Imaging device

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus that allows a panning shot with a changed composition.SOLUTION: In a camera system 100 having: at least one sixth group lens 6 or eighth group lens 8 configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis OA; a first shift driving unit 11B or a second shift driving unit 12B that drives the sixth group lens 6 or the eighth group lens 8 in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis OA; a first shift position detection unit 11A or a second shift position detection unit 12A that detects the position of the sixth group lens 6 or the eighth group lens 8; a photographing condition control unit 50A that controls the photographing condition; a detection unit 62 that detects at least one of the moving speed and the moving direction of a subject; and a shift control unit 30B that controls the sixth group lens 6 or the eighth group lens 8 based on a signal from the detection unit 62, the photographing condition control unit 50A has a panning shot photographing mode for intermittently performing exposure and the drive of the sixth group lens 6 or the eighth group lens 8 with respect to the movement of the subject.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] As a shooting method for expressing a sense of dynamism, there is a technique called panning, in which the shutter is released at a low speed while tracking a moving subject, so that the subject is captured as stationary and the background is captured as blurred. In panning, since the shutter is released at a low speed while swinging the camera, it is susceptible to camera shake, and taking a photograph with little blur depends on the skill of the photographer.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses, as a panning technique that does not depend on the skill of the photographer, a technology for automatically performing panning while the camera is stationary.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, panning is started when a subject appears at a preset position, so if the resulting composition differs from the intended one, the shooting has to be redone, which may lead to missed shooting opportunities.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that enables panning shooting with a changed composition.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention moves an optical member This moves the shooting range.The system comprises a drive unit, a first detection unit that detects at least one of the moving speed and direction of the subject, a first control unit that controls the imaging of the subject, and a second control unit that controls the drive unit based on a signal from the first detection unit, wherein the first and second control units are capable of executing a control mode in which exposure and movement of the optical element are intermittently performed in response to the movement of the subject. The second control unit, in the control mode, moves the optical member in a first direction during the first exposure so that the shooting range moves in accordance with the movement of the subject, and after the first exposure, stops or slows down the movement of the optical member in the first direction, thereby changing the position of the subject relative to the shooting range, and during the second exposure, moves the optical member in the first direction so that the position of the subject relative to the shooting range is different from that during the first exposure. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging device that enables panning photography with a changed composition. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of the camera system 100 of the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an electrical configuration diagram of the camera system 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] (A) A diagram showing the normal range of focus. (B) A diagram showing the principle of Scheinproof. (C) A diagram showing that Scheinproof has been applied in an embodiment. [Figure 4(A)] This diagram shows the configuration of the lens barrel 101 necessary for performing multiple panning shots with different compositions. [Figure 4(B)] This diagram shows the configuration of the camera body 102 necessary for performing multiple panning shots with different compositions. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart of the control method for performing multiple panning shots with varying compositions. [Figure 6] (A) to (D) are diagrams showing possible subject situations when performing panning shots. [Figure 7] (A) to (H) This diagram shows the flow of taking multiple panning shots with different compositions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lens barrel 101 (lens device) and a camera body 102 that constitute a camera system 100 (imaging device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, the direction along the optical axis OA in the lens barrel 101 is defined as the X-axis direction, the pitch direction as the Y-axis direction, and the yaw direction as the Z-axis direction.

[0011] The camera body 102 has an imaging unit 58 (image sensor). The image formed through the lens barrel 101 is exposed to the imaging unit 58 for a desired amount of time by the camera CPU 50 controlling a shutter (not shown), allowing for image capture. It also has a display unit 60 with a touch panel function that allows for displaying captured images and changing various settings of the camera system 100, and a viewfinder 70 that allows for checking captured images and eye-tracking input by looking through it.

[0012] The lens barrel 101 has lens group 1, lens group 2, lens group 3, lens group 4, lens group 5, lens group 6, lens group 7, lens group 8, lens group 9, and lens group 10. The optical system consisting of these lens groups has an optical axis OA. By changing the positional relationship of each lens group in the direction of the optical axis OA, the focal length of the lens barrel 101 is changed. The lens barrel 101 also has an aperture mechanism 14 that changes the aperture diameter of its optical system using lens CPU 30.

[0013] Each lens group is held by a lens barrel having a cam follower, the cam follower engaging with a straight groove in the guide barrel 15 parallel to the optical axis OA and a groove in the cam barrel 16 that is inclined relative to the optical axis OA. The cam barrel 16 is engaged with the zoom operating ring 20, and as the zoom operating ring 20 rotates, the cam barrel 16 rotates as well, so the focal length can be changed by rotating the zoom operating ring 20. In addition, the focal length of the optical system can be detected by a zoom position detection means (zoom operating ring rotation detection unit 20A) (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation of the zoom operating ring 20.

