JP2007228118A - Determination of shooting scene - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the user to more easily set up a shooting scene suitable for photographing a subject. <P>SOLUTION: A digital camera is equipped with a subject image acquiring portion for acquiring a subject image, a shooting situation information acquiring portion for acquiring the information on the photographic situation, including at least one of the position and the direction of the digital camera and the current time, and a subject information acquiring portion for acquiring the information on the subject by analyzing the subject image. A photographic scene determining portion of the digital camera selects candidates for shooting scenes among a plurality of shooting scenes, which can be set up by the digital camera, based on the information on the subject and the information on the shooting situation, and displays the selected candidates for shooting scenes on the display portion of the digital camera. Then, by selecting a shooting scene to be used for shooting from the candidates for shooting scenes in accordance with the user's instruction, a photographic mode suitable for photographing the subject. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for determining a shooting scene suitable for shooting a subject.

  In recent years, digital still cameras (hereinafter also referred to as “DSC”) that generate image data as digital data by photographing a subject using an image sensor have become widespread. When shooting using such DSC, if a shooting scene of an image suitable for shooting a subject (for example, a scene for shooting a person or a scene for shooting a night view) is set, the setting is made according to the shooting scene. The image of the subject is acquired according to the shooting conditions, and the image processing is performed on the images acquired according to the image processing conditions set according to the shooting scene. When the set shooting scene is suitable for shooting a subject, these shooting conditions and image processing conditions (shooting modes) are suitable for the subject, so that a preferable subject image can be obtained.

JP 2002-94838 A

  However, in general, such a shooting scene setting operation is complicated, and thus shooting is often performed without setting a shooting scene, although a shooting scene suitable for a subject can be set. Also, it is not always easy for the user to select a shooting scene, and an appropriate shooting scene may not be set.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that makes it easier to set a shooting scene suitable for shooting a subject by a user.

  In order to achieve at least a part of the above object, a digital camera of the present invention includes a subject image acquisition unit that acquires a subject image, a position of the digital camera, a direction of the digital camera, and a current time. A shooting status information acquisition unit that acquires shooting status information including at least one, a subject information acquisition unit that acquires subject information related to a subject included in the subject image by analyzing the subject image, and shooting of the subject A shooting scene determining unit that determines a shooting scene for setting a suitable shooting mode, the shooting scene determining unit including the subject information acquired by the subject information acquiring unit and the shooting situation information acquiring unit A scene candidate is selected from a plurality of shooting scenes that can be set by the digital camera based on the shooting status information acquired by A scene candidate selection unit to be set, a scene candidate display unit for displaying the scene candidate selected by the scene candidate selection unit on the display unit of the digital camera, and shooting from the scene candidate according to an instruction from a user of the digital camera A photographic scene selection unit for selecting a photographic scene to be used.

  According to this configuration, a shooting scene suitable for shooting a subject is selected as a scene candidate based on the subject information acquired by the subject information acquisition unit and the shooting status information acquired by the shooting status information acquisition unit, It is displayed on the display part of the digital camera. The user can set a shooting scene suitable for shooting a subject more easily by selecting a shooting scene to be used for shooting from the displayed scene candidates.

  The scene candidate selection unit may select a scene candidate using all of the position, the direction, and the current time.

  According to this configuration, the selection of the scene candidate is selected based on all of the position of the digital camera, the direction of the digital camera, and the current time, which have a large influence when the subject is photographed. Can be done accurately.

  The shooting scene determination unit further includes a related scene selection unit that selects a related scene previously associated with a shooting scene included in the scene candidate selected by the scene candidate selection unit, and the scene candidate display unit includes: Both the scene candidate and the related scene may be displayed on the display unit.

  According to this configuration, by displaying a related scene, it is possible to select a scene that was not selected as a scene candidate as a shooting scene. Therefore, the user can set a scene more suitable for shooting a subject as a shooting scene.

