Abstract:
The present invention discloses a finder device and camera including the finder device having an information display device arranged near a mat screen on which a subject image is formed, and an imaging device for acquiring a finder image including the subject image on the mat screen. In this structure, the operation of the information display device is stopped in response to the imaging operation of the imaging device. This can prevent the subject image and the image displayed by the information display device from being difficult to see due to the difference between the brightness of the image on the mat screen and the brightness of the information display device. The information display device can be configured such that it superimposes, for example, shooting information and focus points on the image.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-160,622, filed on May 31, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a finder device. More particularly, the present invention relates to the improvement of a finder device in a digital camera capable of displaying on a display screen both an image being viewed and an image being shot.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Digital cameras are commonly known, which form an optical image of a subject on an image pickup device from light coming from the subject and passing through a photographing optical system, photoelectrically convert the optical image into electric image signals through the image pickup device, and display the resulting image on the screen of an image display device, such as an LCD monitor, based on the electric image signals.  
         [0006]     As an example of such a camera displaying a subject image, a camera is known in which a half mirror is arranged in a finder optical system to guide a light beam of a subject to an image pickup device for live-view display. In this case, the image pickup device repeats the imaging operation in a live view mode to cause a live-view display on the screen of a display device (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-165730).  
         [0007]     A technique is also known which uses another image pickup device to monitor a finder screen (for example, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,022).  
         [0008]     It is common practice for conventional single lens reflex cameras (hereinafter simply called “SLR cameras”) to superimpose multiple focus points, shooting information, etc. on a subject image in a viewfinder.  
         [0009]     However, the camera described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-165730 is not to display shooting information and a subject image at a time on the screen of a display device.  
         [0010]     On the other hand, when a finder screen is monitored through another image pickup device as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,022, there may be cases where the brightness of the display in the viewfinder does not fit the brightness of the subject.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The finder device or the camera of the present invention has an information display device arranged near a mat screen on which a subject image is formed and an imaging device for acquiring a finder image including the subject image on the mat screen. In this structure, the operation of the information display device is stopped in response to the imaging operation of the imaging device. This can prevent the subject image and the image displayed by the information display device from being difficult to see due to the difference between the brightness of the image on the mat screen and the brightness of the information display device.  
         [0012]     The information display device can be configured such that the device superimposes, for example, shooting information and focus points on a display screen.  
         [0013]     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a finder device comprising: an information display device arranged near a mat screen; a finder optical system for allowing a user to optically observe a subject image on the mat screen and the display contents of the information display device; and an imaging device for acquiring a finder image including the subject image on the mat screen through an optical element that is a part of the finder optical system, wherein the information display device stops its information display operation in response to the the imaging operation of the imaging device. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an outline perspective view showing the structure of a single-lens reflex digital camera to which a finder device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the structure of a finder optical system of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the camera in a live view mode according to the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the camera in a finder mode according to the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a table showing the correspondences between operations and display contents in the live view mode (L mode);  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a table showing the correspondences between operations and display contents in the finder mode (F mode);  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  shows an example of a display screen in an LCD monitor  36  in the live view mode;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9A  shows an example of a display screen  104  in a viewfinder, in which the display screen  104  corresponds to a focusing screen  56 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 9B  shows a display example of an LCD display panel  64  that can be viewed in the viewfinder; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  shows a display example in which only exposure information is displayed in the LCD monitor  36 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]     A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is an outline perspective view showing the structure of a single-lens reflex digital camera to which a finder device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied.  
         [0028]     In  FIG. 1 , the single-lens reflex digital camera (hereinafter simply called the “camera”)  1  consists principally of an interchangeable lens barrel  10  and a camera body  30 . In this structure, a desired lens barrel  10  is removably mounted on the front of the camera body  30 .  
         [0029]     A shutter button  31 , a mode dial  32 , a power switch lever  33 , a control dial  34 , etc. are provided on the top face of the camera body  30 .  
         [0030]     The shutter button  31  is to perform shooting preparation and exposure operations. The shutter button  31  consists of two-step switches, namely a first shutter release switch and a second shutter release switch. When the shutter button  31  is pressed halfway, the first shutter release switch is turned on to perform shooting preparation operations, such as photometering and distance measuring. Then, when shutter button  31  is pressed fully, the second shutter release switch is turned on to make an exposure.  
