Camera for shooting movie and still picture

• US 4,829,383 A
• Filed: 04/01/1988
• Issued: 05/09/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Masuda, Akira, Harase, Toshikatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US07/176,778
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 358/229, 358/209, 358/225, 358/76, 358/909, 358/906, 354/75, 354/76
• US Class Current: 348/64
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/16 for containing both motion-picture camera and still-picture camera
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof

Abstract

A camera including a casing in which a video camera unit for shooting a movie picture and a still camera unit for shooting a still picture are disposed, thereby enabling movie and still pictures to be shot at the same time. A housing to contain the still camera unit is rotable with respect to the casing, which exposes an opening of the housing to load a film by a drop-in loading. Since the housing containing the still camera unit rotates toward the front side of the casing, it is not necessary to reserve a space for a backward movement of the cap member of the still camera unit, which enables the camera to be designed in compact.

Claims

1. A camera for shooting a movie picture and a still picture comprising:

a casing having generally a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape;

a first imaging optical system for shooting a still image and a second imaging optical system for shooting a video picture disposed in a front surface of said casing, said first and second imaging optical systems being directed to an object scene;

a still camera unit disposed in said casing so as to be in the proximity of said first imaging optical system for shooting the object scene to record a still picture thereof on a film; and

a video camera unit disposed in said casing for shooting the object scene to record a movie picture thereof on a video tape;

said first imaging optical system and said still camera unit being contained in a housing for said still camera unit constituting a portion of said casing;

said housing for said still camera unit having an opening formed in either of an upper surface and a bottom surface of said housing to load the film by a drop-in loading, and a cap member to cover said opening;

said cap member being fixedly secured on said casing;

said housing for said still camera unit being linked with a portion thereof to said casing such that said housing excepting said cap member is rotable with respect to said casing so that said camera exposes said opening when said housing for said still camera unit is rotated, thereby enabling the film to be loaded.

2. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said housing for said still camera unit is linked with either of a left end and a right end thereof to said casing so as to be rotable such that an end other than said linked end is apart from said casing.

3. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said housing for said still camera unit is linked with a bottom end thereof to said casing so as to be rotable such that an upper end thereof is apart from said casing.

4. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said video camera unit comprises:

video circuit means disposed on a rear side of said second imaging optical system for shooting the object scene to generate a video signal representing a movie picture thereof; and

video tape recording means arranged in said casing so as to be on a rear side of said still camera unit for recording said video signal on a video tape;

said casing having an upper surface which has an opening formed to load a video tape cassette in said video tape recording means.

5. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said casing is provided with a view finder directed to the object scene.