  The scene candidate display unit arranges the plurality of scene candidates in a first direction when the scene candidate selection unit selects a plurality of scene candidates, and displays related scenes for each scene candidate in the first scene. It may be arranged in a second direction different from the direction.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of scene candidates selected by the scene candidate selection unit and the related scenes associated with each scene candidate are mapped and displayed on a plane. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the relationship between the scene candidate and the related scene, and can more easily select the shooting scene.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various modes. For example, a digital camera and a digital camera control method, a computer program for realizing the functions of the digital camera or the digital camera control method, a recording medium recording the computer program, and the computer program including the computer program embodied in a carrier wave It can be realized in the form of a data signal or the like.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order based on examples.
A. Example:
B. Variation:

A. Example:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital still camera 100 (hereinafter also referred to as “DSC 100”) as an embodiment of the present invention. The DSC 100 includes a lens 110, a lens driving unit 120, an imaging unit 130, an exposure determination unit 140, a GPS reception unit 150, a camera direction acquisition unit 160, a time acquisition unit 170, a display unit 180, and an operation. Unit 190 and shooting scene determination unit 200.

  The imaging unit 130 generates image data representing light and darkness of an image formed by the lens 110 on a light receiving surface of an imaging device (not shown) such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) included in the imaging unit 130. To do. When the user operates a shutter button (not shown) of the DSC 100, the image data generated by the imaging unit 130 is supplied to the image processing unit 132, and the image processing unit 132 appropriately performs image processing. The image data after the image processing is stored in an image data storage unit (not shown). The image processing by the image processing unit 132 is performed according to the image processing condition setting value acquired from the scene-specific setting database (DB) 142 based on shooting scene information (described later) supplied from the shooting scene determination unit 200.

  The exposure determination unit 140 refers to the scene-specific setting database 142 based on the shooting scene information supplied from the shooting scene determination unit 200. Then, the aperture value and the like of the lens 110 are determined according to the shooting condition setting value supplied from the scene-specific setting database 142 and the light amount information on the light receiving surface supplied from the imaging unit 130. The lens driving unit 120 controls the lens 110 according to the aperture value determined by the exposure determining unit 140 and adjusts the light amount on the light receiving surface of the imaging unit 130 at the time of shooting. The lens driving unit 120 also has a function of driving the lens 110 in accordance with an instruction from the user and adjusting the focal length of the lens 110.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the scene-specific setting database 142. The scene-specific setting database 142 stores shooting condition setting values and image processing condition setting values associated with each of a plurality of shooting scenes. In the example of FIG. 2, as the shooting condition setting value, a shutter speed setting method (shutter speed), an aperture value setting method (aperture), an exposure correction coefficient (exposure correction), and the like are stored. As the image processing condition setting value, a white balance adjustment parameter (white balance), a memory color conversion processing parameter (memory color), a sharpness adjustment parameter (sharpness), and the like are stored.

  As shown in FIG. 2, shooting conditions and image processing conditions corresponding to each of the shooting scenes such as “portrait”, “landscape”, “sunset” (these conditions are also referred to as “shooting mode”). Is set. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a more preferable image of the subject by selecting a shooting scene suitable for the subject to be shot. In the present specification, the “subject” means a subject to be photographed such as a person, an object, or a landscape that is photographed over the entire image.

  The display unit 180 in FIG. 1 is configured by a liquid crystal display or the like, and has a function of displaying an image and various setting information. The operation unit 190 has buttons, a touch panel, and the like, and has a function of acquiring an instruction from the user. The user can perform operations such as changing the setting of the DSC 100 by operating the operation unit 190 while viewing the image and setting information displayed on the display unit 180. In addition, an image of the subject is displayed on the display unit 180 when the DSC 100 performs shooting.

  The GPS receiver 150 receives radio waves from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and acquires the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the DSC 100. The camera direction acquisition unit 160 acquires a direction in which the lens 110 of the DSC 100 is facing (hereinafter also referred to as “camera direction”) using a gyroscope, an acceleration sensor, or the like. The time acquisition unit 170 acquires the current time from a real time clock (RTC) built in the DSC 100. However, when the current time is acquired by the GPS receiving unit 150, the time acquiring unit 170 can be omitted. In the present specification, the position of the DSC 100 and the camera direction are collectively referred to as “coordination” of the DSC 100.

