Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Yasuhiro Morimoto

Hiroaki Kubo

Masahito Niikawa

Kenji Nakamura

Hirokazu Naruto

Mitsuru Saito

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Shinichi Fujii

Katsuyuki Nanba

Tadahiro Yoshida

Noriyuki Okisu

Tsutomu Honda

Hiroshi Ishibe

Kuniteru Sakakibara

Gen Sasaki

Naoki Masazumi

Kiyofumi Hashimoto

Kazuhiko Yukawa

Kazuchika Sato

Mutsuhiro Yamanaka

Keiji Tamai

Hisanori Itoh

Tetsuyuki Tanimoto

Yuji Taguchi

Kazuki Akaho

Hitoshi Yano

Takeru Butsuzaki

An electronic information device which uses a memory card to which a liquid crystal display using liquid crystal with a memory effect is attached. If a command to turn off the electric power source is issued during writing of information on the liquid crystal display, a power-off process is executed after completion of the writing. This electronic information device is adapted, for example, to be used as a digital camera.

Electronic information device having a display and method and apparatus for controlling power-off of the display

An image processing device gives an alarm if deletion of image is directed in a state that the image has not yet been transferred from an image recording medium into a storage medium having a larger capacity. Also, when a deletion operation is performed for image, the image processing device compresses and stores the corresponding image file in accordance with an evaluation rank based on history data for the image. Therefore, the image processing device allows effective use of the storage medium having a limited capacity by contriving compression processing of the image file.

Image processing device for processing images which are recorded in a recording medium and a method thereof

The digital camera has the function of registering a captured image or the like in an album file and includes a display such as an LCD and a switch button (QV button) for switching a display image on the display. An image to be displayed on the display is changed in response to depression of a switch button among a live view image in a capturing mode, a reproduction image regarding a data file in a reproduction mode, and an album image regarding an album file in an album reproduction mode. For example, in response to depression of the switch button, the images are sequentially displayed in the above-described order. Preferably, when a captured file is not stored, a reproduced image is not displayed. When an album file is not registered, an album image is not displayed.

Digital camera having an improved user interface

An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which picks up an image of a photographic object and a selector which selects a first photographing mode or a second photographing mode and a controller. The second photographing mode is a mode for composing a plurality of picked-up images to create a composite image. The controller makes the image sensor pickup a photographic object image on the first photographing condition when the first photographing mode is selected by the selector, and makes the image sensor pick up a plurality of images of photographic objects on the second photographing condition different from said first photographing condition when the second photographing mode is selected by the selector.

Image taking apparatus

Digital camera techniques improve the convenience of a live view display and the like. Image processing in a digital camera includes image processing (i.e., live view processing) for real-time display of a subject on a liquid crystal monitor and image processing performed on image signals followed by image capture for recording. Both the image processing is performed by a single common image processor. In image capture for recording, high-priority live view processing (Pc) is performed between writing (Pa) of image signals outputted from a CCD into memory and captured image processing (Pb). This shortens the time of not displaying a live view image, thereby preventing a shutter release opportunity from being missed and improving the convenience of a live view display.

Method for live view display and digital camera using same

An image taking apparatus includes an image sensor which takes a plurality of images different in focal distance, a processor which creates a pan-focus image focused on each of different photographic objects from the plurality of images taken by the image sensor, a discriminator which discriminates whether or not it is appropriate to create the pan-focus image, and a controller which forbids the processor to create the pan-focus image when the discriminator discriminates that it is not appropriate to create the pan-focus image.

Image taking apparatus having focus control

The CPUaccesses multiple slotsandin a digital cameraat regular intervals to detect whether or not memory cardsandare mounted in the slotsand, respectively. Based on whether or not memory cardsandare mounted in the slotsand, respectively, the CPUselects one slot as the slot to be accessed. There are three modes available as the mode from which to perform this selection, i.e., a fixed mode, a priority mode and a manual operation mode.

