Nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from camera

• US 6,229,961 B1
• Filed: 03/01/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Yuichi, Kawai, Sumio, Torikoshi, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M.
• Application Number:
  US09/259,931
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 396/14, 396/16, 396/18, 396/71, 396/155, 396/419, 396/422, 396/428, 396/429, 396/544
• US Class Current: 396/71
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/566 Accessory clips, holders, shoes to attach accessories to camera if integral part of camera body G03B17/02

Abstract

A nearby photography adapter includes a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicating frame, a flashlight correcting auxiliary plate, and a distance knob interfering projection. The photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicating frame is a member mounted on a base plate and collapsed from being erect and usable. The distance knob interfering projection is formed as an integral part of the base plate. When a distance knob on a photographic lens frame is set to a nearby photographic position and the photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicating frame and auxiliary plate are standing erect, the photography adapter can be attached to a camera and nearby photography can be carried out. Advantageously, with the nearby photography adapter, the photographic range and the camera-to-subject distance can be indicated reliably. Furthermore, the nearby photography adapter can be put away neatly with the components stowed during normal photography.

Claims

1. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adapter comprising:

a mount on which said camera can be mounted;

a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator united with said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed and being raised and usable, said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator indicating a photographic range and an in-focus position for a photographic subject of the camera, which are predetermined for nearby photography, when said indicator is raised; and

a photographic state sensing member, united with said mount, for sensing whether said camera has been set to a predetermined nearby photographic state, and for, when said camera has been set to the predetermined nearby photographic state, enabling mounting of said camera on said mount.

2. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 1, wherein said photographic state sensing member senses whether a photographic lens has been moved to a position at a camera-to-subject distance defined for nearby distance defined separately from a range of camera-to-subject distances for normal photography.

3. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adaptor comprising:

a mount on which said camera can be mounted;

a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator formed on said mount, and pivotable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator indicating a photographic range and an in-focus position for a photographic subject of said camera, which are predetermined for nearby photography, when said indicator is raised; and

a demonstrating member formed on said mount, and pivotable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon, usable, and discernible through a viewfinder when mounting of the camera to the adapter has been achieved.

4. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 3, further comprising an attachment disabling mechanism for, when at least one of said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator and said demonstrating member is collapsed, preventing attachment of said mount to said camera.

5. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera having a flashing lighting unit and capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said nearby adapter comprising:

a mount onto which said camera can be mounted; and

a flashlight correcting member formed on said mount, and pivotable between being collapsed onto said mount and stowed and being raised thereon and usable, said flashlight correcting member being biased towards being raised, and said flashlight correcting member correcting either of a range of irradiation and an amount of irradiated light so that a photographic range set for nearby photography can be illuminated substantially homogeneously with an appropriate amount of light.

6. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adapter comprising:

a mount on which said camera can be mounted;

a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator, formed on said mount, for indicating a photographic range and an in-focus position for a photographic subject which are predetermined for nearby photography; and

a state-of photographic lens sensing member, formed on said mount, for sensing whether a photographic lens of said camera is set to a predetermined nearby photographic state,

wherein when said state-of photographic lens sensing member senses that said photographic lens has been set to the nearby photographic state, mounting of said camera on said mount is enabled; and

when the sensing member senses that said photographic lens is not set to the nearby photographic state, mounting of said camera on said mount is disabled.

7. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 6, wherein said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator is movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable.

8. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 6, wherein said state-of photographic lens sensing member is movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable.

9. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 8, wherein when at least one of said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator and said state-of-photographic lens sensing member sensor is collapsed and thus stowed on said mount, said nearby photography adapter cannot be attached to a camera.

10. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 7, further comprising a demonstrating member for demonstrating that said camera is mounted to the adapter when said demonstrating member can be seen through a viewfinder.

11. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 10, wherein said demonstrating member is formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed and being raised, usable, and discernible through a viewfinder.

12. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 11, wherein when at least one of said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator and said demonstrating member is collapsed and stowed on said mount, said nearby photography adapter cannot be attached to a camera.

13. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adapter comprising:

a mount on which said camera can be mounted;

a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator indicating a photographic range and an in-focus position for a photographic subject, which are predetermined for nearby photography, when raised;

a demonstrating member formed on said mount and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon, usable, and discernible through a viewfinder when the camera is mounted to the adapter; and

an attachment disabling mechanism for, when at least one of said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator and said demonstrating member is collapsed and stowed, preventing attachment of said mount to a camera.

14. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adapter comprising:

a mount onto which said camera can be mounted; and

a parallax corrector formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed onto said mount and stowed and being raised thereon and usable, said parallax corrector positioned in the optical path of a viewfinder optical system when raised, and thus correcting a parallax caused by a viewfinder so that a predetermined nearby photographic state can be attained.

15. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 14, further comprising an attachment disabling mechanism for, when said parallax corrector is collapsed and stowed, disabling attachment of said mount to said camera.

16. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera that can perform nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, and that includes a flashing lighting unit thereon, said nearby photography adapter comprising:

a mount onto which said camera can be mounted; and

an illumination light corrector formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed onto said mount and being raised thereon and usable, said illumination light corrector lying within a zone irradiated by said flashing lighting unit when raised, and thus correcting a range of irradiation performed by said flashing lighting unit so that a nearby photographic range can be illuminated homogeneously.

17. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, further comprising a state-of-photographic lens sensing member for sensing whether a photographic lens of said camera has been set to a predetermined nearby photographic state, wherein only when said state-of-photographic lens sensing member senses that said photographic lens has been set to the nearby photographic state, attachment of said mount to said camera is enabled.

18. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, further comprising a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, wherein said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator indicates a photographic range and an in-focus position for a subject, which are predetermined for nearby photography, when said indicator is raised.

19. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, further comprising a demonstrating member formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon, usable, and discernible through a viewfinder when the camera is mounted to the adapter.

20. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, further comprising a parallax corrector formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, wherein said parallax corrector lies on the optical path of a viewfinder optical system when standing erect, and thus corrects a parallax caused by a viewfinder so that a predetermined nearby photographic state can be attained.

21. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, further comprising:

a state-of-photographic lens sensing member, formed on said mount, for sensing whether a photographic lens of said camera has been set to a predetermined nearby photographic state;

a photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator indicating a photographic range and an in-focus position for a photographic subject, which are predetermined for nearby photography, when raised;

a parallax corrector formed on said mount, which is movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, said parallax corrector being positioned in the optical path of a viewfinder optical system when raised, and thus correcting a parallax caused by a viewfinder so that a predetermined nearby photographic state can be attained; and

an attachment disabling mechanism for, when at least one of said illumination light corrector, said parallax corrector, said state-of-photographic lens sensing member and said distance indicator is collapsed on said mount, preventing attachment to a camera.

22. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, wherein said illumination light corrector is any one of a diffusing sheet, a density filter, and a transparent sheet having numerous dots, of which concentration is constant, arranged thereon.

23. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, wherein said illumination light corrector is realized with a micro-prism for deflecting illumination light at a plurality of different angles of deflection.

24. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, wherein said illumination light corrector includes a sheet reflector for reflecting rays irradiated to the outside of a range of nearby photography in said flashing lighting unit.

25. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 16, wherein said illumination light corrector is a combination of at least two different kinds of members or at least two members of the same kind, and each member is a diffusing sheet, a deflecting microprism, a device for controlling an amount of transmitted light, or a sheet reflector.

26. A nearby photography adapter according to claim 21, wherein:

said nearby photography adapter can be attached to a camera capable of performing nearby photography at two or more camera-to-subject distances shorter than those at which normal photography is performed; and

at least one of said illumination light corrector, said photographic range and camera-to-subject distance indicator, and said parallax corrector is exchangeable in order to adapt to two or more different nearby photographic states.

27. A nearby photography adapter attachable and detachable to and from a camera capable of performing nearby photography in which a camera-to-subject distance is shorter than that in normal photography, said adapter comprising:

a mount on which said camera is mounted; and

a photographic state sensing member, formed on said mount, and movable between being collapsed and stowed on said mount and being raised thereon and usable, for sensing whether said camera has been set to a predetermined nearby photographic state, and for, when said camera has been set to the nearby photographic state, enabling mounting of said camera on said mount.