Abstract: The driving method of the present invention is a driving method to drive a stepping motor driven by a predetermined driving pulse, by the servo driving method, and is characterized in that a predetermined sampling period is set, and the generation condition of the driving pulse to drive the stepping motor is set at the sampling periods. Thereby, the stepping motor can be driven while the most suitable driving condition is determined at the predetermined sampling periods. That is, since the driving condition of the stepping motor can be changed at the sampling periods, even when the stepping motor driven by the driving pulse is the driving source, appropriate servo control can be realized.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compact, high-performance, and easy-to-manufacture taking optical system that offers an extremely high zoom ratio. The taking optical system includes, from the subject side, a first lens group having a positive optical power, a second lens group having a negative optical power, a third lens group having a positive optical power, and a fourth lens group having a positive optical power. The taking optical system achieves zooming by the movements of the first to fourth lens groups and focusing by the movement of the fourth lens group. The taking optical system fulfills the following conditions: 0.05?f3/f4?0.95 and 7.0?f1/fw?20.0, where f1, f3, and f4 represent the focal lengths of the first, third, and fourth lens groups, respectively, and fw represents the focal length of the entire taking optical system at the wide-angle end thereof.

Abstract: There is described an image-reading apparatus to acquire image data by reading a scanned image comprising an image sensor having a light emitting means and a photo receiving means for receiving a light emitted from the light emitting means, and a reading control means for controlling the image sensor. The photo receiving means separately acquires light amount data in a plurality of wavelength regions, and the reading control means independently controls a start and a stop of each of light receiving operations of the photo receiving means conducted in the plurality of wavelength regions.

Abstract: A zoom optical system according to the present invention is provided with, in order from an object side thereof: a first lens group having a negative refractive power; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; a third lens group having a negative refractive power; and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power. The zoom optical system moves at least the second lens group and the third lens group for zooming operation from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end. The zoom optical system moves the third lens group for a focusing operation. The first lens group is provided with, in order from the object side of the zoom optical system, a meniscus lens having a negative refractive power whose concave surface faces an image side of the zoom optical system, a reflective optical element, and at least one lens.

Abstract: A method of forming an ink-jet image comprising the steps of: i. ejecting ink compositions from an ink-jet head onto a recording medium; and ii. forming an image, wherein a) the recording medium is a porous type medium having a porous ink absorbing layer on a non-water absorptive support, b) the ink-jet head has a plurality of nozzles which eject more than two ink compositions respectively, and one ink composition is a clear ink, and one ink composition is a color ink, c) the clear ink contains water dispersible microscopic resin particles having an average diameter of 10-200 nm of more than 1 weight %, and d) pH of the ink compositions is 6.5-11.0, and an absolute value of a difference, between an ink composition pH and film surface pH of the recording medium, is less than 4.0.

Abstract: A variable-magnification optical system has a plurality of lens groups that image a light beam from the object side on an image sensor, an optical aperture stop that intercepts part of the light beam heading for the image sensor, and a reflective mirror that changes the optical axis of the light beam of which part has been intercepted by the optical aperture stop. The plurality of lens groups include at least lens groups arranged in a positive-negative-positive-positive optical power arrangement, and at least two of the lens groups are moved for zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end. The variable-magnification optical system fulfills a prescribed conditional formula.

Abstract: A zoom lens system for forming an optical image of a subject on the image-sensing surface of an image sensor has three lens units, namely, from the object side thereof, a first lens unit having a negative optical power, a second lens unit having a positive optical power, and a third lens unit having a positive optical power. The lens units each include at least one plastic lens element. The zoom lens system as a whole includes at least one glass lens element that fulfills a prescribed conditional formula.

Abstract: A color developer solution is disclosed, comprising p-phenylenediamine type color developing agents, wherein 2% to 35% by weight of the p-phenylenediamine color developing agents is accounted for by a N-hydroxyalkyl-substituted p-phenylenediamine color developing agent, and the color developer solution further comprising a compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2):

Abstract: A silver halide emulsion including silver halide grains and a binder and satisfying Requirement (1) of 0<B/A<0.2, wherein A (mol %) is an iridium content at a surface of the silver halide grains, and B (mol %) is an average iridium content at a subsurface of the silver halide grains.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic material, including a support having thereon a silver halide emulsion layer, the silver halide emulsion layer containing silver halide particles having a silver chloride content of more than or equal to 90 mol %, wherein a compound represented by Formula (S) is contained in the interior and on a surface of the silver halide particles and in a binder of the silver halide emulsion layer, and the silver halide particles have more than two silver halide phases therein having different concentration of the compound represented by Formula (S):

Abstract: A silver halide emulsion is disclosed, comprising silver halide grains, wherein at least 50% by number of the silver halide grains is accounted for by cubic grains having a chloride content of not less than 90 mol %, an iodide content of from 0 to 2 mol % and a bromide content of from 0.1 to 10 mol % and containing dislocation lines in the edge region or the corner region of the grains.

