Abstract: Photometry apparatus and method accurately measure the degree of illumination of an object to be photographed during a long accumulated time. Influence of flicker is diminished when the accumulated time is short. The apparatus includes a photometry circuit which accomplishes photometry of the object field utilizing a photometry element of the accumulation type, an accumulated time establishment component establishes the updated accumulated time value of the photometry element on the basis of input accumulated time value and the output value of the photometry circuit, a weighted average component obtains the weighted average of the output of the accumulated time establishment component and the accumulated time value of the previous occasion, a weighted average determination component determines the weight of the weighed average component, and an accumulation control component controls the accumulation operation of the photometry element on the basis of the output of the weighted average component.

Abstract: A photometer for a camera that performs multi-area photometry and displays the exposure deviation to the photographer. The photometer includes a light measuring device with a plurality of photometric elements that perform photometry at a plurality of areas within the photographic field. A photometric value determining section calculates an effective photometric value using a weighted addition of each photometric value according to the given photometric mode. A standard value determining section calculates a reference photometric value using a predetermined, specified weighted addition of each photometric value. A deviation determining section calculates the deviation in the logarithmic values of the effective photometric value and the reference photometric value. A display device displays the deviation calculated by the deviation determining section.

Abstract: An automatic exposure device in a camera divides an object field into a plurality of areas and photometers them by the use of a divisional photometry element, and calculates optimum exposure from the result of the photometry. The divisional photometry element includes a photometric converting portion for photoelectrically converting incident light in each of the areas and putting out an output, and a reading portion for reading out the plurality of outputs of the photoelectric converting portion. When the number of successive outputs of a row of the areas in the readout direction which exceed a predetermined value is greater than a predetermined number, the output of that row is completely omitted in the calculation of the optimum exposure.

Abstract: A camera includes an orientation detection device that detects the orientation of the camera, a recording device that records photographic settings to be used during photography, and a camera controller. The recording device records the photographic settings relative to different orientations of the camera. The camera controller controls the camera based upon the detected orientation and photographic settings recorded in the recording device for that detected orientation.

Abstract: A photometric device, used in an optical apparatus such as a camera, which includes photometric elements to measure photometric values according to plural regions of a subject field, and corrects the photometric values of photometric elements corresponding to specific regions within the plural regions based on the photometric values of regions outside the specific region and on previously set correction coefficients according to each region. The location of the specific regions on the subject field may be adjusted either manually or automatically based upon a focus adjustment state of a focus detection unit.

Abstract: An auto-exposure device of a camera which can generate a photograph which fits to an image of a photographing time band in the photographing of an evening scene, a morning scene and so on. The auto-exposure device comprises a split photo-metering device for photo-metering a plurality of split areas of an object field, a color temperature measurement device for measuring a color temperature of a light source for illuminating the object field, and an exposure calculation device for calculating an exposure value based on the output of the split photo-metering device and the output of the color temperature measurement device.

Abstract: A photometric device for use in a camera includes, but is not limited to, a segmented brightness measuring unit which segments a photographic scene of a camera into multiple areas and which outputs corresponding multiple photometric values. A spectral analysis unit performs spectral analysis of the spatial frequency of a photographic subject using the corresponding multiple photometric values output by the segmented brightness measuring unit. Also, a photometric computation unit computes photometric values based on the spectral pattern of the photographic subject output by the spectral analysis unit. The spectral analysis unit may be disposed within the photometric device, or may be located elsewhere in a camera's body.

Abstract: The camera capable of performing divisional photometry according to the present invention includes a photometric sensor which is made up from a plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements arranged in close proximity to one another over a predetermined light receiving region in a two dimensional array and which performs divisionally photometry on the photographic field divided into a plurality of regions, an image projection optical system which projects an image of a photographic field upon light receiving surfaces of a proper subset of this plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements which occupies a region which is smaller than the predetermined light receiving region, and a calculation device which calculates an exposure value based upon the photometric outputs from the proper subset of the plurality of photoelectric conversion sub-elements.

Abstract: A camera is provided having a line-of-sight detecting device for detecting a line of sight of an observer, photometric means for detecting luminances of subareas into which a luminance detection area is partitioned, a selecting means for selecting a specific subarea from the plurality of subareas on the basis of information on the line of sight detected by the line-of-sight detecting means, and a calculating means for weighting the luminances of the plurality of subareas on the basis of the specific subarea selected by the selecting means.

Abstract: A photometric value compensating device corrects the influence on the photometric value of a mark or character superimposed in the finder field of a camera when the finder field is finely divided for photo metering and makes it possible to always obtain the proper exposure value. The photometric value compensating device includes a finely divided photo metering device that divides the photographic field into multiple areas and measures the light intensity or brightness in each area and transmits information based on the measured light intensity as a photometric brightness value. A photographic information display device superimposes photographic information inside the finder field. A correction area determining device determines the photometric areas for which photometric value correction is necessary based on the brightness of the photographic information displayed in the photometric areas of the finely divided photo metering device.

Abstract: An automatic flash amount control apparatus of camera, which can avoid over-exposure of a subject to be controlled in flash amount even if the subject to be illuminated occupies only a small portion of photo-taking screen, executes photo-metering of a field to be photographed while dividing the field into a plurality of first metering regions without flashing of a flashing device and meters an optical flux emitted by the flashing device and then reflected by the field to be photographed while dividing the flux into a plurality of second metering regions. The apparatus separates the second metering regions into two groups, one of which is to contribute to and the other of which is not to contribute to flash amount control, with correspondence to respective results of metering of the first metering regions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a camera photometry system which uses accumulation-type photoelectric elements to output photometry information related to the brightness of the subject field. Its purpose is to provide a camera photometry system which has a simple structure and which contains a two dimensional photometry mechanism with a wide dynamic photometry range. A camera photometry system using this invention is composed of a two dimensional photometry mechanism made of multiple accumulation-type photoelectric elements, and an accumulation control mechanism which controls the accumulation time of the photoelectric elements, with the system structured so that the multiple photoelectric elements are grouped in separate areas and the accumulation control mechanism is positioned at each of these areas and controls the accumulation time of the photoelectric elements in each separate area.

Abstract: A camera body incorporates an information detecting portion for detecting respective pieces of information on photography with respect to a plurality of areas within a photographing picture and an information selecting portion for selecting specific pieces of information from plural pieces of information. A remote control unit incorporates an area designating portion for designating an arbitrary area among the plurality of areas irrespective of a position of the remote control unit. The information selecting portion is constructed to select the information on the area designated by the area designating portion.