Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Tetsuo Miyasaka

Satoshi Miyazaki

Sumio Kawai

Yukio Nakajima

Azuma Miyazawa

Shigeru Kato

Yoshinori Matsuzawa

Toshiaki Ishimaru

Tsuyoshi Yaji

Shinichi Kodama

Kazutoshi Shiratori

Masaki Nagao

Mitsuo Kawazoe

Saori Shimizu

Toyoji Sasaki

Shoji Kawamura

Mamoru Sakashita

Yasushi Toizumi

Yasushi Odanaka

Kazutada Kobayashi

Takashi Kodama

Mitsumasa Ookubo

Masafumi Yamashaki

A camera body including a camera CPU, a detection switch and an interchangeable lens having a lens CPU are provided. The detection switch is connected to the camera CPU and is switched in response to the start of the attachment of the interchangeable lens and is switched to a reproducing state in response to the completion of the attachment of the interchangeable lens. In this case, when the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body, the camera CPU supplies reset signals to the lens CPU in response to the switching of the detection switch. Upon the completion of the attachment of the lens, the camera CPU cancels reset signals in response to the switching of the detection switch to the reproducing state.

Interchangeable lens type camera system

To enable the user of the camera to select, using a simple mechanism, one of a function for simultaneously performing photographing and electronic image pickup, and a function for performing only one of the photographing and the electronic image pickup, the camera incorporates a release button at a position which, for example, the index finger of the right hand can reach, and another button, i.e. a digital button, at a location which the thumb of the right hand can reach. The camera is operated in accordance with a predetermined control program so that the above-described operations can be selectively executed by appropriately operating the release button and the digital button. In other words, the invention provides a camera that permits the user to easily select, using only one hand, only electronic image pickup, only film exposure, or simultaneous execution of both the operations.

Camera

An image input and output system for scanning an image of a color original and processing data of the scanned image has a color line sensor for picking up the image of the original. The system also includes a memory for sequentially storing three types of data respectively representing the three primary colors and which are outputted from the color line sensor, in the order in which the data are outputted. An output control circuit calculates an address to read out the data stored in the memory such that a series of three data respectively representing the three primary colors and composing a first pixel partially overlaps with a series of three data respectively representing the three primary colors and composing a second pixel next to the first pixel, and for reading out, from the memory in accordance with the calculated address, a series of three data respectively representing the three primary colors to produce image data of the three primary colors for one pixel. The image input and output system can set an arbitrary pixel ratio and is free from image deterioration.

Image processing system

The camera system comprises a camera and an external device. The camera includes a microcomputer, a write control circuit for receiving replacement data from the external device and writing the replacement data into a replacement program memory of the microcomputer, and an interface circuit for controlling a camera element in accordance with the decoded value output from an instruction decoder (ID) of the microcomputer. The external device includes a memory for storing address data to be changed in the microcomputer in the camera and replacement program data, and a transmission circuit for reading out the replacement data from the memory and transmitting the read-out data to the camera.

System operable with a given apparatus and capable of pseudo-rewriting a

A camera system comprises by a camera main body and a film loaded in the camera main body and having a magnetic recording portion. Data for commanding a printer apparatus to perform trimming exposure is recorded on the magnetic recording portion of the film in advance. A feed mechanism feeds the film. A manual operation member is arranged on the outer surface of the camera main body. In the camera main body, a permanent magnet moves, upon manual operation of the manual operation member, between a position where the magnet opposes the magnetic recording portion of the film and a position to which the magnet is caused to retreat from the magnetic recording portion. When a film feed operation is performed by the feed mechanism while the permanent magnet is set at the position where it opposes the magnetic recording portion, the permanent magnet erases the trimming command data recorded on the magnetic recording portion, thereby prohibiting the printer apparatus from performing trimming exposure.

Camera and printer system

A camera of the present invention which is controllable by execution of a program therefor operates in accordance with the control program for controlling the driving of each constituent camera element, the program being one inputted from an external unit. The camera comprises inputting section for inputting the control program consisting of an English character/numeral string, detection section for detecting whether or not the English character/numeral string satisfies specified conditions, symbol-code producing section for producing a symbol code in the case where the English character/numeral string satisfies the specified conditions, memory section for storing, in the form of a set of data, the symbol code an the foremost address of a subroutine used to execute a control instruction represented by the symbol code correspondingly to this symbol code, searching section for searching the foremost address in accordance with the symbol code, and execution section for causing each constituent camera element to operate in accordance with the address searched by the searching section.

Camera with display for displaying a control operation to be executed

In a display apparatus of a camera according to this invention, an imaging device repeatedly images an object to be photographed and generates a two-dimensional luminance signal. A one-dimensional pattern signal is repeatedly generated from the two-dimensional luminance signal for at least one of inside or outside the imaging device. Each time a new pattern signal is generated, the immediately preceding pattern signal is stored in a frame memory. After the immediately preceding pattern signal is stored in the frame memory, a CPU performs a correlation arithmetic operation between a new pattern signal and the immediately preceding pattern signal stored in the frame memory. The CPU detects a moving amount of the object to be photographed according to the movement of the camera during the repetition time period, and performs the correlation arithmetic operation each time the frame memory stores an immediately preceding pattern signal. In accordance with the moving amount arithmetically operated by the CPU, the moving amount of the object to be photographed is displayed on a display unit in a finder using the width of a photographing picture as a basic unit.

