Camera

• US 5,664,243 A
• Filed: 06/06/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Honda, Tsutomu, Okada, Takashi, Nagata, Hideki, Kato, Takashi, Hamamura, Toshihiro, Kubo, Hiroaki, Ohmori, Shigeto, Teramoto, Tougo, Seigenji, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US08/659,690
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 396/250, 396/246, 396/259, 396/260, 396/257, 396/287, 396/296, 396/374, 396/429, 348/296, 348/297, 348/333, 348/334, 348/64, 348/340, 348/363
• US Class Current: 396/246
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/04 Roll-film cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/672 based on the phase difference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components

Abstract

A camera divides a light beam having passed through a taking lens unit into two light beams. One light beam forms an image on a silver salt film. Another light beam forms an image on a CCD. A light path for said another light beam is provided with an aperture diaphragm. The taking lens unit has an aperture diaphragm. Said two aperture diaphragms are correlatively controlled by a controller incorporated in the camera.

Claims

1. A camera for performing a first image formation and a second image formation by splitting a light beam incident through a taking optical system including a first aperture diaphragm, said first image formation being performed with a silver salt medium, said second image formation being performed electronically with an image pickup device, comprising:

an image forming optical system disposed in a light path of one of said split light beams for directing the light beam toward the image pickup device;

a second aperture diaphragm disposed in a light path within said image forming optical system; and

a controller for controlling said first and second aperture diaphragms correlatively.

2. A camera as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said controller controls said second aperture diaphragm to be controlled separately from said first aperture diaphragm when said first aperture diaphragm is controlled within a range between a predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value.

3. A camera as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said predetermined aperture value is a/β

when said image forming optical system is a reduction optical system having an open aperture value of a and a reduction factor of β

.

4. A camera as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said controller controls an aperture value of said first aperture diaphragm to be within a range between a first predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value when said second aperture diaphragm is controlled based on a predetermined second control aperture value.

5. A camera as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said first predetermined aperture value is b/β

when said image forming optical system is a reduction optical system having a reduction factor of β and

said predetermined second control aperture value is b.

6. A camera as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said controller controls an aperture value of said first aperture diaphragm to be within a range between a first predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value when an aperture of said second aperture diaphragm is controlled based on a predetermined second aperture value.

7. A camera as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said first predetermined aperture value of said second aperture diaphragm is b/β

when said image forming optical system is a reduction optical system having a reduction factor of β and

said predetermined second aperture value is b.

8. A camera as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said Second aperture diaphragm is capable of stopping a light path of the image forming optical system to interrupt a light beam incident on an image pickup device.

9. A camera for obtaining a first light beam and a second light beam by splitting a light beam incident through a taking optical system including a first aperture diaphragm, said first light beam being used for image formation, said second light beam being used for observing a subject image, comprising:

a relay optical system disposed in a light path of said second light beam;

a second aperture diaphragm disposed in a light path inside said relay optical system; and

a controller for controlling said first and second aperture diaphragms correlatively.

10. A camera as claimed in claim 9,

wherein said controller controls said second aperture diaphragm to be controlled separately from said first aperture diaphragm when said first aperture diaphragm is controlled within a range between a predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value.

11. A camera as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said predetermined aperture value is a/β

when said taking optical system is a reduction optical system having an open aperture value of a and a reduction factor of β

.

12. A camera as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said controller controls an aperture value of said first aperture diaphragm to be within a range between a first predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value when said second aperture diaphragm is controlled based on a predetermined second control aperture value.

13. A camera as claimed in claim 12,

wherein said first predetermined aperture value is b/β

when said relay optical system is a reduction optical system having a reduction factor of β and

said predetermined second control aperture value is b.

14. A camera as claimed in claim 9,

wherein said controller controls an aperture value of said first aperture diaphragm to be within a range between a first predetermined aperture value and an open aperture value when an aperture of said second aperture diaphragm is controlled based on a predetermined second aperture value.

15. A camera as claimed in claim 14,

wherein said first predetermined aperture value is b/β

when said relay optical system is a reduction optical system having a reduction factor of and said predetermined second aperture value is b.

16. A camera as claimed in claim 11,

wherein said second aperture diaphragm is capable of stopping the light path to interrupt a light beam.

17. A camera which splits a light beam incident through a taking optical system including a first aperture diaphragm, one of split light beams being used for image formation on a photosensitive recording medium, another of the split light beams being used for image formation on an image pickup device for observation through an electronic viewfinder, comprising:

a setting device for setting an aperture value of said first aperture diaphragm;

a second aperture diaphragm disposed in a light path of said another light beam; and

a controller for driving said first aperture diaphragm based on a setting by said setting device during image formation on said photosensitive recording medium, and for driving said second aperture diaphragm based on a setting by said setting device except during image formation on said photosensitive recording medium to perform image formation with said image pickup device so that a formed image is displayed in the electronic viewfinder.

18. A camera as claimed in claim 17,

wherein said controller controls an electric charge accumulation time for the image pickup device in synchronization with operation of said second aperture diaphragm.

19. A camera as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

a variable-density filter disposed in a light path for image formation on said image pickup device.

20. A camera which splits a light beam incident through a taking optical system, one of split light beams being used for image formation on a photosensitive recording medium through a shutter, other of split light beams being used for image formation with an image pickup device so that a formed image is observed through an electronic viewfinder, comprising:

a setting device for setting a control shutter speed of said shutter; and

a controller for driving said shutter based on a setting by said setting device during image formation on said photosensitive recording medium, and for controlling an electric charge accumulation time of said image pickup device except during image formation on said photosensitive recording medium to perform image formation so that a formed image is displayed in the electronic viewfinder.

21. A camera as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

an aperture diaphragm disposed in a light path of said other light beam and operated in synchronization with control of the electric charge accumulation time of said image pickup device.

22. A camera as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

a variable-density filter is disposed in a light path for image formation on said image pickup device.