Video image pickup apparatus and exposure guide display method

1. A video image pickup apparatus comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device;

a high-luminance compression processor configured to perform a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of the solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

a block luminance calculator configured to divide a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, and calculate a set of luminance indices of respective blocks;

a block extractor configured to extract a first block having a highest luminance index, together with the luminance index thereof;

a display information generator configured to generate a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image representing a region of the first block and an image representing the luminance index thereof;

an image superposer configured to superpose a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a frame of superposed image; and

a display configured to display the frame of superposed image.

2. The video image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the block extractor is configured to further extract a second block having a lowest luminance index, together with the luminance index thereof; and

the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display further includes an image representing a region of the second block and an image representing the luminance index thereof.

3. The video image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an output interface configured for external output of the second picture signal.

4. The video image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the block luminance calculator is adapted to calculate a luminance index of a respective block as an average value or a maximal value of luminance values of pixels in the block.

5. A video image pickup apparatus comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device;

a high-luminance compression processor configured to perform a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of the solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

a block designation acceptor configured to divide a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, and accept a designation of an arbitrary first block;

a block luminance calculator configured to calculate a luminance index of the first block;

a display information generator configured to generate a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image representing a region of the first block and an image representing the luminance index thereof;

an image superposer configured to superpose a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a frame of superposed image; and

a display configured to display the frame of superposed image.

6. A video image pickup apparatus comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device; a high-luminance compression processor configured to perform a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of the solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

a block line designation acceptor configured to divide a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, and accept a designation of a block line composed of an arbitrary array of blocks;

a block luminance calculator configured to calculate a set of luminance indices of blocks in the block line;

a display information generator configured to generate a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image representing a region of the block line and an image representing the set of luminance indices of blocks in the block line;

an image superposer configured to superpose a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a flame of superposed image; and

a display configured to display the frame of superposed image.

7. An exposure guide display method comprising the steps of:

performing a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of a solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

dividing a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, calculating a set of luminance indices of respective blocks;

extracting a first block having a highest luminance index, together with the luminance index thereof;

generating a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image representing a region of the first block and an image representing the luminance index thereof;

superposing a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a frame of superposed image; and

displaying the frame of superposed image.

8. The exposure guide display method according to claim 7 , wherein

the extracting comprises further extracting a second block having a lowest luminance index, together with the luminance index thereof; and

the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display further includes an image representing a region of the second block and an image representing the luminance index thereof.

9. The exposure guide display method according to claim 7 , further comprising externally outputting the second picture signal.

10. The exposure guide display method according to claim 7 , wherein

the calculating comprises calculating a luminance index of a respective block as an average value or a maxim value of luminance values of pixels in the block.

11. An exposure guide display method comprising the steps of:

performing a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of a solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

dividing a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, accepting a designation of an arbitrary first block;

calculating a luminance index of the first block;

generating a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image representing a region of the first block and an image representing the luminance index thereof;

superposing a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a frame of superposed image; and

displaying the frame of superposed image.

12. An exposure guide display method comprising the steps of:

performing a high-luminance compression of a first picture signal based on an output signal of a solid-state image pickup device to provide a second picture signal;

dividing a frame of image based on the output signal of the solid-state image pickup device into a set of blocks, accepting a designation of a block line composed of an arbitrary array of blocks;

calculating a set of luminance indices of blocks in the block line;

generating a set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display including an image resenting a region of the block line and an image representing the set of luminance indices of blocks in the block line;

superposing a frame of image based on the second picture signal and the set of pieces of image information for exposure guide display, on each other, to generate a flame of superposed image; and

displaying the frame of superposed image.