JP4354416B2 - Digital camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera capable of continuous shooting.

  In recent years, many digital cameras have a single shooting mode and a continuous shooting mode as operation modes at the time of shooting. The single shooting mode is an operation mode in which an image of one frame is taken in response to a user pressing the release button. On the other hand, the continuous shooting mode is an operation mode in which the shooting operation is repeated while the user presses the release button, thereby shooting a plurality of frames of images. Here, the continuous shooting speed in the continuous shooting mode is expected to reach several tens of frames per second in the future. When shooting is performed in such an ultra-high speed continuous shooting mode, image files for several tens of frames are recorded on a recording medium in one continuous shooting.

  In a digital camera having such a continuous shooting mode, for example, it is necessary to devise a file management mode in order to improve usability such as image search. As an example of such a device, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of managing a folder by grouping a plurality of images acquired by one continuous shooting.

In addition, when the continuous shooting speed is increased, a large amount of images that are not so different are recorded, which presses the capacity of the recording medium. Therefore, as a technique for preventing an unnecessary image from being recorded on a recording medium, in Patent Document 2, a user can instruct whether or not to record an image on a recording medium after continuous shooting is completed.
JP-A-11-341421 JP 2001-78136 A

  Here, according to the folder management method proposed in Patent Document 1, if the capacity of the recording medium becomes insufficient, it is possible to delete each folder at once, but it is not possible to leave only one in the folder. Further, in the method proposed in Patent Document 2, since there is an instruction operation for determining whether or not to record an image after image shooting, it takes time until the next shooting. For this reason, there is a possibility of missing a photo opportunity.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a digital camera that can efficiently record a series of images obtained by high-speed continuous shooting.

In order to achieve the above object, a camera according to the first aspect of the present invention starts a continuous shooting operation in response to a manual operation of a recording means for recording an image and a release button . Continuous shooting means for ending the continuous shooting operation in response to the release, temporary storage means for temporarily storing a plurality of images acquired by the continuous shooting means, and after the continuous shooting operation ends, A selection means for setting a reference image from a plurality of images stored in the temporary storage means, and for selecting one or more other images having a low degree of coincidence in an area including the central portion with respect to the reference image; And a recording control unit for controlling the recording unit to record the image acquired at the beginning of the continuous shooting operation and the image selected by the selection unit.

According to the first aspect, among the images obtained by the continuous shooting operation, the other image of poor matches for the first of the acquired image and the reference image of continuous shooting operation are recorded in the recording means The Thereby, even if a large number of images are taken by high-speed continuous shooting, they can be efficiently recorded on the recording means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a digital camera that can efficiently record a series of images obtained by high-speed continuous shooting.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the internal configuration of a digital camera body cut away in order to show the configuration of a digital camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is. Here, as an example, the camera 1 in FIG. 1 is a single-lens reflex camera.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 1 includes a lens barrel 100 and a camera body 200.

  In the lens barrel 100, a photographing optical system 102 composed of a plurality of optical lenses is disposed. The photographing optical system 102 is configured to be movable in the optical axis direction by a lens driving mechanism to be described later, and transmits a light beam from a subject (not shown) in the internal direction of the camera body 200.

  An exposure opening having a predetermined aperture for guiding the light beam transmitted through the photographing optical system 102 to the inside of the camera body 200 is formed at a substantially central portion on the front side of the camera body 200. A photographing optical system mounting portion 200a is formed at the peripheral edge of the exposure opening, and the lens barrel 100 is detachably attached to the camera body 200 via the photographing optical system mounting portion 200a. Here, the camera body 200 can be equipped with various lens barrels 100 according to the purpose of shooting.

  Furthermore, various constituent members such as a viewfinder device 202, a shutter unit 208, an imaging unit 211, and a circuit board 200b are disposed at predetermined positions inside the camera body 200.

  The viewfinder device 202 includes a quick return mirror (hereinafter referred to as a main mirror) 202a, a focusing screen 202b, a pentaprism 202c, and an eyepiece lens 202d.