         [0031]     The mode dial  32  is an operation part for allowing a user to set a shooting mode upon shooting. The mode dial  32  is rotated in a predetermined direction to set a shooting mode upon shooting. In the embodiment, the mode dial  32  also has a function for switching over the image display in an LCD monitor between a finder mode and a live-view mode as described in detail later. The power switch lever  33  is an operation part for allowing the user to power on or off the camera  1 . When the power switch lever  33  is moved, the main power supply of the camera  1  is turned on or off.  
         [0032]     The control dial  34  is an operation part for allowing the user to set shooting information. The user can set various shooting conditions upon shooting by operating the control dial  34 .  
         [0033]     Further, an LCD monitor  36  for displaying a shooting image, a menu, etc., a playback button  37 , a menu button  38 , an arrow pad  40 , an OK button  41 , a viewfinder  43  in an eyepiece optical system, etc. are arranged on the back face of the camera body  30 .  
         [0034]     The playback button  37  is to switch over the camera  1  to a playback mode capable of playing back a JPEG image file recorded in a flash ROM  84  or on a recording medium  85  as described in detail later. The menu button  38  is to display a menu screen on the LCD monitor  36 . The menu screen consists of menu items in a multi-layered structure. The user can select a desired menu item using the arrow pad  40  and confirm the selected item by pressing the OK button  41 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the structure of a finder optical system of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0036]     A finder optical system  50  consists principally of a plurality of mirrors for guiding a light beam coming from a subject and passing through a photographing lens  11  in the lens barrel  10  to an eyepiece lens  57  constituting part of the viewfinder  43 , and a focusing screen (matt screen)  56 , and the eyepiece lens  57 . The plurality of mirrors include a first reflection mirror  51 , a second reflection mirror  52 , a third reflection mirror  53 , and a fourth reflection mirror  54 .  
         [0037]     The first reflection mirror  51  is configured to be rotatable about an axis  51   a  in both directions indicated by arrow A in  FIG. 2 . Part of the first reflection mirror  51  is formed into a half mirror for an AF sensor unit to be described later. As shown, when a photographer is looking into the viewfinder  43  ( FIG. 1 ) to observe a subject before shooting, the first reflection mirror  51  reflects a light beam incoming from the photographing lens  11  toward the second reflection mirror  52 , at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the optical axis of the photographing lens  11 , that is, to the right in the camera body  30  as viewed from the lens barrel  10 . Then, upon shooting, the first reflection mirror  51  is withdrawn out of the photographing optical path so that the light beam from the subject will be guided to an image pickup device (not shown) located behind the first reflection mirror  51 .  
         [0038]     The light beam reflected on the reflection surface of the first reflection mirror  51  is incident on the second reflection mirror  52  through the focusing screen  56 . The second reflection mirror  52  is arranged along the optical axis of the reflected light from the first reflection mirror  51  and with its reflection surface tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis of the reflected light from the first reflection mirror  51 . In the embodiment, the light beam reflected from the first reflection mirror  51  and incident on the second reflection mirror  52  is reflected upward in the camera body  30  at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the optical axis of the reflected light from the first reflection mirror  51 .  
         [0039]     The light beam reflected on the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52  is incident on the third reflection mirror  53  arranged along the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52  and with its reflection surface tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52 . In the embodiment, the light beam reflected from the second reflection mirror  52  and incident on the third reflection mirror  53  is reflected on the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53  at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52  in a direction opposite to the reflective direction of the reflection surface of the first reflection mirror  51 . In other words, the light beam reflected from the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52  is reflected on the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53  to the left in the camera body  30 . To sum up, the light beam reflected on the reflection surface of the first reflection mirror  51  is guided through the second and third reflection mirrors  52  and  53  as if it is turned back, and directed toward the fourth reflection mirror  54  because the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53  is almost parallel to that of first reflection mirror  51 .  
         [0040]     The light beam reflected on the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53  is incident on the fourth reflection mirror  54  arranged along the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53  and with its reflection surface tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror  53 . In the embodiment, the light beam reflected from third reflection mirror  53  and incident on the fourth reflection mirror  54  is reflected on the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror  54  at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the reflective optical axis of the reflected light from the third reflection mirror  53 . In other words, the light beam reflected from the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror  54  is incident on the eyepiece lens  57  arranged on the reflective optical axis of the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror  54 .  
