Digital camera using multiple lenses and image sensors to provide an extended zoom range

An electronic camera for producing a output image of a scene, said electronic camera comprising:

• a first image sensor for generating a first sensor output;
• a first lens having a fixed focal length for forming a first image of the scene on the first image sensor;
• a second image sensor for generating a second sensor output;
• a wide zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a second image of the same scene on the second image sensor, wherein the wide zoom lens is adjustable through a first set of focal lengths between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the second image;
• a third image sensor for generating a third sensor output;
• a tele zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a third image of the same scene on the third image sensor, wherein the tele zoom lens is adjustable through a second set of focal lengths between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the third image;
• a control element for selecting either the first sensor output from the first image sensor, the second sensor output from the second image sensor or the third sensor output from the third image sensor, thereby providing a selected sensor output;
• and
• a processing section for producing the output image from the selected sensor output.

An electronic camera for producing an output image of a scene, said electronic camera comprising:

• a first image sensor for generating a first sensor output;
• a first lens for forming a first image of the scene on the first image sensor;
• a second image sensor for generating a second sensor output;
• a zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a second image of the same scene on the second image sensor, wherein the zoom lens is adjustable between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the second image, and wherein the first and second image sensors are differently sized and an optical path distance between each lens and its image sensor is substantially the same, thereby providing a pair of lens systems which have different effective focal lengths for the same optical path distances;
• a control element for selecting either the first sensor output from the first image sensor or the second sensor output from the second image sensor, thereby providing a selected sensor output;
• and
• a processing section for producing the output image from the selected sensor output.

An electronic camera for producing an output image of a scene, said electronic camera comprising:

• a first image sensor for generating a first sensor output;
• a first lens for forming a first image of the scene on the first image sensor;
• a second image sensor for generating a second sensor output;
• a zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a second image of the same scene on the second image sensor, wherein the zoom lens is adjustable between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the second image;
• wherein the first lens is an additional zoom lens adjustable between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the first image, wherein the maximum focal length of the first lens is less than or equal to the minimum focal length of the zoom lens;
• a control element for selecting either the first sensor output from the first image sensor or the second sensor output from the second image sensor, thereby providing a selected sensor output;
• and
• a processing section for producing the output image from the selected sensor output.

An electronic camera for producing an output image of a scene, said electronic camera comprising:

• a first image sensor for generating a first sensor output;
• a first lens for forming a first image of the scene on the first image sensor, wherein the first lens has a fixed focal length, and wherein the fixed focal length of the first lens has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of less than 25 mm;
• a second image sensor for generating a second sensor output;
• a zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a second image of the same scene on the second image sensor, wherein the zoom lens is adjustable between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the second image;
• a control element for selecting either the first sensor output from the first image sensor or the second sensor output from the second image sensor, thereby providing a selected sensor output;
• and
• a processing section for producing the output image from the selected sensor output.

An electronic camera for producing an output image of a scene, said electronic camera comprising:

• a first image sensor for generating a first sensor output;
• a first lens for forming a first image of the scene on the first image sensor, wherein the first lens has a fixed focal length, and wherein the fixed focal length of the first lens has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of less than 25 mm;
• a second image sensor for generating a second sensor output;
• a zoom lens pointing in the same direction as the first lens and forming a second image of the same scene on the second image sensor, wherein the zoom lens is adjustable between a minimum focal length and a maximum focal length to provide the second image, wherein the minimum focal length of the zoom lens has a 35 mm equivalent focal length of greater than 30 mm;
• a control element for selecting either the first sensor output from the first image sensor or the second sensor output from the second image sensor, thereby providing a selected sensor output;
• and
• a processing section for producing the output image from the selected sensor output.