[0014] The second group lens 2 serves as a focus group that allows focus adjustment by being driven in the direction of the optical axis OA. The focus unit 13 is constituted by a guide bar (not shown) that guides in the direction of the optical axis OA, a focus drive unit 13B (vibration actuator) that drives the second group lens 2, and a focus position detection unit 13A (not shown) that detects the movement distance of the second group lens 2. The focus unit 13 is driven and controlled by the lens CPU 30.

[0015] By driving each or at least one of the sixth group lens 6 and the eighth group lens 8 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis OA, a tilt effect that tilts the focus plane relative to the imaging surface and a shift effect that moves the shooting range (angle of view) can be obtained. That is, each of the sixth group lens 6 and the eighth group lens 8 is an optical member for shift configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis OA. Specifically, when both the sixth group lens 6 and the eighth group lens 8 have positive refractive power or negative refractive power, the tilt effect can be obtained by moving them in directions opposite to each other, and the shift effect can be obtained by moving them in the same direction. In a combination where one of the sixth group lens 6 and the eighth group lens 8 has positive refractive power and the other has negative refractive power, the shift effect can be obtained by moving them in directions opposite to each other, and the tilt effect can be obtained by moving them in the same direction. The first shift unit 11 is constituted by a holding unit that holds the lens so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis OA, a drive unit, and a first shift position detection unit 11A (position detection unit) that detects the movement distance, and the sixth group lens 6 is driven. Similarly, the second shift unit 12 is configured, and the eighth group lens 8 is driven. At this time, the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 are driven and controlled by the lens CPU 30.

[0016] The lens barrel 101 is provided with a mount 17, and the mount 17 is connected to a mount of the camera body 102 (not shown), so that the lens barrel 101 can be fixed. Further, the lens barrel 101 and the camera body 102 respectively have a lens-side electrical contact 21 and a camera-side electrical contact 51 that connect the lens CPU 30 and the camera CPU 50, so that setting items set on the camera side can be reflected in the lens barrel 101.

[0017] Figure 2 is an electrical configuration diagram of the camera system 100 in the lens barrel 101 and the camera body 102. First, control in the camera body 102 will be described. The camera CPU 50 is constituted by a microcomputer. The camera CPU 50 controls the operation of each unit in the camera body 102. Further, when the lens barrel 101 is mounted, the camera CPU 50 communicates with the lens CPU 30 provided in the lens barrel 101 via the lens-side electrical contact 21 and the camera-side electrical contact 51.

[0018] The information (signals) transmitted from the camera CPU 50 to the lens CPU 30 includes drive amount information of the second group lens 2, focus shift information, aperture drive commands, and posture information of the camera body 102 based on signals from the camera posture detection unit 52 such as an acceleration sensor. It also includes subject distance information and position information of the subject based on a signal from the TS instruction unit 61 that the photographer uses to specify the desired subject to be focused on, as well as shooting range information for specifying a desired shooting range (field of view). Details of this TS instruction unit 61 will be described later.

[0019] The information (signals) transmitted from the lens CPU 30 to the camera CPU 50 includes optical information such as the imaging magnification of the lens barrel 101, and lens function information such as zoom and image stabilization mounted on the attached lens barrel 101. It also includes posture information from the lens posture detection unit 22 such as a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

[0020] The lens-side electrical contact 21 and the camera-side electrical contact 51 also include contacts for supplying power from the camera body 102 to the lens barrel 101.

[0021] The power switch 53 is an operator-operable switch that can start the camera CPU 50 and begin supplying power to various actuators and sensors within the camera system. The release switch 54 is an operator-operable switch that has a first-stroke switch SW1 and a second-stroke switch SW2. The signal from the release switch 54 is input to the camera CPU 50. The camera CPU 50 enters a shooting preparation state in response to the ON signal input from the first-stroke switch SW1. In the shooting preparation state, the photometering unit 55 measures the brightness of the subject and the focus detection unit 56 detects the focus.

[0022] The camera CPU 50 calculates the aperture value of the aperture mechanism 14 and the exposure amount (shutter speed in seconds) of the imaging unit 58 based on the metering results from the photometering unit 55. The camera CPU 50 also determines the drive amount information (including the drive direction) for the two-group lens 2 to obtain a focused state for the subject, based on the focus information (defocus amount and defocus direction) which is the result of the focus state detection result of the imaging optical system by the focus detection unit 56. The drive amount information for the two-group lens 2 is transmitted to the lens CPU 30. The lens CPU 30 controls the operation of each component of the lens barrel 101.