         [0041]     The focusing screen  56  has a diffusing surface for diffusing the light beam incident on it to form an optical image from the light beam incident in the finder optical system  50 . The focusing screen  56  is arranged in a position optically equivalent to the imaging plane of an image pickup device  67  for capturing an image upon shooting as described later. Further, an LCD display panel  64  and a back light  63  for illuminating the LCD display panel  64  are provided adjacent to the focusing screen  56 .  
         [0042]     The second reflection mirror  52  and the fourth reflection mirror  54  are half mirrors. An AF point indicator  65  is arranged on the backside of the reflection surface of the second reflection mirror  52 . The AF point indicator  65  is to cause a superimpose display to indicate where focus points are located on the screen in the viewfinder or the LCD monitor  36 . On the other hand, an imaging lens  60  and an image pickup device  61  for producing a display image are provided on the backside of the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror  54 . The image pickup device  61  for producing a display image (hereinafter simply called “for image display”) is to form an image on the focusing screen  56  through the imaging lens  60 . Therefore, the image formed on the image pickup device  61  for image display is the same as that observed by a photographer&#39;s eye  58  except that the image formed on the image pickup device  61  is reversed left to right.  
         [0043]     The light beam of the subject from the photographing lens  11  is guided to the eyepiece lens  57  through the first to fourth reflection mirrors  51 - 54  so that the image in the viewfinder  43  will be an erect-unreversed image. Thus, the subject image formed on the focusing screen  56  can be observed by the photographer&#39;s eye through the eyepiece lens  57  (viewfinder  43 ).  
         [0044]     In the embodiment, the first reflection mirror  51 , the second reflection mirror  52 , the third reflection mirror  53 , and the fourth reflection mirror  54  are all arranged to reflect the incident light beam at an angle of approximately 90°, but the present invention is not limited to this arrangement.  
         [0045]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0046]     In  FIG. 3 , the lens barrel  10  is removablely mounted on the camera body  30  through a mount, not shown, provided on the front face of the camera body  30 . The lens barrel  10  includes the photographing lens  11 , an aperture  12 , a lens drive mechanism  13 , an aperture drive mechanism  14 , and a lens control microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “L μcom”)  15 .  
         [0047]     The photographing lens  11  is driven along its optical axis by a DC motor (not shown) provided in the lens drive mechanism  13 . The aperture  12  is driven by a stepping motor (not shown) provided in the aperture drive mechanism  14 . The L μcom  15  controls each component in the lens barrel  10 , such as the lens drive mechanism  13  and the aperture drive mechanism  14 . The L μcom  15  is electrically connected to a body control microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “B μcom”)  80  to be described later so that it is controlled in accordance with instructions from the B μcom  80 .  
         [0048]     The camera body  30  is configured as follows.  
         [0049]     A light beam from a subject, not shown, passing through the photographing lens  11  and the aperture  12  in the lens barrel  10  is reflected by the first reflection mirror  51  as a movable mirror, incidents on the focusing screen  56 , and is guided to the eyepiece lens  57  through the second to fourth reflection mirrors  52 - 54  (see  FIG. 2 ) constituting part of the finder optical system  50  together with the first reflection mirror  51 . On the other hand, part of the light beam from the subject passes through the half mirror portion of the first reflection mirror  51 , is reflected by a sub-mirror  70  movable independently of the first reflection mirror  51 , and is guided to an AF sensor unit  71  for automatic distance measurement. In  FIG. 3 , although the first reflection mirror  51  is shown separately from the second to fourth reflection mirrors, it constitutes part of the finder optical system  50  together with the second to fourth reflection mirrors.  
         [0050]     A focal-plane type shutter  66  and the image pickup device  67  for capturing an image upon shooting (hereinafter simply called “for image capturing”) are provided behind the first reflection mirror  51  along the optical axis. The image pickup device  67  for image capturing is a photoelectric converter in an imaging optical system, such as a CCD, for photoelectrical conversion of light from a subject passing through the optical system to produce a subject image. In other words, when the first reflection mirror  51  is withdrawn out of the optical path, the light beam passing through the photographing lens  11  and the aperture  12  forms an image on the imaging plane of the image pickup device  67  for image capturing.  
