Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Sadanobu Ueda

Akihiko Fujino

Masayuki Miyazawa

Yoshihiro Hara

Akira Kosaka

Yoshito Iwasawa

Satoshi Yokota

Kazuaki Matsui

Reiji Seki

Noriyuki Ishii

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Toshiyuki Tanaka

Kenji Ishibashi

Shinichi Nishimura

A digital camera having an image shake correction apparatus and a method of preventing the image shake of an image taken by the digital camera. The digital camera includes optical elements arranged along a bent line for focusing an object image upon a light receiving plane in which the elements include at least one mirror which reflects a light from an object toward the light receiving plane, a driver for moving the mirror so as to turn its light axis having been bent by the mirror, a vibration sensor for sensing a vibration of a camera body, and a processor for making the driver move the mirror based on the sensed vibration. The mirror turns so as to cancel the vibration of the object image focussed on the light receiving plane.

Image taking device with bent optical system

Imaging lens device has a zoom lens system and an image sensor. The zoom lens system has a first reflecting surface, a first movable lens unit, an aperture stop, a second reflecting surface, a second movable lens unit. A first reflecting surface bends a first optical axis which is an incident optical axis of the zoom lens system 90 degrees into a second optical axis. A second reflecting surface bends the second optical axis 90 degrees into a third optical axis. The first optical axis, the second optical axis and the third optical axis are mutually perpendicular. The first movable lens unit and the aperture stop are disposed on the second optical axis. The second movable lens unit is disposed on the third optical axis. During zooming, the first and second reflecting surfaces and the aperture stop are stationary; the first and second movable lens units are moved, respectively.

Imaging lens device and digital camera having the imaging lens device

A digital camera which allows to make thickness, height and width of its camera body small. The camera has a first optical member for generally perpendicularly bending a first optical axis of light coming from an object through a lens opening part, a second optical member for bending a second optical axis of light coming from the first optical member, and an image taking element having a light receiving surface for receiving a third optical axis of light coming from the second optical member in which the light receiving surface crosses the third optical axis of light. The third optical axis of light is included in a plane which is different from a plane including both of the first optical axis of light and the second optical axis thereof.

Compact and low-profile digital camera

First, a lens is supplied with a power supply LVDD. Then the state of a chip select signal CSL is input, and the processing waits until chip select signal CSL changes from HIGH.fwdarw.LOW.fwdarw.HIGH, that is, until communication preparation on the lens side is completed. When a microcomputer on the lens side is reset and started, the lens side outputs a communication enable signal and thus the time from mounting of the lens to starting of a communication can be reduced. Thus, a lens-exchangeable camera can be provided capable of starting a BL communication in the shortest time depending on the lens.

Lens-exchangeable camera

When a communication header transmit from the lens side to the body side is input, a reset and start detection signal is checked and if the lens is found to have been reset and started, a body/lens identify signal is communicated to exchange identification signals of each other and the like and resetting of the mechanism is instructed. Thus, malfunction of the lens can be prevented even when the microcomputer for the lens side is reset with the lens mounted on the body.

A mode selecting system of a camera which comprises a first mode group which includes a plurality of photo-taking modes, wherein photographing parameters are automatically set by the camera when each one among the modes of the first mode group is selected, and a second mode group which includes a plurality of photo-taking modes, wherein at least one of photographing parameters is manually settable when one among the modes of the second mode group is selected. The system further comprises an operation member which is operated to changeover a mode group between the first mode group and the second mode group, a mode select initiation member which is operated to set the camera into a condition where the photo-taking modes can be changed, a selector which is operated to select one mode in the first mode group and the second mode group, and a display which indicates all of modes contained in the group which is selected by the operation member when the mode select initiation member is operated and indicates one mode which is selected by the selector when the selector is operated.

Mode selecting system of a camera

A flashlight emitting device for a camera wherein the flash coverage of a flash device is varied, only when a mode in which flashlight is to be emitted is selected, in response to a zooming operation to assure appropriate exposure and eliminate wasteful consumption of power. The device comprises flashlight emitting means, mode changing over means operable in response to operation of a manually operable member for selecting one of a first mode in which daylight photographing is to be performed and a second mode in which the flashlight emitting means may be rendered operative to effect flashlight photographing, exposure controlling means for effecting exposure control in accordance with a selected mode, driving means for varying the flash coverage of the flashlight emitting means between a tele side and a wide side in response to a variation of the focal length of a lens of the camera, and driving controlling means for rendering the driving means inoperative when the first mode is selected by the mode changing over means but enabling operation of the driving means when the second mode is selected by the mode changing over means.

Camera with flashlight emitting device

An autofocus camera comprises a focus detector for detecting a deviation of a photographic lens from an in-focus position with respect to a photographic object, a mirror driver for moving a mirror for reflecting a light beam from the photographic object to a viewfinder optical system, into and out of an image-forming optical path, a lens driver for moving the photographic lens to the in-focus position in accordance with the deviation detected by the focus detector, and an aperture controller for stopping down the light beam from the photographic object. The lens driver has a function for moving the photographic lens, and the aperture controller a function for making aperture adjustment, both during retraction of the mirror. During retraction of the mirror, the aperture adjustment is effected before the lens movement or vice versa.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Sadanobu Ueda