JP2006184814A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an imaging apparatus which has a flash light emitting part 6 near an imaging lens 4 and is constituted so that a conversion lens 60, for example, can be attached to the front of the imaging lens 4 as a lens accessory, and which prevents vignetting or the like at the time of photographing occurring because photography with flash light is performed in a state where the conversion lens 60 is attached. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus 1 is provided with a detection means 70a detecting a state where the conversion lens 60 is attached. At the time of photographing in a state where the detection means 70a detects that the the conversion lens 60 is attached, the flash light emitting part 6 does not emit light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus in which a lens accessory such as a conversion lens can be attached.

  Some imaging devices such as a video camera can be equipped with a lens accessory such as a conversion lens. Such lens accessories include a wide-angle conversion lens for wide-angle shooting, a tele-conversion lens for telephoto shooting, a filter, and the like, and are mounted in front of the imaging lens as necessary for shooting.

As an image pickup apparatus in which such a lens accessory can be mounted, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
JP 10-48737 A

  Here, since the lens accessory is generally formed to be larger than the imaging lens, when performing flash photography at night or the like with an imaging device equipped with this lens accessory, in the imaging device having a flash light emitting unit in the vicinity of the imaging lens, The lens accessory in front of the flash unit blocks the flash light, causing a shooting failure called vignetting on the shot image, and the temperature of the part of the lens accessory that is exposed to the flash light rises and generates heat. Arise.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an imaging apparatus that cannot perform flash photography with a lens accessory attached, and solves the above-described problems.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus having a light emitting means in the vicinity of an imaging lens and capable of mounting a lens accessory in front of the imaging lens.
A detecting means for detecting a state in which the lens accessory is mounted;
At the time of photographing in a state in which the attachment of the lens accessory is detected by the detection means, the light emission of the light emission means is stopped.

The present invention also provides an imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration.
As the detection means, a push type detection switch that is operated by being pushed by the lens accessory when the lens accessory is mounted is used.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus having the above configuration.
A warning message is displayed on the display unit at the same time as the light emission of the light emitting means is stopped.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus having the above configuration.
A warning sound is emitted at the same time as the light emission of the light emitting means is stopped.

  In the imaging apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, a detection unit that detects a state in which a lens accessory such as a conversion lens is mounted is provided, and when shooting in a state in which the mounting of the lens accessory is detected by the detection unit, By stopping the light emission of the light emitting means, photographing without a flash is performed when the lens accessory is attached, and as a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of photographing failure called vignetting and the heat generation of the lens accessory.

  Furthermore, in the imaging apparatus of the present invention, when the lens accessory is attached, the light emission of the light emitting means is stopped and at the same time a warning message is displayed on the display unit, and further a warning sound is emitted, so that the lens accessory is attached. The photographer can be surely notified that the flash photography cannot be performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this example, a VTR integrated video camera will be described as an example of an imaging apparatus that is an electronic device.
First, an outline of the imaging apparatus of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the image pickup apparatus of the present example is held by hand, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image pickup apparatus viewed from the front side, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image pickup apparatus viewed from the back side, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the panel monitor is used, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cassette housing portion of the image pickup apparatus is opened, and FIG. 7 is an image pickup apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the state which inserts a memory card in.

The image pickup apparatus of this example is a video camera device having a function of recording and reproducing a captured moving image on a tape cassette, and further having a function of recording and reproducing a still image on a memory card.
The image pickup apparatus 1 has an image pickup unit 3 that protrudes above the front surface 2a of the camera body 2 and holds the camera body 2 vertically with one hand (right hand) as shown in FIG. Photographing is performed with the front imaging lens 4 facing the front subject. An image incident on the imaging unit 3 from the imaging lens 4 is converted into an image signal by an imaging element built in the camera body 2 and recorded in a tape cassette or a memory card.

