Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Hideo Kajita

Toshihiko Ishimura

Reiji Seki

Masataka Hamada

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Yukio Miki

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Tokuji Ishida

Toshio Norita

Kenji Ishibashi

Masayuki Ueyama

Nobuharu Murashima

Masayasu Hirano

Takahisa Shimada

Katsumi Kozakai

Yujiro Mima

Sueyoshi Okumura

Sinji Katayori

Hiroshi Ueda

Hiromu Mukai

Junji Hashimura

Hidehiko Fujii

Masayuki Ikemura

Takeshi Matsumoto

Mamoru Katsuragi

Nobuya Miki

Tetsuro Ohya

Tae Iida

Dai Shintani

Yoshinobu Kudo

Akihiko Fujino

Junichi Tanii

Takashi Okada

Takeshi Hashimoto

Takeshi Egawa

Takashi Kondo

Hiroyuki Matsumoto

Shuji Izumi

Tsutomu Honda

Masatoshi Kamitani

Toshihiko Taniguchi

Mitsuru Saito

Hisanori Itoh

Shigeru Oyokota

Yasuo Hawai

Akira Okuno

Akio Kinba

Hirokazu Kuroda

Noriyuki Ishii

Katsuhito Akagi

Takuya Ueno

Yasushi Hasegawa

Junji Mori

Katsumi Kosakai

A camera capable of taking pictures selectively in a standard or full size frame and a panorama frame having a reduced vertical dimension. This camera includes vertically movable light-shielding members for partly light-shielding an exposure range of the standard frame to set an exposure range of the panorama frame. When the panorama frame is selected, a warning is given on a display provided on the camera body to the effect that a date and other photographic information cannot be recorded on pictures taken in the panorama frame. The shutter of the camera includes an electronic device for detecting an amount of light traveling from a photographic object to which light is flashed. Output of this device is used for suitably controlling exposure for photography in the standard and panorama frames.

Camera

A focus detector used in an AF-SLR camera has a plurality of focusing sensors disposed not only in the center but also in a region distant from the center of the frame. A first focusing sensor group of the focusing sensors which are disposed in a first region where light flux passing through a pupil of a lens having an F-number larger than a predetermined F-number such as F2.8 is always used without reference to the F-number of the lens. A second focusing sensor group of focusing sensors which are disposed in a second region where light flux passing through a pupil of a lens having an F-number equal to or smaller than the predetermined F-number and having a higher accuracy for focus detection is used only when the F-number of the lens is equal to or smaller than the predetermined F-number.

Focus detector

Camera capable of taking pictures in both standard frame and panoramic

A waterproof camera to which an interchangeable lens unit having a waterproof construction is mounted. The waterproof camera has a lens mount provided in a camera body and to which the interchangeable lens unit is removably mounted, a ring-shaped flange provided in the lens mount and which positions the interchangeable lens unit relative to the camera camera body, an engaging member provided at an outer circumference of the ring-shaped flange and which engages with the outer circumference of one end of the interchangeable lens unit, and a waterproof member which is in pressing contact with an area of engagement between the engaging member and the outer circumference of one end of the interchangeable lens unit and prevents water from penetrating in the area of engagement.

Waterproof camera

A flash apparatus which allows flashlight photographing of various subjects in a photographing screen in appropriate exposure by simple operation without failure. The flash apparatus comprises a flashlight emitting section having a predetermined irradiation angle with respect to a light emission optical axis, and irradiating direction changing means for automatically changing the direction of the light emission optical axis of the flashlight emitting section in response to subject information such as distribution information of brightness values of or distances to subjects in a photographing screen. Also a camera is disclosed which assures photographing of a main subject with appropriate exposure even when the main subject is in a backlighted condition or when another body is positioned nearer to the camera than the main subject.

Flash apparatus

The disclosure relates to the camera system comprises a photo-taking lens including a lens unit movable in direction other than parallel to an optcical axis of the photo-taking lens and a driver unit for driving the movable lens unit in the direction other thatn parallel to the optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a exposure operation. Therefore the camera system is capable of taking photography with special effect.

Camera system with lens movable in vertical direction to optical axis of

An IC card suitably adapted to a camera as a small size device and a camera to which such IC card can be mounted appropriately. The IC card is formed as a rectangular plate of a size of about 20 mm.times.30 mm to 40 mm.times.60 mm so that it may be mounted on a camera. Contents of the IC card are or can be indicated on a front surface of the IC card. A plurality of connecting terminals for electric connection to a camera are disposed in a row on a rear surface along an edge of the IC card. A camera for use with such IC card has an IC card accommodating means provided thereon. Where the camera is a single lens reflex camera, the means may be located sidewardly of a pentagonal roof prism accommodating section on the top of the camera and include a lid member for opening or closing a card accommodating section thereof. The means may be located otherwise on the bottom or a rear lid of the camera and include a member mounted for movement between a position accommodated in the camera and another position projecting from the camera.

