Electronic photography system with still and motion picture modes

• US 4,714,966 A
• Filed: 12/08/1983
• Issued: 12/22/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okino, Tadashi, Saito, Syuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US06/559,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 354/446, 354/449, 354/450, 354/451, 358/906, 358/335, 358/310, 358/228, 360/35.1, 360/33.1, 352/141
• US Class Current: 386/224
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/025 two
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40056 Circuits for driving or energising particular reading heads or original illumination means H04N1/401, H04N1/407 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

An electronic still/motion picture photography system includes an optical-electronic transducer for producing electrical signals responsive to an optical image, a light information control member such as a diaphragm for controlling the state of the light information incident on the transducer, a discriminating circuit for determining the state of the light information as it is controlled by the light information control member, a drive source responsive to the output of the discriminating circuit for driving the light information control member, a recorder for recording the output of the transducer, an indicating switch for indicating the amount of output representing the exposed image to be recorded by the recorder, and a computer circuit responsive to the output of the indicating switch for changing the driving characteristics of the drive source.

Claims

1. A photography system comprising:

(a) image pickup means for producing electrical signals responsive to an optical image;

(b) light information control means for controlling the state of light information entering said image pickup means;

(c) discriminating means for discriminating the controlled state of light information controlled by said light information control means;

(d) drive means responsive to an output of said discriminating means for driving said light information control means;

(e) recording means for recording an output of said image pickup means;

(f) indicating means for indicating an amount of the output of said image pickup means to be recorded by said recording means; and

(g) means for changing the response characteristic of said drive means in response to an output of said indicating means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said light information control means includes a diaphragm.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said response characteristic includes a response speed characteristic.

4. A system according to claim 1, in which the indicating means includes means for indicating at least an indication output for recording a still picture image and an indication output for recording a movie picture image.

5. An image pick-up means, comprising:

(a) image pick-up means for converting an image of an object into a picture image signal;

(b) control means for controlling the level of the picture image signal so it appears at a predetermined level;

(c) means for recording an output of the image pick-up means; and

(d) characteristic changing means for changing the response characteristics of said control means according to the amount of output of the image pick-up means to be recorded by the recording means.

6. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 5, in which the characteristic changing means changes the control response characteristic of the control means.

7. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 5, in which the image pick-up means converts the image of the object into an electric picture image signal.

8. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 5, which further comprises:

detection means for detecting the level of the picture image signal of the image pick-up means, and comparison means for comparing the output of the detection means with a predetermined level, the control means being arranged to control the level of the picture image signal of the image pick-up means on the basis of the output of the comparison means.

9. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 8, in which the control means serves for controlling the amount of light incidence of the image of the object on the image pick-up means.

10. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 9, in which the control means includes a diaphragm.

11. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, in which the characteristic changing means changes the speed of response of the control means, wherein when the amount of output of said image pick-up means to be recorded is large, said changing means reduces the response speed to a level lower than a level of a time when said amount is small.

12. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 5, which further comprises:

indication means for indicating the amount of output of the image pick-up means to be recorded by the recording means.

13. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 12, in which the indication means includes at least a mode for indicating recordation of a still picture image and a mode for indicating recordation of a movie picture image.

14. An image pick-up apparatus, comprising:

(a) image pick-up means for converting an image of an object into a picture image signal;

(b) control menas for controlling the level of the picture image signal so it appears at a predetermined level;

(c) indication means for indicating changeover between a still mode for picking up a still picture image and a movie mode for picking up a movie picture image; and

(d) characteristic changing means for changing response characteristics of the control means according to the output of the indication means.

15. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14, in which the characteristic changing means changes the control response speed characteristic of the control means.

16. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 15, in which the characteritic changing means changes the reponse speed of the control means, wherein the response speed is higher in the still mode than that in the movie mode.

17. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14, in which the image pick-up means converts the image of the object into an electric picture image signal.

18. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14, which further comprises:

detection means for detecting the level of the picture image signal of the image pick-up means, and comparison means for comparing the output of the detection means with a predetermined level, wherein the control means controls the level of the picture image signal of the image pick-up means on the basis of the output of the comparison means.

19. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14 or claim 18, in which the control means is arranged to control the amount of light incidence of the image of the object on the image pick-up means.

20. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 19, in which the control means includes a diaphragm.

21. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14, in which the indication means includes an operation switch.

22. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 14, which further comprises:

recording menas for recording the amount of output of the image pick-up means in varied amounts according to the output of the indication means.

23. An image pick-up apparatus, comprising:

(a) image pick-up means for converting an image of an object into a picture image signal;

(b) control means for controlling the level of picture image signal so it appears at a predetermined level;

(c) indication means for indicating the amount of picture image signal to be picked up by the image pick-up means; and

(d) characteristic changing means for changing response characteristics of the control means according to the output of the indication means.

24. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 23, in which the characteristic changing means changes the response speed characteristic of the control means.

25. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 23, in which the image pick-up means converts the image of the object into an electric picture image signal.

26. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 23, in which the control means controls the amount of light incident of the image of the object on the image pick-up means.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) image pick-up means for converting an image of an object into a picture image signal;

(b) control means for controlling the level of picture image signal so it appears at a predetermined level;

(c) drive means for driving said image pick-up means under a first control mode and a second control mode; and

(d) characteristic changing means for changing control characteristics of the control means in correspondence to the control mode of said drive means.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the characteristic changing means changes the control response characteristic of the control means.

29. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the image pick-up means converts the image of the object into an electric picture image signal.

30. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said first control mode is for picking up a still picture image and said second control mode is for picking up a movie picture image.