Viewfinder device for displaying photographic information relating to operation of a camera

• US 6,052,540 A
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Koyama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, HOWARD BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/781,918
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 396/148, 396/149, 396/296, 396/373, 396/377, 396/378, 396/379, 396/380, 396/381, 396/385, 396/386
• US Class Current: 396/296
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2284 Superimposing the holobject with other visual information

Abstract

A viewfinder device includes an objective lens, a hologram disposed in a place other than a prescribed image plane of the objective lens and a plane conjugate to the prescribed image plane, and an illumination device for illuminating the hologram. The position of a virtual image formed by the hologram is arranged to coincide with the prescribed image plane or the plane conjugate to the prescribed image plane, so that displays can be made in an adequate state within the visual field of a viewfinder.

Claims

1. A viewfinder device comprising:

objective lens means for forming a real image on a prescribed image plane;

a hologram disposed in a place other than said prescribed image plane or a conjugate plane of said prescribed image plane;

an eyepiece for sighting said real image formed by said objective lens means, and

illumination means for illuminating said hologram to project an image of said hologram directly toward said eyepiece.

2. A viewfinder device according to claim 1, further comprising a mirror arranged to reflect light coming from said objective lens means and arranged to be swingable, wherein said illumination means is arranged to illuminate said hologram by utilizing the reflection of said mirror.

3. A viewfinder device according to claim 1, wherein said hologram is arranged to be of a transmission type.

4. A viewfinder device according to claim 1, wherein said objective lens means comprises a zoom lens.

5. A viewfinder device according to claim 1, wherein the position of a virtual image formed by said hologram coincides with the position of the prescribed image forming plane or the conjugate plane.

6. A viewfinder device comprising:

a hologram;

a plurality of illumination means for illuminating said hologram by illumination operations, wherein said plurality of illumination means respectively produce light having visually distinguishable wavelengths; and

eyepiece lens means for directly viewing a reproduced image of said hologram illuminated by said plurality of illumination means.

7. A viewfinder device according to claim 6, further comprising control means for controlling the illumination operations of said plurality of illumination means, said control means causing one of said plurality of illumination means to operate after having caused another of said plurality of illumination means to operate.

8. A viewfinder device according to claim 6, wherein the reproduced image of said hologram is an indication relating to a camera photographic operation.

9. A viewfinder device according to claim 8, wherein said indication is an information display relating to a flash photography.

10. A camera comprising:

variation means for changing a phototaking state of the camera from a normal phototaking state to a panorama phototaking state,

viewfinder means for viewing a viewfinder field corresponding to a normal phototaking image plane area, the viewfinder field of the camera remaining substantially unchanged when said variation means changes the phototaking state between the normal phototaking state and the panorama phototaking state, and

indication means for indicating to an operator that the camera is in the panorama phototaking state by superposing a panorama mark within the viewfinder field in response to a change from the normal phototaking state to the panorama phototaking state by said variation means, such that said indication means does not influence a viewfinder image in an area other than the panorama mark in the viewfinder field.

11. A camera according to claim 10, wherein said viewfinder means is arranged to form a real image.

12. A camera according to claim 11, wherein said indication means comprises a hologram and illumination means for illuminating said hologram.