JP2011009966A - Photographing condition setting device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing condition setting device capable of easily confirming contents of photographing conditions and simply performing the change setting operation thereof.SOLUTION: The photographing condition setting device in which a plurality of kinds of photographing modes for collectively setting photographing conditions are prepared and the photographing conditions are set in accordance with a selected photographing mode 211, displays the photographing conditions side by side as a photographing condition string 210, detects that a specific photographing condition is selected by an input operation in the photographing condition string 210, arranges an individual condition 211 and the others prepared in the specific photographing condition in a direction crossing the photographing condition string when the selection is detected and displays them as an individual condition string 240.

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface technique for setting shooting conditions of a camera.

  Since it is not easy for normal users to set camera shooting conditions such as aperture, shutter, ISO sensitivity, and WB individually, there are various functions that automatically set shooting conditions according to the subject. Has been developed. The most representative, since the age of silver halide cameras, is an auto mode that measures the brightness of a subject and sets exposure conditions from the photometric values.

  However, in this auto mode, an image having no characteristic of the greatest common divisor is captured, and the image tends to be less interesting. Therefore, a scene selection mode has been developed in which shooting conditions can be set together to match the scene so that the atmosphere of the scene can be reproduced more faithfully. This means that several typical shooting scenes such as portraits, landscapes, night views, sunsets, parties, etc. and various shooting conditions suitable for the shooting scenes are stored together in advance. The user simply selects a shooting scene corresponding to the scene currently being viewed, and the conditions suitable for shooting the scene are automatically set.

  Recently, an auto scene mode has also been developed to make the scene selection mode easier to use. Even in the scene selection mode, the user had to perform an operation to select an appropriate scene, but in the auto scene mode, the color / brightness / face presence / absence of the entire screen was judged and the situation of the entire screen was determined. The current scene is automatically determined. Since the shooting conditions are set according to the automatically determined scene, the user is freed from the operation of selecting the shooting scene.

  In order to select and check these shooting modes, a shooting mode display function is required. For this display, an image display unit provided on the back of the camera is used. However, since the rear display unit of the camera is not large enough to display a large number of items for photographing conditions, it is necessary to display the items while switching them, and a proposal for this display has also been made. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a display control apparatus for a camera in which two operations, a selection operation of a shooting condition and a change operation of a specific numerical value of the selected shooting condition, are assigned to operations that are orthogonal to each other. Yes.

JP 2007-13476 A

  For cameras equipped with shooting modes such as auto mode, scene shooting mode, auto scene mode, etc., these shooting modes can be used appropriately according to user's preference and skill. A usable camera is realized. For this purpose, one of the easy-to-understand and simple operations is required for displaying and switching the shooting conditions in the plurality of shooting modes. This is because operability without stress is indispensable for use by various users. Specifically, it is possible to propose a user interface that has a small display screen size for a camera, clearly displays the type of shooting mode and its contents, and can be easily switched without any increase in operation buttons. I need it.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographing condition setting device that makes it easy to confirm the contents of photographing conditions and that can easily perform change setting operations, and a program that realizes such processing.

In order to achieve the above object, the photographing condition setting device according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of photographing modes for collectively setting photographing conditions, and the photographing conditions are set according to the selected photographing mode. In the condition setting device, a display control unit that displays a shooting condition including a type of the shooting mode and a specific condition in the shooting mode, and an operation reception unit that receives an input operation of a photographer with respect to the displayed shooting condition A shooting condition setting unit that changes and sets the shooting condition based on the input operation, and the display control unit displays the shooting condition side by side as a shooting condition column, and the input operation is performed in the shooting condition column. When a specific shooting condition is selected by the above, the individual conditions prepared for the specific shooting condition are arranged in a direction intersecting with the shooting condition row, and the individual condition is set. Characterized in that to be displayed as columns.

  As a result, since the individual condition columns corresponding to only the photographing conditions selected from the displayed photographing conditions are crossed, the selection operation is also smooth, and the live view image is not easily disturbed.

  Further, in the photographing condition setting device according to the present invention, when the individual control sequence is displayed, the display control unit cannot be changed by setting a photographing condition other than the photographing condition targeted by the individual condition sequence. The individual conditions that are changed are displayed separately from the individual conditions that can be changed.

  Accordingly, when there is a condition that cannot be changed, the specific condition is displayed so that it is easy to use.

  In the photographing condition setting device according to the present invention, the display control unit may display a plurality of live view images representing images obtained when the individual conditions are set, along with the individual conditions. Features.

  As a result, when shooting conditions that directly affect the image quality are selected, a plurality of live view images reflecting the individual conditions are displayed in an array corresponding to the arrangement of the individual conditions. Can be selected more accurately.