  The main mirror 202a has a half-mirror on the light incident surface, and a position on the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102 (the position shown in FIG. 1 hereinafter referred to as a down position) and a position retracted from the optical axis (hereinafter referred to as up). (Referred to as position). In the normal state, the main mirror 202a is arranged with a predetermined angle, for example, 45 degrees from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102. With such a configuration, when the camera 1 is in a normal state, a part of the light beam that has passed through the photographing optical system 102 is reflected by the main mirror 202a, and a part thereof is transmitted through the main mirror 202a. Here, a sub mirror 203 is provided on the back surface of the main mirror 202a, and the light beam transmitted through the main mirror 202a enters an AF sensor unit described later.

  Further, the light beam reflected by the main mirror 202a forms an image on the focusing screen 202b. The image formed on the focusing screen 202b is inverted by the pentaprism 202c to become an erect image. The image formed by the pentaprism 202c is magnified by the eyepiece lens 202d. With such a configuration, the user can visually check the image of the subject.

  On the other hand, when the camera 1 is in the photographing operation state, the main mirror 202a is moved to a predetermined up position where it is retracted from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102. At this time, the light beam from the subject that has passed through the imaging optical system 102 enters the imaging unit 211 via the shutter unit 208. The shutter unit 208 is composed of, for example, a focal plane shutter mechanism. The shutter unit 208 is configured to be opened and closed by a shutter control circuit, which will be described later. By controlling the opening and closing time of the shutter unit 208, the exposure time and the like of the imaging unit 211 disposed behind the shutter unit 208 are controlled. Be controlled.

  The imaging unit 211 includes a dustproof filter (also referred to as dustproof glass) 213, an imaging element 212, and the like. The dust filter 213 is disposed on the front side of the image sensor 212, and the dust filter 213 prevents dust from adhering to the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 212. Further, the dustproof filter 213 is configured to be vibrated by a piezoelectric element described later, and dust attached to the dustproof filter 213 is removed by vibrating the dustproof filter 213. The image sensor 212 includes a large number of photoelectric conversion elements (for example, photodiodes) that form a photoelectric conversion surface, and a light beam incident on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 212 is converted into an electrical signal.

  Various electric circuits of the camera 1 are mounted on the circuit board 200b.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the internal electric circuit configuration of the camera 1 shown in FIG. Note that the components described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the camera 1 includes the lens barrel 100 and the camera body 200.

  Control of each part of the lens barrel 100 is performed by a lens control microcomputer 101 (hereinafter referred to as “Lucom”). On the other hand, each part of the camera body 200 is controlled by a body control microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as Bucom) 201. Here, when the lens barrel 100 is attached to the camera body 200, the Lucom 101 and the Bucom 201 are communicably connected via the communication connector 101a. In this case, as a camera system, the Lucom 101 is operated so as to be subordinate to the Bucom 201.

  Further, as described above, the photographing optical system 102 is disposed inside the lens barrel 100. Here, in FIG. 2, a plurality of optical lenses constituting the photographing optical system 102 are representatively illustrated as one optical lens. The photographing optical system 102 is driven in the optical axis direction by a DC motor (not shown) existing in the lens driving mechanism 103.

  A diaphragm 104 is provided behind the photographic optical system 102. The diaphragm 104 is driven to open and close by a stepping motor (not shown) existing in the diaphragm drive mechanism 105. By controlling the opening and closing of the diaphragm 104, the amount of light flux from the subject incident on the camera body 200 via the photographing optical system 102 is controlled.

  Here, the control of the DC motor in the lens driving mechanism 103 and the control of the stepping motor in the aperture driving mechanism 105 are performed by the Lucom 101 that has received a command from the Bucom 201.