IC card and camera for use therewith

A connecting device for establishing electric connection between an electronic appliance and an IC card loaded in position in the electronic appliance, which can prevent possible operation in error and breakdown of a component circuit of the IC card when the IC card is loaded into the electronic appliance. The device includes several terminals provided on the IC card, corresponding terminals provided on the electronic appliance, and a pair of switch terminals located on the electronic appliance for contact with the IC card. The terminals of the IC card and/or the electronic appliance are arranged such that, upon loading of the IC card, at first supply of power to the IC card from the electronic appliance and resetting of the IC card may take place. Signals of the switch terminals which are operated at a last stage eby the IC card are applied to cause activation of the electronic appliance and initialization of the IC card.

Connecting device for IC card

An improved focus detecting apparatus comprises a photographic lens, a focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of the photographic lens and a lens driving means for driving the photographic lens based on the focusing condition detected, and the photographic lens is driven, in advance, to a focusing position where a frequently used magnification rate determined in accordance with the focal length of said photographic lens is attained, and then driven to an in-focus position.

Automatic focus detecting apparatus

A camera system wherein a card accommodating device can be mounted on a body of a camera without increasing the overall size of the camera body and without deteriorating the appearance and convenience in use of the camera. The card accommodating device is mounted on the camera body for pivotal motion from and to a position at which it is fitted in a recessed spacing formed rearwardly of a battery accommodating chamber and sidewardly of a take-up spool chamber of the camera body. The card accommodating device at the position forms part of a side wall of the camera body. The card accommodating device comprises an outer lid unit for removably accommodating an IC card therein, and an inner lid unit mounted for movement and releasably arrested on the outer lid unit and having switch elements and electric signal transmitting contacts located thereon.

Camera with card accommodating device

An electromagnetic actuator suitable for use in combination with the mechanisms of cameras and the like. The electromagnetic actuator has a single electromagnet, and first and second armatures disposed opposite to the opposite attracting surfaces of the electromagnet, respectively. The first armature actuates a first operating lever for operating the shutter release mechanism of a camera, and the second armature actuates a second operating lever for operating the diaphragm of the camera. The first armature is separated from the attracting surface and the second armature is in contact with the attracting surface while the electromagnet is not energized. When the electromagnet is energized, the first armature is attracted to the attracting surface to actuate the first operating lever for releasing the shutter. When the electromagnet is de-energized, the second armature is separated from the attracting surface to allow the second operating lever which has been detained by the second armature to be turned for controlling the diaphragm. A control circuit decreases the current energizing the electromagnet after the first and second armatures have been attracted to the corresponding attracting surfaces to save power.

Electromagnetic actuator for cameras and the like

A film winding system of a camera, capable of automatically winding a film roll, comprising, an electric motor driven so as to winding the film roll, a film winding apparatus driven by the motor, a lock mechanism for locking the film winding apparatus, the lock mechanism comprising a film winding controller connected with the film winding apparatus and a lock lever engaging with the film winding controller so as to restrain an operation of the film winding apparatus, a releasing lever for cancelling an engagement of the lock lever to the film winding controller in advance before the film winding apparatus is actuated, and a loosing mechanism driven by the motor for reducing a degree of the engagement between the film winding controller and the lock lever in advance before the releasing lever swings in the cancellation direction of the engagement. The system operates as follows. Since the loosing mechanism is driven so as to reduce the degree of the engagement between the film winding controller and the lock lever in advance before the releasing lever swings in the cancellation direction of the engagement, the releasing lever cancels the engagement of the lock lever to the film winding controller with light dynamic force. Then, the film winding apparatus is actuated, and the film roll is wound.

Film winding system of camera

A photographic camera having a manual focusing mechanism, an automatic focusing mechanism for automatically moving a lens with a drive device and a clutch disposed between the drive device and the lens. The clutch is normally urged towards a state of engagement by an urging element. Also, the clutch may be maintained at its disengaged position against the urging force of the urging element by a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is operatively connected with the drive device so as to be automatically released by a drive operation of the drive device.

Photographic camera

An improved focus detecting apparatus comprises a photographic lens, focus adjusting apparatus for driving the photographic lens which has been placed on an initial focusing position to an in-focus position, an auxiliary light emitting apparatus for emitting an auxiliary light and a switch for selecting whether the focus adjustment should be carried out with the auxiliary light emitted or the focus adjustment should be carried out without the auxiliary light. The initial focusing position of the photographic lens can be switched dependent on whether the auxiliary light is emitted or not.

A film winding system of a camera, comprising: an electrical motor, a film winding device, a cocking device. Both devices are driven by the motor, for winding a film roll and for cocking a predetermined mechanism, through a differential gearing by which one of the devices is driven selectively. The system further comprises a counter for counting a frame of the film roll, a lock lever for locking the film winding device every time one frame of the film roll is wound up, a dis-lock device for releasing a locked state of the film winding device, an order generator for ordering initiation of initial loading, and a controller operating in such a way that the dis-lock device operates at completion of a cocking operation of the cocking device at a normal film winding operation, while the dis-lock device operates when the order generator operates, and an operation of the dis-lock device is terminated when the predetermined total number of the frames is counted by the counter, and the motor is continuously driven in operation of the dis-lock device. When the patrone is loaded at a film chamber, the dis-lock device operates and the locked state is released and the motor is driven. Then, the predetermined total number of the frames is wound without any interruption.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Hideo Kajita