Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Olympus Imaging Corporation

Takeshi Kindaichi

Osamu Nonaka

Koichi Nakata

Hisayuki Matsumoto

Tetsuo Kikuchi

Masataka Ide

Takashi Hamada

Kazunori Mizokami

Kazuhiko Shimura

Yoshiyuki Fukuya

Naoaki Tani

Hitoshi Hashimoto

Kazuo Kanda

Satoshi Okawa

Masatoshi Noda

Yasutaka Sawa

Yoichi Ito

Tsutomu Kuroki

Tomoaki Hatori

Hiroyoshi Akiyama

A shooting apparatus comprising: a focusing lens provided within a lens barrel including a shooting lens, the focusing lens being movable in an optical axis direction; a ring disposed so as to be rotatable with respect to the lens barrel; a rotation detector configured to detect a rotation amount and rotation direction of the ring; a controller configured to calculate, based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detector, a moving speed of the focusing lens to control a movement of the focusing lens at the calculated moving speed in a predetermined cycle period and in accordance with the rotation direction.

Shooting apparatus and focusing method

An imaging device, comprising an image sensor, an imaging control circuit that controls an integration time of the image sensor, and a controller comprising a flicker component detection section that detects flicker components, and a flicker determination section that determines existence of flicker, wherein the flicker component detection section is provided with a plurality of detection regions in an imaging region of the image sensor along a scanning direction for an electronic shutter function, and detects flicker components from differences in brightness relating to the same detection region based on a plurality of imaging outputs that have been acquired by performing integrating at the same integration time with different frames, and the flicker determination section changes a determination value for determining the existence of flicker in accordance with an imaging mode, and performs determination by comparing the flicker component and the determination value.

Imaging device and flicker determination method

A photographing apparatus including: an image pickup device to obtain a picked-up image, the image pickup device being provided with divided pixels for receiving light on respective optical paths from the object divided in left and right directions; a recording medium recording the picked-up image; a display displaying the picked-up image; and a processor comprising a focus judging section judging a state of focus of using a phase difference on an image pickup surface between image signals based on optical images respectively entering the divided pixels, the focus judging section judges whether or not the phase difference of each area of the picked-up image to be recorded immediately before photographing is equal to or has not increased in comparison with the phase difference of the recorded picked-up image in the same area, to determine a candidate area for an enlarged display.

Photographing apparatus, photographing method and recording medium on which photographing/display program is recorded

An information terminal apparatus includes: a first image pickup section that obtains a first picked-up image; a first communication section that receives a second picked-up image obtained by a second image pickup section according to a first communication standard; a second communication section that performs communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard; and a display control section that displays the first picked-up image during the communication of the second communication section when communication of the first communication section is not established. Cooperative display control with respect to a plurality of picked-up images from a plurality of image pickup sections reduces a waiting time period before the picked-up images are displayed.

Information terminal apparatus, information acquisition apparatus, information support method, and recording medium recording information support program

A lens interchangeable type camera system, comprising an interchangeable lens and a camera body, comprising a first control section that carries out manual focus control by detecting rotation direction and rotation amount of an operation member, in accordance with a manual focus mode command from a mode setting at a time when the operation member is at the first position, and a second control section that, when the operation member is at a second position, irrespective of a command from a mode setting section, notifies a detection result of a first detection section to the camera body, detects rotational position of the operation member using a third detection section, and forcibly carries out manual focus control based on a rotation position, wherein the lens interchangeable type camera system further comprises a function restriction section that sets operation of the second control section to valid or invalid.

Lens interchangeable type camera, interchangeable lens, and control method for lens

A photographing apparatus includes: a reference contrast judging section acquiring, for each of parts of a first picked-up image obtained by an image pickup section performing image pickup at a first timing, a reference contrast; a recorded-image contrast judging section determining a contrast of each of parts of a second picked-up image obtained by the image pickup section performing image pickup for recording at a second timing later than the first timing; a focus judging section judging, for each of the parts, a state of focus of the second picked-up image by comparing the reference contrast and the contrast determined by the recorded-image contrast judging section; and a display control section displaying a judgment result together with the second picked-up image on a display section.

Lh indicates the amount of image-surface movement of a photographic subject; Ls, a scan driving range; Lps, a scan driving range required to detect a peak; Li, the amount of initial position driving. Based on the speed of a photographic subject (inclination of a photographic-subject movement amount profile H), a body controlling unit sets Li as a driving amount and a driving direction of initial position driving in such a manner as to satisfy Lh&#x3c;(Ls&#x2212;Lps+Li), and performs initial position driving to move a focus lens, with the result that the profile H and a scan driving amount profile S of the focus lens intersect with each other within a section k4 where contrast AF is performed. Then, a scan driving operation is performed within the section k4, thereby detecting an in-focus position without fail regardless of the image-surface movement speed of the photographic subject (inclination of the profile H).

