Claims
- 1. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing, comprising:
- a body;
- a lens barrel supported on said body;
- variable focus means supported on said body and coupled to said lens barrel, said variable focus means including a motor drive to move an objective, and thereby to vary a focal distance, over a continuous range;
- an encoder supported between said body and said lens barrel for detecting the relative position of said lens barrel to thereby determine the objective position;
- a manipulator on the exterior of said body and externally accessible for selectively switching between a mode of normal photographing in which a picture of normal size is obtained and a mode of panoramic photographing in which a picture of panoramic size is obtained wherein each photograph on a roll may be individually selected for panoramic or normal photography;
- panoramic components positioned in said body and including plates for changing the dimensions of an aperture through which film is exposed in said camera whereby the size of a picture taken using the photographic camera may be altered between normal and panoramic dimensions when said manipulator is operated to select a photographic mode; and
- means for controlling said motor drive to position said objective at the minimum focal distance position automatically when said externally accessible manipulator is operated to select the mode of panoramic photographing and said encoder indicates that the objective is not at said minimum focal distance.
- 2. A photographic camera having also a function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 1, wherein, when the mode of panoramic photographing is selected, said objective is moved to the minimum focal distance position and locked on this position so that the focal distance of said objective can not be varied while the camera is in the mode of panoramic photographing.
- 3. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 1, wherein said manipulator comprises a knob member adapted to be slidably movable relative to a camera body and photographing mode display means adapted to display at least one of said mode of normal photographing and said mode of panoramic photographing is operatively associated with said knob member so that said photographing mode display means appears on the external surface of the camera body as the knob member is slidably moved to select said one of the photographing modes.
- 4. The photographic camera as defined in claim 1, wherein said body includes a rear cover which is operable to load film into said camera body, and wherein said manipulator includes a knob member positioned on said camera and slidably movable relative to said camera body, said knob positioned on the exterior of said camera such that it is manipulatable when the rear cover is closed, and said manipulator further including a photographing mode display displaying at least one of said mode of normal photographing and said mode of panoramic photographing, said mode display operatively associated with said knob member so that said at least one photographing mode is displayed at the location on the external surface of the camera body which is vacated by said knob member when said knob member is moved to change the mode of the camera to said at least one mode which is displayed.
- 5. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 4, wherein said manipulator is provided laterally of a viewfinder.
- 6. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 1, further comprising state display means adapted to display a current state of the camera so that, when the mode of panoramic photographing is selected, said state display means displays that the camera is in the mode of panoramic photographing.
- 7. A photographic camera having also a function of panoramic photographing as defined in claim 1, further including:
- a state display means adapted to display a current state of the camera;
- said state display displaying that the camera is in the mode of normal photographing by displaying a count of the number of exposed frames on a film roll and displaying that the camera is in the mode of panoramic photographing when the mode of panoramic photographing is selected by displaying a P in the display area for one of the picture frame count numbers displayed in the normal photographing mode.
- 8. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 1, further comprising a sighting frame for normal photographing and a sighting frame for panoramic photographing both arranged within a visual field of a viewfinder.
- 9. A photographic camera having also a function of panoramic photographing as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
- a viewfinder including a sighting frame for normal photographing and a sighting frame for panoramic photographing both arranged within the visual field of a viewfinder, one of said normal sighting frame and said panoramic sighting frame identified using an indicator positioned adjacent said one sighting frame and illuminated when the mode associated with said one of said frames is selected.
- 10. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 1, wherein there are provided within a visual field of a viewfinder of sighting frame for normal photographing, a sighting frame for panoramic photographing and photographing mode display means so that said photographing mode display means displays the photographing mode selected by operation of said manipulator.
- 11. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 2, wherein said manipulator comprises a knob member adapted to be slidably movable relative to a camera body and photographing mode display means adapted to display at least one of said mode of normal photographing and said mode of panoramic photographing is operatively associated with said knob member so that said photographing mode display means appears on the external surface of the camera body as the knob member is slidably moved to select said one of the photographing modes.
