Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Nikon Corporation

Hideshi Naito

Hideyo Nozawa

Hideo Kanno

Yoshiharu Shiokama

Yoshiro Kodaka

Kazuyuki Kazami

Kunihiro Fukino

Hitoshi Imanari

Takeshi Muryoi

Koshi Yoshibe

Shinichi Ushio

Yoshiro Kotaka

Naoto Ohta

Sachio Omori

There is disclosed a zoom lens barrel of inner focusing type, simplified in structure by the use of a surface wave motor. There are provided two biasing members of different biasing forces, in such a manner that the stator member of the surface wave motor can rotate with respect to the fixed tube member and the movable member of the surface wave motor rotates integrally with the stator member in the zooming operation. Such structure allows to dispense with a mechanical clutch for selecting the focusing or zooming operation.

Zoom lens barrel

A lens barrel which can be easily switched between a manual focusing mode and an auto-focusing mode employs a motor as a drive power source for driving a switching apparatus for switching between an auto-focusing apparatus and a manual focusing apparatus. When a photographer supplies an external electrical signal, a switching operation from the auto-focusing apparatus to the manual focusing apparatus and vice versa can be performed in accordance with the forward/reverse rotational direction of the motor.

Lens barrel

A camera system is provided in which the entire performance is not deteriorated by corrective calculations for adapters, in information transmission between an interchangeable lens and an adapter. The adapter is equipped with an information processing device, capable of correcting at least a part of an information transmitted from the information processing device of the interchangeable lens, based on information specific to the adapter, and transmitting thus corrected information to the information processing device of the interchangeable lens.

Camera information transmission system including body, lens, and adapter

A power zooming lens barrel, which is mounted on a camera body having an auto-focus driving unit for performing a focusing driving to focus an objective image, comprises a zooming driving mechanism unit which is coupled to the auto-focus driving unit for driving a zooming lens group by the driving power from the auto-focus driving unit, a switching unit for actuating a zooming operation, and a zooming control unit for operating the auto-focus driving unit for a zooming driving through the zooming driving mechanism unit when the zooming operation is actuated by the switching unit.

Lens barrel having a power zooming function and a camera system

A lens barrel is provided with a detecting device for detecting whether a clutch device for effecting the AF mode/MF mode changeover of a focus adjusting mechanism is changed over completely to either mode. When the detecting device detects that the changeover is not complete, as due to the supply of electric power from the camera body being cut off, the clutch device is automatically brought to the change-over position of a selected mode in response to the next supply of electric power.

Lens barrel with selectable manual and auto focus

A zoom lens assembly comprises a photo-taking optical system having a focusing portion, a zooming portion, and an optic axis, a manual operator movable in the direction of the optic axis for zooming and rotatable about the optic axis for focusing, an electrically rotated drive shaft, a member for moving the zooming portion of the photo-taking optical system for zooming in response to the movement of the manual operator in the direction of the optic axis, an intermediate member rotatable in response to the rotation of the manual operator to move the focusing portion of the photo-taking optical system for focusing, and movable in the direction of the optic axis with the manual operator, a transmission system for coupling the intermediate member to the drive member for movement in the direction of the optic axis to thereby transmit the rotation of the drive member to the intermediate member irrespective of the movement of the intermediate member in the direction of the optic axis, and a change-over device operable to connect and disconnect the rotation of the manual operator and the intermediate member.

Zoom lens assembly

A zoom lens assembly comprises an optical system containing lens units arranged on the optical axis, a stationary cylindrical member, and an operation member movable relative to the stationary cylindrical member. The operation member is moved in the direction along the optical axis for zooming and is rotated about the optical axis for focusing. The zoom lens assembly further comprises a lens holder axially movable relative to the stationary cylindrical member and holding a certain lens unit selected from the lens units and a cam member mounted axially movable along the optical axis and rotatable about the optical axis relative to the stationary cylindrical member. The cam member is disposed between the operation member and the lens holder and has a cam connection so formed that when the cam member is rotated about the optical axis, the lens holder is moved in the direction along the optical axis and when the cam member is axially moved, the lens holder is moved together with the cam member in the direction along the optical axis. The zoom lens assembly further comprises interlocking elements for rotating the cam member about the optical axis during the time of the operation member being moved in the direction along the optical axis and for moving the cam member in the direction along the optical axis during the time of the operation member being rotated about the optical axis.

The aperture of a zoom lens is varied automatically during zooming by an aperture drive device that includes a pair of drive members rotatable about the optical axis. Each drive member has an arm member that engages a coupling member on a rocking member pivoted about an axis perpendicular to the optical axis. During an aperture closing operation the coupling member and the arm members move relatively along the optical axis. Initially, both drive members rotate together, such that the aperture does not change, but then the drive members rotate relatively to vary the aperture.

Aperture device for zoom lens

A zoom lens assembly comprises an optical system including, in succession from the object side, a stationary lens group, a first movable lens group, a second movable lens group and a third movable lens group, a stationary barrel for holding the stationary lens group, first, second and third movable barrel members disposed in the stationary barrel for sliding movement in the direction of the optical axis and holding the first, second and third movable lens groups, respectively, and lens driving means including means for sliding the first movable barrel member for focusing and means for sliding the second and third movable barrel members for zooming.

In a lens barrel to which a flashlight-emitting device is mounted or may be mounted and which enables a very proximate object to be photographed, there is provided a light-intercepting member interposed in the path of the light emitted by the flashlight-emitting device in response to the operation of a lens optical system for rendering the lens barrel capable of effecting very proximate photography, the light-intercepting member being for intercepting part of the light emitted from the flashlight-emitting device and travelling toward the optical axis of the lens optical system.

Lens barrel suitable for flash photography

A flashlight photographing device includes a phototaking lens barrel capable of operatively associating an aperture setting member and a distance adjust member so that the product of an aperture value set by the aperture setting member and an object distance given by the distance adjust member maintains a predetermined value related to the quantity of emitted light of a flash device. The phototaking lens barrel includes structure for releasing the operative association between the aperture setting member and the distance adjust member. The releasing structure is capable of restraining the operation of one of the aperture setting member and the distance adjust member during the operation of the other of such members.

Flashlight photographing device

A photographic lens barrel includes display means capable of displaying photographing magnifications, an optical system for imaging the display effected by the display means, and drive means for driving the display means so as to cause the magnification displayed to correspond to the position of a movable focusing lens and for driving a diaphragm blade so as to cause the amount of aperture of the diaphragm blade to correspond to the position of the movable focusing lens.

Photographic lens barrel

A photographic lens comprises a first image forming optical system including focusing lens means movable in the direction of the optical axis thereof, operating means for driving the focusing lens means, display means capable of displaying the magnification of an object image formed by the first image forming optical system, a second image forming optical system for imaging the display effected by the display means, and means for driving the display means in response to the driving of the focusing lens means by the operating means to cause the magnification display by said display means to correspond to the position of the focusing lens means.

Photographic lens capable of photographing the magnifications

A lens includes a flash unit including a ring-shaped irradiating light source disposed around the lens barrel symmetrically about the optical axis, a diaphragm for varying the aperture diameter, an optical system having a first focusing mode in which focusing operation can be effected with respect to an object lying within a predetermined distance range and second focusing mode in which focusing operation can be effected with respect to an object lying at a distance shorter than said predetermined distance range, a control device for varying the aperture diameter in accordance with the focusing operation when said optical system is in the first focusing mode, and a device for holding the aperture diameter in the vicinity of its minimum diameter for the focusing operation when said optical system is in the second focusing mode.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hideshi Naito