  In this imaging unit 3, the imaging lens 4 is normally covered with a lens shutter 5 as shown in FIG. 2, and when the imaging mode is entered, the lens shutter 5 is opened and the imaging lens 4 is exposed. Yes. Further, a flash light emitting unit 6 is provided on the front surface of the image pickup unit 3 above the image pickup lens 4, and flash light is directed from the flash light emitting unit 6 toward a subject in front during night shooting in the still image shooting mode. Is emitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a viewfinder unit 7 is provided on the opposite side of the imaging unit 3 and on the upper part of the back surface 2 d of the camera body 2. The viewfinder unit 7 is for viewing a photographed image or a reproduced image through a small liquid crystal display screen built in the camera body 2 from a window unit 8 on the back side. The eye cup 9 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, a focus adjustment knob 10 is provided below the eye cup 9. By sliding the focus adjustment knob 10, the focus when viewing the built-in display screen from the window portion 8 can be adjusted. It can be adjusted.

  Furthermore, in the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example, as shown in FIG. 5, a panel monitor 12 having a large liquid crystal display screen 13 is provided as means for viewing an image outside the camera body 2. The panel monitor 12 is attached to the left side surface 2b of the camera body 2 through the connecting member 14 so as to be openable and closable so as to rotate about two axes orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis. When in use, the camera is closed so as to be folded vertically along the left side surface 2b of the camera body 2 with the display screen 13 inside as shown in FIG. When the panel monitor 12 is used, as shown in FIG. 4, the panel monitor 12 is rotated 90 degrees so that the panel monitor 12 is pulled up to a horizontal position with the X axis as a pivot, and then the Y axis is further pivoted. As shown in FIG. 5, the display screen 13 is turned to the user side as shown in FIG.

  In this imaging apparatus 1, the panel monitor 12 is urged so as to be always kept in a folded state by a toggle mechanism incorporated in the mounting portion, and when the panel monitor 12 is opened horizontally, It is designed to be held stably at an angle.

  A grip belt 16 for holding the camera body 2 in a stable state is provided below the right side face 2c opposite to the left side face 2b of the camera body 2 where the panel monitor 12 is provided. The blip belt 16 includes a strap belt 19 attached between a fixing portion 17 on the rear surface 2d of the camera body 2 and an attachment portion 18 on the front surface 2a side, and an upper pad 20 attached to the strap belt 19. As shown in FIG. 1, by holding the camera body 2 with the right hand between the grip belt 16 and the camera body 2, the back side of the hand is held by the grip belt 16 and the camera body 2 is stabilized. It can be held in the state.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example, the operation unit is provided at a position where the camera body 2 can be operated with the fingertip of the hand while holding the camera body 2 with the right hand as described above. As shown in FIG. 3, an operation unit 22 provided on the rear surface 2d of the camera body 2 includes a slide switch 23 for power on / off and operation mode switching, a slide switch 24 for unlocking the opening / closing lid, a recording button 25, A screen display switching button 26, a backlight correction button 27, a flash emission mode switching button 28, and a simple shooting mode setting button 29 are provided. These switches 23, 24 and buttons 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 are shown in FIG. Thus, the camera body 2 can be operated with the fingertip of the thumb while being held by hand.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 31 provided in front of the upper part of the right side surface 2c of the camera body 2 includes a slide switch 32 for zoom operation during shooting and a shutter button 33 for shooting still images. The switch 32 and the button 33 can be operated with the fingertip of the index finger while the camera body 2 is held by hand as shown in FIG.

  Further, in the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example, the operation unit 35 provided in the front part of the left side surface 2b of the camera body 2 has a switching button 36 and an adjustment dial 37 for performing manual adjustment at the time of shooting. The panel monitor 12 is provided with a recording button 39, a zoom operation button 40 during shooting, and a screen display size change button 41 below the display screen 13. The switching button 36 and the adjustment dial 37 of the operation unit 35 and the buttons 39, 40, and 41 of the panel monitor 12 are operated by the fingertip of the left hand opposite to the right hand holding the camera body 2.

