Electronic camera extracting a predetermined number of images from a plurality of images generated by continuous shooting, and method for same

An electronic camera having a multi-shooting mode in which data of a single composite image is generated by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising:

• a release switch for instructing execution of a shooting operation;
• an image pickup part that performs the continuous shooting according to an operation to said release switch to generate data of a plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode;
• a variation calculating part that calculates a difference between frame images in the data of the images generated by said image pickup part, the difference representing an amount of variation in an object;
• an extraction processing part that extracts data of the predetermined number of images from the data of the plurality of images at such intervals that the smaller the difference between the frames images, the longer the intervals;
• and
• an image composition part that arranges and composites the data of the predetermined number of images extracted by said extraction processing part to generate the data of the single composite image.

An electronic camera having a multi-shooting mode in which data of a single composite image is generated by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising:

• a release switch for instructing execution of a shooting operation;
• an image pickup part that performs the continuous shooting according to an operation to said release switch to generate data of a plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode;
• a variation calculating part that selects the data of the predetermined number or more of images from the data of the plurality of images according to the number of images generated by said image pickup part, and calculates a difference between frame images in the selected data, the difference representing an amount of variation in an object;
• an extraction processing part that extracts the data of the predetermined number of images from the data of the plurality of images at such intervals that the smaller the difference between the frame images, the longer the intervals;
• and
• an image composition part that arranges and composites the data of the predetermined number of images extracted by said extraction processing part to generate the data of the single composite image.

An electronic camera having a multi-shooting mode in which data of a single composite image is generated by extracting data of a predetermined number of images from data of a plurality of images generated by continuous shooting, and by compositing the extracted data of the images, comprising:

• a release switch for instructing execution of a shooting operation;
• an image pickup part that performs the continuous shooting according to an operation to said release switch to generate data of the plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode;
• an extraction processing part that extracts the data of the predetermined number of images from the data of the plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode at such intervals that an Nth frame image data to be extracted is generated by shooting at a time of an Xth power of (N-1) where X is more than zero when a first frame image data to be extracted is assumed to be generated by shooting at a time zero;
• and
• an image composition part that arranges and composites data of the predetermined number of images extracted by said extraction processing part to generate the data of the single composite image.

An electronic camera having a multi-shooting mode in which data of a single composite image is generated by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising:

• a release switch for instructing start and end of the continuous shooting in said multi-shooting mode;
• an image pickup part that performs the continuous shooting according to an operation to said release switch to generate data of a plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode;
• an extraction processing part that extracts data of the predetermined number of images from the data of a plurality of images in said multi-shooting mode in such a manner that the data extracted includes data of images shot at the start and end of the continuous shooting;
• and
• an image composition part that arranges and composites the data of the predetermined number of images extracted by said extraction processing part to generate the data of the single composite image.

A method for generating data of a single composite image by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising the steps of:

• generating data of a plurality of images by continuous shooting;
• changing an extracting rate according to the number of images generated and extracting the data of the predetermined number of images from the generated data of the images according to the changed extracting rate;
• and
• generating the data of the single composite image by arranging and compositing the extracted data of the images.

A method for generating data of a single composite image by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising the steps of:

• generating data of a plurality of images by continuous shooting;
• calculating a difference between frame images in the generated data, the difference representing an amount of variation in an object;
• extracting the data of the predetermined number of images from the generated data of the images at such intervals that the smaller the difference between the frame images, the longer the intervals;
• and
• generating the data of the single composite image by arranging and compositing the extracted data.

A method for generating data of a single composite image by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising the steps of:

• generating data of a plurality of images by continuous shooting;
• selecting data of the predetermined number or more of images from the generated data of the images according to the number of images generated, and calculating a difference between frame images in the selected data, the difference representing an amount of variation in an object;
• extracting data of the predetermined number of images from the generated data of the images at such intervals that the smaller the difference between the frame images, the longer the intervals;
• and
• generating the data of the single composite image by arranging and compositing the extracted data of the images.

A method for generating data of a single composite image by extracting data of a predetermined number of images from data of a plurality of images generated by continuous shooting and by compositing the extracted data of the images, comprising the steps of:

• generating data of a plurality of images by continuous shooting;
• extracting the data of the predetermined number of images from the data of the plurality of images at such intervals that an Nth frame image data to be extracted is generated by shooting at a time of an Xth power of (N-1) where X is more than zero when a first frame image data to be extracted is assumed to be generated by shooting at a time zero;
• and
• generating the data of the single composite image by arranging and compositing the extracted data of the images.

A method for generating data of a single composite image by arranging and compositing data of a predetermined number of images generated by continuous shooting, comprising the steps of:

• instructing start and end of the continuous shooting;
• generating data of a plurality of images by the continuous shooting according to the instruction;
• extracting the data of the predetermined number of images from the data of the plurality of images in a such manner that the data extracted includes data of images shot at the start and end of the continuous shooting;
• and
• generating the data of the single composite image by arranging and compositing the extracted data of the images.