Camera with blur reducing function

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;
• exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;
• exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;
• exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• and
• condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• wherein said condition setting means includes camera control means for controlling all operations of the camera, and said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means in response to an instruction from said camera control means, and
• wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes an exposure start determination algorithm used in said exposure start determining means.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;
• exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;
• exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;
• exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• and
• condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• wherein said condition setting means includes “photography-with-moving-camera” determining means for determining whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, and
• wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, in response to an output from said “photography-with-moving-camera” determining means.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;
• exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;
• exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;
• exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• and
• condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;
• wherein said condition setting means includes time lag measuring means for measuring a time lag by which said exposure start determining means retards an operation of said exposure means, and
• wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, in accordance with an output from said time lag measuring means.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;
• shake estimating means for storing an output of said shake detecting/computing means and estimating a level of shaking on the basis of the stored output;
• shake information stored state monitoring means for monitoring a shake information stored state of said shake estimating means;
• exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means or an output of said shake estimating means;
• exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;
• and
• exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, on the basis of a monitoring result of said shake information stored state monitoring means.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• a shake detecting section for sampling shake levels of the camera in a time series manner;
• a computing section for receiving a predetermined number of shake data items sampled by said shake detecting section in the time series manner, and executing predetermined computation of the shake data items;
• and
• a photography start timing determining section for comparing latest shake data, output from said shake detecting section, with a first determination reference range, and comparing a computation result, when output 20- from said computing section, with a second reference range different from the first reference range, thereby determining on the basis of comparison results whether or not photography should be started.

A camera with a blur reducing function including a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake state of the camera, and in which a shake state of the camera is repeatedly detected in response to a releasing operation for instructing start of photography, and photography is started at a time point at which shaking is in a predetermined state, comprising:

• a determination reference range setting section for setting first and second reference ranges which are different from each other;
• a shake estimating section for estimating a shake state of the camera to be obtained after a predetermined period, on the basis of a predetermined number of shake data items detected by said shake detecting section;
• and
• a photography start timing determining section for comparing latest shake data, output from said shake detecting section, with a first determination reference range until estimation information is output form said shake estimating section, and comparing the estimation information with the second reference range when the estimation information is output, thereby determining on the basis of comparison results whether or not photography should be started.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• a shake data sampling section, responsive to a releasing operation, for sampling, in a time series manner, a shake level in each of two directions perpendicular to a photography optical axis of the camera and intersecting each other;
• a “photography-with-moving-camera” determining section for determining, on the basis of an output of said shake data sampling section, whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, and invalidating data which is included in the output of said shake data sampling section and concerns a direction in which the camera is moving;
• and
• a control section for starting photography when the output of said shake data sampling section satisfies a predetermined reference value, or when a predetermined period has elapsed after the releasing operation.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• a time measuring section, responsive to a releasing operation, for starting to measure a time period and stop it when a predetermined time limit expires;
• a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake level of the camera;
• and
• a photography start timing determining section for starting photography, when the predetermined time limit has expired or while time measurement is executed before the predetermined time limit expires, in accordance with a comparison result between a predetermined reference range and an estimated level of shaking which is obtained, after a predetermined period, on the basis of a plurality of shake data items including the detected shake level and shake levels near the detected shake level, wherein
• said photography start timing determining section increases the predetermined period each time comparison has been executed.

A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

• a time measuring section, responsive to a releasing operation, for starting to measure a time period and stop it when a predetermined time limit expires;
• a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake level of the camera;
• and
• a photography start timing determining section for starting photography, when the predetermined time limit has expired or while time measurement is executed before the predetermined time limit expires, in accordance with a comparison result between a predetermined reference range and an estimated level of shaking which is obtained, after a predetermined period, on the basis of a plurality of shake data items including the detected shake level and shake levels near the detected shake level, wherein
• said photography start timing determining section widens the predetermined reference range each time comparison is executed.

A method of reducing blurring in a photograph taken by a camera which has a sensor for detecting a shake state of the camera and can reduce shaking during exposure, comprising:

• a first step of sampling levels of shaking in a time series manner on the basis of an output of the sensor;
• a second step of receiving a predetermined number of shake data items sampled in the time series manner, thereby executing predetermined computation of the shake data items;
• a third step of comparing latest shake data, output from the sensor, with a first determination reference range;
• a fourth step of comparing a computation result, when output at said second step, with a second determination reference range different from the first determination reference range;
• and
• a fifth step of determining, on the basis of a comparison result at said third step or said fourth step, whether or not exposure should be started.