  The shooting scene determination unit 200 includes an image analysis unit 210, a coordination / time acquisition unit 220, a scene candidate selection unit 230, a related scene selection unit 240, and a selection instruction acquisition unit 250.

  The image analysis unit 210 acquires information about the subject by analyzing the image data of the subject supplied from the imaging unit 130. The coordination / time acquisition unit 220 acquires the coordination of the DSC 100 supplied from the GPS reception unit 150 and the camera direction acquisition unit 160 and the current time supplied from the time acquisition unit 170. In addition, since the image analysis unit 210 acquires information about the subject, it can also be said to be a “subject information acquisition unit”. Further, since the coordination / time acquisition unit 220 acquires information related to the shooting situation, it can also be said to be a “shooting situation information acquisition unit”.

  The scene candidate selection unit 230 refers to the scene evaluation database (DB) 232 based on the information about the subject, the configuration of the DSC 100, and the current time, thereby selecting a scene candidate suitable for photographing the subject. . The related scene selection unit 240 selects a related scene related to the scene selected by the user from the scene candidates by referring to the related scene database (DB) 242. Note that selection of scene candidates and selection of related scenes will be described later.

  The selection instruction acquisition unit 250 acquires a user instruction given via the operation unit 190. The selection instruction acquisition unit 250 acquires a user's instruction as to whether to select a scene from a scene candidate or a related scene, and whether to use the selected scene for shooting. When the DSC 100 is instructed to use the scene selected by the user for shooting, information specifying the selected scene is supplied to the exposure determination unit 140 and the image processing unit 132 as shooting scene information.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a shooting scene determination routine executed by the shooting scene determination unit 200 (FIG. 1). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a shooting situation of autumn leaves by the DSC 100. The example of Fig.4 (a) has shown a mode that the user USR image | photographed the maple tree MTR against the sun SUN. FIG. 4B shows a subject image IPS acquired by the imaging unit 130 (FIG. 1) in the example of FIG. The subject image IPS shown in FIG. 4B includes a sun SUN, a large number of maple leaves MLF that have fallen, and a maple branch MBR. In FIG. 4B, for convenience of illustration, only a part of the maple leaf MLF included over the entire surface of the subject image IPS is depicted.

  In step S100, the coordination / time acquisition unit 220 acquires the coordination and the current time of the DSC 100. Specifically, the coordination / time acquisition unit 220 specifies the shooting location from the position of the DSC 100 acquired from the GPS reception unit 150 and specifies the shooting date and time from the current time acquired from the time acquisition unit 170. The coordination / time acquisition unit 220 acquires the camera direction of the DSC 100 from the camera direction acquisition unit 160.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the shooting location is specified as XX mountain in Nagano Prefecture, and the shooting date and time is specified as 16:30 on November 8, 2005. The camera direction is determined to be the direction of the sun SUN. Whether or not the camera direction is the sun direction is determined by, for example, a deviation between the camera direction and the direction represented by the altitude and azimuth of the sun SUN calculated from the position of the DSC 100 and the current time. Judgment can be made based on whether or not the difference is within the angle difference. The predetermined angle difference may be a fixed angle (for example, 10 °), and is an angle calculated based on the angle of view determined by the focal length of the lens 110 (FIG. 1) and the size of the image sensor. It may be.

  In step S200 of FIG. 3, the image analysis unit 210 analyzes the image data acquired from the imaging unit 130 (FIG. 1), thereby representing information indicating the proportion of a specific color in the subject image represented by the image data ( Color information) and information indicating the type of object included in the subject image (hereinafter, this information is also referred to as “subject information”).

  The ratio of the specific color in the subject image (hereinafter also referred to as “specific color ratio”) includes the pixel color (pixel color) in the specific color region (specific color region) with respect to the number of pixels constituting the subject image. It can be obtained by calculating the ratio of the number of pixels to be determined. Whether or not the pixel color is included in the specific color area is determined by, for example, whether or not a point representing the pixel color belongs to an area corresponding to the specific color area in the color space in a predetermined color space. Is possible. As the predetermined color space, for example, various color spaces such as an RGB color space, an HSV color space, and a YCrCb color space can be used. It is also possible to determine whether or not a pixel color is included in each of the plurality of specific color areas using a different color space for each specific color area.

