Optical unit which can program optical properties and camera incorporating lens unit which can program optical properties

A lens unit which can program an optical property, comprising:

• a detachable unit adapted to be detached from a camera;
• a plurality of optical elements disposed on an optical axis of the lens unit;
• an electronic control unit for changing an optical property of the whole lens unit by changing the state of the plurality of lens elements within the lens unit through electronic control;
• an obtaining unit for obtaining control information for controlling the state of the plurality of optical elements so that a predetermined optical property of the whole lens unit falls within a predetermined range of a whole range that can be changed by the electronic control unit;
• a photographing control unit for controlling the state of the plurality of optical elements that is changed by the electronic control unit based on the control information obtained by the obtaining unit at the time of photographing.

A method for controlling a camera incorporating an electronic control unit for changing the state of a plurality of optical elements disposed on an optical axis of a lens unit through electronic control to thereby change an optical property with respect to an optical path of the whole lens unit, comprising the steps of:

• setting an operation mode of the camera to a design mode;
• preparing control information for controlling the state of the plurality of optical instruments so that a predetermined optical property of the whole lens unit falls within a predetermined range of a whole range that can be changed by the electronic control unit;
• setting the operation mode of the camera to a setting mode;
• selecting one of the prepared control information as control information that is to be used for control at the time of photographing in such a state that the setting mode is set;
• setting the operation mode of the camera to a photographing mode;
• and
• controlling the state of the plurality of optical elements that is changed by the electronic control unit based on the selected control information so that the optical property with respect to an optical path of the whole lens unit falls within part of the whole range that can be changed by the electronic control unit.