Camera having red-eye reducing function

• US 5,721,983 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Furutsu, Etsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Malley, Daniel P.
• Application Number:
  US08/753,686
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 396/89, 396/98, 396/111, 396/112, 396/118, 396/155, 396/158, 396/137
• US Class Current: 396/158
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/16 in accordance with both the intensity of the flash source and the distance of the flash source from the object, e.g. in accordance with the "guide number" of the flash bulb and the focusing of the camera

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera having a red-eye reducing function to prevent occurrence of the so-called red-eye phenomenon by preliminarily projecting light to a subject in photo-taking with flash light. The camera of the above type is so arranged that when the photo-taking mode is set to a mode requiring quick photo-taking response suitable for photo-taking of a moving object, for example to the servo AF mode, the light projection for preventing the red eye phenomenon is preliminarily inhibited even in the flash light photo-taking to maintain the quick photo-taking response.

Claims

1. A camera operable in a first autofocus mode in which a first operation of a shutter release operation member initiates a repeated operation of focus detection and lens driving regardless of an in-focus or out-of-focus state, and operable in a second autofocus mode in which the first operation of the shutter release operation member initiates focus detection and lens driving until an in-focus state is attained and then prohibits lens driving, said camera comprising:

a red-eye-effect prevention circuit actuated by a second operation of said shutter release operation member in the second autofocus mode to prevent a red-eye-effect caused by flash light photography; and

an exposure starting circuit which initiates an exposure, wherein in the first autofocus mode, exposure is initiated after a second operation of said shutter release operation member, and in the second autofocus mode, exposure is initiated after activation of said red-eye-effect prevention circuit.

2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said first autofocus mode is a servo mode and said second autofocus mode is a one-shot mode.

3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said first autofocus mode is an anticipation autofocus mode.

4. A camera according to claim 3, wherein in said anticipation autofocus mode, a lens drive amount is performed based on a previously detected in-focus state and a currently detected focus state.

5. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said red-eye-effect prevention circuit performs a light projection operation before the start of photo-taking with flash light.