  In the example of FIG. 4B, the subject image IPS includes a large number of autumn maple leaf MLFs. Therefore, in the subject image IPS, the ratio of yellow (15%), red (15%), and orange (40%) corresponding to the maple leaf MLF color is high. In addition to these colors, the subject image IPS includes white (5%), brown (10%), and black (10%).

  An object included in a subject image can be recognized, for example, by performing region division on the subject image and performing template matching of the region division result. In the example of FIG. 4B, the sun SUN in the subject image IPS is recognized.

  In step S300 of FIG. 3, the shooting scene determination unit 200 selects a scene candidate suitable for the shooting situation based on the coordinates and current time of the DSC 100 acquired in step S100 and the subject information acquired in step S200. To do.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a scene candidate selection subroutine executed by the scene candidate selection unit 230 (FIG. 1) in step S300 of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in the scene evaluation database 232 (FIG. 1) used for selecting scene candidates.

  In step S <b> 310, the scene candidate selection unit 230 acquires evaluation parameters used for scene selection from the scene evaluation database 232. Specifically, with respect to one scene, a predetermined specific color weight (specific color weight), an object that is often included in the subject image, and a place and time zone where shooting is likely to be performed And the normally set camera direction parameters.

  In step S320, the scene candidate selection unit 230 calculates the feature amount of the subject image based on the color information of the subject information acquired in step S200 (FIG. 3) and the specific color weight. Here, the feature amount is a kind of evaluation value indicating whether or not the scene to be evaluated is suitable for the specific color ratio in the subject image. Specifically, among the N specific colors included in the specific color weight parameter, for the i-th specific color (i is an integer of 1 or more and N or less), the specific color ratio Ri and the specific color weight Wi Calculate the product (Ri × Wi). In this embodiment, the total sum of the products (Ri × Wi) of the N specific color ratios Ri and the specific color weights Wi from i = 1 to N is used as the feature amount α.

  In the example of FIG. 6, first, the feature amount α is calculated for the scene “sunset”. In the scene “sunset”, the specific color weight parameter includes four specific colors of orange, red, yellow, and white. Therefore, as the feature amount, the product of the specific color ratio and the specific color weight of the subject image IPS (FIG. 4B) is calculated for each of these four specific colors, and the sum of these products is the feature amount α. Become. As shown in FIG. 6, the feature amount α of the scene “sunset” is 0.2225.

  In step S330 of FIG. 5, the scene candidate selection unit 230 determines that the scene to be evaluated is the subject or the scene based on the information related to the object recognized from the subject image, the configuration of the DSC 100, and the current time. A conforming amount representing whether or not the subject conforms to the shooting situation is calculated. Here, the adaptation amount β is a total sum of evaluation values represented by logical values of 0 and 1. In this embodiment, whether or not an object that is often included in the subject image is recognized from the subject image, whether or not the shooting location and time are likely to be taken and whether or not the time zone, Whether the direction of the DSC 100 is a normally set camera direction is determined. The number of items that match the evaluation parameter is the matching amount β of the present embodiment.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the sun SUN is recognized from the subject image IPS. Further, the camera direction is the sun direction, and the photographing time is 16:30. Among these, the evaluation parameters defined for the scene “sunset” in FIG. 6 meet the three conditions of hatching, the object, the camera direction, and the time zone. Therefore, the adaptation value of the scene “sunset” for the shooting situation shown in FIG.

  In step S340 in FIG. 5, the scene candidate selection unit 230 calculates a score P for selecting a scene based on the feature amount α obtained in step S320 and the adaptation amount β obtained in step S330. . In this embodiment, the score P is calculated by the following equation (1) using the feature amount α and the adaptation amount β.

  P = α × (1 + β) (1)

  In step S350 in FIG. 5, the scene candidate selection unit 230 determines whether or not the score of the scene to be evaluated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (for example, 0.1). If it is determined that the score of the scene to be evaluated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, control is transferred to step S360. On the other hand, if it is determined that the score of the scene to be evaluated is less than the predetermined threshold, control is transferred to step S370.