  In addition, a finder device including a main mirror 202a, a focusing screen 202b, a pentaprism 202c, and an eyepiece 202d is provided inside the camera body 200. When the camera 1 is in the normal state, as described above, a part of the light beam from the subject incident through the photographing optical system 102 is reflected by the main mirror 202a. As a result, an observation image is formed via the focusing screen 202b, the pentaprism 202c, and the eyepiece 202d.

  Here, a photometric circuit 204 is provided in the vicinity of the pentaprism 202c, and a part of the light beam that has passed through the pentaprism 202c enters a photosensor (not shown) in the photometric circuit 204. In the photometry circuit 204, a well-known photometry process is performed based on the light amount of the light beam detected by the photosensor. The result processed by the photometry circuit 204 is transmitted to the Bucom 201. In the Bucom 201, the exposure amount at the time of photographing is calculated based on the result input from the photometry circuit 204. This result is transmitted from Bucom 201 to Lucom 101. In the Lucom 101, drive control of the diaphragm 104 is performed based on the exposure amount notified from the Bucom 201.

  Further, the light beam that has been transmitted through the main mirror 202a and reflected by the sub mirror 203 is guided to an AF sensor unit 205 for performing automatic focus adjustment (AF). An AF sensor for performing, for example, phase difference AF is provided inside the AF sensor unit 205. The light beam incident on the AF sensor is converted into an electric signal. The output from the AF sensor of the AF sensor unit 205 is transmitted to the Bucom 201 via the AF sensor driving circuit 206. Then, ranging processing is performed in Bucom 201, and the driving amount of the photographing optical system 102 necessary for focus adjustment is calculated. This result is transmitted from Bucom 201 to Lucom 101. In the Lucom 101, drive control of the photographing optical system 102 is performed based on the drive amount notified from the Bucom 201.

  Further, when the camera 1 is in the photographing operation state, the main mirror 202a is moved to a predetermined up position where it is retracted from the optical axis of the photographing optical system 102. Such driving of the main mirror 202 a is performed by the mirror driving mechanism 207. The mirror drive mechanism 207 is controlled by the Bucom 201. Here, when the main mirror 202a is moved to the up position, the sub mirror 203 is folded accordingly.

  When the main mirror 202 a is moved to the up position, the light beam from the subject that has passed through the photographing optical system 102 enters the direction of the shutter unit 208. The spring force for driving the front curtain and rear curtain constituting the focal plane type shutter unit 208 is charged by the shutter charge mechanism 209. The front curtain and the rear curtain are driven by the shutter control circuit 210. The shutter charge mechanism 209 and the shutter control circuit 210 are controlled by the Bucom 201.

  The light beam that has passed through the shutter unit 208 is incident on the image sensor 212 inside the imaging unit 211 disposed behind the shutter unit 208. The image pickup device 212 is protected by a dustproof filter 213 disposed between the image pickup device 212 and the photographing optical system 102. The dust filter 213 is made of a transparent member such as glass.

  In addition, a piezoelectric element 214 for vibrating the dustproof filter 213 at a predetermined vibration frequency is attached to the periphery of the dustproof filter 213. The piezoelectric element 214 has two electrodes and is driven by a dustproof filter driving circuit 215. The dust filter 21 is controlled by the Bucom 201. The dust filter 213 vibrates by vibrating the piezoelectric element 214 by the dust filter driving circuit 215. As a result, dust adhering to the surface of the dustproof filter 213 is removed.

  Here, the image sensor 212 and the piezoelectric element 214 are integrally stored in a case having the dust filter 213 as one surface. Thereby, adhesion of dust to the image sensor 212 can be reliably prevented.

  A temperature measurement circuit 216 is provided in the vicinity of the imaging unit 211. Usually, the temperature affects the elastic modulus of a glass material. That is, since the change in temperature becomes one of the factors that change the natural frequency of the dust filter 213, the ambient temperature is always measured when the dust filter 213 is vibrated. Note that the temperature measurement point of the temperature measurement circuit 216 is preferably set in the vicinity of the vibration surface of the dust filter 213. In this way, by controlling the vibration of the dustproof filter 213 in consideration of changes in temperature, the dustproof filter 213 can always be vibrated under optimum conditions.

