JP2003140247A - Focus mode switching system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a focus mode switching system which is easy to use by making it easy to set and switch the focus control mode of a lens interchangeable single-lens reflex camera. SOLUTION: Information of an AF/MF changeover SW 9 is sent to an in- camera CPU 15. When an interchangeable lens 8 is mounted, a camera body 1 moves to the same mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens 1. The camera main body 1 is set into a focus mode with a mode button 2, an F jog dial 4, and an R jog dial 3 while looking at a liquid crystal display part 7. When the lens AF/MF changeover SW 9 is set to AF, focus button depression locks the focus in SAF operation with camera-side SAF setting. With camera-side MF setting, focus button depression allows SAF in MF operation. When the lens AF/MF changeover SW 9 is set to MF, the camera side operates in MF mode in any setting and the focus button does not function.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a focus mode switching system in a camera system capable of communicating between a camera body and an interchangeable lens.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An interchangeable lens mounted on an AF single-lens reflex camera is equipped with a switching section for setting a mechanism and a circuit in the lens to a corresponding mode depending on an AF or MF mode. For example, when performing AF shooting, the switch on the camera body side is set to the AF mode, and the switching unit on the interchangeable lens side is also switched to the AF side. On the other hand, in the case of MF photographing, the switch on the camera body side is set to the MF mode, and the switching unit on the interchangeable lens side is set to MF so that the distance ring of the lens barrel can be manually rotated. By the way, during shooting in the AF mode, it is necessary to switch to the MF focus midway because it is difficult to measure the distance or it is difficult to focus due to the situation of the subject. In such a case, a camera has been proposed which allows manual focusing without special switching operation by operating the lens distance ring even during AF in consideration of operability of focusing (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-226661).
0, JP-A-2-253214, JP-A 2000-2064
01). The above-mentioned proposal is intended for quick switching and improvement in operability when shifting from AF to MF mode.

[0003]

However, in the conventional AF single-lens reflex camera, in consideration of switching between AF and MF modes and operability, signal exchange between the camera body and the interchangeable lens, setting and switching are performed. There is room for improvement in terms of operability and usability. So A
In the F single-lens reflex camera, when the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body, etc., a rational circuit configuration and usability are provided regarding the circuit and the operation relationship between the AF / MF selector switch setting position and the camera body side AF / MF mode. Realization of a good switching system is required. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly focus mode switching system that facilitates setting and switching of focus control modes of a lens-interchangeable single-lens reflex camera.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a focus mode switching method according to the present invention is a camera system in which communication between a camera body and an interchangeable lens is possible. A first setting unit for setting a focus control mode, and the interchangeable lens includes a second setting unit for setting a focus control mode of the interchangeable lens,
The focus control mode information of the interchangeable lens set by the second setting means can be transmitted to the camera body by communication, and the focus control modes that can be set by the camera body and the interchangeable lens are the manual focus mode and the focus mode, respectively. In the auto focus mode, when the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body, the camera body shifts to the same focus control mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens set by the second setting means. It is configured.
The first setting means in the present invention includes two operation members, a pressing type and a rotating type, and a display member for displaying a focus control mode set in the camera body, and the second setting member is provided. The setting means is composed of an index in which a focus control mode that can be set is clearly indicated and a slide type or rotary type operation member. The AF mode of the camera body according to the present invention includes a single autofocus mode and a continuous autofocus mode. When the camera body according to the present invention shifts to the same focus control mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens and becomes the AF mode, the camera body shifts to either the focus control mode of SAF or CAF and the first setting. The means can be set to SAF or CAF. The camera body according to the present invention is
When the interchangeable lens is mounted on the camera body, the focus control mode information of the interchangeable lens set by the third setting means is provided by communication with the camera body. If the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is AF and the focus control mode of the camera body is SAF or CAF, the third operation member functions as a focus lock button, and the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is A.
If the focus control mode of the camera body in F is MF, the third operation member functions as an autofocus button, and the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is M.
If it is F, the camera body operates as an MF regardless of the focus control mode of the camera body set by the first setting means.
The present invention is configured so that the focus control mode of the camera body does not change when the interchangeable lens is removed from the state where the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a camera to which the focus mode switching method according to the present invention is applied. A liquid crystal display section 7 is provided on the right side of the upper surface of the camera body 1, and a release button 6 and a mode button 2 are arranged in front of it. A front (F) jog dial 4 is provided on the upper front portion of the camera body 1. A rear (R) jog dial 3 is installed at the boundary between the back surface and the top surface of the camera body 1, and a focus button 5 is arranged at the upper right end of the back surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an interchangeable lens of a camera to which the focus mode switching system according to the present invention is applied. An AF / MF switch 9 is provided on the interchangeable lens 8, and an index (AF, MF) 10 is printed on the side of the switch. This change-over switch slides in the optical axis direction to change over. Although the slide type AF / MF changeover switch 9 is shown in this embodiment, a rotary type changeover switch may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the camera mode has four modes including an exposure mode, a photometry mode, a focus mode and a drive mode, each of which can be set. The focus mode can be selected from SAF, CAF, and MF modes.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a focus mode switching circuit according to the present invention. When detecting that the mode button 2 has been pressed in the operation mode, the in-camera CPU 15 shifts to the setting mode and performs control according to the operation mode set therein. When the lens switch is detected by the lens switch (one of the contact points in the mount section, which is H level when the lens is not mounted and shorts to GND when the lens is mounted), the power is detected. The circuit 16 is controlled to start the power supply to the interchangeable lens 8. Further CC
The D sensor 19 is controlled to start the distance measurement. The result of distance measurement is displayed in the viewfinder display as in-focus, out-of-focus, or inability to measure.

