Claims
- 1. A camera with a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- an optical system installed in said camera housing;
- a gripping section formed at an end of said camera housing;
- a strobe installed on a front of the camera in one end of said gripping section;
- a release member installed above said strobe and on a top of said camera housing; and
- said gripping section of said camera housing being laid out in such a manner that one of a cartridge chamber and a spool chamber is located in a back portion of said camera housing, battery storage means is located in front of one of said cartridge chamber and said spool chamber, a strobe substrate is located on said battery storage means, a capacitor is located under said strobe substrate with a terminal attached thereto, and said strobe is located on said strobe substrate.
- 2. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein at least one of battery means, a photometer, a zoom drive, and a viewfinder is located in said gripping section of said camera housing.
- 3. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein a main substrate having said release member is installed above one of said cartridge chamber and said spool chamber.
- 4. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1, wherein said battery storage, said strobe substrate, said capacitor, and said strobe are united.
- 5. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 1 wherein said gripping section extends in a direction that does not cross the optical axis of said optical system and in a substantially vertical direction of the camera which is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system.
- 6. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera housing having front and rear faces, said front and rear faces terminating in left and right-hand ends and top and bottom ends;
- a photographing optical system installed in said camera housing and extending partially forwardly from said front face, said photographing optical system being intermediate said left and right-hand ends;
- a gripping section which deviates from a flat surface of said camera housing being provided at the right-hand end of said camera and occupying a portion of said right-hand end and a portion of the front face between said right-hand end and said photographing optical system, the gripping section having a length measured in the direction extending from said bottom end toward said top end of said camera which is less than a distance between said top and said bottom ends of said camera, said length being sufficient to enable an operator to grip the gripping section with just one hand and thereby stably hold said camera during a photographing operation;
- a strobe light emitting section fixedly mounted within said housing and arranged between an upper end of said gripping section and the top end of said camera and being directly above said gripping section so as to be aligned with said gripping section along a line substantially parallel to said right-hand end; and
- a release operating member provided on the top end of said camera housing above said strobe light emitting section to enable an operator to comfortably position one finger of a hand holding said gripping section to permit easy operation of said release operating member for initiating a photographing operation.
- 7. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 6, wherein said gripping section extends in a direction that does not cross the optical axis of said optical system and in a substantially vertical direction of the camera which is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system.
- 8. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 6, wherein said strobe is a unit comprising at least a battery storage means and a strobe circuit.
- 9. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 6, further comprising a projecting member projecting away from said camera to engage at least one of the fingers of an operator's hand used to grip the camera to aid in preventing any fingers gripping said gripping section from intruding into said strobe.
- 10. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 9, wherein said projecting member is movable between a first position which covers said strobe when the camera is not in use, and a second position which exposes said strobe and aids in preventing any of the fingers gripping said camera gripping section from engaging a small gripping surface of said camera and intruding into said strobe when the camera is in use.
- 11. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 10, wherein said projecting member incorporates a main switch for the camera; and the main switch is turned off when said projecting member is in said first position, and is turned on when said projecting member is in said second position.
- 12. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 10 or 11, wherein said finger rest member has a portion that overlies at least a portion of and is viewable when looking through a viewfinder when said finger projecting member is in said second position and that is displaced from and not viewable through the viewfinder when said projecting member is in said second position.
- 13. The camera of claim 10 wherein said projecting member is movable between a position covering said strobe and a second position which exposes said strobe and said projecting member aiding in preventing an operator's finger from covering said strobe when said projecting member is in said second position.
- 14. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6 wherein the camera housing has a thickness measured between said front and rear faces which gradually increases from said left-hand end toward said right-hand end, the increased thickness of said camera extending to said gripping section to facilitate gripping of the camera.
- 15. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6 wherein a thickness of the camera body measured in a direction between said front and rear faces is greater at said right-hand end than at said left-hand end to provide a gripping section of increased thickness as compared with said left-hand end to facilitate firm gripping of the camera.
- 16. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 15 wherein said gripping section bulges outwardly and away from both said front and rear surfaces at the right-hand end of said camera forming a substantially smoothly curved convex contour for engagement by a hand gripping said gripping section.
- 17. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6 wherein said right-hand end of said camera receives and concentrates selected components of said camera to provide a camera body whose center of gravity is located in the right-hand end of said camera and between said right-hand end and said optical axis.
