Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Camera K.k.

Keisuke Maeda

Hiroshi Ueda

Yoshinobu Kudo

Akira Yamanaka

Manabu Inoue

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Takeshi Hashimoto

Toshiaki Matsumoto

Seiji Yamada

Toshinori Imura

Akira Yoshizaki

Harumi Tanaka

Yujiro Mima

Tetsuhiko Inagaki

Tetsuro Oya

Mikio Naya

Keiji Takechi

A device for controlling a zoom lens of a camera includes drive means for driving a zoom lens, control means for controlling the drive means, the control means having a plurality of selectable control modes having a linear mode and a stepping mode, or a plurality of stepping modes, and selection means for selecting one of the plurality of selectable control modes. Also, the device includes control means for controlling the drive means so as to drive the zoom lens in steps at a settable interval or to one of a plurality of stop positions. Further, the device includes display means for indicating a selected control mode or stop positions.

Device for controlling a zoom lens of a camera

A photographic camera which assures proper use of a front converter and prevents out-of-focus photographing when the front converter is used and wherein a switch for detecting whether a tele-converter is in its operative position or inoperative position is not exposed outside the camera. The switch is provided in a converter body removably mounted on a camera body and is connected in series to another switch also provided in the camera body for operation upon attachment of the converter body to the camera. When the converter is mounted in its operative position on the camera body, it is detected by a control circuit in the camera body in accordance with a signal received from the switches, and the control circuit controls various functions of the camera in a different manner from that when the converter is not in its operative position.

Photographic camera

A fixed focus amphibian camera comprises a foremost element of a taking lens group on a water tight camera body. The foremost element has a concave shaped surface on its front side. When the camera is used in water the refractive power of the concave shaped surface is reduced due to the difference in the refractive index between water and air, so that the subject distance that can be focused is shortened in water than in air.

Fixed-focus amphibious camera

A disc film type camera is of thin rectangular parallelepiped shape with a vertically medially located objective lens proximate and side face and a grip handle member pivoted to the other side face, a short distance above its bottom, and swingable between a retracted position overlying and almost coextensive with the other side face and an extended position depending vertically from the camera, a camera self-supporting position in which the handle member extends horizontally rearwardly from the pivot axis and a camera hand-held position in which the handle member is forwardly downwardly inclined 30.degree. to the camera vertical. A recess and detent arrangement is provided for releasably locking the handle in its selected position. The handle member carries a hand strap engaging ring, a tripod screw socket coupling, and a remote cable control coupling electrically connected to the camera shutter release circuit. A convex framing mirror is centrally located on the camera front face and on the front face proximate the other side face are located a photoflash light device and a shutter release button proximate the front face top and bottom boarders respectively.

Flat camera with a retractable grip member

A compact 35 mm, automatic focusing camera of the lens shutter type includes a camera body having a camera obscura with a fast opening cartridge receiving and spool accommodating chambers on respective opposite sides of and extending above the camera obscura and a range finder located in the camera body spaced above the top of the camera obscura to delineate with the upper inside walls of the chambers and the top of the camera obscura a housing space. An objective lens registers with the camera obscura front opening and includes an axially movable focusing lens element. Disposed in the housing space is a flat lens control mechanism for shifting the focusing lens element, a first signal being produced in accordance with the focusing lens position, a second signal being generated by the range finder in accordance with the indicated range and a control signal responsive to the first and second signals for braking the control mechanism.

Compact automatic focusing lens shutter type camera

A framing mirror provided on the front part of a camera for enabling observation of the range of the scene to be photographed from the front of the camera is used for various displays by a liquid crystal display device. Various operation modes are set by a mode selection member and the state of the display portion of the liquid crystal display device arranged in front of the framing mirror changes in accordance with the set operation mode to effect various displays. In at least one of the operation modes the whole display portion of the liquid crystal display device becomes transparent, whereby it is possible to observe the framing mirror from the front of the camera. Alternatively, the framing mirror has a transparent portion at a marginal position and the liquid crystal display device is arranged behind the transparent portion so as to be observable from the front of the camera. The liquid crystal display device displays the same data as displayed by another liquid crystal display device which is arranged behind the framing mirror, for recording data on a photographic film.

Camera with a framing mirror

A camera film easy loading takeup spool includes a body member rotatable about a longitudinal axis past a film delivery position and a plurality of peripherally spaced pairs of longitudinal jaw members, one of each of which is swingable about a longitudinal axis between film entry opening open and closed positions relative to the respective other jaw member and spring biased to its open position and including a depending follower engaging a circular cam which closes the jaws offset from the film delivery position and permits the spring opening of the jaw proximate the film delivery position. A film perforation engaging tooth or a friction pad is carried by one of each pair of jaws and the inner ends of the jaws delineate an inner passageway of a width equal to about the film thickness. A visual indicator is actuated when any one of the jaw members is open.

