Electronic camera

• US 20020030754A1
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,829,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters

Abstract

The electronic camera can realize menu functions that make it easier for a user to select each function and change various set items in accordance with how the user uses the camera. When a menu/execution button is pressed in a manual capturing mode, control goes to a capturing setting menu screen. The capturing setting menu is composed of a plurality of menu items such as white balance, ISO sensitivity, brightness (exposure correction), quality, etc. The menu items are automatically disposed in descending frequency order or in a display order specified by the user freely. It is also possible to set a starting position of a cursor at the item used most frequently on an initial menu screen while a display order of the menu items is kept unchanged. The display order of the menu items may also be fixed to that set in the initial state at the shipping time.

Claims

1. An electronic camera, comprising:

a capturing device which converts a subject optical image to an electric signal;

a recording device which records the image captured by the capturing device on a recording medium;

a displaying device which displays a plurality of menu items for setting a capturing condition;

a display order deciding device which decides an order for displaying the menu items;

a menu display changing device which disposes menu items in accordance with the display order decided by the display order deciding device so as to change the display order of the menu items; and

an operating device through which a command is entered for selecting a desired menu item among a plurality of the menu items.

2. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a fixed display order storing device which stores a predetermined display order; and

a fixed display directing device through which a command is entered for switching the menu display in accordance with the predetermined display order,

wherein a menu display order is switched to the predetermined display order stored in the fixed display order storing device when the command is entered through the fixed display directing device.

3. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a display order setting device which enables the user to set a display order of the menu items freely,

wherein the display order deciding device decides the order for displaying the menu items in accordance with contents set with the display order setting device.

4. The electronic camera as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

a fixed display order storing device which stores a predetermined display order; and

a fixed display directing device through which a command is entered for switching the menu display in accordance with the predetermined display order,

wherein a menu display order is switched to the predetermined display order stored in the fixed display order storing device when the command is entered through the fixed display directing device.

5. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency counting device which counts a frequency of changes of each menu item set contents,

wherein the display order deciding device decides the order for displaying the menu items in accordance with descending frequency order found by the frequency counting device.

6. The electronic camera as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

a fixed display order storing device which stores a predetermined display order; and

a fixed display directing device through which a command is entered for switching the menu display in accordance with the predetermined display order,

wherein a menu display order is switched to the predetermined display order stored in the fixed display order storing device when the command is entered through the fixed display directing device.

7. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a display order setting device which enables the user to set a display order of the menu items freely;

a frequency counting device which counts a frequency of changes of each menu item set content;

a display mode selecting device which selects a free mode for enabling the user to set a display order of menu items freely and a frequency order mode for changing a display order of menu items in descending frequency order automatically,

wherein the display order deciding device decides the order for displaying the menu items in accordance with the set content of the display order setting device when the free mode is selected,

wherein the display order deciding device decides the order for displaying the menu items in accordance with descending frequency order found by the frequency counting device when the frequency order mode is selected.

8. The electronic camera as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a fixed display order storing device which stores a predetermined display order; and

a fixed display directing device through which a command is entered for switching the menu display in accordance with the predetermined display order,

wherein a menu display order is switched to the predetermined display order stored in the fixed display order storing device when the command is entered through the fixed display directing device.

9. An electronic camera, comprising:

a capturing device which converts a subject optical image to an electric signal;

a recording device which records the image captured by the capturing device on a recording medium;

a displaying device which displays a plurality of menu items used to set a capturing condition;

an operating device through which a command is entered for selecting a desired menu item among a plurality of the menu items by moving a cursor onto the desired menu item;

a frequency counting device which counts a frequency of changes of each menu item set content;

a starting position deciding device which decides a menu item changed most frequently as a starting position of the cursor according to a result of counting by the frequency counting device on a menu screen; and

a starting position changing device which changes the starting position of the cursor for a menu display order in accordance with a decision of the starting position deciding device.