Nikon Corporation

Hidefumi Ohta

Kiyosada Machida

Hiroshi Wakabayashi

Junichi Omi

Hitoshi Aoki

Yoshihiro Takeuchii

A camera having a lens barrier unit that opens without encountering obstructions in response to the operation of an operating member and without increasing the size of the lens barrel of the camera. The lens barrier unit covers the front surface of a photographic lens in a closed position, and moves clear of the front surface of the photographic lens in an open position. A sliding member, which is a separate member from the operating member, mechanically drives the lens barrier unit to an open position in response to the movement of an operating member by means of the operation for photographic preparation (e.g., when the camera is switched ON), and drives the lens barrier unit to a closed position, by coupling to the movement of the photographic lens unit while moving from the extended position to the retracted position (e.g., when the camera is switched OFF). The camera may include a finder optical system for visually recognizing an image of an object, with the sliding member disposed in the vicinity of a film aperture. The slide member is disposed in a face-to-face position to the finder optical system with the film aperture being interposed therebetween.

Camera having a lens barrier unit opening/closing mechanism

A miniaturized camera includes a cartridge chamber and a spool chamber positioned on either side of a lens barrel, thereby creating a gap above said lens barrel and a gap below said lens barrel. A battery is positioned in one of said gaps and at least one motor member, such as a lens barrel drive motor, is positioned in one of said gaps. Accordingly, the camera is not enlarged in size and miniaturization can be achieved.

Miniaturized camera employing motor members

A camera having a film counter according to the present invention includes a display device which displays information related to frames of a film; a detector which detects that a battery has been replaced while the camera is loaded with the film; a volatile memory which stores information related to a number of remaining unexposed frames of the film; and a controller which causes the display device to display the number of remaining unexposed frames according to the information stored in the volatile memory until the battery is replaced, and switches the display device to display a frame number in a forward count display, in which a frame number increases for each exposure, in response to a signal generated by the detector upon replacement of the battery.

Camera having film counter

A camera including a built-in strobe light generating unit having a strobe capacitor and a red-eye reduction lamp to reduce red-eye phenomenon. The red-eye reduction lamp is positioned between the strobe light generating unit and the strobe capacitor. The strobe capacitor, red-eye reduction lamp and the strobe light generating unit are arranged in the vertical direction within the camera body. To provide a compact camera, the red-eye reduction lamp is located above the strobe capacitor in a space between a pair of terminals projecting from the strobe capacitor, and below the strobe light generating unit, in a cut-away portion of a strobe reflector.

Camera having a red-eye reduction lamp arranged with respect to a strobe

A camera battery cover structure, covering a battery chamber adjacent to a camera's rear cover hinge, having an attachment and removal guide provided on an extended line from the rear cover hinge, for attaching one side edge of a battery cover to the camera body so that it can be freely attached and removed.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Hidefumi Ohta