Viewing apparatus

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a viewing apparatus for use with an optical viewing apparatus, such as a binocular, a telescope or a spotting-scope, in which an image of an object which can be viewed by a viewer's eye(s) can be photographed or captured as an image by a camera.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The present invention will be discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a side view of one of a pair of telescopes which constitute a binocular, according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a side view of one of a pair of telescopes of a binocular, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

#In FIG. 1, which shows one of a pair of telescopes constituting a binocular, the telescope 11 comprises an objective lens group L1 which constitutes an objective optical system, and an ocular lens group (ocular optical system) L2 which constitutes an eyepiece optical system, arranged in that order from the field side. A half mirror (beam splitting optical system) 21 which constitutes a beam splitter is provided between the objective lens group L1 and an image erecting prism P. Light incident upon the objective lens group L1 from the field is converged by the objective lens group L1. The light is partly transmitted through the half mirror 21 and is reflected by the image erecting prism P so as to form a real erect image on an image forming surface FP. The erect image formed on the image forming surface FP is enlarged and can be viewed through the ocular lens group L2. Note that in the telescope 11 of the illustrated embodiment, the ocular lens group L2 is attached to an eyepiece barrel 15 which is movable in the optical axis direction relative to an objective lens barrel 13 to which the objective lens group L1 and the prism P are mounted. Focusing is carried out by moving the eyepiece barrel 15 in the optical axis direction. In the drawings, EP represents the exit pupil.

#The optical path of the light reflected by the half mirror 21 is provided therein with a negative lens (optical element) 23. The light emitted from the negative lens 23 is emitted from a camera attachment/detachment opening 17 which is formed in the objective lens barrel 13 to define a photographing optical system attachment/detachment portion. As a photographing optical system, an electronic camera such as a digital still camera 31 can be detachably attached to the camera attachment/detachment opening 17.

#The light emitted from the camera attachment/detachment opening 17 is made incident upon a photographing lens 33 of the digital still camera 31 attached to the camera attachment/detachment opening 17, so that an object image is formed on an image pickup device 35. The digital still camera 31 is provided on its main body with a liquid crystal display (LCD) 37 so that the object image formed on the image pickup device 35 is picked up and displayed in the LCD 37. Namely, an object image in the field of view, substantially corresponding to the object image in the field of view which can be viewed through the ocular lens group L2 is displayed in the LCD 37.