the user shoots in a bright place, the information printed on the operation buttons can be sufficiently visually recognized. When shooting in a dark place, it is difficult to visually recognize what function is assigned to which button unless the arrangement of the plurality of operation buttons 79 is remembered. When the operation button 79 is lit during shooting in a dark place, the user can visually recognize each function of the operation button 79, and it is considered that the operability is improved. Therefore, if the lighting button is pressed while the operation button 79 is off, the operation button 79 is turned on. The display unit 43 outside the finder is also lit for the same reason.

In S307, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is an eyepiece on the finder eyepiece unit 16. If there is an eyepiece, the process proceeds to S311. If not, the process proceeds to S310. If you have eyepieces, it's likely that the user is trying to shoot. It is conceivable that you are preparing for shooting, such as deciding the composition, without shooting. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the operation button 79 is arranged on the left side of the finder, the operation button 79 is located at the position of the left eye for a user who looks into the finder with the right eye. If the operation button 79 near the eye is lit at the time of eyepiece, the user may feel dazzling and hinder shooting. In addition, the condition of one eye may affect the pupils of both eyes, which may affect the eyes looking through the viewfinder when shooting in a dark place. Therefore, when the eyepiece of the finder eyepiece 16 is detected, the operation button 79 is turned off. Note that S307 is a step that functions only when there is a mechanism for detecting the user's eyepiece such as an eyepiece detection sensor, and if there is no eyepiece detection mechanism, control from S305 or S306 to S308 may be performed. Good.

In S308, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a metering start operation. If there is a metering start operation, the process proceeds to S309, and if not, the process returns to S307. The metering start operation includes pressing the shutter button 61 halfway and pressing the AF-ON button 69. Even if the eyepiece cannot be detected, it is highly possible that the user is trying to take a picture by pressing the shutter button 61 halfway. AF is executed by pressing the AF-ON button 69. Photometry using the AE sensor 17 is started by AF execution, and automatic exposure value determination processing is performed. In the present embodiment, the AF-ON button 69 arranged in the image pickup apparatus is pressed to start the metering, but even if the metering function is assigned to a button that can be arbitrarily assigned by the user and pressed. Good.

In S309, the system control unit 50 starts photometry of the brightness of the subject using the AE sensor 17, and proceeds to S310.

In S310, the system control unit 50 turns off the operation button 79 and proceeds to S311. If there is a metering start operation, there is a high possibility that the user is trying to take a picture, and if the operation button 79 is lit at that time, the user who is looking into the finder eyepiece 16 operates near the left eye. Button 79 lights up. Therefore, it can be assumed that the user feels dazzling. Further, when shooting in a dark place, the lit operation button 79 near the left eye may affect the pupil of the right eye looking into the viewfinder eyepiece 16. If the operation button 79 is turned off in response to the measurement start operation, it is possible to reduce the annoyance felt by the user during these shootings.

In S311 the system control unit 50 continues the lit state when the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder is lit, continues the lit state when it is turned off, transitions to the shooting standby state, and proceeds to S312. .. As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation button 79 and the lighting / extinguishing of the display unit 43 outside the finder are not always linked.

In S312, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shutter button 61 is fully pressed and the second shutter switch 64 is turned on. If the second shutter switch 64 is turned on, the process proceeds to S313, and if not, the process returns to S301.

In S313, the system control unit 50 executes a shooting process.

In S314, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shooting standby state has ended. The end of the shooting standby state is a transition to the playback mode by pressing the playback button 79c of the user, or a power off of the digital camera 100 by switching the power switch 72 to the power off. If it ends, this control flow ends, and if not, the process returns to S301.

FIG. 4 is an example of operation state transitions of the out-of-finder display unit 43 and the operation buttons 79 in response to various operations under the control of the system control unit 50. This is an example of a state transition when a button is pressed while the digital camera 100 is in a shooting standby state. As described in S311, the display unit 43 outside the finder and the operation button 79 are not necessarily linked. As a basic operation, when the illumination button 58 is pressed in the shooting standby state, both the outside viewfinder display unit 43 and the operation button 79 are lit as described in S306.

