Minolta Company, Ltd.

Motoshi Yamaguchi

Tsutomu Ichikawa

Hiroshi Ueda

Shigeto Ohmori

Ichiro Tsujimura

Akio Nakamaru

Akihiko Fujino

Reiji Seki

Norihiko Akamatsu

Koutaro Kawabe

Tatsuya Suzuki

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Jun Minakuti

Masahito Niikawa

Yasushi Hasegawa

Atsuhisa Ohno

Keizo Kioku

In a digital cameraan interchangeable lensis attachable to a camera bodyand a lens ROMis provided in the interchangeable lensIn the lens ROMan ICC profile which is color compensate information particular to the interchangeable lensis recorded. When photographing is performed with the interchangeable lensattached, the ICC profile is associated with the obtained image data. Consequently, color compensate information can be set for each kind of interchangeable lens, so that color compensation reflecting the characteristic of the interchangeable lens can be appropriately performed on the image data.

Camera body and interchangeable lens of a digital camera with image-dependent color compensation

A photographing apparatus with a simple mechanism in which an AF sensor is employed as a light adjusting sensor. The apparatus includes a multi-AF sensor having a plurality of detecting areas for receiving light passing through a photographing lens, an AF controller for determining a focus area based upon signals outputted from the multi-AF sensor, and a light emitter for projecting light towards an object to be photographed. Prior to a main flash emission, the light emitter emits light preliminarily. On the basis of signals which are outputted from the detecting areas of the multi-AF sensor and which correspond to a reflected light from the object at time of emitting the preliminary flash light, a suitable area which outputs a suitable signal for photography is selected. On the basis of the signal of the suitable area thus selected, the amount of light of the main flash emission is determined.

Camera having control device for flash photography and its control method

In a camera having an automatic flash light control system, a quantity of flash light illuminating an object is restricted by a value as an upper limit or a lower limit which is calculated by a distance to the object and an aperture value of a taking lens. When there is any factor for affecting the calculation of the value such as a high reflectance of the object, a specific lens system of the taking lens and a position of the flashing unit with respect to the camera, the limit value is compensated or the restriction by the value is release. When the flash light control has completed, the flash light control mode is distinguished by indication manner corresponding to the result of the actual flash light control.

Camera

An automatic-focusing camera is provided with a multiple-point distance-measurement device having a plurality of distance-measurement areas, a multiple-division photometry device having a plurality of photometry areas, and a multiple-division light-amount-control device having a plurality of light-amount-control areas. Part of the photometry areas and part of the light-amount-control areas correspond to the distance-measurement areas. When a taking lens is focused on a subject, its focus is locked. Out of the information obtained from the multiple-point distance-measurement device, a set of information obtained when the focus of the taking lens is locked is compared with a set of information obtained immediately before a shot is taken, and thereby a change in picture composition after the locking of the taking lens focus is detected. This makes it possible to achieve exposure control in ambient-light shooting and light amount control in flash shooting in accordance with a change in picture composition. Based on the information obtained from the multiple-point distance-measurement device, the subject and the background are identified, and, in accordance with the distribution of the subject and the background, the reference value to be used to stop emission of illumination light and the contribution ratios of the individual light-amount-control areas relative to the total amount of light received are determined to achieve light amount control in flash shooting.

Automatic focusing camera

A camera is provided with a distance measurement device having a plurality of distance measurement regions and outputting distance measurement information of each distance measurement region, a light adjustment device having a plurality of light adjustment regions including regions substantially coinciding with the distance measurement regions, and an auxiliary light emitting device for emitting auxiliary light in distance measurement. The auxiliary light emitting device emits auxiliary light when low contrast is detected in at least one of the plurality of distance measurement regions. When auxiliary light is emitted, the flash light emission quantity is controlled based on the distance measurement information in auxiliary light emission and an output from the light adjustment device.

A mechanism, of a camera, to let a light adjustment operation for a flash light be performed with a higher precision in a shorter time. The mechanism includes: a first device for taking an image of a region to be photographed and for outputting image process information; a second device for detecting a main subject region and for detecting a background region on the basis of the image process information, in which the second device outputs main subject information upon the main subject region thus detected and outputs background information upon the background region thus detected; a third device for calculating a compensation value for light adjustment on the basis of the main subject information and on the basis of the background information; and a fourth device for controlling an amount of flash light emission at time of taking a photograph with an emission of the flash light on the basis of the compensation value for light adjustment.

Mechanism for controlling flash light emission, camera with the mechanism, and its control method

A mechanism, of a camera, to let an exposure operation be performed with a higher precision in a shorter time. The mechanism includes: a first device for taking an image of a region to be photographed and for outputting image information; a second device for detecting a subject region on the basis of the image information and for outputting subject region information; a third device for outputting a plurality of photometric values relative to a plurality of divided photometric regions; a fourth device for selecting and outtputting at least one of the photometric values which are output from the third device, on the basis of the subject region information; and a fifth device for calculating an optimal exposure value on the basis of the at least one, selected by the fourth device, of the photometric values.

Exposure operation mechanism of camera

A camera system includes a camera device and a flash device. The camera device has a first mode where a control aperture value and a control shutter speed are automatically determined; and a second mode where the operator is allowed to determine either a control aperture value or a control shutter speed. The flash device is capable of emitting an instantaneous flash light and a prolonged flash light. The camera device includes a distance calculator operable to calculate a distance to an object and a light intensity calculator operable to calculate an intensity of a prolonged flash light for flash photography based on the calculated distance, a focal plane shutter having a front blind and a rear blind, and a controller operable to render the flash device emit a prolonged flash light at the calculated intensity from the start of travel of the front blind to the finish of travel of the rear blind.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Motoshi Yamaguchi