Abstract: A camera is capable of displacing a phototaking optical system in the direction of the optical axis by a drive source such as motor and setting the optical system to a plurality of positions.

Abstract: A camera containing a lens barrier therein is comprised of a helicoid rotatable about the optic axis, a rectilinear barrel threadably engaged with the inner side of the helicoid and having a holding portion for a lens barrier holding a photo-taking lens and protecting the photo-taking lens, a guide plate extending in the direction of the optic axis and engaged with the rectilinear barrel to rectilinearly guide the same through a cut-away groove, and a lens barrier held in the lens barrier holding portion and opened and closed in front of the photo-taking lens. The guide plate and the lens barriers are designed so as to be capable of overlapping each other in the direction of the optic axis, and the guide plate is designed so as not to hamper the opening-closing of the lens barriers even when they are in the overlapping position.

Abstract: Variable focus camera includes primary and secondary lens systems, in which only the primary lens system is used for wide angle shots while the combination of the primary with the secondary lens system is used for telephoto shots.The variable focus camera can exactly and positively control the focus change region, the automatic focusing region and other regions.