[0023] Furthermore, in the lens barrel 101 of this embodiment, by driving each of the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8, or at least one of them, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis OA, a tilt effect that inclins the focal plane relative to the imaging plane and a shift effect that moves the shooting range can be obtained. Therefore, the camera CPU 50 calculates the amount of tilt drive to focus on the desired subject indicated by the TS instruction unit 61. It also calculates the amount of shift drive to change from the current shooting range to the shooting range indicated by the TS instruction unit 61. This drive amount information is transmitted from the camera CPU 50 to the lens CPU 30, and the driving of the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8 is controlled.

[0024] Here, the TS indicator 61 may indicate multiple subjects. Even if there are multiple subjects at different distances, focusing is possible as long as at least one subject lies on the tilted subject surface 202b (see Figure 3(B)) due to the aforementioned tilt effect. Details of shooting using the tilt effect due to the tilt operation will be described later.

[0025] Furthermore, the TS indicator unit 61 may be located on the lens barrel 101 instead of the camera body 102, and its function can be assigned to existing rotary controls, buttons, switches, etc. on the lens barrel 101 or the camera body 102.

[0026] Furthermore, when the camera CPU 50 enters a predetermined shooting mode, it starts controlling the eccentric drive of the image-stabilizing lens (not shown), i.e., the image stabilization operation. Note that there are also lens barrels 101 without image stabilization functionality, in which case this eccentric drive of the image-stabilizing lens is unnecessary.

[0027] When an ON signal is received from the second stroke switch SW2 in the release switch 54, the camera CPU 50 sends an aperture drive command to the lens CPU 30, and the aperture mechanism 14 is set to the aperture value calculated earlier. The camera CPU 50 also sends an exposure start command to the exposure unit 57, causing the mirror to retract (not shown) (this operation does not occur in mirrorless cameras) and the shutter to open (not shown), and causing the imaging unit 58 to perform photoelectric conversion of the subject image, i.e., exposure operation.

[0028] The imaging signal from the imaging unit 58 is digitally converted by the signal processing unit in the camera CPU 50, and further corrected before being output as an image signal. The image signal (data) is recorded and stored in the image recording unit 59 on a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory like flash memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0029] Furthermore, the display unit 60, which is a display using liquid crystal or organic EL technology, can also display images captured by the imaging unit 58 during shooting, as well as images recorded in the image recording unit 59. In recent years, this display has been equipped with touch operation technology, allowing users to select a subject and adjust the focus on the display during live view shooting. It is common for the TS indicator unit 61 to be included in the display unit 60.

[0030] Furthermore, the detection unit 62 and the distance measuring unit 63 are electrically connected to the camera CPU 50, but the control of the detection unit 62 and the distance measuring unit 63 will be described later.

[0031] Next, the control in the lens barrel 101 will be described. The lens CPU 30 of the lens barrel 101 is electrically connected to the first shift unit 11, the second shift unit 12, the focus unit 13, and the aperture mechanism 14, but the details of their control will be described later.

[0032] First, let's explain each detection unit. The first shift position detection unit 11A detects the position of the 6-group lens 6 driven by the first shift drive unit 11B (drive unit) included in the first shift unit 11. Similarly, the second shift position detection unit 12A detects the position of the 8-group lens 8 driven by the second shift drive unit 12B (drive unit) included in the second shift unit 12.

[0033] The focus operation ring rotation detection unit 18A includes a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation of the focus operation ring 18. The aperture operation ring rotation detection unit 19A includes a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation of the aperture operation ring 19. The zoom operation ring rotation detection unit 20A includes a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation of the zoom operation ring 20.

[0034] The lens attitude detection unit 22 consists of a gyro sensor, an accelerometer, etc., and although not shown in Figure 1, it is located and fixed inside the lens barrel 101 and electrically connected to the lens CPU 30. The gyro sensor (lens attitude detection unit 22) detects the angular velocity of the vertical (pitch direction) and horizontal (yaw direction) oscillations of the camera system 100, and outputs the detected values ​​as angular velocity signals to the lens CPU 30. The lens CPU 30 electrically or mechanically integrates the angular velocity signals in the pitch direction and yaw direction from the gyro sensor to calculate the amount of displacement in each direction, namely the pitch oscillation and yaw oscillation (collectively referred to as the angular oscillation).