  The electrical signal (image signal) obtained by the image sensor 212 is read out and digitized via the image interface circuit 217 at every predetermined timing. Image data obtained by digitization by the imaging interface circuit 217 is stored in a buffer memory 219 configured by SDRAM or the like via an image processing controller 218. Here, the buffer memory 219 serving as a temporary storage means is a memory for temporarily storing data such as image data, and is used as a work area when various processes are performed on the image data.

  When electronic viewfinder (EVF) display is performed, the image processing controller 218 reads out the image data read out via the imaging interface circuit 217 and stored in the buffer memory 219. The image data read by the image processing controller 218 is subjected to image processing such as white balance correction for EVF display, and then stored in the buffer memory 219. Thereafter, the image data stored in the buffer memory 219 is read out by the image processing controller 218 in units of frames and converted into video signals. The video signal is resized to a predetermined size for display and then displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. The EVF display is performed only before the photographing operation, that is, when the main mirror 202a is at the up position.

  Further, after the photographing is finished, the image processing controller 218 reads out the image data read out via the imaging interface circuit 217 and stored in the buffer memory 219. The image data read by the image processing controller 218 is stored in the buffer memory 219 after being subjected to known image processing such as white balance correction, gradation correction, and color correction. Thereafter, the image data stored in the buffer memory 219 is read by the image processing controller 218, converted into a video signal, resized to a predetermined size for display, and then output and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222. The user can confirm the photographed image with the image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222.

  At the time of image recording, the image data processed by the image processing controller 218 is compressed by a known compression method such as the JPEG method. The JPEG data obtained by JPEG compression is stored in the buffer memory 219 and then recorded on the FlashROM 220 or recording medium 221 as recording means as a JPEG file to which predetermined header information is added. Here, the Flash ROM 220 is assumed to be a memory built in the camera 1, and the recording medium 221 is assumed to be mounted outside the camera 1. As the recording medium 221, for example, a memory card or a hard disk drive configured to be detachable from the camera 1 is used.

  Further, when an image is reproduced from a JPEG file recorded on the Flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221, the JPEG data recorded on the Flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 is read and decompressed by the image processing controller 218. Thereafter, the decompressed data is converted into a video signal, resized to a predetermined size for display, and output and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 222.

  The Bucom 201 is connected to a nonvolatile memory 223 that stores predetermined control parameters necessary for camera control. The non-volatile memory 223 is composed of, for example, a rewritable EEPROM.

  Further, a battery 225 as a power source is connected to the Bucom 201 via a power circuit 224. In the power supply circuit 224, the voltage of the battery 225 is converted into a voltage required by each part of the camera system and supplied to each part of the camera system.

  Further, the Bucom 201 includes an operation display LCD 226 for notifying the user of the operation state of the camera 1 by display output, and a camera operation switch (SW) 227 for detecting operation states of various operation members of the camera 1. And are connected. The camera operation SW 227 includes a release switch that turns on and off in response to a release button. Here, the release switch is composed of a two-stage switch of a first release switch and a second release switch. When the release button is pressed halfway, the first release switch is turned on to perform photometric processing or measurement. Shooting preparation operations such as distance processing are executed. Further, when the release button is fully pressed, the second release switch is turned on and the exposure operation is executed.

  Next, the operation at the time of shooting of the camera 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the camera 1 during shooting. 3 is started when the release button is half-pressed by the user.

