Digital still camera

Abstract

In a digital still camera, when the reproducing mode is selected, an indication to the effect that the operation is in standby for reproduction is displayed on an indicating device, and if the command dial is not operated until 16 seconds elapses after the indication has been started, the supply of source voltage to the various parts of the camera is stopped, to achieve a reduction in power consumption. If the command dial is operated within 16 seconds, image signals are output to an external monitor and also an indication to the effect that reproduction is in progress is displayed on the indicating device. If the command dial has been operated within three minutes after reproduction of a given photographic frame has been started, reproduction of the following frame is performed, but if the command dial has not been operated until the three minutes have elapsed, the indication to the effect that the operation is in standby for reproduction is displayed again. If the sensitivity changeover switch and the command dial are operated together during reproduction or standby for reproduction, the photographic frame to be reproduced is determined in correspondence to the quantity and direction of the rotation of the command dial and the frame number of the frame thus determined is displayed on the indicating device.

1 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can indicate said photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction, and    a control circuit that, when the operation is switched from said photographing mode to said reproducing mode by said selecting member, causes said indicating device to display a first indication to the effect that the operation is in standby for reproduction, and that when said first operating member is operated while said first indication is being displayed, outputs said image signals to said external monitor and causes said indicating device to display a second indication to the effect that reproduction is in progress.    
     
     
         2 . A digital still camera according to    claim 1    wherein; 
 said control circuit causes said indicating device to display the photographic frame number of the photographic frame for reproduction or reproduction standby and the total number of frames that have been recorded in said recording medium when said reproducing mode is selected by said selecting member.  
 
     
     
         3 . A digital still camera according to    claim 1    wherein; 
 said control circuit causes said indicating device to display said first indication and stops the output of said image signals to said external monitor if said first operating member is not operated until a first reference time period elapses after said. indicating device has started displaying said second indication, and said control circuit stops the supply of power to various parts of said digital still camera if said first operating member is not operated until a second reference time period elapses after said indicating device has started displaying said first indication.  
 
     
     
         4 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can display said photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, wherein    said first operating member can rotate in a first direction and in a second direction and outputs a signal corresponding to the quantity and direction of its rotation, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction,    a second operating member provided separately from said first operating member, that can set information related to photographing, and    a control circuit that determines the photographic frame to be reproduced in correspondence to said quantity and direction of rotation of said first operating member when said first operating member and said second operating member are operated in combination while said reproducing mode is being selected by said selecting member, and causes said indicating device to display the frame number of said photographic frame thus determined.    
     
     
         5 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can display said photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction,    a third operating member provided separately from said first operating member, that can set information related to photographing, and    a control circuit that, when said first operating member and said third operating member are operated in combination during reproduction, performs switching as to whether or not any one of a plurality of sets of photography-related information that correspond to the photographic frame being reproduced is to be output to said external monitor and performs selection of said any one of a plurality of sets of photography-related information to be output to said external monitor in response to said combined operation.    
     
     
         6 . A digital still camera according to    claim 5    wherein; 
 said first operating member can rotate in a first direction and in a second direction, and  
 said control circuit switches the contents of said photography-related information displayed on said external monitor in a specific order when said third operating member is operated in combination with a rotating operation of said first operating member in said first direction, and switches said contents of said photography-related information displayed on said external monitor in the reverse order from said specific order when said third operating member is operated in combination with the rotating operation of said first operating member in said second direction.  
 
     
     
         7 . A digital still camera according to    claim 6    wherein; 
 said photography-related information includes, at least, the date on which a recording to said recording medium took place, the reproduction order in said recording medium or the file name inherent to a photographic frame.  
 
     
     
         8 . A digital still camera according to    claim 7    wherein; 
 said file name inherent to each photographic frame is provided with an identifier which indicates the recording order, starting at the first recording of photographic frame information to said recording medium.  
 
     
     
         9 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can display said photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for performing photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction,    a fourth operating member provided separately from said first operating member, that can set information related to photographing,    a fifth operating member provided separately from said first operating member and said fourth operating member, that can set information related to photographing, and    a control circuit that causes said indicating device to display the signal processing system of image signals to be output to said external monitor only during a combined operation of said fourth operating member and said fifth operating member while reproduction is in progress.    
     
     
         10 . A digital still camera according to    claim 9    wherein; 
 said control circuit changes the signal processing system of image signals to be output to said external monitor and causes said indicating device to display the new signal processing system when said first operating member, said fourth operating member and said fifth operating member are operated in combination while reproduction is in progress.  
 
     
     
         11 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject which has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, said camera further comprising;    an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals,    an output circuit that outputs said image signals and photography-related information related to said image signals to an external monitor in a specific signal processing system, and    a photography-related information changing circuit that changes part of, or all of said photography-related information to be output to said external monitor in accordance with the signal processing system that is set in advance.    
     
     
         12 . A digital still camera according to    claim 11    wherein; 
 said photography-related information includes, at least, date information, and  
 said photography-related information changing circuit changes the indication format of said date information to be displayed on said external monitor in accordance with said signal processing system that is set in advance.  
 
     
     
         13 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can display photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for performing photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction,    a fourth operating member provided separately from said first operating member that can set information related to photographing,    a fifth operating member provided separately from said first operating member and said fourth operating member that can set information related to photographing, and    a control circuit that determines the first photographic frame that is recorded on said recording device to be the photographic frame for reproduction when said first operating member, said fourth operating member and said fifth operating member are operated in combination while said reproducing mode is being selected by said selecting member, and that causes said indicating device to display the frame number thus determined.    
     
     
         14 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, an indicating device that can display said photography-related information, an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up,    a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, and an image signal conversion circuit that converts said digital data to image signals, which can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a selecting member that can select either a photographing mode for performing photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction,    a second operating member provided separately from said first operating member, that can set information related to photographing,    a fourth operating member provided separately from said first operating member and said second operating member, that can set information related to photographing,    a fifth operating member provided separately from said first operating member, said second operating member and said fourth operating member, that can set information related to photographing, and    a control circuit that determines the photographic frame to be reproduced in correspondence to the quantity and direction of rotation of said first operating member and causes said indicating device to display the frame number thus determined when said first operating member and said second operating member are operated in combination while said reproducing mode is being selected by said selecting member, and determines the first photographic frame that is recorded on said recording device as the photographic frame for reproduction and causes said indicating device to display the frame number thus determined when said first operating member, said fourth operating member and said fifth operating member are operated in combination while said reproducing mode is being selected by said selecting member.    
     
     
         15 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 an imaging device that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject which has been picked up, a recording device that converts said image data to digital data and records said digital data to a recording medium, said camera further comprising;    an output circuit that converts said digital data recorded by said recording device to image signals and outputs said digital data to an external monitor in accordance with a specific signal processing system selected from a plurality of signal processing systems for image signals that includes, at least, the NTSC system and the PAL system.    
     
     
         16 . A digital still camera comprising; 
 a first operating member that can set photography-related information, a means for indication that can indicate photography-related information, a means for imaging means that outputs image data corresponding to the image of a photographic subject that has been picked up, a means for recording that converts said image data to digital data and records them to a recording medium, and a means for image signal conversion that converts said digital data to image signals, that can output said image signals to an external monitor, said camera further comprising;    a means for selecting either a photographing mode for photographing or a reproducing mode for performing reproduction, and    a means for causing said means for indication to display a first indication to the effect that the operation is in standby for the reproduction, when the operation is switched from said photographing mode to said reproducing mode by said selecting means, and for outputting said image signals to said external monitor and causing said means for indication to display a second indication to the effect that reproduction is in progress when said first operating member is operated while said first indication is being displayed.