[0035] The TS operation detection unit 23 includes a manual operation unit (control change unit) for preparing to obtain tilt and shift effects, and a sensor (not shown) for detecting the amount of operation. Specifically, when the TS operation detection unit 23 drives the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis OA, the sensor detects the amount of manual operation required to move the field of view A (see Figure 7(A)), which will be described later, and drives the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8.

[0036] Next, each drive unit will be described. The focus drive unit 13B of the focus unit 13 drives the two-group lens 2 in the direction of the optical axis OA according to the drive amount information of the two-group lens 2 that performs the focusing operation. This drive amount information is determined based on the signal from the camera CPU 50 mentioned above. Alternatively, the rotation of the manually operated focus operating ring 18 can be detected by the focus operating ring rotation detection unit 18A, and the drive amount information can be determined from the signal indicating the manually specified focus position.

[0037] The electromagnetic aperture drive unit 14B of the aperture mechanism 14 is controlled by the lens CPU 30, which receives an aperture drive command from the camera CPU 50, and drives the aperture mechanism 14 to an open state corresponding to the specified aperture value. It is also driven in the same way when the photographer specifies a desired aperture value by operating the aperture control ring 19.

[0038] The IS drive unit 24 includes a drive actuator for an anti-vibration lens (not shown) that performs vibration isolation, and its drive circuit. The lens CPU 30 controls the IS drive unit 24 based on the combined displacement of the angular and parallel vibration amounts described above to shift the anti-vibration lens (not shown in Figure 1) and perform angular vibration correction and parallel vibration correction. Note that this structure and function are unnecessary in lens barrels 101 that do not have vibration isolation. The lens CPU 30 also controls the focus drive unit 13B based on the focus vibration amount to drive the two-group lens 2 in the optical axis direction and perform focus vibration correction.

[0039] The TS drive unit 25 receives subject distance information, position information, and shooting range information from the camera CPU 50, and performs a tilt operation to obtain the desired tilted focal plane (subject plane 202b, see Figure 3(B)), as well as a shift operation to obtain the desired shooting range. Needless to say, the lens CPU 30 controls the TS drive unit 25 and the focus drive unit 13B to operate optimally in order to obtain the desired focus. Furthermore, the lens barrel 101 in this embodiment has optical characteristics that allow the focus to change even if the subject distance does not change due to the shift operation. However, it goes without saying that the TS drive unit 25 and the focus drive unit 13B are optimally controlled to match these characteristics.

[0040] In this embodiment, the lens barrel 101 controls the TS drive unit 25 based on the amount of shake and displacement of the lens barrel 101 calculated based on the output from the lens attitude detection unit 22. For example, if camera shake occurs when taking a picture with the camera system 100 held by hand, the subject plane will shift relative to the subject. However, in this embodiment, since the position of the subject is stored in the subject memory unit 26 (described later), the TS drive unit 25 can be controlled to correct the shake and keep the subject plane aligned with the subject. In some cases, the signal from the acceleration sensor mounted on the camera body 102 may be used to control the TS drive unit 25.

[0041] The subject memory unit 26 stores the spatial position of the subject within the shooting range, as indicated by the TS instruction unit 61 or the display unit 60. This position can be defined by the distance to the subject and its coordinates (X, Y) with the imaging plane as the XY axis plane, but the details will be described later.

[0042] Next, we will explain the Scheinproof principle. Figure 3(A) shows the so-called normal range of focus when the optical axis OA of the optical system 201a is not tilted with respect to the imaging plane 200a. Figure 3(B) shows the range of focus according to the Scheinproof principle when the optical axis OA of the optical system 201b is tilted with respect to the imaging plane 200b.

[0043] In the figure, the imaging plane 200a, imaging plane 200b, optical system 201a, optical system 201b, in-focus subject plane 202a, in-focus subject plane 202b, and main plane 203a and main plane 203b of the optical system are shown. As shown in Figure 3(B), when the optical axis OA of the optical system and the imaging unit 58 in the lens barrel 101 are tilted, the range in focus on the subject side is determined by the Scheinproof principle. The Scheinproof principle states that when the extension of the line tangent to the imaging plane 200b and the extension of the line tangent to the main plane 203b of the optical system intersect at intersection point 204b, the extension of the line tangent to the subject plane 202b also passes through intersection point 204b.

[0044] When the subject you want to photograph has depth, you can tilt the subject plane 202b to match that depth, allowing you to focus on the subject from the foreground to the background. With lenses that do not have a tilt-shift mechanism, the common method to focus on the depth of field is to stop down the aperture, but with a tilt-shift lens, you can focus on the depth even with the aperture wide open by performing a tilt operation.