  When the release button is half-pressed by the user, the first release switch is turned on. In response to this, the photometric circuit 204 performs photometric processing. This result is transmitted to Bucom 201, and the exposure amount is calculated in Bucom 201 (step S1). Next, a signal detected by the AF sensor unit 205 is transmitted to the Bucom 201 via the AF sensor driving circuit 206. In response to this, the Bucom 201 performs distance measurement processing and calculates the drive amount of the photographing optical system 102 necessary for focus adjustment. Then, the photographing optical system 102 is driven based on the driving amount calculated here (step S2).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the second release switch has been turned on by the user, that is, whether or not the release button has been fully pressed (step S3). If the second release switch is not turned on in step S3, the process branches from step S3 to step S19, and it is determined whether or not the first release switch remains on (step S19). If it is determined in step S19 that the first release switch remains ON, the process returns from step S19 to step S3. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the first release switch has been turned off, the processing in FIG. 3 is terminated and the processing returns to the main processing of the camera 1 (not shown).

  If the second release switch is turned on in step S3, the process branches from step S3 to step S4, and the main mirror 202a is moved to the up position (step S4). Next, it is determined whether or not the operation mode of the camera 1 is a continuous shooting mode (step S5).

  If it is determined in step S5 that the operation mode of the camera 1 is the continuous shooting mode, step S5 is branched to step S6, and the processing of the continuous shooting mode is started. First, the aperture 104 is reduced based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1 (step S6). Next, the imaging operation of the image sensor 212 is started (step S7). Thereafter, the shutter 208 is opened / closed based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1 (step S8). After the shutter unit 208 is closed, the imaging operation of the imaging device 212 is stopped (step S9).

  Next, EVF display is started based on the image signal obtained by the image sensor 212 (step S10). Here, while the main mirror 202a is moved to the up position, the subject cannot be observed by the finder device. In the continuous shooting mode, since a plurality of times of shooting are performed with the main mirror 202a being moved to the up position, such an EVF can be used so that the subject can be observed even during continuous shooting. Display is done.

  Thereafter, image data based on the image signal obtained by the image sensor 212 is stored in the buffer memory 219 (step S11). The buffer memory 219 has a capacity sufficient to temporarily store a large number of image data shot by high-speed continuous shooting.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the second release switch has been turned off by the user (step S12). If it is determined in step S12 that the second release switch remains ON, step S12 is branched to step S7, and the next image is captured. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the second release switch is turned off, step S12 is branched to step S13, and continuous shooting is terminated. First, the EVF display is terminated (step S13). Next, the aperture 104 is opened (step S14), and the main mirror 202a is moved to the down position (step S15). Thereafter, the image data stored in the buffer memory 219 is recorded in the flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 in, for example, the JPEG format (step S16). Thereafter, the process of FIG. 3 is terminated, and the process returns to the main process of the camera 1.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the operation mode of the camera 1 is the single shooting mode, step S5 is branched to step S21, and the single shooting mode processing is started. First, the aperture 104 is narrowed based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1 (step S21). Next, the imaging operation of the image sensor 212 is started (step S22). Thereafter, the shutter 208 is opened and closed based on the exposure amount calculated in step S1 (step S23). After the shutter unit 208 is closed, the imaging operation of the imaging device 212 is stopped (step S24). After the image capturing operation of the image sensor 212 is stopped, the image data is recorded on the Flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 in, for example, JPEG format (step S25).

  Next, the diaphragm 104 is opened (step S26), and the main mirror 202a is moved to the down position (step S27). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the first release switch has been turned off by the user (step S28). The determination in step S28 is repeated until the first release switch is turned off.

  If it is determined in step S28 that the first release switch is turned off, the process in FIG. 3 is terminated and the process returns to the main process in the camera 1.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the continuous-shot image recording process in step S16 of FIG. Here, the processing of FIG. 4 is performed by the Bucom 201 and the image processing controller 218 that constitute the continuous shooting unit, the selection unit, and the recording control unit.

  In FIG. 4, first, an image acquired at the beginning of continuous shooting is read from the buffer memory 219 (step S41), and the read image is recorded on the flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 (step S42). Next, the first acquired image is set as a reference image (step S43). Here, this reference image is an image that serves as a reference for image comparison in comparison processing with a reference image to be described later.

