Digital imaging apparatus with camera shake compensation and adaptive sensitivity switching function

Abstract

A digital imaging apparatus is provided which is capable of producing a desired still image with an overly specification-bound state avoided during image shooting. In case the lightness of a subject view is within a predetermined medium range, a controller determines whether or not the camera shake compensation is to be enabled, depending on the lightness of the subject view, the subject movement detected on a through-image viewed and the continuous automatic focusing (AF) activated or not, and further determines whether the low-sensitivity shooting or high-sensitivity shooting is to be resorted to.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an illustrative embodiment of a digital imaging apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart useful for understanding the operation of the embodiment of the digital imaging apparatus in the auto-setting mode;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart useful for understanding the operation of the embodiment in the ISO sensitivity bracketing mode; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views showing examples of the combined states of the camera shake compensation, ISO sensitivity and shutter speed in the ISO sensitivity setting mode of the illustrative embodiment.

Claims

1. A digital imaging apparatus having a camera shake compensation function and a sensitivity switching function of switching sensitivity at a time of shooting, comprising: an imaging unit including an image sensor for shooting a view of a subject as a still image to produce an image signal representative of the view;a signal processor for processing the image signal produced by said imaging unit; anda controller for controlling said imaging unit to shoot the view of the subject;said imaging unit including a compensator for compensating for an effect of camera shake on an image of the view of the subject;said controller switching a compensation state of said compensator and switching optical sensitivity of said image sensor.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller switches enabling and disabling of the compensation state of said compensator.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller is responsive to lightness of the view of the subject to switch the compensation state of said compensator and the optical sensitivity at the time of shooting the still image.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller includes a movement detector for detecting movement of the subject on the image signal produced from said imaging unit and viewed as a through-image, said controller being responsive to the movement detected to control the sensitivity setting at the time of shooting.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said controller controls the enabling and disabling of the compensation of said compensator and sensitivity setting at the time of shooting depending on a zooming multiplication of an imaging lens of said imaging unit.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said controller controls the enabling and disabling of the compensation of said compensator and sensitivity setting at the time of shooting depending on an in-focus position of an imaging lens of said imaging unit.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said controller renders a continuous automatic focal point adjustment for effecting continuous automatic focal point adjustment for the view of the subject, and controls the enabling and disabling of the compensation of said compensator and sensitivity setting at the time of shooting depending on the enabling or disabling state of the continuous automatic focal point adjustment.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said controller is responsive to an in-focus position of a lens of said imaging unit to calculate a first evaluation value depending upon the camera shake compensation and a second evaluation value which depending upon high-sensitivity shooting, said controller being responsive to the first and second evaluation values to determining which of the compensation by said compensator or the high-sensitivity shooting is to be resorted to for effecting shooting control depending on a result of the determination.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller is responsive to an exposure value determined depending on lightness of the view of the subject to set a plurality of combinations of an iris value, a shutter speed and shooting sensitivity to execute shooting a series of image frames under a condition of the plurality of combinations set.