Photography – Pseudo zoom
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-28
2001-12-11
Perkey, W. B. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Pseudo zoom
C396S061000, C396S067000, C396S089000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330399
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographic camera having a pseudo close-up photographic effect on the premise that a photographic film exposed by the photographic camera is processed by trimming printing in which a magnified print is made from a specific partial area of an exposed frame of the photographic film.
2. Related Background Art
Typically, popular cameras have normal ranges of camera-to-subject distances that are from approximately one meter to infinity. Some cameras are equipped with a close-up photographic feature that makes the camera possible to focus on an aimed subject at a camera-to-subject distance of approximately 0.4-0.5 meters in addition to the normal range of camera-to-subject distances. Such a camera needs an additional mechanism to shift a focussing lens to a position for taking a close-up photograph beyond positions for taking a normal photograph. A distance of required focussing lens movement for focusing depends on a camera-to-subject distance even if a change in camera-to-subject distance is the same. That is, the closer the camera-to-subject distance become, the longer the distance of required focussing lens movement changes even if a change in camera-to-subject distance is the same. For example, the distance of required focussing lens movement when focusing on an aimed subject in a shorter range of camera-to-subject distances from 1 m to 2 m is longer than that when focusing on an aimed subject in a longer range of camera-to-subject distances from 4 m to 5 m. It is apparent that an extent of focussing lens movement has to be greatly expanded on a short distance side beyond the normal range of camera-to-subject distances for normal photography in order to make the camera possible to focus on an aimed subject at a distance of 0.4 to 0.5 m beyond the normal range of camera-to-subject distances.
Some cameras equipped with zoom lenses are capable of taking a close-up photograph by shifting a specific lens for focussing, or otherwise, by removably inserting a conversion lens into the optical path of the zoom lens, after setting the zoom lens in a position for the wide-angle end (the shortest focal length of the zoom lens), or in a position for the telephoto end (the longest focal length of the zoom lens). Such a zoom-lens equipped camera also needs an additional mechanism to shift the specific lens into a position for close-up photography beyond positions for normal photography in addition to a lens shift mechanism for shifting the focussing lens into positions for a normal range of camera-to-subject distances.
To meet such requirements, the conventional cameras equipped with a close-up photographic feature are provided with a lens shift mechanism that shifts one or more focusing lenses of a taking lens that are used to take a normal photograph in the normal range of camera-to-subject distances into a position for the closest focusing distance, i.e. the closest camera-to-subject distance, when taking a close-up photograph, or otherwise shifts a specific lens other than the focusing lens to a position for the closest focusing distance when taking a close-up photograph. Incorporating the lens shift mechanism, which is complicated in structure, makes the lens barrel large in size and complicated in mechanism. For this reason, equipping the camera with a close-up photographic feature is one of causes of preventing the camera from being produced at low costs and made light and compact in size.
A trimming printing system has been known in the photographic art as desclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-26721. This printing system has been materiarized on the basis of the fact that makng a print of a partial area of an exposed frame of a photographic film with a printing magnification greater than a normal printing magnification usually used for making a regular size of print from the exposed frame provides like an effect of close-up photogrpy. In order to enjoying the benefit of the trimming printing system, a camera is equipped with means for recording data indicating that exposure made with an intention of close-up photography.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographic camera which provides a close-up photographic effect by using a pseudo magnified photographic technique without imposing somewhat troublesome camera operation on the photographer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a photographic camera that is manufactured without bringing about an increase in production costs and imposing restraint on a demand for a small and light camera even having a close-up photographic feature.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a photographic camera which automatically changes the operative mode of the camera to a pseudo magnified photographic mode when it is detected that a close-up photography is tried.
The above objects of the present invention is accomplished in a photographic camera of a type that is changeable in photographic mode between a normal photographic mode in which an almost entire area of an exposure frame of a photographic film is exposed with an intention of making a print from an almost entire area of an exposure frame with a normal printing magnification and a pseudo magnified photographic mode in which a specific partial area of an exposure frame of a photographic film is exposed with an intention of making a print from the specific partial area of the exposure frame with a larger printing magnification than the normal printing magnification and records data of exposure for a specific exposure frame (trimming-data) which indicates that the specific exposure frame has been exposed in the pseudo magnified photographic mode on the photographic film and is intended to be used in printing process. The photographic camera of the present invention comprises distance measuring means for measuring a camera-to-subject distance, which has an extended measurement range having an extreme end distance from the photographic camera shorter than the closest focussing distance of a taking lens by a predetermined distance, lens setting means for setting the taking lens in position between a closest focusing position for the focusing distance to a remotest focusing position for an infinity focusing distance for infinity in accordance with a camera-to-subject distance measured by the distance measuring means, and control means for setting the taking lens in the closest focussing distance and causing a change in photographic mode from the normal photographic mode to the pseudo magnified photographic mode when the distance measuring means detects a camera-to-subject distance between the closest focussing distance and the extreme end distance.
The control means may implement automatic exposure control such that an electronic flash device built-in the photographic camera is automatically actuated to flash under a condition that an aperture of the taking lens is stopped down below a predetermined value when a camera-to-subject distance of an aimed subject is between the closest focussing distance and the extreme end distance. It may be preferable to incorporate a view finder of a type capable of displaying a view field frame in conformity with the specific partial area of an exposure frame and having a mechanism for making a parallax correction of a field of view thereof. In the photographic camera equipped with the view finder thus structured, the control means causes the view finder to display the view field frame and actuate the parallax correction mechanism when a camera-to-subject distance of an aimed subject is between the closest focussing distance and the extreme end distance.
According to the present invention, the photographic camera provides an effect of close-up photography without incorporating a special mechanism for shifting a focusing lens beyond a range of focusing lens movement for normal photography, so as to avoid an increase in production costs and restraint on co
Omura Hiroshi
Ushiro Seimei
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Perkey W. B.
Young & Thompson
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