Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Shinji Imada

Hiroyuki Kimura

Takashi Watanabe

Shigeki Sato

Yasuhiko Shiomi

Goro Noto

A control apparatus includes an image stabilization controller configured to control an image stabilization of an optical apparatus by driving an image stabilizer, and a calculator configured to calculate a follow shot angular velocity for following an object based on an output from a shake detector configured to detect a shake applied to the optical apparatus and an output from a motion vector detector configured to detect a motion vector representing motion of the object. The image stabilization controller determines whether to drive the image stabilizer depending on a difference between the follow shot angular velocity and an angular velocity of the optical apparatus acquired based on the output from the shake detector.

Control apparatus, optical apparatus, and lens apparatus

An optical apparatus includes a blurring detection unit configured to detect image blurring applied to the optical apparatus; and a motion vector calculation unit configured to calculate a motion vector among a plurality of images shot by the optical apparatus. Image blurring is corrected in accordance with a signal obtained from blurring detected by the blurring detection unit; the motion vector is calculated using a correction result of the image blurring; and the image blurring is further corrected using the calculated motion vector.

Optical apparatus, interchangeable lens, and method for correcting image blurring

An interchangeable lens includes an image stabilizing unit, a position detector configured to detect a position of the correction lens, and a controller configured to set a movable range of the correction lens, when the interchangeable lens is mounted on a first camera body having a function of correcting at least one of a peripheral brightness and an aberration of a picked-up image according to position information of the correction lens, the controller sets the movable range of the correction lens to a first movable range, and when the interchangeable lens is mounted on a second camera body not having a function of correcting the peripheral brightness or the aberration of the picked-up image according to the position information of the correction lens, the controller sets the movable range of the correction lens to a second movable range that is narrower than the first movable range.

Interchangeable lens and camera system having the same

The optical image stabilizer sets a movable amount of an image stabilizing element to a first movable amount when a detection signal from a shake detector does not exceed a first value. The stabilizer sets the movable amount to a second movable amount when the signal exceeds the first value and then exceeds, without exceeding a second value, a third value within a first period of time, sets the movable amount to a third movable amount when the signal exceeds the first value and then does not exceed the second and third values, sets the movable amount to the second movable amount when the signal exceeds the first value, then exceeds the second value and thereafter exceeds a fourth value, and sets the movable amount to the third movable amount when the signal exceeds the first value and then exceeds the second value without exceeding the fourth value.

Optical image stabilizer and optical apparatus

An optical device includes a shooting optical system including an AF lens, an AF lens driving apparatus for driving the AF lens, a detection unit for detecting a defocus amount corresponding to a difference between an image pickup position of an object and an imaging position of the object which is formed by the shooting optical system, and a control unit for drive-controlling the AF lens driving apparatus to reduce the defocus amount. The control unit detects a shooting magnification of the shooting optical system and changes a method of controlling the AF lens driving apparatus to reduce the defocus amount based on the shooting magnification.

Image pickup apparatus

An optical apparatus includes a shake detection unit to detect shaking applied to a camera; an image blur correction driving unit for driving a lens and correcting image blur caused by the shaking; and a selection unit configured to select whether correction of image blur is to be permitted or inhibited. If image blur correction is permitted, the image blur correction driving unit operates in accordance with a first driving characteristic. If image blur correction is inhibited, the image blur correction driving unit holds the lens near an optical axis in accordance with a second driving characteristic.

Optical apparatus including image blur correction device

An optical apparatus detects the moving velocity of a main object on an imaging plane and computes the moving velocity of the main object on the basis of the difference between the detected moving velocity on the imaging plane and the velocity of a panning shot captured by a user. During exposure, the optical apparatus detects the difference between the computed moving velocity of the main object and the panning-shot velocity, that is, an error of the panning-shot velocity, and decenters the optical axis of an imaging lens so as to correct the error, thereby enabling the user to capture a satisfactory panning shot.

