Dual film and video tape camera

• US 4,862,280 A
• Filed: 04/01/1988
• Issued: 08/29/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1987
• 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, Nakada, Kimiaki, Iida, Toshiharu, Shimanuki, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US07/178,451
• Time in Patent Office: 515 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 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

A camera for shooting a movie picture and a still picture has a casing in which a pair of imaging optical systems for shooting a still picture and a movie picture, respectively are opened in a front surface of the casing. A functional section for shooting a still picture is disposed in the proximity of the imaging optical system for shooting a still picture, circuits and mechanisms necessary to shoot a movie picture are located in the rear side of the imaging optical system for shooting a movie picture, and a video tape recording mechanism and circuits related thereto are arranged at the back of the functional section for shooting a still picture. Consequently, a movie picture and a still picture can be shot at the same time. Since a film can be loaded in and removed from the camera through the upper surface of the casing, a statisfactory operability is attained. Furthermore, the casing is provided with a cap covering the upper surface of the casing and hence the casing has an improved strength and effectively prevents water and dust.

Claims

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

a casing having generally 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 the proximity of said first imaging optical system in said casing 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 video camera unit including an imaging circuit section disposed on a rear side of said second imaging optical system for shooting the object scene to generate a video signal representing a movie image thereof, and a video tape recording section disposed on a rear side of said still camera unit for recording the video signal on a video tape;

said casing having in the upper surface of the casing a first opening for loading a film in said still camera unit, and a second opening for installing a video tape cassette in said video tape recording section;

said casing further having a cap member to cover said upper surface, said cap being disposed so that the cap can position both in a first position covering the second opening and in a second position enabling the video tape cassette to be installed in and removed from the video tape recording section.

2. A camera in accordance with claim 1, where said cap is provided with an optical view finder directed to the object scene.

3. A camera in accordance with claim 2, wherein said optical view finder is disposed substantially in a central portion of said cap.

4. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cap includes a cassette holding section for holding said video tape cassette.

5. A camera in accordance with claim 4, wherein said cassette holding section is disposed in a rear surface of said cap.

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

7. A camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said still camera unit includes a film loading section in which a cartridge containing said film is inserted by drop-in loading in said first opening.