Patent ID: 6433821
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A digital electronic still-video camera comprising:a mode setting switch for selecting one of a rapid-sequence photographic mode and a single shot mode; an image pick-up device for outputting image data, which represents the image of a subject, each time a picture is taken in a rapid-sequence photographic operation when said rapid-sequence photographic mode is set by said mode setting switch; an image memory for storing one frame of image data; an input device for designating a number of frames capable of being photographed in said rapid sequence photographic mode; a data reducing device for reducing the amount of one frame of image data, which is output by said image pick-up device, in such a manner that the amount of image data will become the reciprocal of said designated number of frames capable of being photographed in said rapid-sequence photographic mode which has been designated through said input device; a storing control device comprising a frame number register for temporarily storing said designated number of frames, and a frame number counter for counting the number of frames being photographed, said storing control device for performing storing control in such a manner that the image data reduced by said data reducing device will be stored in an area of the image memory based on a count from the frame number counter, said image memory being segmented into a plurality of areas in accordance with said designated number of frames stored in the frame number register, in such an arrangement that a multiple-frame picture is formed in said image memory; a compressing device for compressing the image data comprising a plurality of frames of reduced image data which has been stored in said image memory in a form of said multiple-frame picture, after the rapid-sequence photographic operation ends; and recording means for recording, on a recording medium, the image data compressed by said compressing device.