View finder and camera having same

A camera comprising:

• a zoom photographing optical system for forming an image of light transmitted through a photographic lens group onto a film;
• aperture varying means for mechanically switching an exposure area of the film between a normal exposure area corresponding to a normal photographing range and a panoramic exposure area which is contracted to be smaller than the normal photographing range, said panoramic exposure area having a contracted lateral side length compared with the normal exposure area and corresponding to a panoramic photographing range, said aperture varying means mechanically switching the exposure area in association with zooming of said zooming photographing optical system and comprising a pair of light intercepting plates and means for moving said light intercepting plates linearly within a plane parallel to a plane of the film;
• and
• a viewfinder for selectively providing a field of view defining a normal field of view and a panoramic field of view in mechanical association with switching of an exposure area by said aperture varying means.

A zoom finder comprising:

• variable power lens groups for varying the zoom finder magnification,
• a field frame varying mechanism for changing a size of a field frame, whereby the finder field of view can be varied in accordance with the change of the field frame by said field frame varying mechanism and the change of the finder magnification;
• and
• means for defining the physical size of an aperture to correspond to the size of said finder field of view.

A zoom lens camera comprising:

• a zoom photographing optical system;
• a zoom finder system separate from said zoom photographing optical system, wherein said zoom finder system includes a magnification varying mechanism which moves variable power lens groups to vary the finder magnification and a field frame varying mechanism which varies the size of a field frame, said magnification varying mechanism and said field frame varying mechanism being driven in accordance with the focal length of said zoom photographing optical system;
• and
• means for defining the physical size of an aperture to correspond to the size resulting in the variance in the field of view of said zoom finder system.

A camera comprising:

• a photographing optical system for forming an image of light transmitted through a photographing lens group onto a film;
• switching means for setting an exposure of the film, said switching means comprising means operable from outside of a camera body;
• aperture varying means for mechanically switching the exposure area of the film, in association with said switching means, between a normal exposure area corresponding to a normal photographing range or a panoramic exposure area smaller than the normal photographing range and corresponding to a panoramic photographing range, said aperture varying means comprising means for moving a pair of light intercepting plates linearly within a plane parallel to a plane of the film to vary the exposure area of the film;
• a view finder selectively defining a variable size field of view;
• and
• means for changing the size of the field of view in mechanical association with mechanical switching of the exposure area of the film by said aperture varying means by selectively blocking predetermined portions of said finder field of view to change a dimension of one of a longitudinal or lateral sides of said finder field of view while the dimension of the other one of said longitudinal or lateral sides remains unchanged.