Camera and photographing method for setting focal distance of photographing optical system so as to correspond to information that indicates photographic range inputted via an operation section

A photographing method comprising:

• a step of converting an optical subject image formed by a photographing optical system in which a focal distance is changeable into an electric image signal;
• a step of reading information that indicates a photographic range inputted by a photographer's operation;
• a step of displaying a photographic frame indicating the photographic range as a virtual image so that the photographic frame is superimposed on a subject substantially directly observed by a photographer;
• a step of setting the focal distance of the photographing optical system so that a visual angle of the photographic frame coincides with a field angle of an image pickup element;
• and
• a step of switching between the photographic frame and a photograph image corresponding to the image signal obtained by the image pickup element so that the selected photographic frame or the photographic image is displayed by a display element as a virtual image with the switching step being performed to automatically control the photographed image to be displayed as a virtual image when the focal distance of the photographic optical system is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

A head-mounted camera comprising:

• an image pickup element including a photographing optical system in which a focal distance is changeable and an image pickup device for converting an optical subject image formed by the photographing optical system into an electric image signal;
• a display element for displaying a photographic frame indicating a photographic range as a virtual image so that the photographic frame is superimposed on a subject substantially directly observed by a photographer;
• a photographic-frame setting element for setting a visual angle of the photographic frame displayed by the display element as the virtual image and observed from the photographer;
• a focal-distance setting element for setting the focal distance of the photographing optical system so that the visual angle of the photographic frame set by the photographic-frame setting element coincides with a field angle of the image pickup element;
• and
• a switching element for switching between the photographic frame and a photographed image corresponding to the image signal obtained by the image pickup element so that the selected photographic frame or the photographed image is displayed by the display element as a virtual image,
• wherein the switching element automatically controls the photographed image to be displayed as a virtual image when the focal distance of the photographing optical system is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.