Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Seiichi Kashiwaba

Shigeki Sato

Masanori Ishikawa

Toru Kawai

Tohru Kawai

Yuki Nagao

Mitsuru Shinohara

Koichi Washisu

Hiroyuki Kimura

Takashi Watanabe

Ryuji Suzuki

Atsushi Koyama

Masayasu Mizushima

Hirokazu Shukuin

A rotation of a first eccentric member adjusts a parallel eccentricity of an optical element held by a holding member, rotation of a second eccentric member adjusts a tilt eccentricity of the optical element held by a holding member, and change of a position of an engaging member and a position where the second eccentric member is engaged with a second groove portion adjusts a position of the optical element in the direction of an optical axis.

Optical apparatus

An optical apparatus includes a first driver configured to drive a focus lens unit in autofocusing, a second driver configured to drive the focus lens unit in the autofocusing, a first detector configured to detect a driving amount of the first driver, a second detector configured to detect a driving amount of the second driver, a memory configured to store a relationship between information of detection results of the first and second detectors, and an object distance as a distance from the optical apparatus to an object, and a controller configured to obtain information of the object distance based upon the relationship stored in the memory and the detection results of the first and second detectors.

Optical apparatus for calculating an object distance

The lens apparatus includes a guide barrel including a guide groove portion penetrating through a circumferential wall of the guide barrel, and a cam barrel disposed rotatably and including a penetrating cam groove portion penetrating through a circumferential wall of the cam barrel and a non-penetrating cam groove portion not penetrating therethrough. The apparatus further includes a first holding member holding a first optical element and moved in an optical axis direction by the guide groove portion and the penetrating cam groove portion with rotation of the cam barrel, a second holding member holding a second optical element and moved in the optical axis direction by the guide groove portion and the non-penetrating cam groove portion with the rotation of the cam barrel, and an adjusting mechanism used for adjusting a position of one of the first and second optical elements relative to that of the other.

Lens apparatus and optical apparatus

A camera is provided which includes an image capturing element; a memory for recording images obtained from the image capturing element; and a controller for changing the number of recorded pixels of the images stored in the memory based on information about a lens apparatus that can be operatively connected to the camera.

Camera, camera system, and lens apparatus

An optical apparatus includes a zoom optical system including a focusing lens unit, a first cam member that rotates around the optical axis and moves along the optical axis in a magnification-changing operation, the first cam member including a focus cam portion for driving the focusing lens unit, and a speed-changing mechanism that changes the relative rotational speed between the focusing lens unit and the first cam member in accordance with the focal length of the zoom optical system in the magnification-changing operation. The speed-changing mechanism moves along the optical axis in the magnification-changing operation. In addition, the speed-changing mechanism includes a transmission member that is rotatable around the optical axis with respect to the first cam member and that includes a speed-changing cam portion for changing at least one of the rotational speed and the rotational direction of the focusing lens unit.

Optical apparatus for correcting the movement of a focusing lens in accordance with a change in focal length

Provided are a lens apparatus and an optical apparatus having the same, the lens apparatus including a lens holding member holding a lens, a supporting member for supporting the lens holding member movably in the direction of the optical axis of the lens, a first drive mechanism for moving the supporting member in the direction of the optical axis, and a second drive mechanism for moving the lens holding member in the direction of the optical axis, wherein a focusing lens can be moved to an in-focus position within a short time and highly accurately by an AF system.

Detachable lens apparatus, camera system and camera for accurate automatic focusing using two driving mechanisms

A camera system has a recording portion for recording an object image, a display portion for displaying an object image, a first blur correction portion for correcting blur of the object image displayed on the display portion by signal processing, and a second blur correction portion for optically correcting blur of the object image recorded by the recording portion. The camera system includes a controller for switching between a first blur correction mode in which the first blur correction portion is operated, a second blur correction mode in which the second blur correction portion is operated and a third blur correction mode in which both the first blur correction portion and the second blur correction portion are operated.