  In step S360, the scene candidate selection unit 230 adds the scene to be evaluated to the scene candidate. The addition of the evaluation target scene to the scene candidate can be performed, for example, by adding a flag indicating that the evaluation target scene in the scene evaluation database 232 is selected as a candidate. It is also possible to store a scene candidate list in a storage device provided separately from the scene evaluation database 232 and add an evaluation target scene to the scene candidate list.

  In step S <b> 370, the scene candidate selection unit 230 determines whether or not all scenes whose evaluation parameters are stored in the scene evaluation database 232 have been evaluated. If it is determined that all the scenes have been evaluated, the scene candidate selection subroutine of FIG. 5 ends, and control is returned to the shooting scene determination routine shown in FIG. On the other hand, if there is a scene that has not been evaluated, control is returned to step S310, and steps S310 to S370 are repeatedly executed until all scenes have been evaluated.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the score of the scene is calculated as described above in the order of the scene “Autumn leaves” and the scene “backlight”. Since the score of the scene “Autumn leaves” is equal to or greater than the threshold (0.44), the scene “Autumn leaves” is added to the scene candidate. On the other hand, since the score of the scene “backlight” is less than the threshold (0.44), the scene “backlight” is not added to the scene candidate. Similarly, other scenes such as night views and sepia are also evaluated, but in these scenes, the score is less than the threshold value, so they are not added to the scene candidates.

  In step S400 of FIG. 3, the photographic scene determination unit 200 (FIG. 1) displays the scene candidate selected in step S300 on the display unit 180 (FIG. 1). In step S500, the user's instruction input by the user operating the operation unit 190 (FIG. 1) is acquired.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen DSP displayed on the display unit 180 by the shooting scene determination unit 200. The screen DSP shown in FIG. 7 has a subject image display window WPS for displaying a subject image, and a scene candidate display window WSC for allowing the user to select a scene from the scene candidates.

  The scene candidate display window WSC displays the buttons BS1 and BS2 of the scene names of the two scene candidates (sunset and autumn leaves) selected as the scene candidates in step S300, the “OK” button BDC, and the “Cancel” button BCN. Has been. The scene candidates displayed in the scene candidate display window WSC are arranged from top to bottom in order from the highest score used for selecting the scene candidates. Further, the scene “sunset” having the highest score among the scene candidates is highlighted as the currently selected scene. In addition, it is good also as what displays the score used for selection of a scene candidate together with each of the scene candidates displayed on the scene candidate display window WSC.

  The user can give a user instruction to the DSC 100 by touching one of the four buttons BS1, BS2, BDC, and BCN displayed on the screen DSP. When the user operates one of the scene name buttons BS1 and BS2, the selection instruction acquisition unit 250 gives a scene selection instruction to the shooting scene determination unit 200. On the other hand, when the user operates the “decision” button BDC, a decision instruction to use the selected scene as a shooting scene is given to the shooting scene determination unit 200. Further, when the user operates the “Cancel” button BCN, an instruction to cancel the setting of the shooting scene is given to the shooting scene determination unit 200.

  In step S600 of FIG. 3, the shooting scene determination unit 200 (FIG. 1) determines whether the instruction given by the user is an instruction to select a scene or an instruction to determine and cancel. When the user's instruction is one of determination and cancellation, the shooting scene determination routine of FIG. 3 ends. If the user instruction is a scene selection instruction, control is transferred to step S700, and steps S400 to S600 are repeatedly executed until a determination instruction or a stop instruction from the user is acquired.

  If the user's instruction is a determination instruction, an instruction to specify the scene selected as the shooting scene is supplied to the exposure determination unit 140 (FIG. 1) and the image processing unit 132 (FIG. 1). The exposure determination unit 140 and the image processing unit 132 perform exposure determination and image processing according to the setting of the designated shooting scene. On the other hand, if the user's instruction is a cancel instruction, the exposure determination unit 140 and the image processing unit 132 are not given an instruction to specify a shooting scene, and follow the setting of the shooting scene previously specified. Perform exposure determination and image processing.

