Abstract: A camera includes a solar battery, a secondary battery charged by the solar battery, a battery-checking circuit for checking a charged state of the secondary battery, an informing device for informing the charged state of the secondary battery checked by the battery-checking circuit, and a clock for operating the battery-checking circuit at predetermined intervals.

Abstract: This specification discloses a TTL auto flash control device for a camera capable of effecting TTL multiple-flash control in which preliminary flashing is effected before exposure and the quantity of flashlight of main flashing during exposure is controlled on the basis of the result of the detection of the reflected light distribution information of the object field. The device has means for measuring the time for which the integration of the object field light is effected while effecting the preliminary flashing, and immediately after the integrated value of the object field light resulting from the preliminary flashing is found, the preliminary flashing is not effected for the same time as the measured integration time, or a time obtained by the measured integration time being multiplied by a predetermined coefficient, to thereby integrate the object field light and find the integrated value of the object field light of only stationary light.

Abstract: A camera in which focus is detected for a plurality of viewfields within a selected observation block includes observation structure for observing an object therethrough, and visual axis detecting structure for detecting the position of the visual axis of an observer's eye. A plurality of observation blocks are defined, each block having a plurality of detection viewfields. Structure is provided for selecting one of the blocks in accordance with a result of the detection of the visual axis detecting structure. Focus detection circuitry is provided for performing a focus detection operation with respect to the detection viewfields which are included within the selected observation block. Circuitry is also provided for forming a focus adjustment signal for an objective lens on the basis of the detection information of the focus detection circuitry regarding the detection viewfields of the selected observation block.

Abstract: This camera includes a control circuit 12 which calculates a movement amount for a focusing lens group Z.sub.1 of a zoom lens 11 based upon the photographic distance R as measured by a distance measurement device 13 and the focal length of the zoom lens 11 as detected by a focal length detection device 15, and a lens driving device 18 which then moves the focusing lens group Z.sub.1 according to this projection amount calculated by the control circuit 12. Thereby it is possible to compensate for focus deviation when zooming.

Abstract: A focal point detection apparatus comprising: a plurality of charge storage type light sensing portions for sectioning an image photographing surface including a subject into a plurality of focal point detection areas to receive light from each focal point detection area so that charge is stored; a transfer device for converting the charge stored in each of the light sensing portions into an electric signal so as to transfer it to the a focus point detection device; and a control device for controlling commencement and completion of the charge storage in each of the light sensing portions for the purpose of causing the transfer device to transfer a plurality of the charges in a predetermined order in such a manner that the next charge is transferred after the previous order charge has been transferred.

Abstract: A custom mode control apparatus by which the user can arbitrarily set the custom mode comprises a first selection device for selecting the custom mode or the ordinary mode, a second selection device for selecting the setting or reproduction of the custom mode, a contents setting device for selecting the set contents indicated on an indicating portion when the setting of the custom mode is selected by the second selection device, thereby arbitrarily setting the contents of the custom mode, a memory device for memorizing the contents of the custom mode set by the contents setting device, and a reproducing device for bringing about a custom mode in which the contents of the custom mode memorized in the memory device are reproduced when the reproduction of the custom mode is selected by the second selection device.

Abstract: A camera includes an aperture stop or lens shutter mechanism unit, a base on which the mechanism unit is mounted, a shake correction lens juxtaposed with a photographing lens in an optical axis direction, and a driving unit for moving the shake correction lens in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and the driving unit is arranged on the base. The shake correction operation is preferably started at a time between the completion of a focusing operation and the start of an exposure operation.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device, in which a focus lens is driven for tracking an object-in-motion to obtain an in-focus state, based upon focus prediction executed from repeated distance measurements. An in-focus indication is made when it is determined that the in-focus state will be obtained after an elapse of a predetermined time.

Abstract: A light metering calculating apparatus used in an AE camera is disclosed. The light metering calculating apparatus includes a light metering device for performing a light metering operation while dividing an objective field into a plurality of light metering regions, and outputting light metering signals corresponding to the respective light metering regions, and a grouping device for grouping the plurality of light metering regions based on the light metering signals from the light metering device, in such a manner that the adjacent light metering regions having similar light are grouped as one group.

Abstract: There is disclosed a device for preventing the camera shaking, provided with a light metering circuit for receiving the light from an object and releasing luminance signal corresponding to the luminance of the object; a detection circuit for detecting the camera shaking at phototaking operation; a counter for counting the number of phototaking operations identified as involving camera shaking and the number of phototaking operations identified as not involving camera shaking; a discriminator for comparing the above-mentioned numbers and discriminating the relation of the numbers; and an exposure control circuit for varying the shutter time, calculated from the luminance signal, to a shorter shutter time if the count of phototaking operations identified, by the discriminator, as involving camera shaking is larger than the count of phototaking operations identified as not involving camera shaking.

Abstract: A camera having a temperature compensating function includes a first IC incorporating a driver for driving a motor for performing focus adjustment of a photographing lens, and a second IC incorporating a distance measuring circuit for measuring a distance to an object to be photographed, and a temperature measuring circuit for measuring the ambient temperature. The first IC generates a larger amount of heat than the second IC because of a driving current supplied to the motor. In the camera, ambient temperature data measured by the temperature measuring circuit immediately after power is supplied to the second IC is stored in a memory, and a CPU performs a correction operation with respect to object distance data output from the distance measuring circuit on the basis of the ambient temperature data stored in the memory, thus obtaining the driving amount of the photographing lens.

