Abstract: A photographic camera is provided with means for detachably mounting either a flashbulb flash unit or an electronic flash unit. The camera includes a piezoelectric transducer mechanically activatable for generating voltage impulses. When the flashbulb flash unit is mounted on the camera, the voltage impulses are directly applied across the terminals of the flashbulb. There elapses a certain time interval between the start of flashbulb firing and the development of maximum flashbulb output illumination. This time interval is taken into account in the design of the shutter-activating mechanism. When, instead of the flashbulb flash unit, the electronic flash unit is mounted on the camera, the voltage impulses generated for flashbulb firing are utilized to initiate operation of the electronic flash unit. Because the flash tube of the unit develops maximum output illumination more quickly than does a flashbulb, a time-delay circuit is utilized to effect compensation.

Abstract: A film-sheet cassette has a spring which presses a stack of sheets against a wall of the cassette which is formed with an exposure window. An operator or slider is engageable with the uppermost sheet to displace it out of the end of the cassette through an unloading slot. The spring that urges the sheets against the window wall of the cassette is unloaded during the discharge operation so as to ease sliding-out of the uppermost film sheet. Abutments inside the cassette aligned with the unloading slot define a pair of edge slits having a width slightly greater than the thickness of one film sheet so as to prevent the accidental discharge of more than one sheet at a time.

Abstract: An exposure control for still cameras wherein a first portion of a diaphragm shutter is movable from cocked position to one of several second positions for effecting admission of scene light to an unexposed film frame, and a second portion of the shutter is movable from a first to a second position subsequent to movement of first shutter portion from the cocked position to terminate the exposure. The aperture size and the exposure time can be varied within a first range of light intensities which is monitored by a first photoresistor. The exposure time, at a selected aperture size, can be varied within a second range of light intensities which is monitored by a second photoresistor. The second range is contiguous to and merges gradually into the first range.

Abstract: A self-developing type photographic apparatus includes a self-developing packet having a pair of juxtaposed sheet elements and a supply of film-processing fluid provided between the sheet elements with at least one of the sheet elements forming part of an area which is to be coated and developed by the fluid. The packet is adapted to be advanced through a pressure-generating gap defined between a pair of juxtaposed rollers. One of the rollers has a rigid sheet-contacting surface, whereas the other of the rollers has an outer resilient material layer. Various embodiments for facilitating the uniform spreading of the film-processing fluid over the film area are disclosed, particularly in the border regions thereof.

Abstract: A prism positioned behind the objective rotates at a predetermined frequency. The pulsed light beam produced thereby is split into a first and second pulsed beam, each falling on a photoelectric transducer element. The first photoelectric transducer element is positioned at a distance from the objective which is less than the distance between the film plane and the objective plane by a predetermined distance. The second photoelectric transducer is positioned away from the objective by a distance exceeding the distance between the film plane and the objective plane by the same predetermined distance. The first and second electrical signals produced by the first and second photoelectric transducer are differentiated and stored. The so-stored signals are compared and a control signal for driving a motor in a first or second direction is furnished corresponding to the difference therebetween. The motor drives the objective either closer to or away from the film plane in response to the control signal.