  In the example of FIG. 7, in FIG. 7B, the user operates the button BS2 of the scene “Autumn leaves”. Therefore, the control of the shooting scene determination routine shown in FIG. 3 is moved from step S600 to step S700.

  In step S700 of FIG. 3, the shooting scene determination unit 200 (FIG. 1) selects a scene (related scene) related to the scene (selected scene) selected by the user. Specifically, the related scene selection unit 240 of the shooting scene determination unit 200 selects a scene related to the selected scene with reference to the related scene database 242 (FIG. 1). Then, after the shooting scene determination unit 200 sets the selected scene and the related scene as new scene candidates, the control is returned to step S400.

  In step S400 where control is returned from step S700, the newly set scene candidate is displayed in the scene candidate display window WSC. Note that the scene candidates newly set in step S700 include the selected scene that is the original scene candidate selected in step S300 and the related scene. Therefore, in step S400, both the original scene candidate and the related scene can be displayed on the display unit 180.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information registered in the related scene database 242. In the related scene database, related scenes associated with the selected scenes in advance are stored together with their priorities. In FIG. 8, related scenes are set from the left in descending order of priority. In the example of FIG. 8, the scene “backlight” and the scene “sepia” are associated with the selected scene “autumn leaves”. Also, the scene “person” and the scene “autumn leaves” are associated with the selected scene “backlight”.

  In the example of FIG. 7, since the user selects the scene “Autumn leaves” in FIG. 7B, the related scenes are two scenes of the scene “backlight” and the scene “sepia”, and the scene candidate is the selected scene “ “Autumn leaves” and two related scenes “Backlight” and “Sepia”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7C, buttons BS1a, BS2a, BS3a corresponding to these scenes (autumn leaves, backlight, sepia) are displayed in the scene candidate display window WSC.

  In this way, the selected scene and the related scene are displayed as scene candidates, so that the user can select a scene that has not been selected as the first scene candidate as a photographic scene. In the example of FIG. 7C, since the scene “backlight” button BS2a is displayed in the scene candidate display window WSC, the user can select the scene “backlight” in which the color of autumn leaves is captured more vividly. It becomes.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a scene suitable for shooting a subject is selected by selecting a scene candidate based on the subject information acquired from the image analysis unit 210, the configuration of the DSC 100, and the current time. Can be presented to the user. Then, by setting the related scene related to the selected scene selected by the user from the scene candidates and the selected scene as the scene candidates, it is possible to present the user with a shooting scene more suitable for shooting the subject. .

B. Variation:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

B1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, in steps S350 and S360 (FIG. 5), a scene candidate is selected by adding a scene with a scene score equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold to the scene candidate. However, the scene candidate is selected by a different method. It is also possible. For example, after calculating scores for all scenes, it is possible to select scene candidates by selecting a predetermined number of scenes in order from the scene with the highest score.

B2. Modification 2:
In the above embodiment, the related scene of the scene included in the scene candidate is presented to the user by setting the selected scene and the related scene of the selected scene as a new scene candidate, but the related scene is presented by a different method. It is also possible to do. For example, a related scene may be selected for each scene included in the scene candidate, and the scene candidate and the selected related scene may be displayed together on the display unit 180. In this case, the scene candidates are arranged in the first direction (for example, the horizontal direction) of the display unit 180, and the related scenes of each scene are arranged in the second direction (for example, the vertical direction) different from the first direction. It is preferable to do this. The user can more easily select a desired scene from the displayed scene candidates and the related scenes of each scene.

B3. Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, scene candidates are presented to the user by displaying the names of the scenes included in the scene candidates on the display unit 180 (FIG. 1), but the scene candidates are presented to the user by other methods. It is also good. Presentation of a scene candidate can be performed, for example, by displaying an image representing each scene in the scene candidate on the display unit 180, and subject images subjected to image processing corresponding to each scene in the scene candidate are displayed. It can also be performed by displaying on the display unit 180.