Focus adjusting apparatus, camera system, and focus adjusting method

A focus adjustment apparatus comprising a focus detection unit to detect image phase difference information using a light flux having passed through a photographic optical system including a focus lens, and a focus adjustment unit converts first image phase difference information detected by the focus detection unit into a defocus amount using a conversion coefficient and causes the focus detection unit to detect second image phase difference information after having moved the focus lens according to the defocus amount, and corrects the conversion coefficient according to the second image phase difference information and causes a storage unit to store the corrected conversion coefficient.

Focus adjustment apparatus, camera system, and focus adjustment method

A digital camera of the present invention comprises: an imaging section, a read out section for reading out first image data for still picture storage from the imaging section, a storage section subjecting the first image data to image processing and storing the resultant data, an image data generating section for generating second image data that has fewer pixel data than the first image data, from the first image data, and a detection section for detecting at least one evaluation value based on the second image data, wherein a detection operation of the evaluation value by the detection section is executed in parallel to a still picture storage operation by the storage section.

Digital camera capable of continuous shooting

A focus evaluation value representing a focusing state of a taking lens is repeatedly calculated on the basis of an image signal output from an imaging section of a digital camera, a change in the focus evaluation value generated by the movement of the taking lens is detected, when a predetermined change in the focus evaluation value is detected in manual focusing, at least one of a first mode for continuing manual focusing and a second mode for making the transition to auto-focusing, in which the taking lens is automatically moved, is selected, when the predetermined change in the focus evaluation value is detected in the case in which the second mode is selected, the focusing operation is automatically switched to auto-focusing, whereby the taking lens is automatically moved such that the focus evaluation value is the peak value.

Digital camera and focus control method

In a main body of a camera, a recording unit is disposed which is capable of recording specific information of a photographing lens or an accessory. When the specific information of the presently attached photographing lens or accessory has been already registered in the recording unit, the main body of the camera does not acquire all the specific information from the attached photographing lens or accessory by data communication. In a case where the specific information of the attached photographing lens or accessory has been registered in the recording unit, the only identification information of the interchangeable lens or accessory can be enough, even if the data communication is necessary. In consequence, a communication time with respect to the interchangeable lenses or various types of accessories can be reduced as a whole.

Camera to which plurality of types of photographing lenses or accessories can be detachably attached, and control method of the camera

In an automatic focusing device generating a luminance signal by scanning a picked-up digital image signal, evaluating the contrast of the luminance signal, and driving its focusing based on the evaluation; the scanning includes at least a part where scan is performed in a zigzag-like manner. With this configuration, focusing is facilitated for an object having no high frequency components in the horizontal direction. This invention can be understood as an invention of a method.

Automatic focusing device and focusing method

There is provided an electronic camera comprising an imaging element which photo-electrically converts an object field light, a timing generator including an internal register in which timing of a drive signal used to operate the imaging element can be programmed, a power supply control portion which supplies a second voltage to the imaging element when a predetermined time has elapsed after supply of a first voltage to the timing generator, and a control portion which starts at least program setting in the internal register of the timing generator after elapse of a time that the timing generator requires to operate stably at the first voltage and before elapse of a time that the imaging element requires to operate stably at the second voltage.

Electronic camera

An electronic pickup camera including an electronic pickup element which photoelectrically converts an object image to form an image signal, an image conversion unit which converts the image signal formed by the electronic pickup element to image data of a predetermined format, a storage unit which stores the image data converted by the image conversion unit, a transmission unit which enables transmission of the image data stored in the storage unit to an external device, and a control unit which makes a decision as to whether an external device to which the transmission unit transmits the image data is a predetermined external device, and selects an accompanying process for the transmission, on the basis of a result of the decision. One embodiment of the invention relates to the deletion of the transmitted image data. For example, it is possible to provide an electronic camera which determines whether a device to which image data is transmitted is an operator's PC, and automatically deletes transmitted data only when the electronic camera determines that the device is the operator's PC.

Electronic pickup camera and control method of electronic pickup camera

In an auto focusing system of the present invention, a light from an object is guided by an optical section to a light receiving section constituted of an imager such as a photoelectric transducer, and the object is imaged as a digital image at the light receiving section. A movable split image prism is arranged between a position immediately before a light receiving surface of the light receiving section in an optical path of the optical section and a position outside the optical path. Then, a deviation amount of a vide signal based on light rays passed through the split image prism is detected by a control section, and focusing of the optical section is carried out based on the deviation amount.

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Hachioji, Japan

Takeshi Kindaichi