Digital camera provided with a plurality of mounting portions to each of which a recording medium is mounted

An image retrieval system for retrieving a plurality of images recorded in a recording medium, records data concerning operations and processing for image files as history data. A desired image is found based on the history data. Further, an image is found based on a combination of photographing condition in a photographing operation, and the history data of the operations executed for the image file. Therefore, the image retrieval system allows the image to be efficiently, exactly, and conveniently found without a trouble of assigning key information to the image file.

Image retrieval system for retrieving a plurality of images which are recorded in a recording medium, and a method thereof

A digital camera is provided with a display for displaying an image of an object and a specifying unit for specifying a plurality of measuring points on the display. An actual area of a region surrounded by the plurality of measuring points specified by the specifying unit are calculated by a calculator.

Digital camera

A digital camera includes a connector for connecting another digital camera and an interface for exchanging data between the digital camera and another digital camera. When another digital camera is connected to the connector, another digital camera is be controlled by a controller via the interface.

In a digital camera having a half mirror retractable out of the optical path and an optical viewfinder receiving light reflected from the half mirror, the sensitivity of an image-sensing device is set as specified by the user. When a relatively high sensitivity is specified, an image to be recorded is shot with the half mirror operated as a quick-return mirror, and, when a relatively low sensitivity is specified, an image to be recorded is shot with the half mirror kept in the optical path. A sensitivity that cannot be coped with simply by changing the position of the half mirror is set by adjusting, in conjunction therewith, the output gain of the image-sensing device.

Image-sensing apparatus

A camera includes an image sensor for sensing an image of an object to be photographed and producing an image data, a first memory for storing information concerning compression, a setting device for setting a compression ratio based on the information stored in the first memory, a compression device for compressing the image data at the set compression ratio, and a second memory for storing the compressed image data. Also, This camera includes a displaying device for displaying an image corresponding to the compressed image data in the viewfinder system so that the photographer can observe the image quality deterioration caused by the compression.

Camera system capable of storing compressed data

At power-on, a digital camera starts to operate with a display unit off (state S ). At a subsequent half shutter press of a shutter button, a quick return mirror is flipped down and phase difference AF is performed with live view display off (state S ). At a subsequent full press of the shutter button, the digital camera enters an image capture operation. With a quick return mirror in the up position, a focusing lens is moved to its in-focus, front focus and rear focus positions, at each of which contrast in an AF area of predetermined partial portion of an image is obtained for comparison to select a position of the focusing lens with maximum contrast (state S ). Then, image data is obtained and recorded on a memory card (state S ). With the above processing, the digital camera can perform autofocusing, as circumstances demand, by a contrast AF method.

A photographed image recording and reproducing system includes a camera portion and a recording and reproducing portion. The camera portion has an image pick-up device for picking up an object image and producing an electrical image signal corresponding to the object image, a signal processing device for processing the electrical image signal into an analog image data signal, and an output device for outputting the analog image data signal. The recording and reproducing portion has a receiver device for receiving the analog image data signal, a conversion device for converting the analog image data signal to a digital image data signal, a memory device for storing the digital image data signal, a recording device for recording the stored digital image data signal on a record medium, and a reproducing device for reproducing the object image based on the recorded digital image data signal.

Camera system including a separatable recorder

A camera is disclosed which has means for receiving an electric wave which is transmitted from an external device in a wireless manner (e.g., equipment for radio navigation systems, satellites and radio stations). When an image of an object is recorded at every shot on a recording medium loaded in said camera, a data corresponding to every shot is recorded in accordance with the electric wave received by said receiving means. Preferably said camera further has means for detecting a place where the photo-taking operation is carried out and in accordance with the detection of said detecting means, the data corresponding to every shot is recorded. Thus, records of the object image together with data relating to place can be obtained without any manual operation prior to every photo-taking operation.

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Takatsuki, Japan

Yasuhiro Morimoto