Abstract: An impact resistant zoom lens with a common focusing and zooming ring includes a camera mountable main barrel, front and rear axially movable lens carrying mounts, a control ring rotatably and slidably engaging the barrel and affixed to the front mount, an axial sleeve helicoid coupled to the first mount, a cylindrical cam rotatably supported by the barrel and longitudinally stationary therein and followers carried by the axial sleeve rearwardly thereof and by the rear mount and slidably engaging respective cam slots in the cam and guide tracks in the barrel. In order to prevent damage to the lens mechanism attendant to an impact on the front mount abutment members or faces are located on the front mount or sleeve and have large areas in stop engagement when the front mount is in its rearmost position with the follower movable therewith being shortly spaced from the rear end of the respective cam slot. Similarly related faces or members may be provided for limiting the forward movement of the front mount.

Abstract: A cocking mechanism for electric focal plane shutters arranged so that, in order to simplify the cocking mechanism, while a shutter opening controlling armature lever is brought to the cocked position from the uncocked position, a shutter closing controlling armature lever may be brought to the cocked position from the uncocked position by the shutter opening controlling armature lever and, when the shutter opening controlling lever is locked in the cocked position, the shutter closing controlling armature lever may be held in the cocked position.

Abstract: There is disclosed a release device of a camera simple in structure and enabling the camera of "one shot" and successive photographings.The release device comprises a conventional self-cocking mechanism and a locking and unlocking member in addition. The locking and unlocking member is operated by a member movable in response to film winding operation and actuates a shutter release member to release the release member when the film winding operation is completed.

Abstract: A simple camera for use in a telescope having a hollow support cylinder that is capable of being slipped into the focus mount tube of the instrument for mounting and positioning the camera in reference to the image plane of the telescope. The cylinder depends from the base of the camera and encloses an aperture formed in the base so that the telescope image is allowed to pass directly into the camera. The main housing of the camera is pivotably supported on the base and contains a plurality of film-holding compartments that can be selectively moved over the aperture to expose the film contained therein whereby a number of exposures can be made without having to reload the camera. A viewing window is further provided in the housing that is also capable of being positioned over the aperture to permit visual observation of the image without having to remove the camera from the instrument.

Abstract: A simple mechanism is provided for winding film in a film cassette in which a pawl engages a perforation in each film frame to actuate a film stop device which, in turn, disengages the pawl from the perforation to remove any force from the film during picture taking. Winding force is transmitted from a unidirectionally rotating film feed disc to a reciprocating link and then to a undirectionally rotating spool gear which drives the film spool.

Abstract: A film magazine contains a roll of film wound on a core with a journal rotatable in a split bearing. The journal and the bearing have complementary, non-circular cross-sectional surfaces which inhibit unwinding rotation of the core until the bearing halves are separated by insertion into a camera.

Abstract: An arrangement for setting camera functions in dependence upon a characteristic of film being used in the camera. The arrangement includes a manually operable setting knob which can be turned to a plurality of settings and is arrested in each by an arresting device. This knob is used when the film cassette employed in the camera has no film-characteristic (e.g., film speed) mark. When the cassette does have such a mark, the insertion of the cassette into the film chamber of the camera causes disengagement of the arresting device and automatic turning of the knob to a position corresponding to the detected mark. Since the knob is visible to the user it serves as an indicator of the film in the camera, whether the camera setting is manually or automatically made.

Abstract: In each of the opening group and the closing group of shutter blades, there is a main blade and two auxiliary blades. When developing from a folded condition the blades of each group go from a more overlapped to a less overlapped condition. Although the same two springs may provide all three of the blades of a group with motive force for moving from the cocked to the uncocked condition, the two auxiliary blades have a driving force transmitter that is independently movable to a limited degree relative to the driving force transmitter for the main blade of the same group, one of the springs directly transmits force for moving the main blade and the other spring directly transmits force for moving the auxiliary blades.

Abstract: A camera support for electronic-flash proximity photography is formed from a substantially flat support having openings therethrough for the camera lens, the flash and for viewing the object to be photographed. The underside of the support carries three pivotally mounted extendible legs which in their extended position mount the camera above the object to be photographed, the ends of the legs being positioned in such a manner relatively to the lens opening as to effectively form two sides of a framing rectangle; in their retracted position these legs are attached to the underside of the support in a triangular manner about the lens opening. The support also preferably includes a light diffuser formed in the opening coincident with the flash.

Abstract: A film cartridge for use in cameras wherein a precise length of film is automatically fed across the shutter opening. The cartridge comprises a housing having a generally flat elongated portion and a generally cylindrical portion at one end of the flat portion. Inside the cylindrical portion are a film feed spool and a film take-up spool arranged in side-by-side relationship with driving means between them so that rotation of one spool automatically causes rotation of the other spool. At the other end of the flat portion is a roller arranged to cooperate with means for driving the film so that the film is pulled off of the feed spool causing that spool and the take-up spool to be driven. The take-up spool thus pulls the film and onto the take-up spool.

Abstract: An improved eyepiece for a viewfinder of a single lens reflex camera is provided. This improved eyepiece is capable of adjusting both the diopter and astigmatism correction to the demands of the individual user. The eyepiece includes a negative meniscus lens element convex to the object side and a stationary positive lens element. As the negative lens element is movable along the optical axis it adjusts the diopter of the viewfinder. A pair of relatively rotatable prisms is capable of providing variable astigmatism correction.