Imaging apparatus

The present invention provides a camera system which is provided with signal processing control means for changing the filter characteristic of parallel vibration signal processing means in conformity with the output signal of rotation vibration signal processing means and thereby can photograph an image suffering little from blur even during macro-photographing.

Image pickup apparatus, camera main body thereof and interchangeable lens

A camera system includes a plurality of interchangeable lenses, each of which has an optical image stabilization unit for correcting image blurring, and a camera body. The camera body provides a shooting mode in which a set exposure time period is divided into a plurality of short exposure periods and images captured during the short exposure periods are combined while an image positional shift among the images is corrected. The short exposure period depends on the interchangeable lens mounted on the camera body.

Camera system, image capturing apparatus, and a method of an image capturing apparatus

An image-pickup apparatus which improves the S/N ratio of an image-pickup system, prevents image blur and saturation of signals from an image-pickup device, and enables taking an excellent image, is disclosed. The camera of the invention which takes images through an image-taking optical system having a shake correction unit which drives a part of an image-taking optical system to correct image blur caused by camera shake and includes an image-pickup device which photoelectrically converts an object image formed by the image-taking optical system and a control circuit which controls operations of the camera, wherein the control circuit changes the sensitivity and the exposure time of the image-pickup device whether the shake correction unit is in operation or not.

Camera and camera system capable of changing gain value and exposure time

An optical apparatus is disclosed, which includes a vibration detection unit which detects vibrations, a signal processing unit which performs signal processing for the vibration detection signal output from the vibration detection unit, a vibration correction unit which corrects an image movement caused by the vibration, on the basis of the drive signal output from the signal processing unit, and a controller which controls the drive of the vibration correction unit. The controller corrects the drive signal from the signal processing unit by using a predetermined correction value corresponding to the driven state of the vibration correction unit, and controls drive of the vibration correction unit by using the corrected drive signal.

Vibration correction apparatus, lens apparatus, and optical apparatus

A device for use in a camera system including a camera, an optical characteristics modifying converter, and an optical assembly having an image stabilizing unit for stabilizing an image in response to the output of a vibration sensor for detecting a shake in an apparatus includes activating means for activating the stabilization operation by the image stabilizing unit in response to a predetermined operation in a predetermined operation portion of the camera, a determining means for determining whether an optical characteristics modifying converter without image stabilization function is incorporated in the camera system, and decision means for deciding whether to perform an activating operation by the activating means based on a determination by the determining means. The operation of a image stabilizing unit is determined by the incorporation of the converter.

Image stabilization control device for use in camera system optionally including optical characteristics modifying converter

A vibration preventing apparatus and an image pickup apparatus such as a camera which have a vibration correction lens driven on the basis of the output of vibration detecting means for detecting the vibration of the camera and for correcting the vibration, and a plurality of resilient members for positioning the vibration correction lens at the correction center, and changes the correction center in conformity with the exposure time and/or the focal length of the camera to thereby mitigate the resonance with the frequency of the vibration.

Image blur correction apparatus and image pickup apparatus with the image blur correction apparatus

A control device for an image blur correction which is applied to an image blur correction device that conducts image blur correcting operation in response to a signal corresponding to an output of a vibration detection sensor, includes a support state judging device for judging whether the device is in a predetermined support state or not, in accordance with the signal corresponding to the output of the vibration detection sensor, an operation state control device for changing the operating state of the image blur correction device in response to the judgment result by the support state judging means so as to set the operating state to a first state in which the image blur correction device does not conduct the given image blur correcting operation when the support state judging device judges that the device is in the predetermined support state, and to set the operating state to a second state in which the image blur correction device conducts the given image blur correcting operation in response to a judgement by the support state judging device that the device is released from the predetermined support state and a regulating device for regulating the shift of the state from the first state to the second state, when the predetermined operation of the camera starts, in response to a judgement by the support state judging device, which is responsive to the judgement by the support state judging device that the device is released from the predetermined support state.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Shinji Imada