  A program according to the present invention is a program used for a shooting condition setting device that sets shooting conditions according to a selected shooting mode by preparing a plurality of shooting modes for setting shooting conditions collectively. In a program for controlling display of shooting conditions including the type of shooting mode and specific conditions in the shooting mode, the step of displaying the shooting conditions side by side as a shooting condition row, and an input operation in the shooting condition row A step of detecting that a specific shooting condition is selected, and an individual condition prepared in the specific shooting condition when it is detected are arranged in a direction crossing the shooting condition column and displayed as an individual condition column It is characterized by comprising the step of causing.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shooting condition setting device that makes it easy to confirm the contents of shooting conditions and that can easily perform change setting operations, and a program that realizes such processing.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric circuit structure of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the appearance of the back side of the digital camera 1. FIG. 3 is a screen displayed on the display unit, which is a live view image with a shooting menu, and is a diagram for explaining a shooting condition setting operation. FIG. 4 is a screen displayed on the display unit and is a screen shown in FIG. 3B, in which the shooting mode is changed from the program mode to the auto scene mode. FIG. 5 is a screen displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram for explaining an operation for changing and setting specific conditions in the shooting mode and the display thereof. FIG. 6 is a screen that is displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram for explaining that the conditions that cannot be changed due to other condition settings in the individual condition column are displayed separately. FIG. 7 is a screen displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of live view images corresponding to a condition are displayed as an aid for changing and setting the individual condition. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure related to the change setting operation corresponding to the display of the photographing condition. FIG. 9 is a flowchart relating to the subroutine of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera equipped with a photographing condition setting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A digital camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 11, a program data storage unit 12, a button operation unit 13, an imaging unit 15, an SDRAM 16, an image processing unit 17, a display processing unit 18, a display unit 19, and a compression / decompression unit. 20, a recording / reproducing unit 21, an image storage unit 22, and a bus line 25 are provided as main constituent elements.

  The control unit 11 is a CPU that reads a control program stored in the program data storage unit 12 and comprehensively controls the entire digital camera 1. In the shooting condition setting process in each shooting mode, which is one of the features of the present embodiment, the control unit 11 executes each process of shooting condition setting according to the control program. For convenience, each process is performed as the shooting condition setting unit 11a, In the following description, the display control unit 11b and the operation reception unit 11c are expressed as functional units.

  The shooting condition setting unit 11a includes a program mode, a scene shooting mode, an auto scene mode, and the like as shooting modes. The program mode is a mode in which the aperture and shutter speed are automatically set based on the diagram according to the brightness of the subject. Other conditions are selected as standard conditions.

The scene shooting mode is a mode in which shooting conditions are set so that the subject is well reflected according to the type of the selected subject. For example, when “portrait” for photographing a person is selected as a photographing scene, the aperture is set shallow and the skin color is processed as color processing. In addition, when the “night scene” mode is selected, a filter effect that slows the shutter speed, increases the ISO sensitivity, and gives a special effect to the light depending on the preference is added.
When the scene shooting mode is set, the shooting condition setting unit 11a determines each shooting condition according to the shooting scene selected therein.

  The auto scene mode is a mode in which the scene type in the scene shooting mode is automatically set based on the result of analyzing the subject on the screen of the live view image. For example, if the screen brightness is dark, it is determined that it is night, and if a face is detected on the screen, it is determined that there is a person. The characteristics of these screens are comprehensively determined, and the shooting scene in that scene can be determined. When the auto scene mode is set, the shooting condition setting unit 11a detects the characteristics of the current subject from the entire screen as described above, and determines the shooting scene by comparing with the shooting scene database.

  The shooting condition setting unit 11a specifically sets the shutter speed, the number of pixels, the flash condition, the focus condition, or various shooting conditions such as contrast and color correction in accordance with each shooting mode and the shooting scene. The control unit 11 controls the imaging unit 15 or the image processing unit 17 in accordance with the conditions and values set by the shooting condition setting unit 11a.

  Note that specific shooting condition data corresponding to each shooting scene and a database used to determine a shooting scene in the auto scene mode are stored in the program data storage unit 12 in advance.

  The display control unit 11 b controls the display processing unit 18 in accordance with an operation instruction from the photographer to control the content of the image displayed on the display unit 19. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 11b performs control particularly regarding display of the shooting menu.

  The operation receiving unit 11c detects an instruction from the photographer corresponding to the screen. Specifically, the operation reception unit 11c receives the signal output from the button operation unit 13 and detects the operation content. Based on the operation content detected by the operation accepting unit 11c, the display control unit 11b controls specific display contents such as shooting conditions displayed on the display unit 19, and the shooting condition setting unit 11a sets the shooting mode and the like. Shooting conditions are set.

  The program data storage unit 12 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores a program for executing processing of the control unit 11, shooting condition data, and shooting scene database data for specifying a shooting scene. The program data storage unit 12 also stores data of icons for shooting menus displayed on the screen.

  The button operation unit 13 is an operation unit provided on the back or top surface of the digital camera 1 and includes a release button for instructing execution of shooting and a menu button for switching between a shooting mode and a playback mode.