         [0051]     The LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  are arranged near the focusing screen  56 . The LCD display panel  64  is driven by an LCD driver  68 , and controlled together with the back light  63  in accordance with instructions from the B μcom  80  to be described later.  
         [0052]     Further, as mentioned above, the finder optical system  50  is configured such that elements constituting the AF point indicator  65 , for example, three-color LEDS  65 a- 65 c, are arranged near the second reflection mirror  52 , and the image pickup device  61  for image display is arranged near the fourth reflection mirror  54 . Together with the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63 , the LEDs  65 a- 65 c are connected to the B μcom  80  and controlled in accordance with instructions from the B μcom  80 .  
         [0053]     The image pickup device  61  for image display and the image pickup device  67  for image capturing are connected to an image processing controller  82  for image processing through an interface circuit  81 . The LCD monitor  36  is also connected to the image processing controller  82 . An SDRAM  83 , the flash memory  84 , the recording medium  85 , etc. as memory areas are further connected to the image processing controller  82 . The LCD monitor  36  and these memory areas are configured to allow the camera to provide an electronic recording/display function as well as an electronic imaging function.  
         [0054]     The recording medium  85  is an external recording medium such as one of various types of memory cards removably inserted into the camera body  30  through a camera interface, not shown, or an external hard disk drive (HDD).  
         [0055]     The image processing controller  82  is connected to the B μcom  80  for controlling each component of the camera body  30 . A photometer circuit  87  including a photometric sensor, not shown, an AF sensor drive circuit  72 , a mirror drive mechanism  73 , a shutter charge mechanism  75 , a shutter control circuit  76 , and a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM)  88  are also connected to the B μcom 80 .  
         [0056]     An LCD control panel  90  for providing a display screen to the photographer to show the operating state of the camera, a camera operating-switch part (SW)  91 , and a battery  93  through a power supply circuit  92  are further connected to the B μcom 80 .  
         [0057]     The B μcom  80  and the L μcom  15  are electrically connected through a communication connector  20  when the lens barrel  10  is mounted on the camera body  30 . The L μcom  15  cooperates dependently with the B μcom  80  to operate in the digital camera.  
         [0058]     The AF sensor drive circuit  72  is to control the drive of the AF sensor unit  71 , and the mirror drive mechanism  73  is to control the drive of the first reflection mirror  51 . The shutter charge mechanism  75  is to charge a spring for driving front and rear curtains, not shown, constituting the shutter  66 . The shutter control circuit  76  not only controls the traveling of the front and rear curtains of the shutter  66 , but also exchanges with the B [com  80  a signal for controlling the opening/closing of the shutter and a signal synchronizing with the firing of an electronic flash. The photometer circuit  87  performs photometric processing based on an electric signal from the photometric sensor.  
         [0059]     The nonvolatile memory  88  is a memory storing control parameters necessary for control of the camera as a storage area other than the SDRAM  83 , the flash memory  84 , and the recording medium  85 . The nonvolatile memory  88  is provided accessible from the B μcom  80 .  
         [0060]     The LCD control panel  90  is to provide a display screen to the photographer to show the operating state of the camera. The camera operating-switch part  91  is a group of switches including operation buttons necessary to operate the camera such as the shutter release switches, a mode change switch, a power switch, etc. The second shutter release switch in the shutter release switches is not only to instruct shooting but also to switch the position of the first reflection mirror  51  between the inside and outside of the shooting optical path. The mode change switch is to switch over between the shooting mode and an image display mode. The power supply circuit  92  is provided for converting the voltage of the battery  93  as a power source and supplying a voltage necessary for each circuit unit of the camera system.  
         [0061]     The following describes the basic shooting operation of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention with reference to timing charts of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and tables of  FIGS. 6 and 7  showing the correspondences between operations and display contents in each mode.  
         [0062]      FIG. 4  is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the camera in the live view mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 5  is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the camera in the finder mode according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the timing charts of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , AE denotes automatic exposure, AF is auto focus, EXP is an actual exposure, MU and MD are the withdrawal and recovery of the first reflection mirror  51 , SC is shutter charge, El is exposure information, C is image capturing (imaging), P is image processing, P 1  is an image captured by the image pickup device  67  for image capturing, D 1  is an image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display, respectively.  FIG. 6  is a table showing the correspondences between operations and display contents in the live view mode (L mode).  FIG. 7  is a table showing the correspondences between operations and display contents in the finder mode (F mode).  
