# US 8,149,313 B2 · Photographic apparatus, setting method of photography conditions, and recording medium

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- Number: US 8,149,313 B2
- Document ID: US8149313B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/473,470
- Filed: 2009-05-28
- Published: 2009-12-03
- Granted: 2012-04-03
- Earliest claimed: 2008-06-02
- Assignees: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Makoto Watanabe; Hiroki Hosaka; Yuichi Onumata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8149313B2

## CPC

- H04N 23/633: {for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera}
- H04N 23/61: based on recognised objects
- H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
- H04N 23/632: {for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters}
- H04N 23/667: Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

In a digital camera 1, when a shutter button is pressed halfway, then a photographic scene is evaluated until the shutter button is fully depressed, and based on automatic parameters corresponding to the evaluated photographic scene which are set, each portion is controlled in accordance with the set automatic parameters (Step S3). Furthermore, tags for manual setting corresponding to the photographic scene evaluated in Step S2 are superimposed on a live view image (Step S5). Whether a touch for any of the tags has been detected is determined (Step S9). If a touch has been detected, manual parameters corresponding to the touched tag in the automatic parameters stored in RAM in Step S3 are changed by one level and updated (Step S13). If the shutter key has been operated, still image photographic processing is performed with the parameters updated and stored in RAM in Step S13 (Step S23).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A camera comprising:
a photographic unit that performs photography;
a first storage unit that stores, for the purpose of setting a plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to a photographic scene, a classification of a photographic condition which can be manually set among the plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to the photographic scene, and an index representative of a characteristic of a subject image for a case of being photographed under the plurality of types of photographic conditions in accordance with the classified photographic condition;
a photographic scene determination unit that determines a photographic scene, based on a subject image to be photographed by the photographic unit;
an automatic setting unit that sets the plurality of types of photographic conditions based on the photographic scene determined by the photographic scene determination unit;
a display unit that displays the index corresponding to the classified photographic condition which can be manually set, based on the photographic scene determined by the photographic scene determination unit;
a manual setting unit that changes the manually settable classified photographic condition corresponding to the index, among the plurality of types of photographic conditions set by the automatic setting unit, according to a specifying operation of a user in response to the index displayed by the display unit; and
a control unit that performs photography by the photographic unit in accordance with the photographic condition changed by the manual setting unit, and the other photographic conditions which are set by the automatic setting unit and which have not been changed by the manual setting unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A camera according to claim 1, wherein the manual setting unit changes the photographic condition step by step according to the specifying operation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A camera according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays, in addition to the index, the subject image to be photographed under the plurality of types of photographic conditions set by the automatic setting unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A camera according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that controls the display unit to display: (i) the subject image to be photographed in accordance with the photographic condition before the chancre by the manual setting unit, and (ii) the subject image to be photographed in accordance with the photographic condition after the change by the manual setting unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A camera according to claim 4, further comprising a generation unit that generates, by image processing: (i) the subject image to be photographed in accordance with the photographic condition before the change by the manual setting unit, and (ii) the subject image to be photographed in accordance with the photographic condition after the chancre by the manual setting unit;
wherein the display unit displays the subject images generated by the generation unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A camera according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the index in a display state of being linked to the subject image.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A camera according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit which stores features of a specific person;
wherein the photographic scene determination unit determines the photographic scene based on whether or not the subject image is the specific person stored in the second storage unit.

### Claim 8

A photographic method for a camera, which includes a photographic unit and a storage unit that stores, for the purpose of setting a plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to a photographic scene, a classification of a photographic condition which can be manually set among the plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to the photographic scene, and an index representative of a characteristic of a subject image for a case of being photographed under the plurality of types of photographic conditions in accordance with the classified photographic condition, the photographic method comprising:
determining a photographic scene based on a subject image to be photographed by the photographic unit;
automatically setting the plurality of types of photographic conditions based on the determined photographic scene;
displaying the index corresponding to the classified photographic condition which can be manually set, based on the determined photographic scene;
changing the manually settable classified photographic condition corresponding to the index, among the plurality of types of automatically set photographic conditions, according to a specifying operation of a user in response to the displayed index; and
performing photography by the photographic unit in accordance with the changed photographic condition, and the other photographic conditions which are automatically set, and which have not been manually changed.

### Claim 9

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by a computer provided in a camera, the program causing the computer to function as units including:
a first storage unit that stores, for the purpose of setting a plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to a photographic scene, a classification of a photographic condition which can be manually set among the plurality of types of photographic conditions corresponding to the photographic scene, and an index representative of a characteristic of a subject image for a case of being photographed under the plurality of types of photographic conditions in accordance with the classified photographic condition;
a photographic scene determination unit that determines a photographic scene based on a subject image to be photographed by a photographic unit;
an automatic setting unit that sets the plurality of types of photographic conditions based on the photographic scene determined by the photographic scene determination unit;
a display unit that displays the index corresponding to the classified photographic condition which can be manually set, based on the photographic scene determined by the photographic scene determination unit;
a manual setting unit that changes the manually settable classified photographic condition corresponding to the index, among the plurality of types of photographic conditions set by the automatic setting unit, according to a specifying operation of a user in response to the index displayed by the display unit; and
a control unit that performs photography by the photographic unit in accordance with the photographic condition changed by the manual setting unit, and the other photographic conditions which are set by the automatic setting unit and which have not been changed by the manual setting unit.