  Here, a specific configuration of the button operation unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the appearance of the back side of the digital camera 1. In the back surface portion 101 of the digital camera 1, the screen of the display portion 19 that displays an image occupies more than half of the whole from the left end. Each operation button included in the button operation unit 13 is disposed at a position adjacent to the display unit 19 in a region on the right side of the upper surface portion and the rear surface portion 101 of the digital camera 1.

A release button 105 for shooting instruction is arranged at the right end of the upper surface of the digital camera 1.
On the back surface 101, a zoom button 106, a power button 107a, a shooting / playback switching button 107b, a direction button 108, a determination button 109, and a menu button 110 are arranged in order from the top. The zoom button 106 is a button for instructing a change in the focal length of the photographing lens built in the imaging unit. The power button 107a is a button for instructing a power on / off operation of the camera. The shooting / playback switching button 107b is a button for instructing switching between the shooting mode and the playback mode of the camera.

  The direction button 108 is internally configured with four keys, up, down, left, and right, and is a button for instructing up, down, left, and right movement in the screen according to the operation of each key. The determination button 109 is a button for instructing an operation for determining the content selected by the direction button 108. The menu button 110 is a button for instructing to call and delete a menu screen for setting various operating conditions of the camera.

  The imaging unit 15 includes an optical unit including a lens to an imaging element, and a signal processing unit that processes a photoelectric conversion signal output from the driving circuit that drives the imaging element and the imaging element and outputs the result as digital image data. The optical unit includes a lens that forms a subject image, an AF mechanism unit and a zoom mechanism unit that move the position of the lens, a diaphragm unit that narrows the subject light flux, a shutter unit that prevents smear during reading, and the like.

  The signal processing unit includes a CDS circuit for reducing noise in the photoelectric conversion signal output from the image sensor, an AGC circuit for amplifying the signal level to an appropriate level, and an analog image signal processed by these signals as a digital image. It consists of an AD circuit that converts data.

  The SDAM 16 is a temporary memory and is a working area used for digital image processing. The digital image signal output from the imaging unit 15 is temporarily stored, and image processing by the image processing unit 17 is executed. Similarly, it is also used when the display processing unit 18 superimposes a shooting menu or information icon on a captured image, or when the compression / decompression unit 20 executes each process such as compression processing or expansion processing.

  The image processing unit 17 performs predetermined gamma processing, pixel interpolation processing, color correction processing, YC conversion, and the like on the image data output from the imaging unit 15 for a live view image or a recorded image. The image processing unit 17 changes the intensity of the smoothing process, for example, in the case of color correction, contrast correction, or face processing according to the image quality conditions among the shooting conditions set in each shooting mode.

  The display processing unit 18 performs processing for displaying various images on the display unit 19 under the control of the display control unit 11b. The display processing unit 18 performs processing for converting the number of pixels of captured image data into the number of display pixels. Further, when instructed by the display control unit 11b, the display processing unit 18 reads information (shooting menu) indicating shooting conditions, for example, numbers and icons, data from the program data storage unit 12, and displays them. A process of superimposing the image on the live view image or the recorded image obtained by converting the number of pixels is performed. Further, when there is an instruction to display the menu screen, the display processing unit 18 reads out necessary data from the program data storage unit 12 and creates a corresponding menu image in the same manner as above.

  The display unit 19 is composed of an LCD or an EL panel and is arranged on the back surface of the digital camera 1, and has a live view image output from the display processing unit 18, a recorded image taken or a menu screen on which menu information is displayed. Is displayed.

  The compression / decompression unit 20 records image data based on a well-known JPEG method or the like when recording image data of a captured image in the image storage unit 22 or displaying image data recorded in the image storage unit 22. Perform compression processing and decompression processing.

  The recording / reproducing unit 21 writes the compressed image data to the image storage unit 22 and conversely reads the compressed image data from the image storage unit 22. The image storage unit 22 is, for example, an xD picture card (registered trademark) or a compact flash (registered trademark) recording medium or HDD that can be attached to and detached from the camera body. The bus line 25 connects the above constituent elements with a data line and an address line.

  The above is the description of the main components of the digital camera 1. Although the details will be described below, the present embodiment relates to the screen display of the shooting menu and the processing of the change setting operation, and the following processing is the basis. The display control unit 11b performs processing for displaying shooting conditions including the type of shooting mode and specific conditions of the shooting mode. The operation accepting unit 11c performs processing for accepting an input operation of the photographer with respect to the displayed photographing conditions. The condition setting unit 11a performs processing for setting shooting conditions based on an input operation for shooting conditions. As described above, the screen display and change setting of the shooting menu are made mainly by the configuration requirements of the control unit 11 and the shooting condition setting unit 11a, the display control unit 11b, and the operation receiving unit 11c included therein. Also called a condition setting device.

  3 to 7 are live view image screens with shooting menus, and are diagrams for explaining the shooting condition change setting operation. At the time of shooting, a live view image is displayed on the display unit 19 in order to confirm the composition and contents of the image. Then, a shooting menu on which various information related to shooting conditions is displayed is superimposed on the live view image. Note that the display of the shooting menu can be turned on / off by operating the menu button 110.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating the first screen of the screen in which the shooting menu is superimposed on the live view image 201. The shooting menu indicating the state of the camera is broadly divided and displayed in the form of icons at three locations on the right side, lower portion, and upper left corner of the screen.

