Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Hiroshi Akitake

Tatsuya Suzuki

Moriya Katagiri

Kazuhiro Satoh

Shigeo Hayashi

Kazuo Yamamoto

Takeshi Ito

Akihiko Hashimoto

Yukihiko Sugita

Kazuyuki Iwasa

Yoichi Yoshida

Minoru Hara

Toshimasa Akagi

Hitoshi Yoshida

Hitoshi Shirai

Hirotsugu Nakazawa

Hiroyuki Satake

Yoshitaka Naitou

Gouichi Hiratsuka

Yu Satoh

An object of a camera of the present invention is to protect mode change switches, a mode display member, or the like from being damaged or prevent it from malfunctioning, and to improve maneuverability. A center part of a camera body 2 shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped is revealed or hidden by a protective cover 5 that can slide freely between the center part of the camera body 2 and a left-hand part thereof. Arranged on the face, top, and back of the center part of the camera body 2 are a photography lens 3, a strobe 6, and mode change switches 16, a mode display member 17, and the like which are used during photography. These members (photography-time used members) are shielded by the protective cover 5 in a closed state and thus protected from being damaged. Moreover, the incident that the members malfunction can be minimized. Only when an open state is set by sliding the protective cover 5 to the left-hand part of the camera body 2 for the purpose of photography, the photography-time used members are exposed to be operational. Thus, excellent maneuverability is ensured.

Camera

A lens barrel comprises a barrier provided at a front aperture of a photographing lens, a barrier driving mechanism for opening and closing the barrier, a lens driving mechanism for moving at least one lens group in an optical-axis direction, a driving device for operating the lens driving mechanism and the barrier driving mechanism, and a driving force switching device for transmitting driving force of the driving device to a lens driving mechanism at a state capable of photographing and for transmitting driving force of the driving device to a barrier driving mechanism at a state incapable of photographing linked with the movement of the photographing lens from a state capable of photographing to a state incapable of photographing.

Lens barrel

A camera with a built-in strobe according to the present invention comprises a camera housing, an optical system located substantially in the center of the camera housing, a gripping section formed at an end of the camera housing in a direction that does not cross the optical axis of the optical system and is aligned in a substantially vertical direction, a release button formed above the gripping section and on the top of the camera housing, a strobe that is installed on the front of the camera between the release button and the gripping section and that lies between a finger for manipulating release and the other fingers for gripping the gripping section when the camera housing is gripped by a human hand, and a finger intrusion prevention screen that has a convex portion for preventing any of the fingers gripping the gripping section from intruding into the strobe.

Camera with a built-in strobe having a gripping section and a finger

A waterdrop-proof camera includes lens frames which are moved backward and forward relative to an optical axis during zooming or focusing; a camera main body in which the lens frames are slidably held in a liquid-sealed state; vent holes, provided in positions where they will not be covered by the hand of a user, on either the wall surface of the camera main body or that of the lena frames, through which vent holes the inside of the camera is communicated with the outside thereof; and a sheet-like member, having sufficient water repellency and air permeability, arranged on the camera body containing the inner side of the vent holes so as to seal them. A sealing member formed from a elastic member is fixed to either one of first and second lens frames which move relative to each other, by which sealing member one of the lens frames is radially pressed against the other, so that a section between the two lens frames is waterproofed. In addition, a device is disposed for increasing the amount of pressure at a specific focal distance or in a state in which the lens frames are housed.

Waterdrop-proof camera

A mode selecting and displaying control apparatus for a camera according to the invention sets a plurality of marks representing set modes in a display state on an LCD panel and sets marks representing other modes in a non-display state while a first switch for setting modes of the camera, e.g., operation modes and flash modes, in a changeable state, is in a non-operated state. By operating a second switch for changing the modes one by one while the first switch is in an operated state, the plurality of marks in a display state are sequentially caused to flicker in accordance with a mode to be set, while marks representing other modes are set in a display state, thereby performing a mode changing operation.

Mode selecting and displaying control apparatus for camera

A camera of the present invention comprises a stationary frame adjustable in position with respect to a camera body in the direction of an optical axis; a cam frame disposed around an outer circumference of the stationary frame to be rotatable about the optical axis and movable in a direction of the optical axis with respect to the stationary frame; a finder optical system provided on the camera body; and a finder optical system driving cam provided integrally with the cam frame for driving the finder optical system. In-focus position adjustment of a photographing optical system of the camera is performed during assembly by moving only the stationary frame in the direction of the optical axis, while the cam frame is kept immobile with respect to the camera body.

A zoom mechanism for zoom lenses drives a focusing lens group in a linear manner and lens groups other than the focusing lens group in either a non-linear or a linear manner, during a zooming operation and, after the zooming operation, drives the focusing lens group for the focusing operation to correct a difference caused in the zooming operation.

Zoom mechanism for zoom lenses

A zooming mechanism for a zoom lens comprises a zooming frame disposed for translation back and forth with respect to a stationary member in the direction of an optical axis and carrying a focus lens group in a manner to permit its focus adjustment; a drive for translating the zooming frame in the direction of the optical axis, a carrier frame for carrying another zoom lens group and supported within the zooming frame by a support member located therein for translation back and forth in the direction of the optical axis, a device for deriving a rotational drive in association with the translation of the zooming frame in the direction of the optical axis, and a device responsive to the rotational drive to cause a non-linear movement of the carrier frame. A rotational drive is derived in association with the translation of the zooming frame in the direction of the optical axis, and utilized by said non-linear moving device to cause a non-linear movement of the carrier frame to achieve a zooming operation.

Zooming mechanism for zoom lens

Apparatus for exposure control/focus adjustment for a camera comprises an exposure controlling mechanism, a focus adjusting mechanism and a source of rotary drive. The drive from the source is transmitted through a differential gearing to the exposure controlling mechanism and the focus adjusting mechanism. The differential gearing is operated such that the transmission of the drive to either one of the exposure controlling mechanism and the focus adjusting mechanism is blocked while allowing the other mechanism to be driven.

Apparatus for exposure control/focus adjustment for camera

An exposure control device for camera includes a detector for detecting the opening of a sector shutter. By detecting an actual opening of the sector shutter, an amount of incremental exposure is calculated based on the opening and the corresponding time interval. Such amount is accumulated to provide an accumulated value. An amount of proper exposure is determined on the basis of photographing information including the brightness of an object being photographed and a film speed. The sector shutter is controlled in accordance with the accumulated value and the amount of proper exposure.

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Sagamihara, Japan

Hiroshi Akitake