When the menu button 79a or the play button 79c is pressed for the pattern 2 and the pattern 3 to shift to the setting menu screen or the play mode, the display unit 43 outside the finder continues to be turned off as described in S302, but the operation button 79 Lights up. When the menu button 79a or the play button 79c is pressed in the shooting standby state, it is considered that the user is looking at the display unit 28, so that the operation button 79 is lit so as to improve the visibility. On the other hand, regarding the shooting information displayed by the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder, the shooting information can also be confirmed by the display unit 28, so that the user does not have to worry even if the lighting is not turned on. After that, when the menu button 79a and the playback button 79c are pressed again and the setting menu screen or the playback mode transitions to the shooting standby state, the viewfinder outside display unit 43 continues to be turned off, and the operation button 79 is turned off. Due to the transition to the shooting standby state, it is considered that the user is about to shoot, and the operation button 79 is turned off.

In pattern 4, when the user presses the lighting button 58 in the shooting standby state, both the operation button 79 and the viewfinder external display unit 43 are turned on. After that, when the menu button 79a or the play button 79c is pressed, a screen corresponding to the function of the button is displayed on the display unit 28. At this time, the operation button 79 continues to be lit, but the display unit 43 outside the finder is turned off. When the user is in a dark place, he / she wants to visually recognize the operation button 79 and the display unit 43 outside the finder and turns them on. After that, when the display unit 28 lights up by pressing the menu button 79a or the play button 79c, the shooting information displayed on the viewfinder outside display unit 43 can be confirmed on the display unit 28, so that the lighting state of the viewfinder outside display unit 43 continues. It is not always necessary. Therefore, in such a case, the display unit 43 outside the finder is turned off. However, if the operation button 79 is still lit, the user can visually recognize the operation button 79, so that the operation button 79 continues to be lit.

In the pattern 5, as in the pattern 2, when the menu button 79a or the play button 79c is pressed, only the operation button 79 lights up. After that, when the lighting button 58 is pressed, the display unit 43 outside the finder does not light and remains in the off state, and the operation button 79 continues in the lighting state. This is because it is considered that the user is looking at the display unit 28 by the menu button 79a or the play button 79c, so that the operability does not deteriorate even if the illumination button 58 is pressed and the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder is not turned on. This is because it is considered. After that, when the menu button 79a or the play button 79c is pressed again, the state transitions to the shooting standby state, so that both the outside viewfinder display unit 43 and the operation button 79 are turned off.

In pattern 7, when the lighting button 58 is pressed in the shooting standby state, both the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder and the operation button 79 light up. After that, when the first shutter switch 64 is turned on, the display unit 43 outside the viewfinder continues to be lit and the operation button 79 is turned off, as described in S310 and S311. This is because it is considered that the user is trying to take a picture by turning on the first shutter switch 64. As described above, if the operation button 79 is lit during shooting, the user feels dazzling, and there is a high possibility that the shooting will be hindered. On the other hand, even if the viewfinder outside display unit 43 is lit, the user is unlikely to feel dazzling because the viewfinder outside display unit 43a is located on the upper surface of the digital camera 100. Similarly, since the display unit 43b outside the finder is located at a position far from the finder eyepiece 16 to some extent, it is unlikely that the user will feel dazzling.

As described above, when the operation button 79 is lit by the user operation from the shooting standby state in the digital camera 100, the operation button 79 is turned off in response to the start of metering. As a result, the user can visually recognize the function and position of the operation button 79 in a dark place even if the function and position of the operation button 79 are not memorized. When shooting, the user can shoot without feeling dazzling regardless of the position of the operation button 79.

In the present embodiment, the operation buttons 79 having a plurality of operation buttons 79 are collectively turned on / off, but the buttons having a plurality of buttons may be individually controlled. If the first operation button related to exposure during shooting (for example, AE lock, aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity adjustment button) is lit, the first operation button will continue to be lit even if metering is started. To do. On the other hand, the second operation button to which the function unrelated to the exposure is assigned may be turned off. Further, when the user touches the finder eyepiece 16 with the right eye, there is a high possibility that the operation button 79 arranged on the left side of the finder eyepiece 16 is lit, which makes the user feel dazzling. Therefore, the third operation button (for example, the menu button 79a and the info button 79b) arranged on the left side of the finder eyepiece 16 is turned off, and the fourth operation button (for example, the operation buttons 79c to 79g) is turned on. You may continue.