Abstract: In imaging using a linear log sensor and an auxiliary light source, an image pickup apparatus capable of preventing an excess of exposure and suppressing the influence on the brightness of the overall screen even if the distances of a plurality of photographic subjects are different from each other within the arrival range of strobo light is provided. In an image pickup apparatus 1, an image pickup device 4, an irradiation unit 6 for irradiating light at time of picking up an image of a photographic subject, and an inflection point changing unit 25 for changing an inflection point which is a boundary between a linear area and a logarithmic area so as to prevent an output signal of the image pickup device 4 from saturation within the brightness range of the photographic subject and to use the logarithmic area in priority are installed.

Abstract: In imaging using a linear log sensor and also an auxiliary light source, an image pickup apparatus capable of executing imaging for obtaining a good contract for a main photographic subject is provided. In an image pickup apparatus 1, an image pickup device 4 having a linear conversion operation and a logarithmic conversion operation, an irradiation unit 6 for irradiating light at time of picking up an image of a photographic subject, and an inflection point changing unit 25, when imaging using the irradiation unit 6, for changing the position of an inflection point which is a boundary between a linear area and a logarithmic area so as to position a brightness distribution of the main photographic subject in the linear area of an output signal of the image pickup device 4 are installed.

Abstract: A zoom lens system for forming an optical image of a subject on the image-sensing surface of an image sensor includes at least, from the object side thereof, a first lens unit having a negative optical power and a second lens unit having a positive optical power, and achieves zooming by varying the distances between the individual lens units in such a way that, during zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the distance between the first and second lens units decreases. The first lens unit consists of two plastic lens elements.

Abstract: AF is started in response to the depression of a shutter button 61 by the user, and a plurality of images are obtained in succession with a time interval while a first image and a second image are obtained in this order with a time interval by a CCD 11. With respect to the AF area, of the first image, set so as to be used for the evaluation of the focus condition, the number of pixels belonging to a region in a predetermined color space is counted, and with respect to a plurality of color evaluation areas (the area corresponding to the AF area and a plurality of areas in the vicinity thereof) set for the second image, the number of pixels belonging to the region in the predetermined color space is counted. Then, the amount of shift between the color evaluation area where the number of pixels closest to the number of pixels counted with respect to the first image is counted, and the AF area is detected as the object movement amount.

Abstract: A position detector includes a magnet, a pair of Hall effect devices, and a processing circuit for detecting relative positions of the magnet and the pair of Hall effect devices. The processing circuit detects a difference in magnitude between output values of the Hall effect devices, as position outputs, with an input value to each of the Hall effect devices being controlled such that a sum of magnitudes of respective output values of the Hall effect devices is constant.

Abstract: Disclosed is a protective layer transfer sheet for forming an image by the method which comprising the steps of overlaying a thermal transfer image receiving sheet and a thermal transfer recording ink sheet, forming an image on the thermal diffusible dye receiving layer by heating, and forming a protective layer on the image by transferring the thermal transferable protective layer unit by heating, in which the thermal transferable protective layer unit is constituted by plural transferable resin layers and at least one of the resin layers contains a metal ion-containing compound and a layer other than the resin layer containing the metal ion-containing compound contains a UV absorbent, and a barrier layer is arranged between the metal ion-containing layer and the UV absorbent containing layer.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image receiving sheet comprising a support having an image receiving layer on one surface of the support and a backing layer on the other surface of the support, wherein, (a) a first electrical resistance of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is in a range of 1×108–1×1012 ohms per square before the transferable protection layer is transferred; and (b) a second electrical resistance of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is in a range of 1×108–1×1012 ohms per square after the transferable protection layer is transferred and after the backing layer is removed, the first and second electrical resistances being measured by a salt bridge method.

Abstract: A variable magnification optical system for forming an optical image of an object on the light-receiving surface of an image sensor with variable magnification includes: from an object side, a first lens unit having a positive optical power, a second lens unit having a negative optical power, a third lens unit having a positive optical power, a fourth lens unit having a positive optical power, and a fifth lens unit. In magnification variation from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit, the third lens unit, and the fifth lens unit are kept in fixed positions whereas the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit move. The third lens unit includes, from the object side, a positive lens element having a biconvex form, and a negative lens element having a form concave to an image side. The negative lens element has an aspherical surface.

Abstract: A ink-jet recording sheet comprising on a support an ink absorptive layer containing minute silica particles, hydrophilic binder and water-soluble multivalent metal compounds; wherein said ink absorptive layer is composed of at least tow layers, and the peak of distribution of the amount of the water-soluble multivalent compounds in the depth direction is located within 10 ?m from the uppermost surface, and the weight ratio of the water-soluble multivalent metal compounds to minute silica particles in the uppermost layer of the ink absorptive layer, and the dried coating thickness of the uppermost-layer, have specific ranges.