Abstract: A camera for receiving a cartridge containing relatively high or low speed films has an adjustable aperture mechanism for regulating the amount of light exposing the film, and a manual control mechanism operatively associated therewith and movable between "sunny", "cloudy" and "flash" settings to provide respectively "small", "intermediate" and "large" apertures for high speed film. The cartridge includes structural means thereon of a predetermined configuration in accordance with the speed of the film contained therein. An automatic control mechanism operatively associated with the adjustable aperture mechanism senses the structural means on the cartridge to increase the "small" aperture to the "intermediate" aperture and the "intermediate" aperture to the "large" aperture for low speed film without changing the settings of the manual control mechanism.

Abstract: A device for taking a series of photographs, each in reference to one of the faces of a regular polyhedron. The photographs are then printed and the prints are trimmed to the appropriate configuration in relation to the geometry of the faces of the polyhedron used. Trimming of the prints requires that the edges of adjacent prints result in images which are continuous. The prints are then mounted to form a continuous photograph in the form of a regular polyhedron similar to the polyhedron used as a camera mount to take the series of photographs.

Abstract: A still camera is provided with a battery compartment and with a film chamber, both of which are open at and are spaced lengthwise of, the rear side of the camera housing. A first cover is hinged to the camera housing so that it can pivot to a first position closing the chamber. A second cover is slidably mounted on the housing and movable to a second position in which it closes the battery compartment; when in this second position it engages the first cover and arrests it against movement out of the first position thereof. The inwardly facing side of the slidable second cover carries a sheetmetal contact having contact ribs which engage batteries in the compartment and complete a battery circuit only when the second cover is in its second (closure) position, but which interrupt the battery circuit when the second cover moves to its open position.

Abstract: Photographic apparatus including an elongate member mounted for reciprocating movement between first and second positions for advancing an exposed film unit of the self-developing type between a pair of pressure-applying rollers. Initially, there is a loose fit between the elongate member and its mounting. As the elongate member is moved out of the first position it is canted thereby substantially increasing the sliding frictional forces between it and its mounting thus accurately locating a film unit engaging member in alignment with a trailing edge of an exposed film unit prior to moving it into engagement with the rollers. When the elongate member reaches the second position, the sliding frictional forces are substantially reduced thereby enabling a relatively weak spring to return the elongate member to the first position. Structure is provided for preventing movement of the elongate member back to the first position until it has reached the second position.

Abstract: A teaching aid for musicians has a circular disc eccentrically mounted on a motor-driven shaft which is rotatable at a constant, selected speed. The peripheral edge of the disc is eccentrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and portions of that edge provide a visual indication of musical rhythm or tempo as the disc rotates. A sounding device is associated with the disc to beat out time and augment the visual indication of tempo with an audible, repetitive sound.

Abstract: A closure mechanism, such as a shutter in a camera, includes a closure member having an arcuate portion arranged to roll on a support member to cause a part of the closure member to move across an aperture thereby providing a movable barrier permitting selective communication of the aperture with spaces on opposite sides of the closure member. When used in a camera, the closure member is accommodated in an enclosure of which one wall includes the aperture, which may be a fibre optic plate. The closure member is movable between two extreme positions; in one position a mirror carried by the closure member optically couples the aperture with a viewing system and in the other position it blocks the viewing system while a film is located adjacent the aperture by a mechanism actuated in synchronism with the closure member.

Abstract: A self contained multiple interchangeable objective lens camera, having a photographic optical axis, includes first and second objective lenses which are movably carried within the camera for selective alternate positioning of one of the lenses in optical alignment with the camera optical axis. Each lens is movable between an operative photographic position when its longitudinal axis is substantially aligned with the camera optical axis and an inoperative position when its longitudinal axis is displaced from the camera optical axis. A driven member is carried by each of the objective lenses for effecting focusing adjustment. A manually operable distance setting member is carried by the camera. A control member, which is movable in response to movement of the distance setting member, carries first and second control portions which selectively engage the driven members of the first and second lenses respectively for controlling movement of the driven members to effect focusing of the lenses.

Abstract: A film cassette including a base and a cover, two lock and release slides selectively movable for locking the cover to the base in a closed position and for releasing the cover from the base in an open position, and a linkage for linking the two slides together such that when forces arise on the two slides when a jolt is experienced, the forces on the two slides act against one another. In this way, the chance of such forces leading to movement of the two slides is reduced.

Abstract: A film assemblage including a cassette, a plurality of film units of the self-developing type, a leader formed from an elongate strip of opaque material and a reel upon which the leader is adapted to be wound as the film units are manually withdrawn from the cassette. The leader is releasably connected to each film unit via a pull tab located near one end of each film unit. When the assemblage is located within a camera, the reel is manually rotated until a portion of the leader is removed from covering relationship with a film unit and the tab of that film unit extends between a pair of rollers to the exterior of the camera. The film unit is then exposed and the tab is manually pulled to draw the exposed film unit between the rollers for processing. Movement of the film unit through the rollers is effective to rotate the reel to thereby wind the leader thereupon until the tab of the next film unit to be exposed protrudes to the exterior of the camera.