Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Nikon Corooration

Nobuo Matsukawa

Yoshiyuki Nakano

Yasuaki Ishiguro

Ryuichi Mori

Sunao Nishioka

Kenji Sekine

Osamu Ikeda

Hiroshi Masuda

Koichi Daitoku

Keiji Ohsawa

Masao Owashi

Masaaki Tsukamoto

Shiro Sugimori

Kiyosada Machida

An electric camera has a camera body, a display portion for displaying information preset to the camera body, a tripod mounting screw portion provided in a bottom portion of the camera body and a cell containing portion having at least first and second stages, the first stage having a first plurality of cells so as to interpose the tripod mounting screw portion between the first plurality of cells, and the second stage having a second plurality of cells without interposing the tripod mounting screw portion between the second plurality of cells, wherein the second stage is disposed on top of the first stage, at least one side portion of the first stage is extended outwardly beyond one side portion of the second stage to be a projected portion, and the display portion is disposed immediately above the projected portion and adjacent to the one side portion of the second stage.

Camera having storage area for power source including first and second

A camera having a display device with a transparent window member at the top surface of the camera body. The camera body has a cover with an outer wall rising from the cover top surface, so that a direct impact on the window member is difficult, and the cracking of window member or its dislodgment from the cover, is difficult. The cover outer wall surrounds the periphery of the window member. In one embodiment, the cover outer wall is made up of a plurality of wall portions which do not surround the entire periphery of the window member and have cutout portions so that water drops and dust can be easily removed from the window member.

Camera having a display device with a protector

A power drive device is disclosed that includes a motor, a control device coupled to the motor, and a rotatable reference axle member rotatably interlocked with the rotation of the motor. A first detection member detects a first phase and a third phase of rotation of the reference axle member wherein the first phase corresponds to a rotation starting position of the reference axle member and the third phase corresponds to a near completion position of the reference axle member. The device also includes a second detection member that detects a second phase and a fourth phase of rotation of the reference axle member, wherein the fourth phase of rotation corresponds to a rotation completion position of the reference axle member. The control device drives the motor in accordance with the detected phases of the first and second detection members, and in particular, can control the velocity of the motor and the timing of the operation of the motor in relation to a second motor. The power drive device may be used in a camera to wind film and charge various mechanisms of the camera, such as a shutter.

Power drive device

A camera quickly selecting a focus detection region or a light metering region while seeing a finder picture. A region selection member is provided so that an operating surface of the region selection member is substantially parallel to a finder picture.

Camera

The present invention is applicable to an information setting device for a camera which is capable of switching over several information setting operation members between validity and invalidity for setting control information, and which also contributes to greater compactness of the camera. It includes information setting operation members which are operated for setting control information; an information setting means which sets the control information according to the operation of the information setting operation members; a switchover operation member group which is operated for switching each of the control information setting functions of the information setting operation members between a valid state and an invalid state; and a switchover control means which switches over each of the control information setting functions between the valid state and the invalid state respectively according to the operation of the switchover operation member group. The switchover operation member group includes a common operation member which is operated in common for switching over any one of the above functions of the information setting operation members.

Information setting device for a camera

In order to reduce the width of an electric camera to the largest extent possible, and to improve operations in the camera, the driving motor that drives the shutter activating mechanism is a flat motor situated either above or below the spool chamber or the cartridge chamber. Additionally, to provide a camera that can be miniaturized, and with which noise and vibration are minimized, a motor device that drives at least one of a mirror device that drives a mirror at the time of exposure of the film and a shutter device that regulates the exposure time interval of the film, is arranged relative to the film cartridge chamber so that the spindle of the cartridge chamber and the shaft of the motor are substantially coaxial.

An autofocus camera conducts a focus detection operation with one of differently directed sets of photoelectric conversion elements which is given priority according to the detected attitude of the camera. If focusing cannot be effected using the elements given priority, a focus detection operation is automatically conducted with the other elements. Also provided is a camera having a first mode of operation in which focusing detecting operations are conducted which collectively utilize outputs of all of the elements of differently directed sets of photoelectric conversion elements when a first camera attitude is detected, and a second mode of operation in which focusing detecting operations are conducted which collectively disregard the output of at least one conversion element when a second camera attitude is detected.