- 18. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 17 wherein said components include portable batteries, a main capacitor for said strobe light emitting section and one of a chamber for receiving a film cartridge and a chamber for receiving a take-up spool.
- 19. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6 wherein the size of said strobe light emitting section is less than a separation distance between a finger resting on the release member and a next adjacent finger of the gripping hand resting on said gripping section so that light emitted from the strobe light emitting section is not interrupted by said fingers.
- 20. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6 wherein said strobe light emitting section is spaced a distance from an optical axis of said photographing optical system which is sufficient to prevent occurrence of a red eye phenomenon while retaining a compact camera housing.
- 21. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 6, wherein said gripping section has a substantially smooth curved contour for engaging at least two fingers of a hand gripping said gripping section and including a projecting member arranged between said gripping section and the top of said camera and having a pointed projection which displaces a finger resting on the pointed projection from said smoothly curved contour of said gripping section which aids in preventing fingers of the hand holding said gripping section from covering said strobe.
- 22. A camera with a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a patrone chamber formed at a lateral portion of a camera body, said chamber extending in a direction substantially parallel to an adjacent end of said camera body;
- a spool chamber formed at another lateral portion of said camera body which is opposite said patrone chamber and adjacent another end of said camera body and which is aligned substantially parallel to said patrone chamber;
- strobe means located on a front surface of said camera body adjacent to one of said patrone chamber and said spool chamber whereby said strobe means has a light emitting section located on the front face of said camera body adjacent one of said lateral portions and immediately below said top end; and
- a release member arranged on a top end of said camera immediately above said light emitting section and one of said spool chamber and said patrone chamber, said release member being movable to initiate a photographing operation.
- 23. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 22, wherein said strobe means includes battery storage means positioned below said light emitting section.
- 24. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 22, wherein said release member is located above said strobe and on said top end.
- 25. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 22 including a projecting member having a pointed end portion projecting away from said camera body and on a side of said gripping section during the photographing operation to displace a finger of a hand used to hold said gripping section away from a smooth resting place of said gripping section to aid in preventing such finger from overlying said light emitting section.
- 26. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 25 wherein said projecting member is movable between a position covering said strobe light emitting section and a position exposing said strobe light emitting section whereby, when said projecting means is moved to the position exposing said light emitting section, said pointed end portion projects away from said camera housing causing a finger engaging said pointed projection to be displaced from said smooth resting portion of said gripping section to aid in preventing such finger from overlying said light emitting section.
- 27. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 26 further comprising:
- a main switch for said camera and responsive to said projecting member and being in an off condition when said projecting member covers said light emitting section and being in an on condition when said projecting member exposes said light emitting section,
- 28. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 26 or claim 27 wherein said projecting member has a portion thereof which overlies at least a portion of a finder and is visible when looking through said finder when said projecting member is in the covering position and wherein said projecting portion is displaced from a field of view of said finder when said projecting member is moved to the position exposing said light emitting section.
- 29. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 22 wherein an upper end of said strobe light emitting section and an upper end of said patrone chamber substantially terminate in a common plane adjacent to a top end of said camera body and which are substantially flush with one another.
- 30. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- a gripping section deviating from a flat front face of said camera housing provided along one side of the camera housing and a portion of the front face of said housing adjacent said one side to facilitate gripping of the camera;
- a strobe light emitting section provided adjacent to an upper portion of said gripping section;
- a release operating member provided in a position above an upper portion of said strobe light emitting section, said release operating member being movable to initiate a photographing operation; and
- a movable shielding member for covering said strobe light emitting section when in a first position when the camera is not in use and the second position exposing said strobe light emitting section to enable a photographing operation, said shielding member having a projecting section which, when engaged by a finger of a hand used to hold said gripping section, displaces said finger from a finger holding portion of said gripping section to aid in preventing the strobe light emitting section from being covered by said finger.
- 31. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 30, wherein said shielding member is connected to a switching means, and turns off said switching means when covering said strobe light emitting section and photography is not performed, and turns on said switching means when exposing said strobe light emitting section and photography is performed.
- 32. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 31, wherein said switching means is on when said shielding member has moved to a position at which a middle finger lying below said strobe light emitting section can support the camera.
- 33. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 30, further comprising a viewfinder object window located on a front of the camera; wherein when said shielding member is moved to a position for screening said strobe, an end of said shielding member enters a field of said viewfinder object window to help detect a non-photographic state.
