Nikon Corporation

Koshi Yoshibe

Isao Soshi

Tsuneo Watanabe

Hitoshi Imanari

Hideshi Naito

A lens-barrel and a camera system including the lens-barrel are in an automatic focus mode in which a focusing unit is automatically driven by an automatic focus unit, during a time when a manual operation member is not operated. When the manual operation member is operated in a second direction, switching is done to a manual focus mode achieving focus by operation of the manual operation member in the second direction. However, when detecting the operation of the manual operation member in the second direction during a zoom operation in which the manual operation member is being operated in a first direction, switching is done to the automatic focus mode without being switched to the manual focus mode. Therefore, unintentional switching from the automatic focus mode to the manual focus mode during the zoom operation can be reliably prevented.

Lens-barrel and camera system having the lens-barrel

A lens barrel comprises a focusing optical system for moving in the direction of the optical axis to perform a focusing operation, an ultrasonic motor used for the automatic focus control, containing a stator and a rotor, and disposed around the optical axis, a motion transformation/transmission mechanism for moving the focusing optical system in the direction of the optical axis on the basis of a rotation of the rotor, a manual operation member to be rotated manually, and a motor holding device for holding the motor to be rotated by a rotation of the manual operation member so as to rotate the rotor, wherein said motor is held on the motor holding device to have the stator and the rotor provided from the light incident side toward the lens barrel in the named order.

Lens barrel comprising an ultrasonic motor

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 focusing apparatus in which a photographing lens can be speedily moved to a desired focus position comprises a rotary barrel for causing the focusing optical system to move in the direction of the optical axis, a moving amount detecting device provided with a detecting section which detects the position of the focusing optical system by detecting the rotational position of the rotary barrel and for outputting moving amount detected signals, a storage device for storing a position of the focusing optical system to be set arbitrarily, a first detecting device for detecting the arbitrarily set position and for outputting detected signals, first and second instruction devices for issuing an instruction for storing the focusing optical system at the set position, for moving the focusing optical system to the set position, a first driving device for driving the storing device, first and second driving control devices for respectively controlling the first and second driving devices in accordance with instructions from the first and second instruction devices and detected signals from the first and second detecting devices, a second driving device for driving the focusing optical system to the set position, and a board having a detecting section for detecting a stored position and a detecting section disposed so as to detect the amount of the movement of the focusing optical system.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Koshi Yoshibe