Photography – Having wireless remote control circuit
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-10
2002-05-21
Mahoney, Christopher E. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Having wireless remote control circuit
C396S296000, C396S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06393216
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a camera system including a camera main body and a monitoring device and, particularly to a camera system which displays in the monitor an image to be photographed before a photographing operation.
Normal cameras photographing an image on a silver-salt film have been proposed to be provided with a monitor, for example, an electronic viewfinder, in which a photographed image is stored temporarily and the stored image is displayed as a still picture in an electronic viewfinder upon the operation of a photography preparation button immediately after the photographing operation. This allows a camera operator to confirm a photograph's timing, the composition of the photographed image, and the like, thereby improving the facility of the camera. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-284527 discloses one of these cameras.
As cameras of this type, specifically, there have been proposed the following two cameras. In one camera, consecutively photographed images in a continuous film drive mode (wherein series shooting is conducted) are stored and are displayed one by one or as a composition of a specified number of images in the form of still pictures in the electronic viewfinder after the photographing operation. In the other camera, images photographed in the continuous film drive mode are displayed as still pictures. These cameras are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 3-259232 and 2-101441.
The camera disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-284527 displays the photographed image as a still picture according to the instruction given immediately after the photographing operation. However, this publication discloses no technique of changing a display mode of the photographed images between a motion picture mode and a still picture mode. Particularly, this publication does not concern the change of the display mode in a continuous film drive mode wherein a series shooting is automatically executed and in a single film drive mode wherein one frame of film is driven for each photographing operation.
Neither are the other two publications pertinent to the technique of changing the display mode in response to the film drive mode (continuous/single) or the instruction given before or after the photographing operation. It is not also disclosed in these publications that the photographed images are stored temporarily and are later displayed suitably as still images.
Further, there has been proposed a controller for a television camera which controls remotely the television camera to conduct a photographing operation and to display a photographed image in a monitor (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-88581). However, the remote controller is capable of displaying the photographed image in the monitor, but is not capable of displaying an object image to be photographed before the photographing operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera system which has overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.
Accordingly, a camera system of the invention comprises: photographic means for photographing an image of an object; monitor means for displaying a photographed image to check the photographed image; instruction means for instructing recording of a photographed image; recording means responsive to the instruction means for recording a photographed image, the recording means having a singular recording mode of recording a photographed image each time recording is instructed by the instruction means and a continuous recording mode of recording photographed images during the time when recording is being instructed by the instruction means; and control means for controlling the monitor means so as to display a photographed image in a first displaying mode in the singular recording mode and so as to display a photographed image in a second displaying mode in the continuous recording mode, the second displaying mode being different from the first displaying mode.
With thus constructed camera system, the monitor means displays a photographed image in one way in the singular recording mode and a photographed image in another way in the continuous recording mode. This enables the photographer to select the display way suitable for each recording mode.
It may be appropriate to control the monitor means so as to display, in the singular recording mode, a photographed image which has been recorded, and so as to display, in the continuous recording mode, photographed images which are being photographed.
Also, a camera system of the invention comprises: photographic means for photographing an image of object; instruction means for instructing recording of a photographed image; recording means responsive to the instruction means for recording a photographed image, the recording means being capable of selectively executing a first recording mode and a second recording mode; selector means for selecting either the first reproducing mode or the second reproducing mode; monitor means for displaying a photographed image to check the photographed image; control means for controlling the monitor means so as to display, in the first recording mode, a photographed image automatically after the recording is completed, and so as to display, in the second recording mode, a photographed image in accordance with operator's manual instruction after the recording is completed.
In this camera system, the monitor means displays, in the first recording mode, a photographed image automatically after the recording is completed, and displays, in the second recording mode, a photographed image in accordance with operator's manual instruction after the recording is completed. This can provide the photographer with an increased number of display ways to improve the photography performance.
Further, a camera system of the invention comprises: a camera main body including photographic means for photographing an image of object; and a monitor device being separatable from the camera main body and including display means for displaying a photographed image to check the photographed image; and instruction means for instructing the photographic means of the camera main body to execute a photography for monitor.
In this camera system, the monitor device is separatable from the camera main body. The photographic means of the camera main body is remotely controlled by the monitor means.
It may be also preferable that the photographic means is provided with image pickup means for photographing an image of an object; and exposure control means for controlling exposure of the image pickup means to the object, the exposure control means being capable of executing a plurality of different exposure controls in accordance with instructions from the instruction means of the monitor device.
In this construction, an object image can be photographed by different exposure controls. Accordingly, the photographer can preview a plurality of monitor images under different exposure conditions to select an optimum exposure condition.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
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Maeda Katsunori
Maehama Shinichi
Ohmori Shigeto
Ootsuka Hiroshi
Mahoney Christopher E.
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood
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