When power is supplied to the interchangeable lens 8, the CPU 13 inside the lens wakes up and the AF /
The MF switching SW9 information, the set aperture information, the data of the E ² PROM in the lens, etc. are read. Camera CP
U15 starts communication with the lens CPU 13 and receives data from the AF / MF switching SW 9 from the lens CPU 13. Focus mode of camera body 1 and lens A
The camera operates as follows depending on the state of the F / MF switch SW.

(1) When the lens AF / MF switch SW is AF, (i) When the camera is SAF, it operates in SAF, and when the focus button 5 is pressed, the focus is locked. (ii) When the camera is in CAF, the camera operates in CAF, and when the focus button 5 is pressed, the focus is locked. (iii) When the camera is in MF, it operates in MF, and when the focus button 5 is pressed, SAF is performed. Note that it is possible to change to CAF with a custom function.

(2) When the lens AF / MF switching switch is in MF, (i) When the camera is in SAF, it operates in MF, and the focus button 5 does not function. (ii) When the camera is CAF, it operates in MF, and the focus button 5 does not work. (iii) When the camera is in MF, it operates in MF and the focus button 5 does not work.

Next, when the camera CPU 15 detects that the interchangeable lens 8 has been removed from the camera body 1, it sends a power stop signal to the power supply circuit 16 to stop the power supply to the lens. Further, the CCD sensor 19 prohibits distance measurement, and an indication that distance measurement is impossible is displayed on the display section in the finder. The focus mode of the camera body 1 is set immediately before the interchangeable lens 8 is removed. However, when the focus mode setting is performed, the focus mode set there is switched.

Here, in the SAF operation, when the camera CPU 15 detects that the release button 6 is half pressed, the camera body 1 starts the autofocus. That is, a lens drive command is transmitted from the camera CPU 15 to the lens CPU 13 based on the distance measurement result, and the lens CPU 13 drives the lens extension drive motor 12 according to the drive command. If the result of auto-focus is in-focus, the lens extension is stopped and the focus is locked, and the in-view display is displayed. When the shutter is fully pressed with the focus locked, the shutter is released. The shutter will not be released even if the result of the autofocus is that the distance cannot be measured, or if the release button is pressed fully during autofocus. When distance measurement (focusing) is impossible, a message indicating that distance measurement is impossible is displayed on the display section in the finder.

Next, in the CAF operation, when the release half-press is detected, the camera body 1 starts the autofocus operation. The shutter is immediately released when full release is detected regardless of the distance measurement result. The display in the viewfinder displays when focusing and when distance measurement is impossible. M
In the operation of F, the focusing ring can be adjusted by manually operating the range ring of the lens. When the distance is measured and the focus is achieved, the focus display is displayed on the display section in the finder.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a focus mode setting method for the camera body. The mode of the camera is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7. By blinking the corresponding character, it is possible to switch to that content. When the mode button 2 is pressed while the main SW is on, the mode is changed to the MODE setting and the display on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is changed to the mode setting display. It is a display transition from FIG. 5A to FIG. In the mode setting display, all parts except the mode display are extinguished (excluding the battery mark). In the setting mode, it is possible to set any one of four modes of exposure mode, photometric mode, focus mode, and drive mode. When the mode setting display is entered, the underline of the line of the exposure mode is first turned on, all the characters of the contents are turned on, and among them, the character corresponding to the currently set contents is displayed blinking. Either mode can be selected by turning the R jog dial 3. In this example, the focus mode is selected as the setting item (the underline matches the focus mode).

When the F jog dial 4 is turned, the mode contents of the underlined line can be changed. When the F jog dial 4 is turned to the right, the blinking display moves to the character on the right. When turned to the left, the blinking display moves to the character on the left. If the F jog dial 4 is further rotated in that direction while the character at the end is blinking, the blinking display moves to the character at the opposite end. 5 (c) to (d)
The display transition to indicates the state in which the state where the SAF is selected is transited to the state where the MF is selected.

Next, when the R jog dial 3 is turned, the line to be set changes as described above. The underline of the line that has been set so far is turned off, and the underline of the line that was moved is turned on. Further, for the characters in the line that has been set so far, only the characters that were blinking are turned on, and the other characters are turned off. All the characters in the moved line are turned on, and only the character corresponding to the currently set contents is blinked. The line to be set moves to the lower line when the R jog dial 3 is turned toward the front, and moves to the upper line when turned toward the opposite direction. The display transition from FIG. 5E to FIG. 5F shows a state in which the focus mode is switched to the photometric mode, all the characters in the photometric mode are on, and only spot metering is blinking.