  In the shooting menu, various types of information regarding shooting conditions are displayed in two parts: an icon row arranged vertically on the right side of the screen and an icon row arranged horizontally at the bottom of the screen. An icon row arranged vertically on the right side of the screen is called a photographing condition column 210, and an icon row arranged horizontally at the bottom of the screen is called a second photographing condition row 220. In the shooting condition column 210, shooting conditions that are collectively set according to the type of shooting mode are selected from among shooting conditions that can be changed by the photographer.

  On the other hand, in the second shooting condition column 220, shooting conditions whose settings can be changed by the photographer are selected, but in principle, shooting conditions that are independent of the shooting mode, that is, independent of the shooting mode, are selected.

  Further, the icon in the upper left corner of the screen is an icon 230 indicating the remaining battery capacity information. The remaining battery capacity is independent of the shooting conditions. The icon 235 is a setup icon. Setup refers to an operation for displaying a menu screen that is a screen for setting date, language setting, or detailed camera conditions.

  The shooting condition items shown in the shooting condition column 210 will be described. The top item is an item indicating the shooting mode, and an icon 211 of the currently set shooting mode is displayed. Here, an icon indicating the program mode is displayed. Below that, that is, the second and subsequent items are condition items indicating specific photographing conditions in the program mode.

  The second item is an item indicating the flash emission condition, and an icon 212 indicating the currently set auto flash is displayed. The third item is an item indicating the shooting distance condition, and an icon 213 indicating the currently set macro off is displayed. The fourth item condition is an item indicating the self-timer condition, and an icon 214 indicating the currently set self-timer off is displayed.

  The fifth item is an item indicating an exposure correction condition, and an icon 215 indicating no exposure correction that is currently set is displayed. The sixth item is an item indicating the white balance condition, and an icon 216 indicating the currently set auto white balance is displayed.

  The seventh item is an item indicating a photographing sensitivity (ISO sensitivity) condition, and an icon 217 indicating the currently set automatic ISO sensitivity is displayed. The eighth item is an item indicating a drive condition, and an icon 218 indicating a currently set single shooting setting is displayed.

  Next, the shooting condition items shown in the second shooting condition column 220 will be described in order from the left. The first item is an item indicating whether the memory being used is a built-in memory or a removable memory, and an icon 221 indicating that the built-in memory is currently being used is displayed.

  The second item is an item indicating the number of images that can be recorded in the memory, and an icon 222 indicating that 9999 images can be captured at present is displayed. The third item is an item indicating the set number of recording pixels, and an icon 223 indicating that 14 megapixels are currently set is displayed.

  The fourth item is an item indicating the compression level of shooting, and an icon 224 indicating that low compression is currently set is displayed. The fifth item is an item indicating the type of photometry, and an icon 225 indicating that an ESP (intelligent electro selective pattern) is currently set is displayed. ESP is a photometric mode used when focus adjustment is desired even when the subject is not in the center.

    The screen shown in FIG. 3A is the first screen as described above, and is in a state where none of the conditions has been selected. When the down key of the direction button 108 is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 3A, the screen is switched from the screen shown in FIG. 3A to the screen shown in FIG. When the direction button 108 is operated by the photographer from a state in which none of the conditions has been selected, the operation accepting unit 11c detects the operation of the direction button 108 and is initially set to select the shooting mode. ing. When the shooting mode is selected, the display control unit 11b displays icons indicating the current shooting mode and other settable shooting modes side by side in the shooting mode item. In this way, an icon column as a set of individual conditions prepared in the condition is referred to as an individual condition column 240. The individual condition column 240 is displayed side by side in a direction intersecting with the imaging condition column 210.

  In the individual condition column 240, a total of three icons, the icon 211a and the icon 211c, are displayed side by side as shooting modes that can be set to the left and right, centering on the icon 211b indicating the program mode that is the current shooting mode. The The left icon 211a is an icon indicating the auto scene mode. The icon 211c on the right side is an icon indicating the movie mode. The movie mode is a mode in which shooting conditions for moving image shooting are set.

  Here, it is assumed that the present camera is provided with five modes as a shooting mode in order: a beauty mode, an auto scene mode, a program mode, a movie mode, and a scene shooting mode. In FIG. 3B, it is assumed that the other three modes are hidden in the auto scene mode, the program mode, and the movie mode corresponding to the second to fourth of them.

  As described above, in the individual condition column, icons indicating the settable conditions are displayed in a predetermined order on the left and right sides of the icon indicating the current condition for the selected item. In the following description, an example in which three conditions are displayed as the individual condition row will be described. However, the number of displays is not limited to this, and for example, five conditions may be displayed.

