Illumination device for photographing and camera system

• US 20050264685A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Hoshuyama, Hideo, Shibazaki, Kiyoshige
• Application Number:
  US11/133,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0567 Solid-state light source, e.g. LED, laser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

An illumination device includes a light source constituted with an LED which is a trichromatic (three-wavelength) light source achieving maximum light emission wavelengths in separate wavelength ranges corresponding to the three primary colors of light, blue, green and red. As the shutter is released at an electronic camera set in a portrait photographing mode, the electronic camera transmits a light emission command for the illumination device to illuminate the main subject with illuminating light emitted from the LED. The LED assumes a structure that allows it to emit light at maximum light emission wavelengths matching maximum transmission wavelengths achieved through the spectral transmission characteristics of a color filter disposed at an image-capturing element.

Claims

1. An illumination device for photographing, comprising:

a three-wavelength light source that emits light having three maximum light emission wavelengths in separate wavelength ranges each corresponding to a wavelength of one of three primary colors of light.

2. An illumination device for photographing according to claim 1, wherein:

the light emitted from the three-wavelength light source is defined so as a ratio of a light intensity level corresponding to each of the three maximum light emission wavelengths to a light intensity level corresponding to a minimum light emission wavelength present between each of the three maximum light emission wavelengths and adjacent to the corresponding maximum light emission wavelength to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

3. An illumination device for photographing according to claim 2, wherein:

the three-wavelength light source is constituted with a white LED.

4. An illumination device for photographing according to claim 2, wherein:

the three-wavelength light source is constituted with two or three LEDs each generating at least one of the wavelengths of the three primary colors of light.

5. An illumination device for photographing according to claim 1, wherein:

the three maximum light emission wavelengths each match a maximum transmission wavelength corresponding to one of the three primary colors at a spectral filter disposed at an image-capturing device of a camera.

6. An illumination device for photographing according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light source different from the three-wavelength light source, that emits light which is not separated in the wavelength ranges; and

a light source switching unit that selectively switches to one of the three-wavelength light source and the light source that emits the light not separated in the wavelength ranges.

7. A camera system comprising:

the illumination device for photographing comprising a three-wavelength light source that emits light having three maximum light emission wavelengths in separate wavelength ranges each corresponding to a wavelength of one of three primary colors of light; and

an electronic camera comprising a spectral filter for the three primary colors with maximum transmission wavelengths matching the three maximum light emission wavelengths and an image-capturing device that captures a subject image via the spectral filter.