[0045] Conversely, by tilting the main surface 203b of the optical system 201b in the opposite direction to the inclination of the subject with depth, it is also possible to intersect the subject surface 202b with the depth direction of the subject at an angle close to a right. In this case, the depth of field can be made extremely narrow, so it is possible to obtain a diorama-like image.

[0046] Figure 3(C) shows that the Scheinpuff principle is applied in this embodiment. In this embodiment, instead of tilting the optical system 201c, the tilt θobj of the subject surface 202c is generated by utilizing image distortion through eccentricity of the optical elements. However, if the Scheinpuff principle is applied to the main surface 203c of the optical system 201c and the subject surface 202c, where no tilt occurs, an image distortion of angle θimg should occur on the imaging surface 200c. Therefore, this angle θimg is corrected by eccentricity of the optical system 201c, so that the subject surface 202c tilts without tilting the imaging surface 200c, and the desired subject can be focused. With this configuration, the extension of the line tilted by angle θimg from the imaging surface 200c and the extension of the main surface 203c of the optical system intersect at intersection point 204c, and the extension of the line tangent to the subject surface 202c also passes through intersection point 204c, thus demonstrating that the Scheinpuff principle is applied.

[0047] On the other hand, if a predetermined image distortion correction effect is to be achieved, the amount of eccentricity of the optical system 201c increases, resulting in a larger composition shift. Therefore, another lens, designed to minimize aberration fluctuations during eccentricity, is moved to prevent a large increase in composition shift. In other words, in this embodiment, the problem of a large composition shift is solved by performing an eccentric operation on at least one of the 6-group lens 6 or 8-group lens 8 corresponding to the optical system 201c.

[0048] Next, we will describe a method for performing multiple panning shots with different compositions in a single shooting operation by shifting the six-group lens 6 and the eight-group lens 8, which are the main components of this embodiment, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis OA.

[0049] Figure 4(A) shows the control mode of the lens CPU 30 when performing multiple panning shots with different compositions, and Figure 4(B) shows the control mode of the camera CPU 50 when performing multiple panning shots with different compositions.

[0050] First, the control flow by the lens CPU 30 will be explained with reference to Figure 4(A). The lens CPU 30 includes a focus control unit 30A, a shift control unit 30B, and an aperture control unit 30C. The shift control unit 30B also includes a first shift control unit 30B1 and a second shift control unit 30B2. The shift control unit 30B performs control based on signals from the TS operation detection unit 23.

[0051] The first shift unit 11 includes a first shift position detection unit 11A and a first shift drive unit 11B. The first shift drive unit 11B drives the 6-group lens 6 in response to instructions from the first shift control unit 30B1. The first shift position detection unit 11A detects the position of the 6-group lens 6 and outputs it to the first shift control unit 30B1.

[0052] The second shift unit 12 includes a second shift position detection unit 12A and a second shift drive unit 12B. The second shift drive unit 12B drives the 8-group lens 8 in response to instructions from the second shift control unit 30B2. The second shift position detection unit 12A detects the position of the 8-group lens 8 and outputs it to the second shift control unit 30B2. The first shift drive unit 11B and the second shift drive unit 12B are included in the TS drive unit 25.

[0053] The focus unit 13 includes a focus position detection unit 13A and a focus drive unit 13B. The focus drive unit 13B drives the two-group lens 2, which is the focus group, in response to instructions from the focus control unit 30A. The focus position detection unit 13A then detects the position of the two-group lens 2 and outputs it to the focus control unit 30A.

[0054] The aperture mechanism 14 includes an electromagnetic aperture drive unit 14B. The electromagnetic aperture drive unit 14B drives the aperture mechanism 14 in response to instructions from the aperture control unit 30C to set the aperture to an open state corresponding to a specified aperture value.

[0055] Next, the control flow by the camera CPU 50 will be explained with reference to Figure 4(B). The camera body 102 includes a detection unit 62 and a distance measuring unit 63. The detection unit 62 includes a subject detection unit 62A that detects a subject that has entered the shooting range, a movement speed detection unit 62B that detects the movement speed of a subject moving within the shooting range, and a movement direction detection unit 62C that detects the direction of movement of the subject. The distance measuring unit 63 measures the distance to the subject detected by the subject detection unit 62A.

[0056] The subject information detected by the detection unit 62 and the distance measuring unit 63 is output to the camera CPU 50, where it is converted into control information for the movement speed and direction of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, and output to the shift control unit 30B of the lens CPU 30.