  Further, in order to distinguish the selected condition from other conditions, a dark background 250 is displayed in the selected condition. Further, the central area of the background 250 indicating the current setting condition is displayed with a different density or color from the others so as to stand out. In this example, the center area of the background 250 is displayed in a darker color than the left and right. When the setting condition is to be changed and set, the icon of the condition to be changed may be moved to the center position by operating the left and right keys of the direction button 108.

  In addition, a comment 245 is displayed as a sentence explaining the characteristics of the current shooting mode. In FIG. 3 (2), a comment 245 is also displayed superimposed on the live view image as a sentence that briefly introduces the features of the program mode. Here, it is assumed that the imaging condition column 210 includes other conditions excluding the individual condition column 240 indicating the mode.

  FIG. 4 shows a screen displayed on the display unit. In the screen shown in FIG. 3B, when the left key of the direction button 108 is pressed, the shooting mode is changed from the program mode to the auto scene mode. FIG.

  It is detected that the left key of the direction button 108 has been pressed, and the arrangement of the individual condition column 240 is changed and displayed. The changed auto scene mode is displayed in the center icon 211b, a new beauty mode icon is displayed in the left icon 211a, and a program icon is displayed in the right icon 211c. The order of the three shooting modes follows the order of the shooting modes already described. In addition, the comment 245 is also displayed by switching from the introduction of the program mode to the content introducing the features of the auto scene mode.

  Since the auto scene mode is set as the shooting mode, the shooting condition column 210 under the individual condition column 240 displays shooting conditions that can be changed in the auto scene mode. In the auto scene mode, since the type of shooting scene is automatically determined and shooting conditions are set, conditions that can be changed by the photographer are reduced compared to the program mode.

  In this example, the three conditions of the flash emission condition, macro shooting switching, and self-timer are set to conditions that can be changed and set by the photographer's intention in the auto scene mode. An icon 212 indicating the auto strobe currently set in the second item from the top, an icon 213 indicating macro-off in the third item, and an icon 214 indicating self-timer off in the fourth item are displayed.

  The display order of each item in the shooting condition column is the same as the top three items in the previous program mode in the auto-scene mode. For this reason, the same condition is displayed in the same item, but this is not restrictive. Regardless of the shooting mode, it may be specified that the same condition (for example, the strobe lighting condition is always the second from the top) is displayed at the same position on the screen, or conversely, depending on the type of shooting mode For example, the display position may be changed as appropriate even under the same strobe conditions.

  If the photographer presses the menu button 110 on this screen, the operation content is detected by the operation accepting unit 11c, and the display of the shooting menu is erased from the screen by the display control unit 11b. Switch to. The icon 230 indicating the remaining battery capacity information and the display of the second imaging condition column 220 may be left.

  Further, in this example, in order to be able to directly check the change in image quality due to switching of the shooting conditions, each condition is switched by the shooting condition setting unit 11a immediately when the change operation by the operation of the direction button 108 is performed. However, it is not limited to this. For example, after the confirmation operation by the determination button 109, the photographing condition setting unit 11a may naturally switch each condition.

  FIG. 5 is a screen displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram for explaining an operation for changing and setting specific conditions in the shooting mode and the display thereof. The screen of FIG. 5 (1) is the screen of FIG. 3 (1), and the individual condition column 240 for the second condition is expanded and displayed when the down key of the direction button 108 is pressed once. Since the second condition is the strobe lighting condition, the three condition icons are displayed side by side in the individual condition column 240 including the other strobe lighting conditions centered on the currently set auto strobe. The

  There are four types of strobe light emission conditions: light emission prohibition, auto, red-eye prevention, and forced light emission, which are continuously displayed in a loop according to the operation of the left and right keys of the direction button 108. Here, the icons before and after the auto strobe are displayed under the four conditions. The left icon 211a is an icon indicating prohibition of light emission, the central icon 211b is an icon indicating auto flash, and the right icon is an icon 211c indicating red-eye prevention light emission.

  FIG. 5 (3) is a screen image when the right key of the direction button 108 is further pressed once from the state of FIG. 5 (2). When the photographer presses the right key of the direction button 108 once, an operation is detected by the operation reception unit 11c, and the red-eye prevention icon is moved to the center icon 211b of the individual condition column 240 by the display control unit 11b. An auto strobe icon is displayed on the right icon 211a, and a forced light emission icon is displayed on the left icon 211c. Then, the photographing condition setting unit 11a changes and sets the strobe emission condition to prevent red-eye. By this operation, the photographer can change and set the flash emission condition to prevent red-eye.

  That is, the photographer can change the setting to the desired condition by operating the left and right keys of the direction button 108 to display the icon of the desired strobe lighting condition at the center position of the individual condition column 240. Other specific conditions other than the flash emission conditions can be changed and set by the same operation.

