Nikon Corporation

Takao Ikuma

Koichiro Kawamura

Satoshi Ejima

Tadashi Ota

An electronic camera records files of photographed images in such a manner that files of images photographed under different photographing circumstances (e.g., different exposure modes, compression rates, or photographing dates/times) can readily be distinguished. In certain preferred embodiments, a data management index corresponding to a first photographing circumstance is recorded at a first hierarchy level and a file name assigned to an image photographed under the first photographing circumstance is recorded in association with the file management index at a hierarchy level different from the first hierarchy level. A second data management index corresponding to a second photographing circumstance or a file name assigned to an image photographed under a second photographing circumstance is also recorded at the first hierarchy level.

Photographing-mode-dependent image data recording method in a digital

An image data recording method in a digital still video camera capable of selecting one of the single shot mode for photographing and recording only a single image and the sequential shot mode for sequentially photographing and recording a plurality of images comprises the steps of distinguishing whether a recorded image was photographed in the single shot mode or in the sequential shot mode, giving a file name correspondingly to the photographed image, and recording the photographed image. File names for each single shot image may be stored at a given hierarchy level. A name (e.g., a subdirectory name) representative of a plurality of sequential shot images may be stored at the same level as the single shot file names and file names of the sequential shot images stored under the representative name at a different hierarchy level.

An electronic still camera having an image pickup device for converting the image of an object into an image signal; a regulator for regulating the amount of exposure of the image pickup device; a controller for causing the image pickup device to generate the image signal plural times and controlling the regulator in such a manner that the plural image signals have mutually different amounts of exposure; a mean calculator for calculating the mean value of data of mutually corresponding pixels in the plural image signals; and a recording device for recording a mean image signal thus obtained.

Electronic still camera with enhanced tonal rendition

An electronic still camera designed to record on a memory card an audio signal in addition to an image signal includes an imaging device for receiving light from an object and outputting an analog image signal, a first A/D conversion means for converting the analog image signal obtained by the imaging device into a digital image signal, a microphone for picking up sound and outputting an analog audio signal, a second A/D conversion means for converting the analog audio signal obtained by the microphone into a digital audio signal, a control means for recording the digital image signal and the digital audio signal onto a memory card which is removably mounted on a camera body, and a semiconductor line memory for storing the digital audio signal.

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Mito, Japan

Takao Ikuma