Image processing apparatus

An image processing apparatus, comprising:

• a camera function portion which includes a central processing unit to control the entire image processing apparatus, an operating portion to input an operation externally, an imaging portion to photograph an image of a subject, a digital processing portion to perform a digital processing to various signals including photographing data of said imaging portion, a displaying portion to display image data processed by said digital processing portion, a communication function portion housed in said image processing apparatus or provided attachably and detachably on said image processing apparatus and configured to communicate with an external communication device, and a data storing portion to store digital data which relates to said digital processing portion;
• a communication judging portion to judge whether or not a communication with an external communication device with respect to a signal from said external communication device is possible;
• and
• a data communication portion which carries out the communication with said external communication device when it is judged by said communication judging portion that the communication is possible, and transmits communication data including a program to control said camera function portion from said external communication device to said external communication device, wherein
• the communication data with the external communication device include an interface program to control said camera function portion, and said data communication portion includes a control interface portion to control said camera function portion using control data from said external communication device,
• the communication data with the external communication device include a media interface program to transmit data to and receive data from said digital processing portion in said camera function portion, and said data communication portion includes a media interface portion to carry out at least one of processing of digital processing data in said digital processing portion received at said external communication device and processing of transmitted data from said external communication device in the digital processing portion, using the control data from said external communication device,
• the data communication portion includes a communication portion for continuous data to mutually transmit and receive continuous data between the image processing apparatus and said external communication device,
• in the communication between the image processing apparatus and said external communication device, the communication of the continuous data by the communication portion for continuous data is capable of communicating concurrently with at least one of the data communication by the camera control interface portion and the data communication by the media interface portion,
• the media interface program of the communication data with the external communication device transmits and receives the data in said data storing portion in the camera function portion,
• the media interface portion of said data communication portion carries out at least one of readout of the data from said data storing portion and recording of the data to the data storing portion, using said control data from said external communication device, and
• said media interface portion is further configured to receive the voice data inputted by a microphone and processed with encoding in said external communication device and associate the voice data with image data stored in said data storing portion in said camera function portion to store them in said data storing portion.