Nikon Corporation

Yasuaki Ishiguro

Yoshitaka Araki

Yoshio Nara

Tadashi Ohta

Masao Owashi

Nobuo Matsukawa

Osamu Ikeda

Tsutomu Narisawa

Masaaki Tsukamoto

Ryuichi Mori

Kei Ikeda

A single-lens reflex camera has a mirror movable between a non-photographic position where light from a subject is transmitted to a finder optical system and a photographic position where the light is transmitted to a film plane, a focal-plane shutter normally closed to prevent the light from reaching the film plane and moved to open so as to allow the light to reach the film plane, and a removable, ordinary photograph back panel. The camera is also provided for electronic still photography with an electronic still photographic adaptor substituted for the back panel and having an image pick-up device located near the film plane when set thereon, and with an optical low-pass filter located between the focal-plane shutter and the mirror to cut off high space frequency components in space of light. The camera further has a first detection device for detecting mounting of the electronic still photographic adaptor, a second detection device for detecting mounting of the optical low-pass filter, and a control means for inhibiting the opening operation of the focal plane shutter when either one of the first and second detection devices detects no mounting, but for allowing the opening operation of the shutter when both detection devices detect the respective mountings.

Electronic still photographic adaptor mountable single-lens reflex camera

In the blur prevention mode, which prevents photographic blurring caused by the vibration of the camera body which occurs when the mirrors are elevated, an anticipated drive quantity required for focusing the taking lens on a moving photographic subject at the time of exposure is calculated based on the results of distance measurement and a drive quantity equivalent to the distance traveled by the image surface of the moving photographic subject during the time T by which the exposure operation is delayed after mirror elevation is also calculated based on the results of distance measurement to be added to the anticipated drive quantity. The taking lens is driven in the amount of the total drive quantity that is the result of this addition. At the same time, the mirrors are elevated and then exposure is performed when the delay time T has elapsed after the mirrors are fully elevated.

Blur preventing device for an anticipating drive auto-focus camera

A single-lens reflex camera has a mirror movable between a non-photographic position where light from a subject is transmitted to a finder optical system and a photographic position where the light is transmitted to a film plane, a focal-plane shutter normally closed to prevent the light from reaching the film plane and moved to open so as to allow the light to reach the film plane, and a removable, ordinary photograph back panel. The camera is also provided for electronic still photography with an electronic still photographic adaptor substituted for the back panel and having an image pick-up device located near the film plane when set thereon, and with an optical low-pass filter located between the focal-plane shutter and the mirror to cut off high space frequency components of light. The camera further has a first detection device for detecting mounting of the electronic still photographic adaptor, a second detection device for detecting mounting of the optical low-pass filter, and a control means for inhibiting the opening operation of the focal plane shutter when either one of the first and second detection devices detects no mounting, but for allowing the opening operation of the shutter when both detection devices detect the respective mountings.

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 electronic still camera an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an object, image pick-up for converting the image into an electrical signal, a first electric motor, a second electric motor, blocking device for allowing and blocking the light forming the image from reaching the image pick-up, the blocking device being driven by the second motor and a rotary member rotated at a uniform speed by the first motor, the rotary member having plural areas in each of which areas one frame amount of the electrical signal corresponding to a still image of the formed image is to be recorded. The camera further comprises recording device for recording the one frame amount of electrical signal in one of the plural areas of the rotary member during rotation, the recording device being moved by the second motor in such manner as to enable the recording device to shift from one to another of the plural areas for recording.

Electronic still camera with recording disk and recording control

An automatic exposure control apparatus calculates a predicted exposure value to be used at a time of exposure so as to account for predicted movement of an object between a time of photometering values corresponding to respective photometering areas may be weighted based, for example, on the detected movement speed of the object image plane of a phototaking optical system and on the distance to the object substantially at the time of photometering, and the predicted exposure value may then be calculated based on the photometering values as weighted. The weighting of the photometering values may be effected through selecting one of a plurality of possible photometering modes in which different photometering values are used for the exposure value calculation.

Automatic exposure control apparatus with improved exposure value

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

An automatic rewinding apparatus in a camera has a first operating member movable from an initial position to an operating position to place a film-winding sprocket in a freely rotatable state, and a second operating member movable from an initial position to an operating position to activate a drive mechanism for rewinding film into a film cartridge via a coupling to the spool shaft of the film cartridge. After film rewinding, a knob disengages the coupling from the spool shaft, returns the second operating member to its initial position, and releases a back lid of the camera, which returns the first operating member to its initial position.

Automatic film rewinding apparatus in a camera

An automatic focusing apparatus of a camera includes a detecting unit, a lens driving unit, an instruction output unit, and a control unit. The detecting unit forms pieces of information concerning focus conditions of a photographic lens with respect to at least three areas in a field. The lens driving unit drives the photographic lens in order to perform focusing. The instruction output unit outputs an instruction for changing the position of the photographic lens. On the basis of the information from the detecting unit, the control unit controls the lens driving unit such that the photographic lens is focused on one of the areas in response to a release operation and the instruction and then sequentially focused on the remaining areas in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

Automatic focusing apparatus of camera

An electronic still camera comprises an image-forming optical system for forming an image of an object, image pick-up means for converting the image into an electrical signal, a first electric motor, a second electric motor, means for allowing and blocking the light forming the image from reaching the image pick-up means, the blocking means being driven by the second motor and a rotary member rotated at a uniform speed by the first motor, the rotary member having plural areas in each of which areas one frame amount of the electrical signal corresponding to a still image of the formed image is to be recorded. The camera further comprises means for recording the one frame amount of electrical signal in one of the plural areas of the rotary member during rotation, the recording means being moved by the second motor in such manner as to enable the recording means to shift from one to another of the plural areas for recording.

Multi-motor electronic still camera having recording disk, focal plane

In an automatic focusing camera in which a focus detector determines the amount of movement of a phototaking lens on the basis of light from an object via a moving mirror in the phototaking optical path, timing of the start of the actuation of a mirror operating means, which retracts the mirror from the phototaking optical path, is controlled so that retraction of the moving mirror is completed substantially at the same time that focusing movement of the lens is completed. The time from the start of focal point detection to the completion of lens movement and mirror retraction can be made constant, and the shot speed in continuous photography can be selected.

Apparatus for controlling automatic focusing in cameras

An apparatus for recording information on a sheet-like recording medium having a surface provided with a plurality of recording tracks formed concentrically about the center of rotation and guard bands provided between the recording tracks comprises first driving means for rotating the recording medium coupled to the recording medium, a magnetic recording head contacting the surface of the recording medium, means for energizing the recording head for a predetermined time by a time-serial electrical signal expressing the information, and second driving means for shifting the recording head in a direction across the recording tracks relative to the recording medium. The second driving means is adapted to shift the recording head from on one of the guard bands onto one adjacent recording track before the energizing means energizes the recording head and to shift the recording head from on the one recording track onto another adjacent guard band after the recording head has been energized for the predetermined time.

Growing community of inventors

Fujimi, Japan

Yasuaki Ishiguro