  FIG. 6 is a screen that is displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram for explaining that the conditions that cannot be changed due to other condition settings in the individual condition column are displayed separately. As described so far, the imaging condition column includes a plurality of imaging conditions. For example, in the program mode, a plurality of shooting conditions such as a flash emission condition, a shooting distance condition, and a self-timer are prepared to be changeable. It should be noted that not all of these shooting conditions can be set independently. Depending on the shooting conditions, there may be cases where they conflict with each other. For example, the strobe cannot be used when the shooting distance is very close. In continuous shooting, strobe flashing is possible with low-speed continuous shooting, but red-eye prevention flash cannot be used. This is because red-eye prevention light emission is small continuous light emission for narrowing the pupil of a person in advance before exposure for photographing, so that it is difficult to execute it during continuous shooting.

  Therefore, among the items displayed as the individual conditions, the individual conditions that cannot be changed due to the contents of items other than the specific item are displayed separately from the individual conditions that can be changed. Like that.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a screen in which the program mode is set as the shooting mode. In this screen state, the screen shown in FIG. 3A differs from the screen shown in FIG. 3A in the item indicating the eighth drive condition from the top. It is displayed.

  In the screen of FIG. 6 (1), the screen in FIG. 6 (2) is the screen in which the direction button 108 is operated to select the strobe light emission condition and the individual condition column 240 regarding the strobe light emission condition is displayed.

  As described above, since red-eye prevention light emission cannot be selected during continuous shooting, only the icon 212c indicating the right red-eye light emission in the individual condition column 240 is displayed with a diagonal line in the background 250, and a condition that cannot be set. It is shown that. In this case, at the same time, an icon 218 indicating continuous shooting that causes the above may be displayed blinking.

In this way, the photographer can easily recognize a condition that cannot be set due to the influence of other specific conditions even if the condition should have been originally set in the selected shooting mode. it can. It also shows which conditions caused the restriction,
It is also easy to change the cause condition.

  FIG. 7 is a screen displayed on the display unit, and is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of live view images corresponding to a condition are displayed as an aid for changing and setting the individual condition. The shooting conditions are not only those that are easy to understand, such as the strobe lighting conditions, but there are shooting conditions that have a great influence on image quality, such as white balance and ISO sensitivity, but are not easy to explain in words. Furthermore, the effects of shooting conditions such as white balance and ISO sensitivity vary greatly depending on the subject, so it is difficult to determine the conditions without viewing the image.

  Therefore, in this example, when an individual condition row related to a specific shooting condition is selected, the image quality corresponding to the individual condition is set in combination with the individual conditions so as to represent a change in image quality due to the displayed individual condition. A plurality of live view images to be displayed are displayed side by side.

  In FIG. 7, when the shooting mode is the program mode, the white balance as the sixth item is selected, and the individual condition column 240 for white balance is displayed. Here, as the individual condition column 240, an icon 212 a indicating clear sky shooting toward the left, an icon 212 b indicating cloudy sky shooting at the center, and an icon 212 c indicating shooting under a light bulb toward the right are arranged.

  In addition, a live view image 201a image-processed with white balance for clear sky shooting, a live view image 201b image-processed with white balance for cloudy sky shooting, and a live view image processed with white balance for shooting under a light bulb 201c are arranged in the same order as the corresponding icons. Further, these live view images 201a, 201b, and 201c are displayed in a reduced size, and the left and right live view images 201a and 201c are further displayed with only part of the images. The left and right live view images 201a and 201c can be confirmed as a whole by scrolling left and right on the screen.

  Three different types of white balance processing are executed by the image processing unit 17 in accordance with an instruction from the photographing condition setting unit 11a. The display processing unit 18 performs live view image reduction processing and composition processing.

  As described above, appropriate conditions can be easily set by pre-presenting images that may be obtained in accordance with the presentation of individual conditions. Note that displaying a plurality of live view images in accordance with individual conditions as shown in FIG. 7 may be a matter that can be selected in advance on the menu screen by the photographer.

  FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are flowcharts for explaining the processing procedure regarding the change setting operation corresponding to the display of the photographing condition. These processes are mainly performed by the control unit 11 including the imaging condition setting unit 11a, the display control unit 11b, and the operation reception unit 11c. In the following description, the imaging condition setting unit 11a, the display control unit 11b, and the operation reception are performed. The processing by the unit 11c will also be described as processing by the control unit 11 collectively.

  FIG. 8 is a main flowchart of the processing procedure. Here, it is assumed that the digital camera 1 is turned on and set to the photographing mode. In the shooting mode, a live view image is displayed on the display unit 19 (step S11). In response to an instruction from the control unit 11, the image data captured by the imaging unit 15 is subjected to predetermined display processing by the image processing unit 17, and further, the display processing unit 18 performs resizing processing and icon superimposition processing to display the display unit. 19 is displayed as a live view image.