- 12. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 3, wherein said manipulator is provided laterally of a viewfinder.
- 13. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 2, further comprising state display means adapted to display a current state of the camera so that, when the mode of panoramic photographing is selected, said state display means displays that the camera is in the mode of panoramic photographing.
- 14. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 2, further comprising a sighting frame for normal photographing and a sighting frame for panoramic photographing both arranged within a visual field of a viewfinder.
- 15. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 2, wherein there are provided within a visual field of a viewfinder a sighting frame for normal photographing, a sighting frame for panoramic photographing and photographing mode display means so that said photographing mode display means displays the photographing mode selected by operation of said manipulator.
- 16. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing as recited in claim 10, wherein said photographing mode display means comprises a display lamp so that said display lamp is put on light when any one of the normal photographing mode and the panoramic photographing mode is selected by operation of said manipulator.
- 17. The photographic camera having also a function of panoramic photographing as defined in claim 9, wherein said indicator includes a lamp positioned directly adjacent said viewfinder and at substantially the vertical center of said viewfinder and illuminated only when panoramic photographing is selected.
- 18. The photographic camera having also a function of panoramic photographing as defined in claim 9, wherein said indicator includes a respective lamp directly adjacent said viewfinder and laterally spaced from at least one said panoramic sighting frame and illuminated only when panoramic photographing is selected.
- 19. The camera as defined in claim 1, further including zoom switches on said camera and means for disabling said zoom switches when said panoramic mode is selected.
- 20. The camera as defined in claim 19, further including a shutter and means for disabling said shutter while said camera changes to said panoramic mode.
- 21. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing, comprising:
- a body;
- variable focus means supported on said body and utilizing a motor drive to move an objective and thereby to vary a focal distance over a continuous range;
- at least one zoom switch connected to said motor and controlling said motor to move said objective;
- a manipulator on the exterior of said body and externally accessible for selectively switching between a mode of normal photographing in which a picture of normal size is obtained and a mode of panoramic photographing in which a picture of panoramic size is obtained wherein each photograph on a roll may be individually selected for panoramic or normal photography using said manipulator;
- panoramic components positioned in said body and including plates for changing the dimensions of an aperture through which film is exposed in said camera whereby the size of a picture taken using the photographic camera may be altered between normal and panoramic dimensions when said manipulator is operated to select a photographic mode; and
- a controller disabling said zoom switch and controlling said motor drive to position said objective at the minimum focal distance position automatically when said externally accessible manipulator is operated to select the mode of panoramic photographing.
- 22. The camera as defined in claim 21, wherein said controller further includes means for disabling the camera's shutter when the motor is moving the objective to the minimal focal distance.
- 23. A photographic camera having also the function of panoramic photographing, comprising:
- a body;
- variable focus means supported on said body and utilizing a motor drive to move an objective and thereby to vary a focal distance over a continuous range;
- a manipulator on the exterior of said body and externally accessible for selectively switching between a mode of normal photographing in which a picture of normal size is obtained and a mode of panoramic photographing in which a picture of panoramic size is obtained wherein each photograph on a roll may be individually selected for panoramic or normal photography;
- panoramic components positioned in said body and including plates for changing the dimensions of an aperture through which film is exposed in said camera whereby the size of a picture taken using the photographic camera may be altered between normal and panoramic dimensions when said manipulator is operated to select a photographic mode; and
- a controller disabling said shutter and controlling said motor drive to move said objective to the minimum focal distance position automatically when said externally accessible manipulator is operated to select the mode of panoramic photographing, said controller releasing said shutter when the minimal focal distance position is reached.
- 24. The camera as defined in claim 23, further including an encoder coupled to said motor for detecting a position of said motor to determine if the objective is at its minimal focal distance.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
3-33916[U] |
Apr 1991 |
JPX |
|
3-109753 |
Apr 1991 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/868,634, filed on Apr. 14, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
868634 |
Apr 1992 |
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