  Subsequently, the next image data is read from the buffer memory 219 (step S44). Hereinafter, the image read in step S44 is referred to as a comparative image. At the first time, the image acquired on the second sheet is read as a comparison image. Next, it is determined whether or not the comparison image read in step S44 is an image acquired at the end of continuous shooting (step S45). If it is determined in step S45 that the comparison image read in step S44 is the last image, step S45 is branched to step S49, and this last image is recorded in the flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 ( Step S49). Thereafter, the process in FIG. 4 is terminated, and the process returns to step S16 in FIG. 3 to terminate the process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that the comparison image read in step S44 is not the last image, step S45 is branched to step S46, and comparison processing with the reference image is performed (step S46). The comparison process with the reference image will be described later.

  Next, it is determined from the result of the comparison process with the reference image whether or not the degree of coincidence between the reference image and the comparison image is high (step S47). If it is determined in step S47 that the degree of coincidence is high, step S47 is branched to step S44, and further next image data is read out.

  On the other hand, if the degree of coincidence is low in the determination in step S47, step S47 is branched to step S48, and the image read in step S44 is recorded on the FlashROM 220 or the recording medium 221 (step S48). Thereafter, the process returns to step S44, and the next image data is read out.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the comparison process with the reference image in step S46 of FIG.

  In the comparison process with the reference image, first, image data of the peripheral area in the center of the reference image is extracted (step S301). For example, when the image data 401 in FIG. 6 is set as the reference image, the image data 401a in the central peripheral area is extracted.

  Next, image data of the peripheral area in the center of the comparison image is extracted (step S302). For example, when the image data 402 in FIG. 6 is read out as a comparative image, the image data 402a around the central region is extracted.

  Next, the color information of the central peripheral area of the reference image and the central peripheral area of the comparison image is discarded (step S303). Then, the difference (luminance difference) for each pixel between the central peripheral area of the reference image and the central peripheral area of the comparison image is calculated (step S304). Next, a luminance image in which each pixel has two gradations according to the luminance difference between the pixels is generated (step S305). Here, pixels with a difference of 0 are converted to black (gradation 0), and pixels with a difference of 0 are converted to white (gradation maximum). For example, when the reference image data 401a and the comparison image data 402a are compared, there is no difference between the two images, and luminance image data 412a with all pixels having gradation 0 is obtained.

  Next, the number of pixels whose gradation is not 0 (mismatched pixels) is counted (step S306). Then, the ratio of pixels whose gradation is not 0 with respect to all the pixels in the central region is calculated (step S307). Next, it is determined whether or not the ratio of pixels whose gradation is not 0 is a predetermined amount m (for example, about 40%) or more (step S308).

  If the ratio of pixels whose gradation is not 0 is less than the predetermined amount m in the determination in step S308, it is determined that the degree of coincidence between the reference image and the comparison image is high (step S309). On the other hand, when the proportion of pixels whose gradation is not 0 is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount m, it is determined that the degree of coincidence between the reference image and the comparison image is low (step S310). Thereafter, the comparison image determined to have a low degree of coincidence is set as the next reference image (step S311).

  For example, when the reference image data 401a and the comparison image data 402a are compared and the luminance image data 412a is obtained, the luminance image data 412a has few pixels whose gradation is not 0. Therefore, the reference image data 401a and the comparison image data 402a It is determined that the degree of coincidence is high. Therefore, the image 402 is not recorded on the Flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 in the process of FIG. Then, the comparison described with reference to FIG. 5 is performed between the next comparison image 403 and the reference image 401. In this case, the luminance image data 413a is obtained. However, since the luminance image data 413a has few pixels whose gradation is not 0, it is determined that the degree of coincidence between the reference image data 401a and the comparison image data 403a is high. Comparison with the image 404 is performed. In this case, luminance image data 414a is obtained. Since the luminance image data 414a has many pixels whose gradation is not 0, it is determined that the degree of coincidence between the reference image data 401a and the comparison image data 404a is low. As a result, the image 404 is recorded in the flash ROM 220 or the recording medium 221 in the process of FIG.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 6, only the first image 401 shown in FIG. 7A and the fourth image 404 shown in FIG. 7B are recorded. At the same time, the image 404 is set as a reference image, and thereafter, comparison is performed based on the image 404. Note that at the time of image recording, it may be recorded as supplementary information (Exif information or the like) how many images of continuous shooting have been recorded.

