Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Togo Teramoto

Mamoru Katsuragi

Syunji Oku

Yasuhiro Miyoshi

Nobuharu Murashima

Toshihiko Taniguchi

Takahisa Shimada

Makoto Yanai

A flash device in which a mechanism for shifting a light emitting section up and down and a mechanism for changing over the light distribution angle can be automatically controlled by means of a single motor and which occupies a comparatively small spacing when mounted on a camera. The flash device includes a bidirectional drive motor mounted in a body member, and a shiftable member having the light emitting section thereon. The shiftable member is shifted by rotation of the motor in either direction between a retracted inoperative position and a projected operative position. The light distribution angle of the light emitting section is changed over by continued energization of the motor after the shiftable member is moved from the inoperative to the operative position. A friction mechanism is interposed in a motion transmitting mechanism from the motor to the shiftable member. The motor and the motion transmitting mechanism are disposed at a location within the body member at which they are located, when mounted on a camera, above a spacing sidewardly of a central portion of the camera in which a pentagonal prism is disposed.

Flash device

A viewfinder assembly which comprises a viewfinding mirror module of one-piece construction including a pair of major roof mirrors laid at a predetermined acute angle (90.degree.) relative to each other, side walls continued from respective lower edges of the roof mirrors to support such roof mirrors and an eyepiece support frame positioned rearwardly of the viewfinding mirror module. Each of the side walls has a lower edge formed integrally with elastic fitting pawls for the fitting of the viewfinding mirror module to the camera body. In order to mount the viewfinding mirror module, the viewfinding mirror module is first mounted on the viewfinder holder with the fitting pawls engaged in holes in the viewfinder holder. To connect the eyepiece to the viewfinding mirror module, the eyepiece is retained in position between a light measuring lens holder fixed on an upper surface of the eyepiece support frame and the major roof mirrors which are covered by the protective cover above which the flexible printed circuit board is mounted.

Photographic viewfinder assembly

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Togo Teramoto