Abstract: connecting system includes a cradle (1) and a digital camera (10) electrically connected to the cradle (1) through connectors (5, 15). The cradle (1) hold the digital camera (10) with a liquid crystal display (13) facing the front and also with the photographing lens (12) facing the front. The cradle (1) electrically detects whether the digital camera (10) is held with the display (13) facing the front or with the photographing lens facing the front. When the digital camera (10) is held with the display facing the front, operation starts in a recorded image-data transferring mode. When the digital camera (10) is held with the photographing lens facing the front, operation starts in a PC camera mode. A desired operation mode can be set in the digital camera simply by changing the installing state of the digital camera (10).

Abstract: A connecting system includes a cradle (1) and a digital camera (10) electrically connected to the cradle (1) through connectors (5, 15). The cradle (1) hold the digital camera (10) with a liquid crystal display (13) facing the front and also with the photographing lens (12) facing the front. The cradle (1) electrically detects whether the digital camera (10) is held with the display (13) facing the front or with the photographing lens facing the front. When the digital camera (10) is held with the display facing the front, operation starts in a recorded image-data transferring mode. When the digital camera (10) is held with the photographing lens facing the front, operation starts in a PC camera mode. A desired operation mode can be set in the digital camera simply by changing the installing state of the digital camera (10).

Abstract: A pair of extending portions 13, 13 of a film plate 3 are firmly attached on side walls 2a, 2a of an image pick-up unit 2, which are formed in parallel with or on both sides of the optical axis 10 of an image pick-up element 7 held within the image pick-up element unit 2, and the plate connecting pads 14 provided on the pair of extending portions 13, 13 of the film plate 3 are stacked on top of the element connecting pads 11 provided on the side walls 2a, 2a of the image pick-up element unit 2. The film plate 3 is not staked on top of the image pick-up element unit 2 in the direction of the optical axis 10 of the image pick-up element 7. Therefore, an image pick-up unit containing the image pick-up element unit and a lens unit can be reduced in its dimension by an amount equivalent to a thickness of the film plate 3 in the optical direction of the image pick-up element.