         [0063]     The shooting operation in the live view mode will first be described.  
         [0064]     When the power switch lever  33  is operated to power on the camera  1 , the photometric sensor and the AF sensor unit  71  repeat an AE and AF sequence at predetermined intervals. Then, when the mode dial  32  is operated at predetermined timing to switch over to the live view mode, the image pickup device  61  for image display starts operating so that a captured image will be processed and displayed on the LCD monitor  36  as an image of the subject and its background. After that, this sequence of operations is repeated. Note that the LCD display panel  64  in the viewfinder remains off during the sequence.  
         [0065]     Then, when the shutter button  31  is pressed halfway to turn on the first shutter release switch ( 1 RSW), the camera  1  starts the shooting preparation operation. In other words, the photographing lens  11  is driven to focus on the subject. Then, the camera  1  remains in this condition until the shutter button  31  is fully pressed to turn on the second shutter release switch ( 2 RSW). During this period, the image (the image of subject and its background) captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display, and the exposure information are displayed on the LCD monitor  36 , whereas the LCD display panel  64  remains off.  
         [0066]     After that, when the second shutter release switch is turned on, the first reflection mirror  51  is withdrawn out of the shooting optical path and the aperture is narrowed to fit the image capturing. At the same time, the electric charge is flushed from the image pickup device  67  for image capturing. After completion of the actual exposure (image capturing with the image pickup device  67 ), data of the image captured is read and processed. During data reading and image processing, only the image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display appears on the LCD monitor  36 . Then, after completion of the image processing, the image actually captured by the image pickup device  67  for image capturing (Rec. View) appears on the LCD monitor  36  for a predetermined period of time. During this period, the LCD display panel  64  remains off.  
         [0067]     On the other hand, after completion of the actual exposure, the first reflection mirror  51  is returned to the shooting optical path, and the shutter charge mechanism  75  charges the shutter. Then, after the shutter is charged, the AE and AF sequence can be repeated again at predetermined intervals. Along with the restart of the AE and AF sequence, the image pickup device  61  for image display starts operating again so that the next captured image will be processed and displayed on the LCD monitor  36  as the image of the subject and its background. After that, this sequence of operations is repeated. Note again that the LCD display panel  64  in the viewfinder remains off during the operation of the image pickup device  61 .  
         [0068]     After that, when a predetermined period of time has passed, the image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display and the exposure information are displayed on the LCD monitor  36 . At this time, when the second shutter release switch and the first shutter release switch are turned off, the image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display and the exposure information remain displayed on the LCD monitor  36  for a predetermined period of time after the first shutter release switch is turned off, that is, for eight seconds in the embodiment. Then, after the lapse of eight seconds, the exposure information disappears, and only the image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display remains displayed on the LCD monitor  36 .  
         [0069]     Thus, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  in the viewfinder remain off at any timing of shooting in the live view mode.  
         [0070]     The shooting operation in the finder view mode will next be described.  
         [0071]     When the power switch lever  33  is operated to power on the camera  1 , the photometric sensor and the AF sensor unit  71  repeat the AE and AF sequence at predetermined intervals. During this repetition, exposure information is displayed on the LCD monitor  36  provided on the back face of the camera body  30 , while the LCD display panel  64  in the viewfinder remains off. Then, when the shutter button  31  is pressed halfway at predetermined timing to turn on the first shutter release switch, the camera  1  starts the shooting preparation operation. In other words, the photographing lens  11  is driven to focus on a subject. When the photographing lens  11  comes to the focus range, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  are turned on to display the exposure information in the viewfinder. Then, the camera  1  remains in this condition until the shutter button  31  is fully pressed to turn on the second shutter release switch ( 2 RSW) During this shooting preparation operation, nothing appears on the LCD monitor  36 .  