When the mode button 2 is pressed, the camera stores the set mode information in the E ² EPROM 17, and then shifts from the setting mode to the normal photographing mode. Even when the camera is operated except for the R, F jog dials 3, 4 and the illumination SW, the setting contents are written in the E ² EPROM 17 and the camera returns to the normal state. When the main switch is turned off in the mode setting state, the setting contents immediately before the main off are written in the E ² EPROM 17 and then the power is turned off. When the main switch is turned on again, the camera returns to the normal state.

Next, the focus mode setting on the interchangeable lens side will be described. The focus mode of the interchangeable lens 8 is set by the slide AF / MF switch 9. A
When the F / MF changeover switch 9 is set to AF, the pinion gear of the drive motor 12 in the lens is connected to the lens distance ring, and the focus adjustment (AF) by the motor is possible, and the distance ring is manually operated. Adjustment (MF) becomes impossible. When the AF / MF selector switch 9 is set to MF, the pinion gear of the drive motor 12 in the lens is disconnected from the lens distance ring, so that MF is possible and AF is not possible.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the camera body is the first for setting the focus control mode.
And the interchangeable lens includes second setting means for setting the focus control mode.
The focus control mode information of the interchangeable lens set by the setting means can be transmitted to the camera body by communication, and the focus control modes that can be set by the camera body and the interchangeable lens are the MF mode and the AF mode, respectively. When the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body, the camera body shifts to the same focus control mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens set by the second setting means. Further, when the interchangeable lens is equipped on the camera body, including the third operation member, focus control mode information of the interchangeable lens set by the third setting means is sent to the camera body by communication, and the interchangeable lens is attached. If the focus control mode of is AF and the focus control mode of the camera body is SAF or CAF, the third operation member functions as a focus lock button,
If the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is AF and the focus control mode of the camera body is MF, the third operating member functions as an autofocus button, and if the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is MF, it is set by the first setting means. The camera body is configured to operate as an MF regardless of the focus control mode of the camera body. Therefore, it becomes easy to set the focus control mode and switch the focus control mode, and it is possible to realize a camera system having improved usability as compared with the conventional one.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a camera to which a focus mode switching system according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an interchangeable lens of a camera to which a focus mode switching system according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a camera mode.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a focus mode switching circuit according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of focus mode setting display on the liquid crystal display unit of the camera body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Camera 2 Mode Button 3 R Jog Dial 4 F Jog Dial 5 Focus Button 6 Release Button 7 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD Panel) 8 Interchangeable Lens 9 AF / MF Switch 10 Index 12 Distance Ring Drive Motor 13 Lens CPU 15 Camera CPU 16 Power supply circuit 17 E ² PROM 18 F LCD 19 CCD sensor

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03B 17/02 G03B 17/18 Z 17/18 G02B 7/11 N

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A camera system capable of communicating between a camera body and an interchangeable lens, wherein the camera body comprises a first setting unit for setting a focus control mode of the camera body, Includes a second setting unit for setting the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens, and the focus control mode information of the interchangeable lens set by the second setting unit can be transmitted to the camera body by communication. The focus control modes that can be set with the camera body and the interchangeable lens are a manual focus (hereinafter referred to as “MF”) mode and an autofocus (hereinafter referred to as “AF”) mode, respectively, and the interchangeable lens is provided on the camera body. When is attached,
A focus mode switching method, wherein the camera body shifts to the same focus control mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens set by the second setting means. 2. The first setting means includes two pressing and rotating operation members and a display member for displaying a focus control mode set in the camera body, 2. The focus mode switching system according to claim 1, wherein the setting means comprises an index clearly indicating a focus control mode that can be set and a slide type or rotary type operation member. 3. The AF mode of the camera body includes a single auto focus (hereinafter referred to as “SAF”) mode and a continuous auto focus (hereinafter referred to as “CAF”).
The focus mode switching method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the focus mode switching method is a mode. 4. When the camera body shifts to the same focus control mode as the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens and enters the AF mode, the camera body shifts to either the SAF or CAF focus control mode, 4. The focus mode switching system according to claim 3, wherein the setting mode can be set to SAF or CAF. 5. The camera body includes a pressing third operating member, and when the interchangeable lens is mounted on the camera body, the focus of the interchangeable lens set by the third setting unit. Control mode information is sent to the camera body via communication, the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is AF, and the focus control mode of the camera body is SAF or CA.
If F, the third operation member functions as a focus lock button, and if the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is AF and the focus control mode of the camera body is MF, the third operation member functions as an autofocus button. If the focus control mode of the interchangeable lens is MF, the camera body operates as the MF regardless of the focus control mode of the camera body set by the first setting unit. Or 4
Focus mode switching method described. 6. The focus control mode of the camera body does not change when the interchangeable lens is removed from the state where the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body. , 4 or 5 focus mode switching method.