[0057] The camera CPU 50 includes a shooting condition control unit 50A (condition control unit) that controls the shooting conditions. The shooting condition control unit 50A has a normal shooting mode M1 and a panning shooting mode (control mode) in which shooting is performed by intermittently controlling the exposure and the driving of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 in response to the movement of the subject. The panning shooting mode has a panning mode M2 ​​(first mode) for panning the subject and a multiple panning mode M3 (second mode) for panning the subject multiple times. The shooting condition control unit 50A also includes a panning control unit 50B that switches the shooting mode from normal shooting mode M1 to panning mode M2 ​​or multiple panning mode M3 at the photographer's selection. This switching is not limited to switching at the photographer's selection, and the shooting condition control unit 50A may also switch between panning mode M2 ​​and multiple panning mode M3.

[0058] In this embodiment, the panning mode M2 ​​and the multiple panning mode M3 are panning shooting modes that allow the photographer to perform panning shots without moving the camera system 100 by driving the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 to track the subject.

[0059] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the control process when performing multiple panning shots with different compositions in the multiple panning mode M3.

[0060] Figures 6(A) to 6(D) illustrate possible subject situations when performing panning shots. Figure 6(A) shows a situation where a subject O enters the field of view A from outside the field of view A, and its direction of movement is predictable. Figure 6(B) shows a situation where a subject O is photographed within the field of view A, and its direction of movement is predictable. Figure 6(C) shows a situation where a subject O enters the field of view A from outside the field of view A, and its direction of movement is unpredictable. Figure 6(D) shows a situation where a subject O is photographed within the field of view A, and its direction of movement is unpredictable. The field of view A is movable within the movable range R.

[0061] Figures 7(A) to 7(H) show the flow of multiple panning shots with varying compositions for a subject O whose direction of movement is predictable, such as in Figure 6(A). The flow of the multiple panning shot mode with varying compositions will be explained below using Figures 5 and 7(A) to 7(H).

[0062] First, in step S1 of Figure 5, the photographer selects a panning mode (panning mode M2 ​​or multiple panning mode M3). Next, proceed to step S2, where the photographer determines whether the direction of movement of the subject O is predictable or not. If the direction of movement is predictable (Y), proceed to step S3; if it is unpredictable (N), proceed to step S4. Examples of subjects O whose direction of movement is predictable include trains, car races, horse races, cycle road races, and foot races, as shown in Figures 6(A) and 6(B), where the movement is unidirectional or the course is fixed. Examples of subjects O whose direction of movement is unpredictable include animals such as birds and cats, children, and set plays in sports, as shown in Figures 6(C) and 6(D), where the movement is irregular and the course is not fixed.

[0063] In Figures 7(A) to (H), which show an example where a train is the subject O, the movable range R indicates the range over which the field of view A can be moved by driving the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12.

[0064] In step S3, the photographer operates the manual control unit of the TS operation detection unit 23 to drive the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, moving the initial angle of view A1 to the position (angle of view A) where the subject O shown in Figure 7(A) enters the movable range R. Here, the photographer sets at least one of the 6-group lens 6 or the 8-group lens 8 to move closer. The manual control unit can be operated on the display unit 60 which has a touch panel function. Since the multiple panning mode M3 was selected in step S1, the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 are set to operate in a panning shooting mode that is performed intermittently. However, by operating the manual control unit of the TS operation detection unit 23, the panning shooting mode is changed to a control in which the TS operation detection unit 23 drives the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12. In this way, the manual control unit moves at least one of the 6-group lens 6 or the 8-group lens 8 in the direction corresponding to the movement of the subject O. By setting the initial angle of view A1 to angle of view A in step S3, the amount of drive of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 when performing panning shots can be increased. This setting makes it possible to perform panning shots more effectively.

[0065] In step S4, the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 are not driven, and the angle of view is not changed. That is, the photographer is positioned so that at least one of the 6-group lens 6 or 8-group lens 8 of the shift group is centered. By keeping the angle of view unchanged in step S4 as shown in Figures 6(C) and 6(D), a certain amount of drive can be obtained for the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12.

[0066] Next, the process proceeds to step S5, where the subject detection unit 62A detects the subject O. This occurs when a portion of the subject O enters the field of view A, as shown in Figure 7(A).