  Next, the control unit 11 determines whether an instruction to superimpose the shooting menu on the live view image is instructed (step S12). The control unit 11 determines an on / off instruction to display the shooting menu by operating the menu button 110. When the control unit 11 determines that the shooting menu display is off (step S12 NO), the control unit 11 jumps to step S14. If the control unit 11 determines that the shooting menu display is ON (step S12 YES), the control unit 11 proceeds to a shooting condition setting process subroutine of step S13.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a subroutine of the photographing condition setting process in step S13. First, the control unit 11 determines whether the up / down key operation (step S31) or the left / right key operation (step S32) of the direction button 108 has been performed. When the control unit 11 determines that no key operation is performed (upper step S31 NO, step S32 NO), the control unit 11 controls the display processing unit 18 to create a predetermined shooting menu under the current shooting conditions, and the created shooting. The menu is superimposed on the live view image and displayed on the screen of the display unit 19 (step S43). This is the screen shown in FIG. Then, it returns to step S14.

  Return to step 31. When determining that the up / down key operation of the direction button 108 has been performed (YES in step S31), the control unit 11 determines whether the condition selected by the up / down key operation is the shooting mode (step S33). When determining that the selected condition is the shooting mode (YES in step S33), the control unit 11 sets the shooting mode display in the individual condition sequence format (step S34), and proceeds to step S43. As described above, the control unit 11 creates a correspondingly changed shooting menu and displays the created shooting menu superimposed on the live view image (step S43). The screen is as shown in FIG. Then, the process returns to step 14.

  Returning to step S31, if the control unit 11 determines that the left / right key operation is performed instead of the up / down key operation of the direction button 108 (step S31 NO, step S32 YES), it is determined whether the condition selected by the operation is the shooting mode. Judgment is made (step S35).

  When determining that the selected condition is the shooting mode (YES in step S35), the control unit 11 switches to and sets the shooting condition row corresponding to the selected shooting mode (step S36). Then, it progresses to step S43 and the control part 11 produces the corresponding imaging | photography menu changed, and superimposes and displays the produced imaging | photography menu on a live view image (step S43). It is a screen as shown in FIG. Then, the process returns to step S14.

  When the shooting condition selected by the up / down key operation is not in the shooting mode, that is, when the specific condition is satisfied (step S33 NO), or when the left / right key operation is performed under the same specific condition (step S35 NO), The process proceeds to step S37.

  The control unit 11 determines whether the individual condition of the selected shooting condition includes an individual condition that cannot be changed by other conditions (step S37). When it is determined that there is an individual condition that cannot be changed (step S37 YES), the control unit 11 instructs the individual condition that cannot be changed (step S38). For example, as described with reference to FIG. 6, a strobe when the shooting distance is very close, and red-eye prevention light emission during high-speed continuous shooting. If the control unit 11 determines that there is no individual condition that has not been changed (step S37 NO), the control unit 11 jumps to step S38.

  The control unit 11 sets the display form of the individual condition row of the selected shooting condition in consideration of the presence or absence of the individual condition that cannot be changed (step S39).

  Next, the control unit 11 determines whether to display a plurality of live view images corresponding to the individual condition sequence as shown in FIG. Therefore, the control unit 11 determines whether the selected shooting condition directly relates to image quality (step S40) or whether the selected shooting condition is in a mode in which a plurality of corresponding live view images are displayed (step S41). To do.

  When the selected shooting condition does not directly relate to the image quality (step S40 NO) or is not in a mode in which a plurality of corresponding live view images are displayed (NO in step S41), Step S42 is jumped to and proceeds to step S43. In step S43, the control unit 11 displays the correspondingly changed shooting menu superimposed on the live view image (step S43). For example, the screen is as shown in FIGS. 5 (1) and (2). Then, the process returns to step S14.

  On the other hand, the control unit 11 determines that the selected shooting condition is directly related to the image quality (YES in step S40) and is in a mode in which a plurality of corresponding live view images are displayed (YES in step S41). Then, go to step 42. The control unit 11 instructs the image processing unit 17 to create a plurality of live view images corresponding to the individual conditions selected and displayed (step S42).

  Further, the control unit 11 performs a reduction process on a plurality of live view images created, and displays a correspondingly changed shooting menu on a screen obtained by combining the plurality of live view images (step S43). . It is a screen as shown in FIG. Then, the process returns to step S14.

  Returning to FIG. The control unit 11 determines several interrupt operations after step S14 after the photographing condition setting process described with reference to FIG. First, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a release operation has been performed with the release button 105 (step S14). If it is determined that a release operation has been performed (YES in step S14), a photographing process is performed (step S15). The photographing process is a process of recording photographed image data in the image storage unit 22 by the imaging unit 15, the image processing unit 17, the compression / decompression unit 20, and the recording / reproducing unit 21 according to the set photographing conditions.

  When the control unit 11 determines that the release operation is not performed (NO in step S14), the control unit 11 jumps to step S15 and proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the shooting / playback switching operation has been performed by the shooting / playback switching button 107b. When determining that the photographing / reproducing switching operation has not been performed (NO in step S16), the control unit 11 determines whether the power-off operation has been performed by the power button 107a. When it is determined that the power-off operation has been performed (YES in step S17), the control unit 11 performs a power-off process and stops the camera.