Autofocus camera

A recording apparatus for a camera using a photographic film bearing a magnetic recording medium comprises a magnetic head capable of assuming a recording position with the magnetic head pressed to the film and a retracted position with the magnetic head away from the film. When the magnetic head is at the recording position, a reference pin engages an edge of the film. To move the magnetic head to the retracted position, a drive mechanism moves the magnetic head in a direction along the film width, thereby disengaging the reference pin from the edge of the film, and then moves the magnetic head in a direction away from the film plane.

Magnetic recording apparatus for a camera

A camera with an automatic bracketing device for permitting photographing of a plurality of frames in group while exposure is stepwise changed under a certain exposure condition solves a problem which is caused when the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode is set larger than the number of remaining available frames of a film. The camera comprises means for calculating the number of remaining available frames based on the number of available frames of the film loaded and the number of photographed frames, means for calculating a proper exposure, means for setting the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode in which a plurality of frames are photographed with changing exposures, and means for setting the number of steps of exposure to be changed in the bracketing photographing mode. When the set number of frames to be photographed is larger than the number of remaining available frames, the set number of frames to be photographed is automatically changed to a number which is no larger than the number of remaining available frames so that a frame with the proper exposure is photographed.

Camera with automatic bracketing device

An automatic focusing detection apparatus for a camera includes focused-state detection devices for detecting the focused state in each of a plurality of focusing detection areas which consist of a central area and a plurality of focusing detection areas adjacent to the central area defined by dividing an image field, and a control device. In response to the replacement of a focusing screen which has one or more subject distance measurement frames each defining a focusing detection area and which is detachably mounted on the camera, to the switching between the automatic focusing adjustment mode and the manual focusing adjustment mode and/or to the switching between the automatic exposure adjustment mode and the manual exposure adjustment mode, the control device selects one or more focusing detection areas and, in response to the detection signal(s) from the focused-state detection device(s) corresponding to the selected one or more focusing detection areas, controls a lens driving device so that a photographic lens is brought to a position at which a subject is sharply focused on the image plane.

Automatic focusing detection device for cameras

A device for supplying an electric energy to an electric device of a camera includes, first power source means in which a first cell is loaded that has a given output capacity sufficient for the electric device to exert its function, second power source means in which a second cell is loaded that has a given output capacity sufficient for the electric device to exert its function, and switching means to be operatively changed between a first switching state where the electric device is connected to the first power source means and a second switching state where the electric device is connected to the second power source means. Furthermore, the device includes responsive means responsive to the loading operation of the first cell for causing the switching means to change to the first switching state.

Power source device with reserve power source for camera

In a camera having a film transport mechanism for advancing and rewinding film and a counter for counting the number of frames of film advanced, a first control device operatively coupled to the counter controls the transport mechanism so as to prevent further film advancement upon the counter reaching a predetermined count. Upon the transport mechanism being operated to rewind the film, a second control device automatically disables the first control device so as to enable further film advancement by the transport mechanism.

Apparatus for controlling film advancement in a camera

An electric rewind device for a camera having a clutch device for causing a sprocket operatively associated with a wind-up mechanism for feeding a roll film wound on a spool in a film magazine to be disconnected from the wind-up mechanism. A rewind coupling capable of being coupled to the spool is driven by a motor to effect film rewind operation and includes a first operating member engageable with the clutch device and movable between a first position for connecting the wind-up mechanism and the sprocket and a second position for breaking the connection between the two. A second operating member operatively associated with the rewind coupling is movable between a third position for disengaging the rewind coupling from the spool and a fourth position for causing the two to engage each other, and means are provided for blocking the movement of the second operating member to the fourth position in response to the movement of the first operating member to the first position and for releasing said blocking in response to the movement of the first operating member to the second position.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Nobuo Matsukawa