Electronic camera

• US 20060012702A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kawahara, Takumi, Ohmura, Akira, Motoki, Yasuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,194,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions

Abstract

An electronic camera includes a menu providing section that provides a focus area selection menu that allows a user to select a focus area, a characterizing portion detecting section that detects a characterizing portion of an object, and an area setting section that sets a focus area based on the characterizing portion detected by the characterizing portion detecting section. The focus area selection menu that is provided by the menu providing section to the user includes, as a selection item, a focus area to be set by the area setting section.

Claims

1. An electronic camera comprising:

a menu providing section that provides a focus area selection menu allowing a user to select a focus area;

a characterizing portion detecting section that detects a characterizing portion of an object; and

an area setting section that sets a focus area based on said characterizing portion detected by said characterizing portion detecting section, wherein

said menu providing section provides the user with said focus area selection menu including, as a selection item, a focus area to be set by said area setting section.

2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein said characterizing portion detecting section can detect a human face as said characterizing portion.

3. The electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein said menu providing section further provides, as selection items, a central area of field and an area including a face-detection portion.

4. An electronic camera comprising:

a characterizing portion detecting section that detects a characterizing portion of an object; and

a focusing section that focuses said electronic camera based on said characterizing portion detected by said characterizing portion detecting section, wherein

said focusing section drives a focus position to a predetermined position when no characterizing portion has been detected by said characterizing portion detecting section in shooting a recording image.

5. The electronic camera according to claim 4, wherein said characterizing portion detecting section can detect a human face as said characterizing portion.

6. The electronic camera according to claim 4, wherein said focusing section drives to move said focus position to a close-range side.

7. The electronic camera according to claim 4, wherein said focusing section moves said focus position each time by a predetermined length.

8. The electronic camera according to claim 7, wherein said focusing section moves said focus position each time by a minimum movement length possible in manual focusing.

9. The electronic camera according to claim 7, wherein said focusing section stops driving said focus position when said characterizing portion detecting section has detected a characterizing portion.

10. An electronic camera comprising:

a field preview image generating section that generates a field preview image based on an output of an image sensor;

a display section that displays said field preview image generated by said field preview image generating section; and

a characterizing portion detecting section that detects a characterizing portion of an object, wherein

said field preview image generating section generates a field preview image by a control that varies depending on an operation state of said characterizing portion detecting section.

11. The electronic camera according to claim 10, wherein said characterizing portion detecting section can detect a human face as said characterizing portion.

12. The electronic camera according to claim 10, wherein said field preview image generating section generates a field preview image that conforms to a detecting characteristic of said characterizing portion detecting section, while said characterizing portion detecting section is in operation.

13. The electronic camera according to claim 10, wherein said field preview image generating section generates a field preview image that is higher in luminance while said characterizing portion detecting section is in operation than while said characterizing portion detecting section is not in operation.

14. The electronic camera according to claim 10, further comprising an aperture controlling section that controls an aperture, wherein

said aperture controlling section controls the aperture so that a depth of field is greater while said characterizing portion detecting section is in operation than while said characterizing portion detecting section is not in operation.

15. The electronic camera according to claim 10, further comprising a zoom lens driving section capable of zooming, wherein

said zoom lens driving section zooms closer to a wide-angle side while said characterizing portion detecting section is in operation than while said characterizing portion detecting section is not in operation.