Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Hiroki Onda

Takashi Inoue

Toshiyuki Toyofuku

Yuichi Torikoshi

Kazuhiko Watarai

Yu Sato

Kaoru Kaneko

Toshikatsu Shiozaki

Mutsumi Naruse

A beam splitter splits a light beam having passed through an image pick-up device into a plurality of split light beams. An image pick-up device converts one of the split light beams emitted from the beam splitter to an electric signal. An optical viewfinder uses another one of the split light beams emitted from the beam splitter for visually recognizing an image. The eyepiece of the optical viewfinder is disposed on an upper part of the rear surface of the camera body adjacent the left end thereof.

Electronic camera

A pair of guide grooves are formed to extend parallel with each other on an outer surface of a housing of an electronic image pickup apparatus with a lens opening interposed therebetween. A lens barrier has both end portions engaged with the paired guide grooves and is movable between a close position for closing the lens opening and an open position for opening the lens opening while both end portions are guided by the guide grooves. One of the guide grooves opens in a cross direction crossing a front direction to which a front surface area, in which the lens opening is formed, on the outer surface of the housing, is directed, and the other of the guide grooves opens in the front direction on the outer surface of the housing. One of the end portions of the lens barrier corresponding to the one guide groove is inserted into and engaged with the one guide groove to be slidable along the one guide groove, and the other of the end portions of the lens barrier corresponding to the other guide groove is inserted into and engaged with the other guide groove to be slidable along the other guide groove. A separation protection member is fixed on the outer surface of the housing to cover at least part of the opening of the other guide groove after the other end portion of the lens barrier has been inserted into the other guide groove, and engages with the other end portion of the lens barrier in the front direction to prevent the other end portion of the lens barrier from separating from the opening of the other guide groove.

Electronic image pickup apparatus having a light weight and easy to assemble lens barrier supporting mechanism which requires little force to operate

The present invention provides a camera comprising an opening that is located in a camera body and defines a film screen, a lens barrel located in front of the opening and extended forward of the camera body, a projection located behind the opening, a grip that ls formed on one side surface of the projection, whose back end lies ahead of the back end of the projection, and that is held with the fingers of a photographer's hand during photography, and a recess that is formed on the outer circumference of the outer wall of the lens barrel, located in an area substantially opposed to the grip, and dented toward the inner circumference of the lens barrel.

Camera having a grip recess and a lens barrel recess which cooperate to

A camera of the automatic exposure control type includes a protective cover which is movable between a closed position where it covers a taking lens and a photometric assembly and an open position where it permits them to be uncovered completely. The camera also includes an exposure control switch which is either opened or closed in ganged relationship with a movement of the protective cover to its open position, allowing an output from the photometric assembly to be supplied to an exposure controller.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Hiroki Onda