Display system of camera having tracking apparatus

A camera of the present invention which is controllable by execution of a program therefor operates in accordance with the control program for controlling the driving of each constituent camera element, the program being one inputted from an external unit. The camera comprises inputting section for inputting the control program consisting of an English character/numeral string, detection section for detecting whether or not the English character/numeral string satisfies specified conditions, symbol-code producing section for producing a symbol code in the case where the English character/numeral string satisfies the specified conditions, memory section for storing, in the form of a set of data, the symbol code and the foremost address of a subroutine used to execute a control instruction represented by the symbol code correspondingly to this symbol code, searching section for searching the foremost address in accordance with the symbol code, and execution section for causing each constituent camera element to operate in accordance with the address searched by the searching section.

Camera controllable with use of a control program

A plurality of lens groups are moveable in the direction of an optical axis. A plurality of motors are provided for the lens groups, respectively. A driving circuit drives the motors. A switching section sequentially selects the motors and connects the selected motors to the driving circuit. A lens position-detecting section detects the positions of the lens groups. A driving control section sequentially drives the lens groups in accordance with intermediate target position data, respectively, via the switching section and the driving section, and determines whether the lens groups have reached their respective intermediate target positions, on the basis of the detection performed by the lens position-detecting section. When the driving control section determines that the lens groups have reached their respective intermediate target positions, it demands next intermediate target positions, which are slightly away from the initially-determined intermediate target positions. On the basis of the next intermediate target positions, the lens groups are driven again. With this operation repeated, the driving control section controls the driving of the lens groups until these lens groups reach their respective final target positions.

Optical lens system-driving control apparatus for microscopically

A camera has a rotary operation member, a detection unit, a photographing data setting circuit, and a pulse signal generation unit. The rotary operation member is exposed from a plurality of portions of the camera to be able to be operated from a plurality of directions. The detection unit detects a rotation of the operation member from a predetermined portion and generates a detection signal. The pulse signal generation unit generates a pulse signal in accordance with rotation of the rotary operation member. The photographing data setting circuit sets predetermined photographing data in accordance with the detection output from the detection unit on the basis of the pulse output from the pulse signal generation unit, thus setting and storing a plurality of photographing data.

Photographing data setting apparatus for camera

An output device for range information for use in an interchangeable lens includes a range ring of the interchangeable lens which is first preset at an extreme position, namely, a position at infinity or at close range, and a CPU disposed in the interchangeable lens for producing absolute range information relative to the extreme position on the basis of pulses which are generated in response to data stored in the CPU and rotating of the range ring. A camera system includes rotatable and manually operable operating members which are located on a camera accessory. Rotation of the operating members results in the generation of pulses and the rotation detection device uses the pulses for detecting rotation of the operating members. An output from the detecting means serves to control a motor drive to focus an interchangeable lens.

Output device for range information for use in an interchangeable lens

When establishing a program exposure response of a camera, an EV value is calculated from the brightness of an object being photographed, a film speed and the like, and a programmed calculation is made on the basis of a preset program response and the EV value to determine an exposure period and a diaphragm aperture in the absence of a program shift input. However, in the presence of a program shift operation, the relationship between an exposure period and a diaphragm aperture is shifted through a given number of steps, and a new program response is established so that the exposure period and the diaphragm aperture varies according to an EV value from their shifted value, thus determining an exposure control value.

Method of and apparatus for establishing a programmable exposure

A diaphragm controller for a camera of the program type which determines a reduced aperture in accordance with the brightness of an object being photographed and effects a diaphragm control based on an exposure period corresponding to the reduced aperture by measuring the amount of object light passing through the reduced aperture, compares a photometric output of light passing through an aperture during the aperture reducing operation and an output which is obtained by calculating an output which varies during the aperture reducing operation so as to satisfy a predetermined program characteristic and controls an aperture value based on the program characteristic when the photometric output and the calculated output coincide.

Diaphragm controller for cameras in which the diaphragm opening is

An apparatus for exposure correction is provided for use with a camera of automatic exposure control type. An amount of exposure which is determined on the basis of an output from photometric means is shifted by a given correction value toward overexposure or underexposure in response to the operation of a manual operating member. The correction value can be varied either automatically or manually. The correction value can be changed by automatically reading information given on a film or a film container and representing a film latitude, by manually supplying a film latitude value, or by utilizing information representing a film speed which has a correlation with a film latitude. In this manner, a photograph having an improved gradation can be obtained by effectively utilizing a film latitude.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tetsuo Miyasaka