B4. Modification 4:
In the above-described embodiment, an example of information stored in each of the scene-specific setting database 142 (FIG. 1), the scene evaluation database 232 (FIG. 1), and the related scene database 242 (FIG. 1) is shown. These pieces of information can be appropriately changed as long as a shooting mode suitable for shooting a subject can be set. For example, in the scene evaluation database, a parameter related to the subject and a parameter related to at least one of the position of the DSC 100, the camera direction, and the current time may be stored corresponding to each scene. Even in this way, it is possible to experimentally determine each parameter of the scene evaluation database so that a shooting mode suitable for shooting a subject can be set. In this case, the selection of scene candidates is performed based on information corresponding to parameters stored in the scene evaluation database.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital still camera 100 as one embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information stored in the setting database 142 classified by scene. 6 is a flowchart showing a shooting scene determination routine executed by the shooting scene determination unit 200. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the imaging | photography condition of the autumnal leaves by the digital still camera 100. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a scene candidate selection subroutine executed by the scene candidate selection unit 230. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information stored in the scene evaluation database. Explanatory drawing which shows the screen displayed on the display part 180 by the imaging scene determination part 200. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information stored in the related scene database 242.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Digital still camera 110 ... Lens 120 ... Lens drive part 130 ... Imaging part 132 ... Image processing part 140 ... Exposure determination part 142 ... Setting database 150 classified by scene 150 ... GPS receiving part 160 ... Camera direction acquisition part 170 ... Time acquisition part 180 ... Display unit 190 ... Operation unit 200 ... Shooting scene determination unit 210 ... Image analysis unit 220 ... Coordination / time acquisition unit 230 ... Scene candidate selection unit 232 ... Scene evaluation database 240 ... Related scene selection unit 242 ... Related scene database 250 ... Selection instruction acquisition unit

Claims (5)

A digital camera,
A subject image acquisition unit for acquiring a subject image;
A shooting status information acquisition unit that acquires shooting status information including at least one of the position of the digital camera, the direction of the digital camera, and the current time;
A subject information acquisition unit that acquires subject information related to a subject included in the subject image by analyzing the subject image;
A shooting scene determining unit that determines a shooting scene for setting a shooting mode suitable for shooting the subject;
With
The shooting scene determination unit
Scene candidates are selected from a plurality of shooting scenes that can be set by the digital camera based on the subject information acquired by the subject information acquisition unit and the shooting status information acquired by the shooting status information acquisition unit. A scene candidate selection section to select;
A scene candidate display unit for displaying the scene candidate selected by the scene candidate selection unit on the display unit of the digital camera;
In accordance with an instruction from the user of the digital camera, a shooting scene selection unit that selects a shooting scene to be used for shooting from the scene candidates;
Having a digital camera. The digital camera according to claim 1,
The scene candidate selection unit selects a scene candidate using all of the position, the direction, and the current time. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The shooting scene determination unit further includes a related scene selection unit that selects a related scene previously associated with a shooting scene included in the scene candidate selected by the scene candidate selection unit,
The scene candidate display unit is a digital camera that displays both the scene candidate and the related scene on the display unit. The digital camera according to claim 3,
The scene candidate display unit arranges the plurality of scene candidates in a first direction when the scene candidate selection unit selects a plurality of scene candidates, and displays related scenes for each scene candidate in the first scene. A digital camera arranged in a second direction different from the direction. A shooting scene determination method for determining a shooting scene for setting a shooting mode suitable for shooting a subject to a digital camera,
(A) obtaining a subject image including the subject;
(B) acquiring shooting situation information including at least one of the position of the digital camera, the direction of the digital camera, and the current time;
(C) obtaining subject information relating to the subject by analyzing the subject image;
(D) Scene candidates from among a plurality of shooting scenes that can be set by the digital camera based on the subject information acquired in the step (c) and the shooting situation information acquired in the step (b). A process of selecting
(E) displaying the scene candidate selected in the step (d) on the display unit of the digital camera;
(F) selecting a shooting scene to be used for shooting from the scene candidates according to an instruction from a user of the digital camera;
A method for determining a shooting scene.

Images