- 34. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 30 where said gripping section has a swelled portion that swells beyond a front face of said camera housing whereby the end of the camera housing occupied by said gripping section curves outwardly to form a gripping section whose thickness gradually increases in moving in a direction from a central portion of the camera body toward the end of the camera body having said gripping section.
- 35. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 34 wherein said shielding member, when moved to said second position, is so configured as to have a side surface thereof engage a middle finger lying below said strobe light emitting section to aid said middle finger in supporting the camera when said gripping section is gripped for photography.
- 36. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera body;
- barrier means movable relative to said camera body between a first position shielding a lens barrel on said camera body when the camera is not in use and a second position exposing said lens barrel to enable a photographing operation;
- a release operating member arranged on said camera body and being movable, when said lens barrel is exposed, to initiate a photographing operation;
- a strobe light emitting section provided on said barrier means for irradiating a subject to be photographed; and
- said release button being positioned immediately above said strobe light emitting section;
- said strobe light emitting section, release operating member and gripping section extending in a straight line aligned with a vertical direction of the camera; and
- a projection provided on said barrier means and extending about said strobe light emitting section, said projection extending in a direction away from a front face of said barrier means for displacing a finger engaging said projection away from said front face to aid in preventing said finger from covering said strobe light emitting section to avoid an interruption of light emitted therefrom.
- 37. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 36, wherein said strobe light emitting section is located at an end of said barrier means; and said projection projects outwardly and away from said barrier means while surrounding an outer circumference of said strobe light emitting section.
- 38. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 37, wherein said projection is formed as part of said barrier means.
- 39. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 37, wherein a gripping section formed in said barrier means includes a concave portion extending from said strobe and said projection along the optical axis so that a user can grip the gripping section easily.
- 40. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 39, wherein said release member is located on a top of the camera housing; and when said gripping section is gripped with an index finger resting on said release member, a middle finger lying below said strobe light emitting section is in contact with a bottom of said projection of said barrier means to aid in support of the camera.
- 41. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 36, wherein said barrier means is connected to a switching means, and turns off said switching means when covering at least said lens barrel and photography is not performed, and turns on said switching means when exposing said lens barrel and photography is performed.
- 42. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 36, wherein said strobe light emitting section is spaced from an optical axis of said photographing optical system and wherein a portion of said projection terminates in a surface which extends inwardly toward a front face of said barrier means and which is substantially perpendicular to said barrier means front face to provide a surface for engaging a middle finger holding the gripping section of the barrier means to aid the middle finger in support of the camera and to aid in preventing the middle finger from overlying the strobe light emitting section.
- 43. A camera with a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- an optical system installed in said camera housing;
- a gripping section formed at an end of said camera housing;
- a strobe installed on a front of the camera in one end of said gripping section;
- a release member installed above said strobe and on a top of said camera housing;
- said gripping section extends in a direction that does not cross the optical axis of said optical system and in a substantially vertical direction of the camera which is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system;
- said gripping section of said camera housing being laid out in such a manner that one of a cartridge chamber and a spool chamber is located in a back portion of said camera housing, battery storage means is located in front of one of said cartridge chamber and said spool chamber, a strobe substrate is located on said battery storage means, a capacitor is located under said strobe substrate with a terminal attached thereto, and said strobe is located on said strobe substrate.
- 44. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera housing having top and bottom ends, left and right-hand ends, and front and rear faces terminating in said top and bottom ends and said left and right-hand ends;
- a taking lens including a lens barrel arranged to project forwardly from said front face and being positioned intermediate said left and right ends and said top and bottom ends;
- a camera gripping section deviating from a flat face of said camera housing and extending over a portion of said right-hand end and an adjacent portion of said front face, said camera gripping section extending between said top end and said bottom end;
- a release member provided along said top end and directly above a portion of the gripping section extending along said front face;
- said release member being operable to initiate a photographing operation; and
- strobe means including a strobe light emitting section arranged along said front face between said release member and said gripping section.
- 45. A camera with a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera body;
- a photographing optical system located substantially at a central portion of said camera body which has first and second lateral ends on opposite sides of said optical system;
- a camera gripping section deviating from a flat front face of said camera body and arranged along one of said lateral ends and a portion of a front surface of said camera body adjacent to said one of said lateral ends;
- a release member arranged directly above said gripping section and being movable to initiate a photographing operation; and
- a strobe light emitting section arranged between said gripping section and said release member whereby a finger of a hand holding said gripping section and resting on said release member and an adjacent finger of said hand resting on a portion of said gripping section closer to said release member are separated by a distance which assures that said light emitting section is not covered by said adjacent fingers.