[0067] Next, the process proceeds to step S6, where the distance measuring unit 63 measures the distance to obtain distance information to the subject O. Then, the process proceeds to steps S7 and S8. In step S7, the camera CPU 50 measures the subject brightness using the photometering unit 55 and detects the focus using the focus detection unit 56, focusing on the subject O, i.e., preparing for shooting, such as exposure and focusing. In step S8, the movement speed detection unit 62B and the movement direction detection unit 62C detect the movement speed and direction of the subject O. The movement speed and direction can be calculated from the time the subject O is in the frame between two predetermined points within the field of view A and the subject distance information obtained by the distance measuring unit 63, but are not limited to this. In this embodiment, the movement speed of the subject O is calculated from the time from when the subject O is in the frame at point P1 in Figure 7(A) until the subject O is in the frame at point P2 in Figure 7(B), and from the subject distance information. If the direction of movement of the subject is predictable, the detection unit 62 may detect at least one of the subject's movement speed and direction.

[0068] Next, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the shooting condition control unit 50A determines the drive speed and drive direction of the shift group based on the movement speed and direction of the subject O detected in step S8 in order to perform panning. The shooting condition control unit 50A calculates the drive speeds of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 to move the angle of view A in accordance with the movement of the subject O.

[0069] Next, the process proceeds to step S10, where, based on the drive speed information calculated in step S9, the shift control unit 30B starts driving the first shift unit 11 or the second shift unit 12 to drive at least one of the 6-group lens 6 or the 8-group lens 8. The timing of the start of the drive may be when the subject O enters a predetermined position such as the center AC of the angle of view A, or as soon as the calculation in step S9 is completed. Alternatively, the timing may be determined arbitrarily by the photographer.

[0070] Next, the process proceeds to step S11, where the first shift unit 11 or the second shift unit 12 is driven while an ON signal is input from the second stroke switch SW2. That is, the image sensor of the imaging unit 58 performs photoelectric conversion (exposure operation) of the subject image. The ON signal from the second stroke switch SW2 may be input by the photographer actually pressing the second stroke switch SW2, or it may be input automatically at a preset timing. In Figures 7(B) and 7(C), the driving of the field of view A is started based on the movement speed of the subject O, which is calculated when the subject O reaches the center AC of the field of view A. Then, when the subject O reaches the center C of the initial field of view A1 before the field of view change, an ON signal is input from the second stroke switch SW2, and the exposure operation is performed. During the exposure operation, the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 continue to drive in accordance with the subject O, resulting in a panning effect, and panning photography as shown in Figure 7(G) is completed.

[0071] Next, the process proceeds to step S12, where the shooting condition control unit 50A determines whether panning photography with a changed composition is possible. At the time the first panning shot is completed in step S11, the drive speed and exposure time relative to the remaining drive amount RD (see Figure 7(C)) of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 determine whether panning photography is possible. If it is possible to continue panning photography (Y), the process proceeds to step S13; otherwise, it proceeds to step S17 to end the shooting. Also, if the multiple panning mode M3, which performs panning photography with a changed composition, is not selected in step S1, the process proceeds to step S17 to end the shooting.

[0072] In step S13, the drive of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, which are the shift drive units, is stopped. By stopping the drive of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, the movement of the field of view A stops (see Figures 7(C) to 7(D)). Alternatively, the drive speed may be slowed down, as long as a delay is created between the movement of the subject O and the movement of the field of view A.

[0073] Next, the process proceeds to step S14, where the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12 are restarted. In Figure 7(D), the movement of the field of view A had stopped, but the subject O continued to move during this time, so the composition changed to one where the field of view A was in the direction of movement. By restarting the driving of the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, the field of view A moved again to match the subject O, as shown in Figure 7(E), and the remaining drive amount RD decreased. As a result, the composition became one where the subject O was in the direction of movement relative to the field of view A of the first shot.

[0074] Next, the process proceeds to step S15, where the exposure operation is performed again while driving the first shift unit 11 and the second shift unit 12, thereby completing the second shot, in which the composition has changed compared to the first shot, as shown in Figure 7(H).

[0075] Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S16, where it is determined again whether it is possible to continue multiple panning shots with a changed composition. If it is determined that it is possible to continue (Y), the process returns to step S13, and shooting is repeated until it is determined that it is not possible to continue. If it is determined in step S16 that it is not possible to continue (N), the process proceeds to step S17, and shooting ends. In Figure 7(F), at the time the second shot is completed, the angle of view A has reached the limit of the movable range R, and the remaining drive amount RD is zero, so it is determined that it is not possible to continue and shooting ends. In other words, in the panning shooting mode of the shooting condition control unit 50A, exposure and the driving of the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8 are performed intermittently in response to the movement of the subject O. The panning shooting mode is executed based on the detected positions of the 6-group lens 6 and the 8-group lens 8, and the control states of the first shift drive unit 11B and the second shift drive unit 12B, until the movement of the shift optical elements is completed.