  Furthermore, a microphone unit 43 and an accessory mounting unit 45 are provided on the upper surface 2 e of the camera body 2. A number of sound holes are formed in the microphone unit 43, and sound is recorded by the microphones built in the camera body 2 through the sound holes. The accessory attaching portion 45 is covered with a cover 46, and when the cover 46 is removed, shoes for attaching various accessories are exposed. Further, the bottom surface 2f of the camera body 2 is provided with a connector 48 for electrically connecting the imaging device to the attached cradle device and a screw hole 49 for attaching to the tripod.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 of this example, as shown in FIG. 6, the housing from the right side surface 2 c to the back surface 2 d of the camera body 2 is an opening / closing lid 50, and this opening / closing is performed when the slide switch 24 of the operation unit 22 is operated. The lid 50 is unlocked and can be freely opened and closed. When the opening / closing lid 50 is opened, the cassette storage unit 51 inside the camera body 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 6, and a tape cassette as a recording medium is mounted on the cassette mounting device 52 provided in the cassette storage unit 51. . The cassette mounting device 52 includes a cassette holder 53. When the opening / closing lid 50 is opened, the cassette mounting device 52 is pushed out of the cassette housing 51 to open the cassette holder 53, and after the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette holder 53 in this state. When the cassette holder 53 is pushed and closed, the cassette mounting device 52 is pulled into the cassette housing 51 and operates so that the tape cassette is loaded at a predetermined mounting position. Then, by closing the opening / closing lid 50 in a state where the loading of the tape cassette is completed as described above, the recording / reproducing with respect to the tape cassette becomes possible.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the memory card 55 for recording a still image is inserted into a card slot 56 provided below the viewfinder portion 7 on the back surface 2d of the camera body 2, and this card. Recording / reproduction with respect to the memory card 55 is performed in a state where the memory card 55 is loaded in the slot 56.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 of this example, the driving battery is built in the camera body 2. The battery storage portion is provided in the opening / closing lid 50, and a cover 58 for closing the battery storage portion is provided in the lower portion of the opening / closing lid 50, and the battery can be replaced by removing the cover 58. Yes.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example configured as described above, a conversion lens 60 can be attached as a lens accessory to the imaging unit 3 on the front surface of the camera body 2 as shown in FIG. Examples of the conversion lens 60 include a wide-angle conversion lens for wide-angle shooting, a tele-conversion lens for telephoto shooting, and the like.

  The conversion lens 60 is fixed to the camera body 2 with a screw. That is, in the imaging unit 3 on the front surface of the camera body 2, a portion around the imaging lens 4 is a circular recess 62, and a female screw part 63 is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The screw portion 61 is turned and screwed.

  If the size of the male screw portion 61 of the conversion lens 60 and the size of the female screw portion 63 of the camera body 2 do not match, the conversion lens 60 is attached to the camera body 2 via the adapter ring 65 as shown in FIG. That is, the adapter ring 65 has a female screw portion 66 corresponding to the male screw portion 61 of the conversion lens 60 on the front side and a male screw portion 67 corresponding to the female screw portion 63 of the camera body 2 on the rear side. Thus, the male screw portion 61 of the conversion lens 60 is screwed to the female screw portion 66 of the adapter ring 65, and the male screw portion 67 of the adapter ring 65 is screwed to the female screw portion 63 of the camera body 2. Thus, the conversion lens 60 is attached to the camera body 2. Here, this adapter ring 65 is also included in the conversion lens.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example, shooting with the conversion lens 60 attached as described above is limited to the normal shooting mode and does not correspond to the flash shooting mode. That is, when flash photography is performed by causing the flash light emitting unit 6 to emit light with the conversion lens 60 mounted, the flash light is blocked by the conversion lens 60 in front of the flash light emitting unit 6 and the photographed image is called vignetting. There is a concern that a defect occurs and the temperature of a part of the conversion lens 60 to which flash light hits rises to generate heat.

  For this reason, in the imaging apparatus 1 of this example, a detection unit that detects a state in which the conversion lens 60 is mounted is provided so that the flash light emitting unit 6 does not emit light when the conversion lens 60 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the camera body 2 includes a push-type detection switch 70 as a detection means, and the operation piece 70 a faces the female screw portion 63 and is exposed in the recess 62. 10A shows a state before the conversion lens is mounted, and FIG. 10B shows a state after the conversion lens is mounted. When the conversion lens 60 is mounted, the male screw portion of the conversion lens 60 screwed to the female screw portion 63 The operation piece 70a of the detection switch 70 is pushed and operated at the end face 61, and thereby the detection switch 70 is turned on and the attachment of the conversion lens 60 is detected.

