Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Hiroshi Kiten

Takashi Iida

Masatoshi Itoh

Toru Ishii

Mitsuo Yasukuni

Hiroyuki Tsumazawa

Manabu Inoue

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Dai Shintani

Takeo Hoda

Hiroaki Kubo

Gen Sasaki

Yoshito Tanaka

Katsuyuki Nanba

Yoshihiro Tanaka

Kunio Kawamura

Toshio Yamaki

Hirokazu Yagura

Takeya Tsukamoto

Atsushi Kuwada

Shigeru Nagata

Nobuo Yoshida

An apparatus for reproducing images recorded on successive frames of a film recorded with information, the apparatus includes a film feeder which feeds the film in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; an information reader which reads the recorded information; a density detector which detects a density of each image; and a controller which controls the film feeder, information reader, and density detector. The information reader is worked when the film is fed in the first direction, the density detector is worked when the film is fed in the second direction. A detected image density is adapted for determining an exposure value at which each image is picked up to reproduce the image.

Apparatus for reproducing photographed images

A film image pickup device uses a cartridge in which film is fed out of the cartridge by causing a spool around which the film is wound to rotate. The film image pickup device includes a drive roller and a driven roller that are located near the film outlet of the cartridge and that are used for the conveyance of the film. The drive roller and driven roller are constructed such that either roller can come into contact with or retract from the other roller. Either of the drive roller and the driven roller has a barrel-shaped cross-sectional configuration while the other has a bobbin-shaped cross-sectional configuration, to impart a curvature to the film as it is pulled out of the cartridge.

Film image pickup device

An imaging apparatus of an electronic camera according to the present invention has a lens barrier arranged on an object side of a photographing lens; an imaging device capable of changing electric charge storage time; a lens barrier state-detecting means for outputting a signal indicating an opening state of the lens barrier after detecting the opening state of the lens barrier; a release switch for starting a photographing operation; an imaging device control means for starting electric charge storage of the device when the signal of the opening state of the lens barrier is outputted from the detecting means and for outputting a charge termination signal when the charge is terminated; and a lens barrier opening and closing driving means for driving the lens barrier to open on the basis of a turning-on signal of the release switch and for driving the lens barrier to close on the basis of the charge termination signal outputted from the control means. In this apparatus, by driving the driving means, the lens barrier is opened only during a photographing period, while the lens barrier is closed during a non-photographing period to prevent the device from being exposed to strong outside light.

Camera having a lens barrier which is opened only during photographing

A camera has a zoom lens which includes a variator and a compensator. However, in order to simplify the whole external form of the camera, reduce the size thereof, and further to materially eliminate the treatment of appearance of the taking lens, a linear movement means which includes a threaded shaft provided for linearlly moving a variator and a compensator composing a zoom lens and the nuts to be engaged with the threaded shaft and an electrically driving means for driving this linear movement means are covered by a housing of a camera body, a zoom operation key provided on this housing is caused to be operationally related to an electric circuit which drives and controls the motor.

Camera

An automatic white balance adjusting apparatus having a light measuring circuit, a determining circuit, and adjusting circuit and a time-average calculating circuit, in operation, color temperature adjustment data are calculated by using a value obtained by averaging color temperature information of a light source over a predetermined time period.

Automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus with reduced sensitivity to

A camera has a zoom lens which includes a variator and a compensator. However, in order to simplify the whole external form of the camera, reduce the size thereof, and further to materially eliminate the treatment of appearance of the taking lens, a linear movement means which includes a threaded shaft provided for linearlly moving a variator and a compensator composing a zoom lens and the nuts to be engaged with the threaded shaft and an electrically driving means for driving this linear movement means are covered by a housing of a camera body, a zoom operation key provided on this housing is caused to be operatively related to an electric circuit which drives and controls the motor.

A catadioptric light system such as a module lens system capable of being mounted on a camera is provided. A plurality of light reflecting and refracting optic members are designed to provide a desired image forming light path through the lens system. Disposed within the lens system is an electrochromic device that is responsive to an applied voltage to provide a predetermined degree of light transmission intensity through the lens system. The electrochromic device can be a thin film mounted on a transparent plate or on a reflective surface. The housing of the lens system can be advantageously designed to contain its own power source.

Catadioptric lens system with light transmission control means

An aperture stop control device for a zoom lens system includes a variable aperture stop, a first sensor for determining the diameter of the aperture stop and providing a first electrical signal representative of the diameter of the aperture stop means and a second sensor for generating a second electrical signal indicative of a designated F number. A signal generator provides a third electrical signal indicative of the focal length of the zoom lens system. A computing circuit computes an output electrical signal as a function of the second and third electrical signals to control the diameter of the aperture stop for automatically maintaining a designated F number during a zooming operation.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Hiroshi Kiten