Method of automatically controlling taking exposure and focusing in a camera and a method of controlling printing exposure

An automatic control method for a camera having distance measuring means for measuring a scene to be photographed at first to N-th distance measuring points to obtain N distance data, which are representative of a distance to an object of a corresponding one of said distance measuring points, and photometry means for measuring said scene at first to M-th scene divisional areas divided from said scene to obtain M brightness data, which are representative of a brightness of an object in a corresponding one of said scene divisional areas, M and N being integers, said method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining brightness data Bi(t-.DELTA.t) for each of said scene divisional areas at time point (t-.DELTA.t), where i represents one of said scene divisional areas;
• obtaining brightness data Bi(t) for each of said scene divisional areas at time point (t) which is a point in time after the time period .DELTA.t has lapsed from time point (t-.DELTA.t);
• obtaining difference data .DELTA.Bi(t) for each of said scene divisional areas which is the difference between corresponding ones of said two brightness data Bi(t-.DELTA.t) and Bi(t);
• comparing the absolute value of each of said M difference data .DELTA.Bi(t) with a threshold value ThB, and, if said absolute value is greater than said threshold value, judging that an object measured at the corresponding one of said scene divisional areas is in motion;
• obtaining said distance data;
• determining at least one effective distance measuring point where a main object is present, said at least one effective distance measuring point including at least one of a measuring point having first distance data corresponding to the smallest distance of said N distance data and a measuring point having distance data falling within a range of a predetermined value .epsilon. from said first distance data, respectively among said distance measuring points judged as having an object which is in motion;
• obtaining main object distance data from said distance data of said at least one effective distance measuring point;
• obtaining main object brightness data from an effective scene divisional area, said effective scene divisional area being at least one of said scene divisional areas and corresponding to said at least one effective distance measuring point;
• and
• automatically focussing a taking lens in accordance with said main object distance data and automatically controlling exposure control means in accordance with said main object brightness data, for creating an original frame of an image of said scene on a photographic film loaded in said camera.

A camera comprising:

• distance measuring means for measuring a scene to be photographed at first to N-th distance measuring points to obtain N distance data which is representative of the distance to an object located at a corresponding one of said distance measuring points, N being an integer;
• photometry means for measuring said scene at first to M-th scene divisional areas divided from said scene to obtain M brightness data which is representative of the brightness of an object located in a corresponding one of said scene divisional areas, M being an integer;
• means for determining at least one effective distance measuring point where a main object is present, said at least one effective distance measuring point including at least one of said measuring points having first distance data, corresponding to a smallest distance of said distance data, and a measuring point having distance data falling within a range of a predetermined value from said first distance data, respectively among said distance data of said distance measuring points;
• means for pre-flashing light before photographing so as to radiate said light toward said scene;
• means for obtaining a reflectance of an object present in said effective scene divisional area corresponding to said at least one effective distance measuring point, by measuring a reflectance of said effective scene divisional area while said pre-flashing is accomplished by said pre-flashing means;
• means for effecting a comparison between said obtained reflectance and a preset reflectance for said main object and determining a flesh colored area of said main object based on said comparison;
• and
• means for controlling a photo-taking exposure in accordance with at least one of said brightness data which corresponds to said flesh colored area of said main subject.

A method of producing a photographic print from an original frame recorded on a photographic film, said photographic film having K original frames photographically exposed with a camera, said camera having an automatic focussing function for automatically focussing the taking lens thereof in accordance with a distance to a main object identified from a plurality of distance measuring data obtained at a plurality of distance measuring points by measuring distance to a scene to be photographed, said camera also having an automatic taking exposure control function for automatically controlling a taking exposure amount in accordance with the brightness of one of a plurality of scene divisional areas where said main object is present, said brightness being obtained through divisional photometry of each of said scene divisional areas, said camera also having a photo-taking information recording function for recording, on a recording medium, information relating to said main object position, information of relating to said divisional photometry, and information relating to said taking exposure amount, said method comprising the steps of:

• prior to printing said photographic film with a photographic printer, reading said information relating to said main object position, said information relating to said divisional photometry, and said information relating to said taking exposure amount, respectively recorded on said recording medium;
• calculating, as a first parameter, a difference between said taking exposure amount and the brightness of each said scene divisional areas contained in said information relating to said divisional photometry;
• measuring, as a second parameter, the density of each of a plurality of frame divisional areas of said original frame, each of said frame divisional areas corresponding to one of said scene divisional areas;
• retrieving said first and second parameters for each of said K original frames of said photographic film;
• obtaining a regression line on a two-dimensional plane constituted by said first and second parameters;
• calculating a shift amount in a characteristic between said regression line and a predetermined ideal regression line, in accordance with a weighted average of differences in data between said two regression lines at m sampling points, m being an integer;
• and
• correcting a predetermined ideal, elementary printing exposure amount in accordance with said shift amount to determine an elementary printing exposure amount of said photographic film, said original frame being printed on a photographic paper in accordance with said determined elementary printing exposure amount.