Abstract: A power focus device for a camera provides a user-friendly lever interface allowing efficient camera operation. A lever, located outside a camera cover, is movable in two opposing directions but is biased to remain at a neutral position between two extremes of movement. Moving the lever from the neutral position initiates driving the camera lens to focus in either a first or a second direction according to a direction of a displacement of the lever from the neutral position. A speed of focusing is proportional to an amount of displacement of the lever from the neutral position, thus permitting variable high and low speed focusing in both directions for rapid and accurate close-up and infinity focussing. Incorporating a seal into the device permits use in underwater camera applications.

Abstract: A camera shake alarming apparatus comprises a storage portion for storing specification information of a camera; a subject distance detecting portion for detecting a subject distance for photographing a subject; a calculating portion for calculating an allowable camera shake quantity on the basis of a shutter speed set in the camera when photographing the subject, the camera specification information stored in the storage portion and the subject distance detected by the subject distance detecting portion; a camera shake detecting portion for detecting a camera shake quantity of the camera; a comparing portion for comparing the allowable camera shake quantity calculated by the calculating portion with the camera shake quantity detected by the camera shake detecting portion; and an alarming portion for giving an alarm for the camera shake according to a compared result of the comparison portion.

Abstract: A camera with an automatic bracketing device for permitting photographing of a plurality of frames in group while exposure is stepwise changed under a certain exposure condition solves a problem which is caused when the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode is set larger than the number of remaining available frames of a film.The camera comprises means for calculating the number of remaining available frames based on the number of available frames of the film loaded and the number of photographed frames, means for calculating a proper exposure, means for setting the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode in which a plurality of frames are photographed with changing exposures, and means for setting the number of steps of exposure to be changed in the bracketing photographing mode.

Abstract: An automatic flash control device of a camera includes a flashing source for performing preliminary flashing and main flashing, a first photodetector for measuring a light beam reflected by an object field and reflected by a shutter curtain via a taking lens upon preliminary flashing from the flashing source before exposure, and a second photodetector for measuring a light beam reflected by the object field and reflected by a film surface via the taking lens upon main flashing from the flashing source during exposure. In this device, the displacement between photometry areas caused by the different positions of the shutter curtain and the film surface is corrected, and the identity between object field areas to be measured in the preliminary flashing mode and the main flashing mode can be assured.

Abstract: A photometric apparatus of a camera for carrying out a multi-segmented photometry by receiving object light reflected at a film or the shutter, include a plurality of photometric elements which are disposed at positions to respectively receive reflected light from the film or the elements, are segmented in accordance with each of regions segmenting the object field, corresponding to regions of the film or the shutter, and are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction within a mirror box so as to respectively receive light reflected with diffusion angles less than a predetermined angle from respective reflection regions of the film or the shutter.

Abstract: A lens driving apparatus in an optical system including a movable lens unit and a lens moving mechanism which supports the movable lens unit to move in an optical axis direction.

Abstract: An in-focus detecting device comprising a photo-electric converter element for converting an object image formed on the image receiving surface thereof through an image forming lens, a drive mechanism for controlling the focusing position of the lens, a focus degree detecting circuit for detecting the degree of focus in a prescribed distance measuring frame of the image receiving surface and the degree of focus outside the frame on the basis of the output signal of the photo-electric converter element, and a control circuit, responsive to the output of the focus degree detecting circuit representing that the degree of focus in the distance measuring frame is below a prescribed level, for comparing the degree of focus in the distance measuring frame with the degree of focus outside the frame to determine the direction of the image forming lens to be driven.

Abstract: A camera includes a light measuring circuit for performing measurement of a luminance of a subject, a computing circuit for performing a computation on an aperture value and/or a shutter speed by using a result of the measurement performed by the light measuring circuit, a switching device for switching the photographic mode of the camera, a locking device for locking the aperture value and/or the shutter speed computed by the computing circuit, and a controlling circuit for causing the computing circuit to compute, if the photographic mode is switched to another photographic mode by the switching device after the aperture value and/or the shutter speed has been locked by the locking device, a new aperture value and/or a new shutter speed corresponding to the aforesaid other photographic mode by using the result of the measurement performed by the light measuring circuit.

Abstract: A line frequency is determined by interleaved sampling of ambient light to obtain analog voltage samples at predetermined sampling rates associated with two or more line frequencies. Where there are two line frequencies, one method separates the first samples by a time period at least equal to an analog-to-digital conversion time, and less than the earliest time when a sample associated with one line frequency would coincide with a sample from the other. There are n samples per flicker frequency period and Q samples for each line frequency are taken. In a second method, a first common sample is taken for all line frequencies, and a condition characterized by simultaneous samples for different line frequency sample groups triggers a common sample for all line frequencies. For both methods, digital sample values one through Q-1 for each group are operated on to obtain a result, and then two through Q are similarly operated on to obtain a second result.