  If the control unit 11 determines in step S16 that the operation for switching to the reproduction mode has been performed, the control unit 11 performs a process of shifting to the reproduction mode (step S18). The control unit 11 determines a power-off operation in the playback mode (step S19), and if it is determined that the power-off operation has been performed (YES in step S19), performs a power-off process and stops the camera.

  If the control unit 11 determines that the power-off operation is not performed in step S19 (NO in step S19), the control unit 11 returns to step S16, determines whether the shooting / playback switching operation is performed, and loops steps S16, 18, and 19. On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines in step S17 that the power-off operation is not performed (NO in step S17), the control unit 11 returns to step S12 and loops after step S12.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the shooting conditions corresponding to the shooting mode are vertically displayed as a shooting menu on the live view image, and the items selected therein (shooting conditions corresponding to the shooting mode) are as follows. The individual conditions that can be set are displayed side by side in the column of the selected item, and the displayed individual conditions are selected to change the shooting mode or the corresponding shooting condition.

  Conventional shooting conditions are such that the main shooting conditions are superimposed on the live view image, and the detailed conditions are switched on another menu screen. This is because there are many types of shooting conditions that can be set, so if they are superimposed and displayed on the live view image as they are, it will interfere with the visual recognition of the subject. For this reason, switching the shooting conditions requires switching between the live view image screen and the menu screen, which is inconvenient.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the individual condition columns of only the shooting conditions selected from the displayed shooting conditions are displayed so as to intersect, the selection operation is also smooth. Therefore, it is difficult to disturb the live view image. It should be noted that the shooting condition sequence may be displayed horizontally and the individual condition sequence displayed vertically.

  Furthermore, since only a certain number of conditions are displayed as the individual condition row, it is difficult to disturb the live view image. In addition, when there is a condition that cannot be changed, it is displayed so that the specific condition is clearly indicated, so that it is easy to use.

  In addition, when shooting conditions that directly affect image quality are selected, multiple live view images that reflect the individual conditions are displayed in an array corresponding to the arrangement of the individual conditions. The selection can be made more accurately.

    The control unit 11 reads out and executes the operation control program stored in the program data storage unit 12, thereby realizing the shooting condition setting process. Is also the present invention. A recording medium on which such a control program is recorded is also the present invention. The recording medium for storing the program is not limited to a flash memory, but an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, a magnetic recording medium such as an MD, a tape medium, or a semiconductor memory such as an IC card. It may be.

  In the present embodiment, the execution of processing has been described as a combination of software processing and hardware processing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the combination is a matter of choice.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the photographing condition setting device is applied to the digital camera 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is applied to a camera unit of a personal computer, a camera unit of a mobile phone, a movie camera, or the like. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 11 ... Control part, 11a ... Shooting condition setting part, 11b ... Display control part, 11c ... Operation reception part, 12 ... Program data storage part, 13 ... Button operation part, 15 ... Imaging part, 16 ... SDRAM, 17 ... Image processing unit, 18 ... Display processing unit, 19 ... Display unit, 20 ... Compression / decompression unit, 21 ... Recording / playback unit, 22 ... Image storage unit, 25 ... Bus line, 101 ... Back side, 105 ... Release button, 106 ... Zoom button, 107a ... Power button, 107b ... Shooting / playback switching button, 108 ... Direction button, 109 ... Enter button, 110 ... Menu button 210 ... shooting condition column, 220 ... second shooting condition column, 240 ... individual condition column

Claims (4)

In the shooting condition setting device in which a plurality of shooting modes for setting shooting conditions in a batch are prepared and the shooting conditions are set according to the selected shooting mode.
A display control unit for displaying shooting conditions including the type of shooting mode and specific conditions in the shooting mode;
An operation accepting unit that accepts a photographer's input operation with respect to the shooting conditions displayed;
A shooting condition setting unit configured to change and set the shooting condition based on the input operation; and the display control unit displays the shooting condition side by side as a shooting condition column, and is specified by the input operation in the shooting condition column. When the shooting conditions are selected, the individual conditions prepared in the specific shooting conditions are arranged in a direction intersecting the shooting condition column and displayed as an individual condition column. apparatus. When displaying the individual condition row, the display control unit can change and set individual conditions that cannot be changed by setting shooting conditions other than the shooting conditions targeted by the individual condition row. 2. The photographing condition setting device according to claim 1, wherein the photographing condition setting device is displayed separately from individual conditions. The display control unit displays a plurality of live view images representing images obtained when the individual conditions are set together with the individual conditions.
The imaging condition setting device according to claim 1, wherein: A program for use in a shooting condition setting device for setting shooting conditions according to a selected shooting mode in which a plurality of shooting modes for collectively setting shooting conditions are prepared. In a program for controlling display of shooting conditions including specific conditions in the shooting mode,
Displaying the above shooting conditions side by side as a shooting condition column;
Detecting that a specific shooting condition is selected by an input operation in the shooting condition row;
A program comprising: a step of displaying individual conditions prepared in the specific shooting condition when they are detected, arranged in a direction intersecting the shooting condition string and displayed as an individual condition string.