  According to the present embodiment, even when a large number of images are captured in the continuous shooting mode, only image data having a low degree of coincidence with other images is recorded on the Flash 219 or the recording medium 221. There is no more pressure than necessary.

  It should be noted that to what extent dissimilar images are displayed is determined by the predetermined amount m in step S308 in FIG. This m may be set by the user.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 5, when comparing the reference image and the comparison image, only the central peripheral region is extracted and compared, but it is also possible to compare all pixels. Needless to say. Further, the area to be extracted is not limited to the central peripheral area. Since this comparison only needs to be performed in an area where the existence probability of the subject is high, in addition to the central peripheral area, for example, an area including a distance measuring point focused during AF may be extracted. In addition, the user may be able to select an area to be extracted.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are naturally possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

  Further, the above-described embodiments include various stages of the invention, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention Can be extracted as an invention.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal configuration of a digital camera main body cut away in order to show the configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows in detail about the electric circuit structure inside a digital camera. It is a flowchart shown about the operation | movement at the time of imaging | photography of a digital camera. It is a flowchart shown about a continuous-shot image recording process. It is a flowchart shown about a comparison process with a reference image. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of a comparison process with a reference image. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example at the time of image recording.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera (camera), 100 ... Lens barrel, 101 ... Microcomputer for lens control (Lucom), 101a ... Communication connector, 102 ... Shooting optical system, 103 ... Lens drive mechanism, 104 ... Aperture, 105 ... Aperture drive Mechanism 200 ... Camera body 200a ... Shooting optical system mounting part 200b ... Circuit board 201 ... Body control microcomputer (Bucom) 202a ... Quick return mirror (main mirror) 202b ... Focusing screen 202c ... Penta prism , 202d ... eyepiece, 203 ... sub-mirror, 204 ... photometry circuit, 205 ... AF sensor unit, 206 ... AF sensor drive circuit, 207 ... mirror drive mechanism, 208 ... shutter part, 209 ... shutter charge mechanism, 210 ... shutter control circuit , 21 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Imaging unit, 212 ... Imaging element, 213 ... Dustproof filter, 214 ... Piezoelectric element, 215 ... Dustproof filter drive circuit, 216 ... Temperature measurement circuit, 217 ... Imaging interface circuit, 218 ... Image processing controller, 219 ... Buffer memory (SDRAM) ), 220 ... Flash ROM, 221 ... recording medium, 222 ... liquid crystal monitor, 223 ... nonvolatile memory (EEPROM), 224 ... power supply circuit, 225 ... battery, 226 ... LCD for operation display, 227 ... camera operation switch

Claims (4)

Recording means for recording an image;
Continuous shooting means for starting a continuous shooting operation in response to a manual operation of the release button and ending the continuous shooting operation in response to the release of the manual operation ;
Temporary storage means for temporarily storing a plurality of images acquired by the continuous shooting means;
After completion of the continuous shooting operation, a reference image is set from a plurality of images stored in the temporary storage unit, and another image having a low degree of coincidence in a region including the central portion with respect to the reference image is selected. A selection means for selecting one or more;
Recording control means for controlling the image acquired at the beginning of the continuous shooting operation and the image selected by the selection means to be recorded in the recording means;
A digital camera comprising: 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the selecting means detects a mismatched pixel between the reference image and the other image, and determines the matching degree based on a ratio occupied by the mismatched pixel. The said selection means calculates the difference for every pixel of the said reference image and said other image, and detects the said non-matching pixel by detecting the pixel whose calculation result is not zero. The digital camera described in 1. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the recording control unit further controls to record the image last acquired by the continuous shooting unit on the recording unit.

Images