- 46. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a photographing optical system located substantially at a central portion of a camera body having lateral portions extending on opposite sides of said optical system;
- a camera gripping section deviating from a flat front face of said camera body formed on one of the lateral portions of said camera body and a portion of a front surface of the camera body adjacent said one of said lateral portions, said gripping section extending in a direction from a bottom end of said camera body to a top end and along a line which extends in a direction which does not intersect with an optical axis of said optical system;
- a release member arranged above said gripping section so that said line extends through said release member, said release member being movable to initiate a photographing operation;
- a strobe light emitting section arranged between said gripping section and said release member; and
- a projecting member having a convex tapered portion for displacing a finger resting on said projecting member from engaging a smooth curved contour of said camera body adjacent to said tapered portion to aid in preventing such finger from overlying said strobe light emitting section.
- 47. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 46 wherein said projecting member is movable between a first position which covers said strobe light emitting section when the camera is not in use and a second position which uncovers said strobe light emitting section when the camera is in a condition ready for performing a photographing operation, said projecting member in said second position displacing said finger from a smooth curved contour of said camera body when said finger overlies said projecting member.
- 48. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 49 further comprising:
- a main camera switch operated by said projecting member and being turned off when said projecting member is in said first position and being turned on when said projecting member is in said second position.
- 49. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 47 wherein said projecting member has a portion which overlies at least a portion of a camera finder when said projecting member is in said first position causing said projecting portion to be viewable through said camera finder and being displaced from and out of a field of view of said camera finder when in said second position.
- 50. A camera having a built-in strobe according to claim 49 wherein said camera finder has a finder optical system arranged between said photographing optical system and said gripping section.
- 51. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a camera body;
- a patrone chamber formed in a first lateral portion of said camera body and extending in a direction parallel to a first end of a camera adjacent said first lateral portion;
- a spool chamber formed in a second lateral portion of said camera body opposite from said first lateral portion and said patrone chamber, said spool chamber and patrone chamber being arranged substantially parallel to one another;
- a strobe means located immediately above one of said patrone chamber and said spool chamber and beneath an upper surface of said camera body; a release member arranged along said upper surface and directly above said strobe light emitting section; and
- a strobe protecting member arranged adjacent said strobe light emitting section and having an end portion projecting away from said camera body for displacing a finger resting on said projecting portion from said camera body to aid in preventing such finger covering said strobe light emitting section.
- 52. A camera having a built-in strobe, comprising:
- a photographing optical system located substantially at a central portion of a camera body;
- a camera gripping section deviating from a flat front face of said camera body and formed in a first lateral end of said camera body and a portion of a front surface of said camera body adjacent said first lateral end, said camera gripping section extending in a direction parallel to said first lateral end and so that a line representing said direction does not intersect with an optical axis of said photographing optical image;
- a release member arranged on a top end of said camera overlying said first lateral end, said release member being movable to initiate a photographing operation;
- a strobe light emitting section arranged between said gripping section and said release member; and
- a strobe light protecting member having a tapered projecting portion for displacing a finger overlying said projecting portion from a smooth camera contour for resting said finger to aid in preventing said finger from overlying and interrupting light emission of said strobe light emitting section.
- 53. A camera having a built-in strobe unit, comprising:
- a photographing optical system arranged in a camera body;
- a release member arranged along a top end of said camera body and being movable for initiating a photographing operation;
- a cover member arranged upon a front surface of said camera body and movable between a first position covering said photographing optical system and a second position uncovering said photographing optical system; and
- a strobe light emitting section provided on said movable cover member and located directly below said release member when said cover member is in said second position.
- 54. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 53 wherein said strobe light emitting section is located in an upper portion of said movable cover member and is positioned between said photographing optical system and an upper end of said camera and is substantially directly above said optical system when said cover is in said first position.
- 55. A camera with a built-in strobe according to claim 54 wherein said cover member is provided with a finger gripping section directly beneath said strobe light emitting section which is recessed relative to said strobe light emitting section and is provided with a projecting portion which displaces a finger engaging said projecting portion away from said cover member to aid in preventing said finger from covering said strobe light emitting section.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
3-345546 |
Dec 1991 |
JPX |
|
4-001382 |
Jan 1992 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/998,181, filed Dec. 28, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
63-44644 |
Aug 1988 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
998181 |
Dec 1992 |
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