Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Masayuki Ikemura

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Manabu Inoue

Kohtaro Hayashi

Hiroyuki Okada

Takeshi Hashimoto

Junji Hashimura

Hideo Kajita

Yasuteru Yamano

Yujiro Mima

Nobuya Miki

Koji Hata

Takehiko Karasaki

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Yoshiaki Hata

Hiromu Mukai

Toshihiko Karasaki

Katsuyuki Nanba

Takehiro Katoh

Kazuo Kimura

Motohiro Nakanishi

Hidekazu Nakajima

Koh Hayama

Yukari Maeda

A camera capable of taking pictures selectively in a standard or full size frame and a panorama frame having a reduced vertical dimension. This camera includes vertically movable light-shielding members for partly light-shielding an exposure range of the standard frame to set an exposure range of the panorama frame. When the panorama frame is selected, a warning is given on a display provided on the camera body to the effect that a date and other photographic information cannot be recorded on pictures taken in the panorama frame. The shutter of the camera includes an electronic device for detecting an amount of light traveling from a photographic object to which light is flashed. Output of this device is used for suitably controlling exposure for photography in the standard and panorama frames.

Camera

Photographing operation of a camera is possible in an automatic program zoom mode in which focal length of a photographing lens is automatically determined based on a prescribed program, and in a manual zoom mode in which focal length of the photographing lens is determined dependent on user's preference. When a switch for starting operation of the camera is turned ON, the automatic program zoom mode is automatically set from the two modes.

Camera having automatic program zoom mode

Camera capable of taking pictures in both standard frame and panoramic

In an auto focus camera in which a lens position is changeable in accordance with a photographing mode, based on measured object distance, it is judged whether or not measuring distance can be done, and it is presumed whether or not a person is photographed. In accordance with the result of the judgment and presumption, a focal length of a photographic lens is selected. If distance measuring can not be done or distance measuring data is invalid, focusing operation is executed, based on not the measured distance data but the predetermined distance data which is suitable to a photographing mode of the camera. By this manner, it does not occur that an object image is out of focus badly and a photograph suited for operator's intention can be obtained.

Auto focus camera in which a lens position is changeable in accordance

A camera having an auto zoom function includes: a taking lens for photographing an object; a distance measuring device for measuring a distance to the object; a magnification setting device for setting a photographing magnification for the object; and a focal length calculator for calculating a focal length of the taking lens to obtain the photographing magnification set with respect to the distance to the object. Auto zoom operation is carried out by automatic movement of the taking lens so that the focal length of the taking lens may be equal to the calculated focal length.

Camera having an auto zoom function

A camera equipped with detectors for detecting: a) the photographer is holding the camera grip, and b) the photographer is looking into the viewfinder of the camera. When both are detected, which can be assumed that he is taking a photograph in the near future, a predetermined operation of the camera (e.g., an automatic program zooming, an autofocusing, a photometering, etc.) is started. The detectors can also be used for ending a predetermined operation of the camera. When the photographer no longer holds the grip or when he no longer looks into the viewfinder, it is assumed that he is not going to take a photograph and hence it is better not to continue some proper operation for conserving the battery power. For confirming the judgment, it is preferred to check the detection twice in any case.

Camera having detectors for detecting the photo-taking intention of a

Brightness of a central area in a scene to be photographed and brightness of a peripheral area around the central area are measured, and the brightnesses of respective areas are outputted as first and second values. When the second value is larger than the first value, the first value is corrected by a value which has no relation with the respective measured values. Consequently, a proper controlling brightness value is provided for controlling the exposure.

Exposure controlling apparatus of a camera having a plurality of areas

The brightness measuring apparatus according to this invention comprises a plurality of light receiving elements for respectively receive light from a plurality of areas in a photographic range and output values corresponding to the areas based on the amounts of light received, and judges whether or not the object is under rear light conditions based on the outputted values and the value of rear light detection level which is decided based on focal length of a photographing lens, image magnification, object distance, or brightness of background.

Brightness measuring apparatus for providing adequate object brightness

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Osaka, Japan

Masayuki Ikemura