Imaging apparatus with belt driven simultaneous filter unit movement

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• an imaging element including an imaging surface on which light from a subject is incident;
• a first filter unit including a first optical filter;
• a second filter unit including a second optical filter;
• and
• a drive mechanism configured to move the first filter unit in parallel in a second direction intersecting a first direction being a normal direction of the imaging surface and between a first filtering position and a first retraction position, while moving the second filter unit in parallel in the second direction at a position in the first direction different from the first filter unit and between a second filtering position and a second retraction position,
• wherein the first filtering position is a position at which the first optical filter is present in front of the imaging surface of the imaging element,
• wherein the second filtering position is a position at which the second optical filter is present in front of the imaging surface,
• wherein the first retraction position is a position at which the first optical filter is deviated from a front of the imaging surface,
• wherein the second retraction position is a position at which the second optical filter is deviated from a front of the imaging surface,
• wherein the drive mechanism includes
• a belt member including a first portion and a second portion each linearly extending in the second direction and spaced apart parallel to each other the first portion being coupled to the first filter unit and the second portion being coupled to the second filter unit, and
• a belt drive member configured to rotate in a state where the belt member is partially wound, the belt drive member rotating to move the first portion of the belt member to which the first filter unit is coupled in the second direction while simultaneously moving the second portion of the belt member to which the second filter unit is coupled in the second direction, the first portion and the second portion moving in opposite directions,
• wherein, by rotation of the belt drive member, the first filter unit is moved from the first retraction position to the first filtering position while the second filter unit is moved simultaneously in an opposite moving direction from the second filtering position to the second retraction position, and
• wherein, by rotation of the belt drive member, the first filter unit is moved from the first filtering position to the first retraction position while the second filter unit is moved simultaneously in an opposite moving direction from the second retraction position to the second filtering position.