Further, regarding the notification unit 81, if the metering start operation is performed while the warning display is continuing by lighting / blinking, a temporary warning is given even if the state in which the warning display should be continuously performed continues. Turn off the display. Similar to the operation button 79 and the display unit outside the viewfinder 43, the notification unit 81 is likely to be dazzled when the warning display is lit / blinking when the user is trying to take a picture. Therefore, the notification unit 81 is handled in the same manner as the operation button 79 in FIG. If there is a metering start operation by pressing the shutter button 61 halfway or pressing the AF-ON button 69 while the warning is displayed by the notification unit 81, the warning display is temporarily turned off. May be good. Even when the warning unit 81 is lit / blinking to display a warning in this way, the warning display is turned off when there is a metering start operation, so that the notification unit 81 is arranged without worrying about the arrangement position of the notification unit 81 in the digital camera 100. be able to. Further, the lighting / extinguishing control described as the operation of the operation button 79 in FIG. 4 may be similarly applied and controlled as the operation of the notification unit 81.

The operation button 79 lit in S306 of this control flow is turned off when no operation is continued for a predetermined short time set in the digital camera 100, for example, about 6 seconds. When the power of the digital camera 100 including the auto power off function (a function of turning off the power of the digital camera 100 when no operation continues for a predetermined long time, for example, about 1 minute) is turned off and then turned on again. , The operation button 79 and the display unit 28 are activated in a state of being turned off.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned various controls described as those performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by one hardware, or a plurality of hardware (for example, a plurality of processors and circuits) share the processing to be a device. The whole control may be performed.

Further, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a camera has been described as an example, but this is not limited to this example and can be applied to any device having an imaging means. That is, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printer devices equipped with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game machines, electronic book readers, and the like.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program code. This is the process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium that stores the program constitute the present invention.

Claims (12)

Operation members that can be turned on and
The first display means that can be lit and
Operation buttons related to shooting that can operate the first stage and the second stage deeper than the first stage,
When the operating member and the first display means are lit, the operating member is turned off without turning off the first display means in response to the operation in the first step. An image pickup apparatus comprising: a control means for controlling so as to perform. The control means
An operating means for instructing switching between turning on and off the operating member,
An operating means for instructing the display of the setting menu screen related to the image pickup device,
Instruction means for instructing playback display of images,
An operating means for instructing the second display means to display the live view,
An operating means that gives instructions to display multiple setting items in a selectable state, and
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the operating member is controlled to light up in response to an operation on at least one of the operating means for instructing to switch the amount of information display related to shooting. The control means
The first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the operation member is controlled to be turned on in response to an operation of a pushable push button, which is different from the operation means for instructing the switching of the power of the image pickup apparatus to be on and off. Imaging device. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operating member is a push button that can be pushed. It has multiple operating members that can be turned on,
When the plurality of operating members are in the lit state, the control means is in a lit state of the first operating member among the plurality of operating members in response to the operation in the first step. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second operating member is controlled to be turned off while continuing the above. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the first operating member is an operating member that gives an instruction regarding exposure. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the operating member is arranged on a surface of the imaging device on the side where the finder eyepiece portion to which the user eyepieces is located. .. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the operating member is not a display means. The first display means according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the first display means is arranged on a surface of the image pickup apparatus different from the surface on the side where the finder eyepiece portion to be eyepieced by the user is located. The image pickup apparatus according to item 1. Operation members that can be turned on and
The first display means that can be lit and
It is a control method of an image pickup apparatus having an operation of a first stage and an operation button for photographing capable of an operation of a second stage deeper than the first stage.
When the operating member and the first display means are lit, the operating member is turned off without turning off the first display means in response to the operation in the first step. A control method for an imaging apparatus, which comprises a control step for controlling the image pickup device. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A computer-readable recording medium containing a program for causing the computer to function as each means of the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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