Lens, camera body and camera system

The following lens apparatus is disclosed. That is, a lens apparatus, which forms an optical image by means of an image taking optical system, is detachably mountable to a camera comprising an image pickup device for photoelectric conversion of the optical image, comprising: The lens apparatus, which can perform optimal control of the optical element even in combination with various digital cameras that respectively differ in the specifications concerning the pixels of the image pickup device, can thus be realized.

Lens apparatus, camera system, and camera

A camera system which is capable of performing highly accurate focusing in a short time by using two kinds of AF methods, is disclosed. The camera system calculates the target driving amount of the focusing lens based on the result of detection by a first focus detection unit, and performs a first driving control to drive the focusing lens toward a position corresponding to the target driving amount and a second driving control to drive the focusing lens based on the result of detection by the second focus detection unit. When the remaining driving amount to the target driving amount of the focusing lens by the first driving control becomes a predetermined amount, the camera system switches from the first driving control to the second driving control without stopping the focusing lens.

Camera system and camera

A camera system which controls the driving of a focus lens through overlap control with a high degree of accuracy, is disclosed. The camera system comprises a lens apparatus with an image-taking optical system and a camera on which the lens apparatus is mountable. The camera system comprises a focus detection unit detecting a focusing state of the image-taking optical system, a driving unit driving the focus lens unit, and a controller controlling the driving speed of the focus lens unit and controls the focus detection unit to perform a focus detection operation at least once while the focus lens unit is moved. The controller sets the driving speed of the focus lens unit at the time of at least a final focus detection operation while it is moved toward an in-focus position, to a speed decelerated from the driving speed before the final focus detection operation.

Camera system, camera and lens apparatus

An optical-element holding mechanism includes a first holding member arranged to hold a first optical element, a second holding member arranged to hold a second optical element, a coupling member arranged to couple the first and second holding members with each other and to permit relative positions of the first and second holding members to be varied in process of being coupled, and an urging member disposed between the coupling member and the second holding member and arranged to urge and press the second holding member against the first holding member at least when the coupling member is in process of coupling the first and second holding members. Further, an image-shake correcting device mounted on an optical apparatus includes a body member, and a lens unit arranged to be moved with respect to the body member in a direction orthogonally intersecting an optical axis for correcting an image shake, wherein the body member is provided with a recessed part formed in a periphery thereof to insert therein a member which extends before and after the body member in a direction of an optical axis and which constitutes the optical apparatus.

Optical-element holding mechanism, image-shake correcting device and optical apparatus

The present invention discloses a camera system comprising: a first focus detection unit, which detects the focusing condition of an image-taking optical system; a second focus detection unit, which detects the focusing condition of the image-taking optical system at a higher precision than the first focus detection unit; and a control circuit, which controls a stepping motor for driving a focus lens. The control circuit performs closed loop control for driving the stepping motor based on the output of a rotation detector, which detects the rotation phase of the stepping motor, when controlling the stepping motor using the information based on the output of the first focus detection unit, and performs open control for driving the stepping motor a predetermined number of steps at a time, when controlling the stepping motor using the information based on the output of the second focus detection unit. The autofocus process is thereby made high in speed and high in precision at the same time.

Camera system and lens apparatus

A zoom lens apparatus having an optical axis includes a zoom cam tube arranged to rotate around the optical axis and having a cam groove for moving a variator lens along the optical axis, and a focus cam tube having a cam groove for moving a focusing lens along the optical axis, wherein the focus cam tube rotates around the optical axis and moves along the optical axis in association with the rotation of the zoom cam tube during zooming, and wherein a rotational speed of the zoom cam tube and a rotational speed of the focus cam tube during zooming are different from each other, so that the zoom lens barrel has excellent zooming operability by reducing torque changes in operation due to the zooming operation.

Zoom lens barrel

An optical apparatus comprises a lens which can be moved in the direction of the optical axis, a moving unit for moving the lens, and a signal generator for detecting information about the movement of the lens, the signal generator comprising a wiring board which is disposed on a surface intersecting the optical axis at right angles and on which a signal generating pattern is formed, and a signal generating member which is moved around the optical axis by rotating the rotating member in the moving unit and which slides on the signal generating pattern. There is thus no need for providing a flexible printed wiring board, as conventional lens barrels.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Seiichi Kashiwaba