Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsuru Saito

Hiroshi Ueda

Yasuhiro Morimoto

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Tadahiro Yoshida

Yasuhiro Nanba

Tetsuyuki Tanimoto

Masayoshi Sahara

Toshinori Imura

Toshio Kobori

Kazuchika Sato

Hideo Kajita

Hiroshi Ishibe

Yoshio Kuramoto

Kuniteru Sakakibara

Kaoru Umeda

A still carmera system is capable of being loaded with a film back or a still video back selectably or of changing focal length information of an objective lens in use so as to correspond to the image size of the still video back, whereby when loaded with the still video back, the operational condition of a focal length dependent portion is set in accordance with changed focal length information.

Interchangeable film back or still video back still camera system

A still video adapter is attached to the body of a standard photographic camera, in place of the back cover of the camera, to enable picture taking on a magnetic disk, being provided with a deck portion extending from one side to the front of the adapter to hold a magnetic disk in parallel with the side of the adapter.

Still video adapter

An electronic still camera is designed to be operable for flash photography in collaboration with an electronic flash unit. This camera has an image pickup element for photoelectrically converting an image of an object to be photographed formed by a taking lens. The output of the image pickup element is subjected to gain control in a gain control circuit, after which it is converted into a signal suited for storing in a storing section. Further, this camera has a stop signal generating medium for stopping the flashing of the electronic flash unit when the integrated value of the light reflected from the object to be photographed reaches a predetermined value, a photoelectric conversion element for performing receipt and integration of light which has passed through the taking lens during the charge accumulation period of the image pickup element, and a gain determining circuit for determining the gain of the gain control circuit. And, determination of the gain is performed according to the difference between the output value of the photoelectric conversion element at the time of completion of charge accumulation of the image pickup element and a predetermined value.

Image sensing device for an electronic still camera

A still video adapter device is detachably mounted to a back portion of a camera body, in place of a rear cover. The light passing through an objective lens of the camera body is relayed by a relay optical system and split into two groups, one being directed to an image sensor for the still video photography, the other to a light measuring element for the exposure control. The output of the light measuring element is integrated and compared with a given value, thereby generating a signal for interrupting the flash light emission when the integrated value reaches the given value.

Still video adapter device detachable to a camera body

A still camera system comprises a camera body which carrys alternatively a film back or a still video back having a solid-state image pickup device for receiving still images in order to record them on a recording medium. The improved system includes a display, a first means for providing the display information on the film back installing mode, and a second means for providing the display information on the still video back installing mode.

Still camera system

A video still camera of the single lens reflex type is provided having a movable finder mirror for reflecting light passed through an objective lens, and a movable optical low-pass filter for preventing a light component having a spatial frequency lower than a predetermined value from being incident on an image receiving element. The finder mirror is located at a position in a photographing path through which photographing light passes when the camera is in a finder observation condition, while the optical low-pass filter is located at that position instead of the finder mirror when the camera is in a photographing condition. A driving device for selectively positioning either the finder mirror or the optical low-pass filter at the position is provided. The compactness of the video still camera is improved.

Optical system for a single-lens reflex type video still camera

A system in process for producing an improved plastic molded optical element such as a mirror or lens is provided. The molded optical body has at least a surface portion designed for effective interfacing with incident light by reflection or refraction. Discontinuities form reference points at fixed positions on the molded optical surface. The reference points can include a projection or recess formed at the center of the lens system on the optical axis having a sufficient magnitude in size for measurement to determine a spatial position of the optical element but limited in size to prevent any perceptible aberration to be introduced within the desired application of the optical element.

System and process for producing molded optical elements

A single-lens reflex camera is provided with a data recording device which comprises a member carrying data to be photographed, a data illuminating optical system, means for directing and focussing data carrying light onto a film and an externally operable light path changing member. The data carrying member carries at least two groups of data positioned in respectively relative horizontal and vertical directions. The data illuminating optical system illuminates similar selected sets of data from the two groups and the light path changing member blocks the light from the selected data set oriented in an undesired direction while allowing the passage of light from the other desirably oriented data set alone to be focussed on the film for data recording. A mechanism is provided for selecting the selected group orientation in response to the camera orientation.

Camera provided with a data recording device

A plate member bearing thereon a pair of first symbols respectively representative of the highest shutter speed and the lowest shutter speed, a pair of second symbols respectively representative of middle shutter speeds, and three letters or zone marks are arranged between the first and the second symbols and also between the second symbols. The plate member is disposed between a focussing plate and a pentagonal prism, which form a viewfinder of a single lens reflex camera. The first and second symbols are illuminated by light from outside of the camera, which light has passed through the focussing plate after being reflected by a movable mirror. For the illumination of the letters or the zone marks, three light emitting diodes are provided in corresponding relation to the letters or zone marks, and an electric circuit responsive to a light measuring circuit selectively continuously lights one of the three light emitting diodes when the brightness of an object to be photographed is at an appropriate level and selectively intermittently lights one of the two light emitting diodes corresponding to the letters or zone marks adjacent to the first symbols when the brightness of the object is at a level over or under the appropriate level. Also, three light guides are provided respectively in corresponding relation to the light emitting diodes and the letters or the zone marks for transmitting the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting diode to the corresponding letter or zone mark.

Camera exposure factor indicating device

A camera is equipped with a member bearing data to be photographed such as a date and the like and a data light focusing optical system for projecting the illuminated data from the data member at the front of the camera rearwardly with the object light toward the data photographing portion of the film. The data light focusing optical system is arranged so that the data light is directed to be incident on the data photographing portion of the film from a direction different from the incident direction of the object light. Provided in the front of the data photographing portion of the film is an object light incidence limiting member which is positioned parallel with the plane of the film and allows the transmission of the data light therethrough but interrupts the object light directed toward the data light focusing portion of the film.

Data photographic device for camera

An apparatus for detecting the correctly focused image of the object projected on a focal plane, comprising a suitable optical system for forming the image of an object to be photographed on the focal plane, and a circuit which receives an electric signal transduced from the image light and controls a motor for displacing an objective lens assembly associated with the apparatus. Provision is made for eliminating detection of false signals which may erroneously control the motor, by employing a peak value holding circuit in the circuit means.

Automatic focusing apparatus

An automatic focus control device has an optical system including an image scanner. The image scanner is disposed between a range-finding lens and at least one light receptor element and on the path of travel of the incoming light towards the light receptor element through the range-finding lens. A mechanism is also disclosed for simultaneously measuring the object-to-lens distance and detecting the contrast of an image of the object projected on the scanner merely by moving the scanner in a direction diverging from the optical axis while a parallel relation between the plane of the scanner and the plane perpendicular to the optical axis is retained.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Mitsuru Saito