         [0072]     After that, when the second shutter release switch is turned on, the first reflection mirror  51  is withdrawn out of the shooting optical path, and the aperture drive mechanism  14  narrows the aperture. At the same time, the electric charge is flushed from the image pickup device  67  for image capturing. Then, the shutter control circuit  76  controls the traveling of the front and rear curtains of the focal-plane shutter  66  to make an actual exposure. After completion of the actual exposure, data of an image captured is read and processed. On the other hand, the first reflection mirror  51  is retuned to the shooting optical path after the exposure, and the shutter charge mechanism  75  charges the shutter. Nothing appears oh the LCD monitor  36  until completion of the image processing following the shooting preparation operation. Then, after the completion of the image processing, the image actually captured by the image pickup device  67  for image capturing (Rec. View) appears on the LCD monitor  36  for as predetermined period of time.  
         [0073]     On the other hand, when the second shutter release switch is turned on, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  are turned off. After that, when the AE and AF sequence is repeated again at predetermined intervals, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  are turned on to display exposure information. At this time, when the second shutter release switch and the first shutter release switch are turned off, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  remain on for a predetermined period of time after the first shutter release switch is turned off, that is, for eight seconds in the embodiment. Then, after the lapse of eight seconds, the LCD display panel  64  and the back light  63  are turned off.  
         [0074]     Thus, in the finder view mode, the display in the viewfinder is made only during the shooting waiting status in which the first shutter release switch is kept turned on and the predetermined period of time after the first shutter release switch is turned off.  
         [0075]      FIG. 8  shows an example of a display screen in the LCD monitor  36  in the live view mode.  
         [0076]     In  FIG. 8 , the display screen  100  appearing in the LCD monitor  36  consists of an image  101  captured by the image pickup device  67  for image capturing, an AF frame indicator part  102 , and various kinds of shooting information  103 .  
         [0077]      FIG. 9A  shows an example of a display screen  104  in the viewfinder, in which the display screen  104  corresponds to the focusing screen  56 .  FIG. 9B  shows a display example of the LCD display panel  64  that can be viewed in the viewfinder.  
         [0078]     As shown in  FIG. 9A , the display screen  104  is a combined screen consisting of a display part  105  for displaying an image captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display and a display part  107  for displaying shooting information appearing on LCD display panel  64 . AF frames  106  used for AF appear almost in the central portion of the display part  105 . On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 9B , marks indicating various kinds of shooting information appear in the display part  107 .  
         [0079]     In  FIG. 9B , reference numeral  110  denotes a mark indicating an aperture value,  111  is a mark indicating a shutter speed,  112  is an AF confirmation mark indicating that the subject is in-focus,  113  is a flash mark,  114  is a white balance mark,  115  is an AE lock mark,  116  is a mark indicating an exposure compensation value,  117  is a mark indicating an metering mode,  118  is a battery check mark indicating the amount of power remaining in the battery, and  119  is a mark indicating an exposure mode.  
         [0080]     In the live view mode, a display screen corresponding to these display parts  105  and  107  appears in the LCD monitor  36  as shown in  FIG. 8 , that is, the image  101  and the shooting information  103  appear on the screen  100  in the LCD monitor  36 .  
         [0081]      FIG. 10  shows a display example in which only the exposure information is displayed in the LCD monitor  36 .  
         [0082]     In  FIG. 10 , reference numeral  121  denotes a battery check mark,  122  is a mark indicating an exposure mode,  123  is a mark indicating a shutter speed,  124  is a mark indicating an aperture value,  125  is a mark indicating an exposure compensation value,  126  is a noise reduction (noise removal) mark,  127  is an AE lock mark,  128  is a mark indicating a metering mode, and  129  is a part for an exposure compensation indicator and an exposure level indicator. Further,  131  is a part for indicating a flash mode and the like,  132  is a part for indicating an AF frame(s),  133  is a part for indicating a drive mode and the like,  134  is a part for indicating an image quality mode (record mode and pixel count) and the like,  135  is a mark indicating an ISO-equivalent sensitivity,  136  is a white balance mark,  137  is a part for indicating color settings and the like, and  138  is a mark indicating the remaining number of capturable pictures.  
         [0083]     As described above, when an image on the focusing screen  56  is captured by the image pickup device  61  for image display, the image is captured under the condition that the display information on the LCD display panel  64  is turned off. Then, when the captured image is displayed on the LCD monitor  36 , the captured image is combined with the information to be displayed on the LCD display panel  64  in a manner similar to the image screen observable in the viewfinder. This can prevent the shooting image display and the shooting information display from being difficult to see.  
         [0084]     While there has been shown and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.