Easy loading mechanism for cameras

Lens cap for a camera

A camera enables normal photographing where automatic focus adjustment and exposure operation are sequentially effected in response to a shutter release operation, and focus memory photographing where automatic focus adjustment is effected independently of exposure operation at any time prior to a shutter release operation. A movable member for operating range finding means and allowing following movement of an objective setting member and a shutter actuating member is released for movement under a spring action either by operation of a shutter release member or by operation of a focus memory operating member from a neutral position to an operating position, while the shutter actuating member is prevented from following the movable member by first and second arresting members. For normal photographing, the second arresting member is at first disabled in response to a shutter release operation and the first arresting member is disabled by the movable member immediately before the movable member completes travelling after completion of automatic focus adjustment. For focus memory photography, the first arresting member is at first disabled after completion of automatic focus adjustment, and thereafter the second arresting member is disabled in response to a shutter release operation.

Camera automatic focus apparatus

A release mechanism for initiating a camera operation by means of an electromagnetic device which includes a permanent magnet for retaining a release member in an inoperative position, and a solenoid for, upon energization thereof, counterbalancing the magnetic force of the permanent magnet to allow the release member to move to its operating position where it releases an operating member to actuate a camera mechanism, such as shutter mechanism or mirror driving mechanism. With the camera operation, the release member is returned to its inoperative position by an elastic member, and retained again by the permanent magnet for the next camera operation. The elastic member is maintained inoperative at least until the release member releases the restraint on the operating member.

Electromagnetic release mechanism for photographic cameras

A camera having an electrically controlled exposure is capable of mounting thereon or incorporating therein an electronic flash device which includes a flash tube, a main capacitor for firing the flash tube and a trigger circuit having a trigger capacitor. To initiate the flashing of the flash tube, the trigger capacitor, which has been charged to a voltage level corresponding to that across the main capacitor, is discharged in synchronism with the opening of a shutter through a firing circuit which is made conductive only when the brightness of an object is lower than a predetermined level. A first transistor is made conductive upon the opening of the shutter only when the brightness of the object is lower than the predetermined level and a second transistor is connected in series with the first transistor and made conductive only when the trigger capacitor is charged up to a sufficient level. The series connection of the first and second transistors is in turn connected to a time constant circuit consisting of a timing capacitor and a photoconductive element for detecting the brightness of the object. The timing capacitor is rapidly charged or discharged to a predetermined level when both the first and second transistors are made conductive, so that an exposure control circuit connected to the timing capacitor generates a signal for terminating an exposure soon after the flashing of the flash tube.

Cameras with electrically controlled exposure for use with electronic

A camera accommodating film cartridges having structural signals differently configured according to the corresponding film speeds and selectively accepting a photoflash unit with a predetermined high guide number and a photoflash unit with a predetermined low guide number is provided with an automatic diaphragm mechanism which, in flashbulb photography, adjusts the aperture according to the object to camera distance. The camera includes a luminosity attenuator for guide number compensation and a luminosity attenuator for film speed compensation, each attenuator being displaceable between a nonattenuating position displaced from the camera objective light path and an attenuating position in said light path. Internal of the camera is a first sensor for differential detection of the guide number classification of a photoflash unit to be mounted on the camera for flashbulb photography. The luminosity attenuator for guide number compensation is operatively associatable with the first sensor and assumes the attenuating position only when the sensor has detected the mounting of a photoflash unit with the predetermined high guide number. The camera includes a second sensor for reading the film speed of the cartridge loaded in the camera from the cartridge signal structure. The light attenuator for film speed compensation is operatively associated with the second sensor so that the former assumes the luminosity attenuating position when the second sensor has detected a film speed higher than the preset camera speed rating or when, with a photoflash unit mounted, the second sensor has detected a higher film speed. The camera is such that both the guide number and film speed setting or compensating functions are automatically performed in flashbulb photography.

Photoflash mounting automatic light control camera

A photoflash photography system includes a camera separably housing individual film cartridges carrying indicia, physical or electrical, representing the sensitivity of the film contained in the respective cartridge. A photoflash unit is coupled to the camera and has a light output which automatically varies inversely with the film sensitivity in response to the sensitivity indicia. The light output is varied by varying the charge voltage on the flash tube storage capacitor or the capacitor capacitance value. The electrical indicia may be resistors of different values and the physical indicia may be recesses of different depths or differently disposed shoulders or fingers which are detected by movable sensing members.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Keisuke Maeda