Photography – Pseudo zoom
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-31
2002-04-30
Perkey, W. B. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Pseudo zoom
C396S084000, C396S379000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06381412
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on application No. 11-221871 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a camera and particularly to the camera capable of producing a trimming photographing image being scheduled for printing a part of photographic image in a subsequent printing process. The trimming photographing means taking a picture on the condition that in the print processing after photographing, a portion of an image is subjected to trimming, and this is a photographing technique such that in photographing, an image is recorded in a film and information for instructing to trim is also recorded. In the specification of the invention, this photographing technique is called trimming photographing.
2. Prior Art
In a camera using a zoom lens as a photographing lens, generally the camera includes a zoom viewfinder for varying the focal length of a viewfinder lens interlocking with the zooming operation to make the angle of view of the photographing lens coincide with the angle of view of the viewfinder.
With such a camera, in normal photographing, the range of a field of view confirmed through the viewfinder is photographed, so it is not a special obstacle to photographing.
Further, it is known that a trimming photographing camera is capable of obtaining a picture having a pseudo telephotographic effect as if it is photographed by a telephoto lens by trimming the top and bottom and left and right of a photographed image plane. This camera is adapted to trim the top and bottom and left and right of a photographed image plane in printing according to the trimming information preset in photographing and enlarge the image plane to be printed, thereby obtaining a photo having a pseudo telephotographic effect.
In the case of trimming photographing, since the angle of view of the finally obtained photo and the angle of view of the viewfinder do not coincide, it is necessary that only the angle of view of the viewfinder is changed to the angle of view of telephotographing to make the range of a field of view of the viewfinder match the image range of a photo obtained by trimming photographing, so that the range to be trimming photographed can be confirmed through the viewfinder.
Therefore, it has been proposed that in the zoom lens type camera capable of trimming photographing, at the time of trimming photographing, a converter lens is inserted in a viewfinder optical system to change the angle of view of the viewfinder only to the angle of view of pseudo telephotographing (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,383).
In addition to this, it has been proposed that the focal length of an objective lens of the viewfinder optical system is changed to change the angle of view of the viewfinder only (See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-61093).
In the constitution in which the angle of view of a viewfinder is changed to the angle of view of telephotographing in trimming photographing, insertion of the converter lens in the viewfinder optical system is disadvantageous in that it is necessary to provide a space and a special driving mechanism for inserting and separating the converter lens in and from the interior of the viewfinder, so that the camera becomes bulky.
On the other hand, in the configuration where the focal length of the objective lens in the viewfinder optical system is changed, there is provided a structure of moving the objective lens of the viewfinder optical system by a viewfinder cam driven interlocking with rotation of the zoom ring of the photographing lens to change the focal length of the objective lens.
The viewfinder cam is provided with two kinds of cam grooves, a cam groove used in the case of photographing in the normal mode and a cam groove used in the case of photographing in the trimming mode, whereby in the case of switching from the normal mode to the trimming mode or switching inversely, that is, switching the photographing mode, one of the cam grooves suitable to the photographing mode is selected to move the objective lens of the viewfinder optical system.
However, switching to one of the cam grooves suitable to the photographing mode can not be performed in the middle position of the maximum or minimum focal length of the objective lens of the viewfinder optical system structurally, but switching between the cam grooves can be performed in the position of the maximum or minimum focal length of the objective lens, that is, only at the ends of the cam grooves.
Therefore, the disadvantage is that every time the photographing mode is switched, the zoom ring of the photographing lens is operated to set the focal length of the photographing lens to the maximum or minimum value, that is, to set the photographing lens to the limit position on the telephoto side or the wide angle side, and the viewfinder cam interlocking with the zoom ring should be moved to locate an engagement pin for driving the objective lens of the finder optical system at the end of the cam groove.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the problems noted above, one object of the invention provides a camera which is capable of switching between two kinds of photographing modes, the normal photographing mode and the trimming photographing mode of enabling telephotographing in pseudo and includes a viewfinder capable of confirming the range of an image plane to be printed through the viewfinder in either photographing mode.
Further, another object of the invention is to provide a camera which is capable of switching between two kinds of photographing modes, the normal photographing mode and the trimming photographing mode of enabling telephotographing in pseudo, and switching and setting the photographing mode in an arbitrary position, and includes a viewfinder capable of changing the focal length of the viewfinder optical system so that the angle of view of the viewfinder according to the preset photographing mode matches the angle of view of a photo to be printed.
Still another object of the invention will be known from the detailed description of the invention with reference to the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4583831 (1986-04-01), Harvey
patent: 5606383 (1997-02-01), Daitoku et al.
patent: 5848302 (1998-12-01), Machida
patent: 6130994 (2000-10-01), Maruyama
patent: 5-61093 (1993-12-01), None
Funahashi Akira
Ishito Fumiaki
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Perkey W. B.
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