Abstract: A communication device such as a video telephone is connected to a telephone line together with a telephone set at both parties. In response to an operation for removing a handset from a hook of the telephone set at this party, the video telephone at this party is initiated. Each of the video telephones includes a mode selecting switch and DTMF receiver which receives a DTMF signal from one of the telephone sets and decodes a received DTMF signal to output data representative of the mode of the video telephone. When a flag "1" is set, a mode of the video telephone at this party can be controlled in response to the DTMF signal which is received by the DTMF receiver from the telephone set at this party and, when a flat "2" is set a mode of the video telephone at this party can be controlled in response to the DTMF signal which is received by the DTMF receiver from the telephone set at the other party.

Abstract: A visible telephone includes a housing in which a video camera is accommodated in a manner that an aperture thereof is directed to the front. The camera is fixed to a rotatable holder which is rotated by an operation of a knob outside the housing, responsively, an angle of declination or elevation of the aperture of the camera is changed. The camera includes a lens system and a solid-state image sensor which converts a light image from the lens system into an electrical signal (video signal), which is mounted on a circuit board. The solid-state image sensor is responsive to at least an infrared light. On the same or the other circuit board, an infrared LED is mounted. The infrared LED is lightened at necessary timing to expose a person or subject in the front of the aperture of the camera.