  Here, in particular, in the imaging apparatus 1 of the present example, by using the push-type detection switch 70 as the detection means for detecting the mounting of the conversion lens 60, the mounting of the conversion lens 60 can be reliably detected with a simple configuration. it can.

  Based on the detection signal from the detection switch 70, the controller (microprocessor) built in the camera body 2 performs control so as to stop the light emission of the flash light emitting unit 6. A control flow by this controller is shown in FIG. That is, when the shutter button 33 is pressed in the flash photographing mode in the imaging apparatus 1 of this example, first, it is determined whether or not the detection switch 70 for detecting the conversion lens 60 is on (step S1), and the detection switch 70 is turned on. If it is off, the flash light emitting unit 6 is caused to emit light (step S2). On the other hand, if the detection switch 70 is on, the flash emission unit 6 stops emitting light (step S3), and at the same time, a warning message is displayed on the display screen 13 of the panel monitor 12 (step S4). A warning sound is generated from the sound generating part built in the main body 2 (step S5).

  FIG. 12 shows a display example of a warning message. That is, in this example, a message 72 “The lens accessory is attached and cannot emit light” is displayed in the center of the display screen 13 of the panel monitor 12, and a mark indicating that light emission is disabled is displayed at the corner of the display screen 13. 73 is displayed.

  As described above, in the imaging apparatus 1 of this example, the detection switch 70 that detects the state in which the conversion lens 60 is mounted is provided. Based on the detection signal from the detection switch 70, the flash light emitting unit 6 is mounted when the conversion lens 60 is mounted. By controlling so that no light is emitted, shooting is performed without a flash when the conversion lens 60 is mounted. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of shooting defects called vignetting and heat generation of the conversion lens 60. it can.

  Further, in the image pickup apparatus 1 of this example, when the conversion lens 60 is mounted, the flash emission unit 6 stops emitting light, and at the same time, a warning message is displayed on the display screen 13 of the panel monitor 12 and a warning sound is emitted. Thus, it is possible to reliably notify the photographer that flash photography cannot be performed with the conversion lens 60 attached.

  In the above embodiment, the push type detection switch 70 is used as the detection unit for detecting the attachment of the conversion lens 60. However, the detection unit is not limited to the push type detection switch. An optical sensor or the like may be used.

  Further, in the configuration of each other part, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the example, and it goes without saying that various embodiments can be adopted.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which hold | gripped the imaging device of the Example by hand. It is the perspective view which looked at the imaging device from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the imaging device from the back side. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the panel monitor of the imaging device. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the panel monitor of an imaging device. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the cassette storage part of the imaging device. It is a perspective view which shows the state which inserts a memory card in an imaging device. It is a perspective view which shows the structure which attaches a conversion lens to an imaging device. It is a perspective view which shows the structure which attaches a conversion lens to an imaging device via an adapter ring. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing a configuration of a detection unit that detects the mounting of a conversion lens in the imaging apparatus, where (A) shows a state before the conversion lens is mounted, and (B) shows a state after the conversion lens is mounted. It is a flowchart of the control relevant to mounting | wearing of a conversion lens. It is a display example of a warning message when a conversion lens is attached.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging device, 2 ... Camera body, 4 ... Imaging lens, 6 ... Flash light emission part, 60 ... Conversion lens (lens accessory), 70 ... Detection switch (detection means)

Claims (4)

In an imaging apparatus having a light emitting means in the vicinity of the imaging lens and capable of mounting a lens accessory in front of the imaging lens,
A detecting means for detecting a state in which the lens accessory is mounted;
An image pickup apparatus characterized in that the light emission of the light emitting means is stopped at the time of photographing in a state where the attachment of the lens accessory is detected by the detecting means. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a push-type detection switch that is operated by being pushed by the lens accessory when the lens accessory is attached. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An imaging apparatus characterized in that a warning message is displayed on the display unit at the same time as the light emission of the light emitting means is stopped. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An image pickup apparatus characterized in that a warning sound is emitted simultaneously with stopping light emission of the light emitting means.

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