[0076] With the above configuration and processing method, panning photography is made possible regardless of the photographer's skill, and multiple panning shots with different compositions can be taken in a single shooting operation.According to this embodiment, an imaging device that enables multiple panning shots with different compositions can be provided.

[0077] Although we have described an example where the direction of movement of subject O can be predicted, as shown in Figure 6(A), the same determination is made in step S12 when taking multiple panning shots with different compositions for a subject O whose direction of movement cannot be predicted, as shown in Figures 6(C) and 6(D). Furthermore, the focusing by the focus detection unit 56 in step S7 may be omitted by setting the focus position in advance.

[0078] In this embodiment, the lens barrel 101 is configured to be detachably attached to the camera body 102 as shown in Figure 1, but the camera body 102 and the lens barrel 101 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0079] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist.

[0080] This embodiment includes the following configuration. (Composition 1) At least one shift optical element configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, A drive unit that drives the shift optical element in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, A position detection unit for detecting the position of the shift optical element, A condition control unit that controls the shooting conditions, A detection unit that detects at least one of the subject's movement speed and direction of movement, An imaging device having a shift control unit that controls the shift optical member based on a signal from the detection unit, The imaging apparatus is characterized in that the condition control unit has a control mode that intermittently performs exposure and driving of the shift optical member in response to the movement of the subject. (Configuration 2) The imaging apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the control mode is executed based on the position of the shift optical member detected by the position detection unit and the control state of the shift control unit, until the movement of the shift optical member is completed. (Composition 3) The imaging device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the control mode has a first mode for panning the subject and a second mode for panning the subject multiple times. (Composition 4) The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a control changing unit that changes the control mode depending on whether or not the direction of movement of the subject is predictable. (Composition 5) The imaging apparatus according to configuration 4, characterized in that the control modification unit moves the shift optical member in a direction corresponding to the movement of the subject when the direction of movement of the subject is predictable. (Composition 6) The imaging apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that by driving the shift optical member in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, a tilt effect that inclins the focal plane with respect to the imaging plane or a shift effect that moves the shooting range can be obtained. (Composition 7) The imaging apparatus according to configuration 6, characterized in that the tilt effect is obtained by driving each of the two shift optical members in opposite directions. (Composition 8) The imaging apparatus according to configuration 6, characterized in that the shift effect is obtained by driving each of the two shift optical members in the same direction. (Composition 9) The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that the imaging device is detachably equipped with a lens device including the shift optical member and an optical system for forming an image of a subject onto an image sensor. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 6. 6-group lens (optical element for shifting) 8-group lens (optical element for shifting) 11A First shift position detection unit (position detection unit) 11B First shift drive unit (drive unit) 12A Second shift position detection unit (position detection unit) 12B Second shift drive unit (drive unit) 30B Shift Control Unit 50A Shooting Condition Control Unit (Condition Control Unit) 62 Detection unit 100 Camera System (Imaging Device) 101 Lens barrel (lens device) 102 Camera body O Subject OA optical axis M2 Panning Mode (First Mode) M3 Multiple Panning Mode (Second Mode)

Claims

1. A drive unit that moves the shooting range by moving the optical components, A first detection unit that detects at least one of the subject's movement speed and direction of movement, A first control unit that controls the imaging of the subject, It includes a second control unit that controls the drive unit based on a signal from the first detection unit, The first and second control units are capable of executing control modes that intermittently perform exposure and movement of the optical element in response to the movement of the subject, In the control mode, the second control unit, During the first exposure, the optical member is moved in a first direction so that the shooting range moves in accordance with the movement of the subject. After the first exposure, the position of the subject relative to the shooting range is changed by stopping or slowing down the movement of the optical member in the first direction. An imaging apparatus characterized in that, during the second exposure, the optical member is moved in the first direction while the position of the subject relative to the shooting range is different from that during the first exposure.

2. It has a second detection unit for detecting the position of the optical element, The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second control units execute the control mode between the start and end of the movement of the optical member, based on the signal from the first detection unit and the control state of the second control unit.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control mode is performed by a single shooting operation by the user.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a changing unit that changes the control mode depending on whether the direction of movement of the subject is predictable or not.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the modification part moves the optical member in a direction corresponding to the movement of the subject when the direction of movement of the subject is predictable.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit moves the optical member in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis to move the imaging range.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit moves the optical member in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis to tilt the focal plane with respect to the imaging plane.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the second control unit switches whether to move the two optical members in opposite directions or in the same direction depending on whether the focal plane is tilted or the shooting range is moved.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control mode is performed without the user shaking the imaging device to follow the movement of the subject.

10. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the lens device including the optical element is detachable.

Images