Electronic camera

• US 20010043277A1
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Kubo, Hiroaki, Niikawa, Masahito, Morimoto, Yasuhiro, Tanaka, Toshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US09/834,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

This electronic camera changes display characteristics (such as brightness, contrast, and hue) of an image displayed on an electronic view finder (EVF) in accordance with characteristics (such as brightness and hue) of environment light. For example, as the brightness of environment light increases, the brightness of an image displayed on the EVF is reduced, or the hue of an image displayed on the EVF is changed in a direction opposite to that of changing the hue of the environment light. By the operation, the display characteristics of an image displayed on the EVF can be optimized in accordance with the characteristics of the environment light. By automatically displaying a live view on the EVF when the brightness of the environment light is high or displaying a pre-light emission image captured with a flash, the display states of the LCD and EVF are optimized.

Claims

1. An electronic camera comprising:

a display for displaying an image of a subject;

a detector for detecting environment light; and

a corrector for correcting an image displayed on said display by changing a display characteristic of the image displayed on said display in accordance with a state of the environment light detected by said detector.

2. The electronic camera according to

claim 1

, further comprising an ocular for making the user visually recognize an image displayed on said display.

3. The electronic camera according to

claim 2

, wherein said corrector changes brightness of an image displayed on said display in accordance with brightness of said environment light.

4. The electronic camera according to

claim 3

, wherein said corrector decreases brightness of an image displayed on said display as brightness of said environment light decreases.

5. The electronic camera according to

claim 2

, wherein said corrector changes hue of an image displayed on said display in accordance with hue of said environment light.

6. The electronic camera according to

claim 5

, wherein said corrector changes hue of an image displayed on said display in the direction opposite to hue of said environment light.

7. The electronic camera according to

claim 5

, wherein said corrector changes hue of an image displayed on said display in the direction same as hue of said environment light.

8. The electronic camera according to

claim 2

, wherein said corrector changes contrast in an image displayed on said display in accordance with brightness of said environment light.

9. The electronic camera according to

claim 8

, wherein said corrector increases contrast in an image displayed on said display as brightness of said environment light increases.

10. The electronic camera according to

claim 9

, wherein said corrector decreases brightness of an image displayed on said display as brightness of said environment light increases.

11. The electronic camera according to

claim 2

, further comprising an image pickup device for capturing an image of a subject,

wherein said detector detects brightness of environment light from exposure time, incident light amount, and sensitivity of said image pickup device.

12. The electronic camera according to

claim 2

, wherein said detector is a sensor different from said image pickup device.

13. An electronic camera comprising:

a first display capable of electrically displaying a captured image;

a second display capable of electrically displaying a captured image in a display mode different from that of said first display;

a detector for detecting a state of environment light; and

a controller for changing a display state of at least one of said first and second displays in accordance with the state of the environment light detected by said detector.

14. The electronic camera according to

claim 13

, wherein said first display has an ocular for making the user visually recognize an image displayed.

15. The electronic camera according to

claim 14

, further comprising a discriminator for discriminating whether brightness of said environment light is higher than a predetermined value,

wherein when it is discriminated by said discriminator that the brightness of said environment light is higher than said predetermined value, said controller makes said first display displayable.

16. The electronic camera according to

claim 14

, further comprising a discriminator for discriminating whether brightness of said environment light is higher than a predetermined value,

wherein when it is discriminated by said discriminator that the brightness of said environment light is higher than said predetermined value, said controller displays indication on said second display to notify the user to change said first display to a displayable state.

17. The electronic camera according to

claim 14

, further comprising an image pickup device for capturing an image of a subject,

wherein said detector detects brightness of environment light from exposure time, incident light amount, and sensitivity of said image pickup device.

18. The electronic camera according to

claim 14

, wherein said detector is a sensor different from said image pickup device.

19. An electronic camera capable of emitting flash light with which a subject is irradiated, comprising:

an image pickup device for capturing an image of the subject;

a first display capable of electrically displaying the image of the subject captured by said image pickup device;

a second display capable of electrically displaying the image of the subject captured by said image pickup device in a display mode different from that of said first display; and

a controller for controlling display on said first and second displays,

wherein said controller displays the image of the subject irradiated with said flash light onto said first display, and displays the image of the subject captured by said image pickup device onto said second display in predetermined cycles.

20. The electronic camera according to

claim 19

, wherein said first display has an ocular for making the user visually recognize an image displayed.

21. The electronic camera according to

claim 20

, wherein said controller displays the image of the subject irradiated with said flash light onto said first display for a predetermined period.

22. An electronic camera comprising:

a first display capable of electrically displaying a captured image;

a second display capable of electrically displaying the captured image in a display mode different from that of said first display; and

an adjuster for adjusting a gain of an image displayed on said first display and a gain of an image displayed on said second display,

wherein said adjuster amplifies the image displayed on said first display by a first gain and amplifies the image displayed on said second display by a second gain different from said first gain.

23. The electronic camera according to

claim 22

, wherein said first display has an ocular for making the user visually recognize an image displayed, and

said first gain is higher than said second gain.

24. The electronic camera according to

claim 22

, wherein said first display has an ocular for making the user visually recognize an image displayed, and

said first gain is lower than said second gain.