Method of making photographs of different aspect ratios and a photographic film cartridge, a camera and a photographic printer for use in practicing the method

A photographic system for making photographs comprising:

• a camera, and a photographic printer;
• selecting means for selecting a print aspect ratio of a photographic print to be made from an original frame before photographing said original frame on photographic film;
• recording means for recording trimming data on said photographic film during photographing said original frame, said trimming data representing said selected print aspect ratio;
• reading means for reading said trimming data on said photographic film after development;
• printing means for making a photographic print having said selected print aspect ratio by printing onto photographic paper said original frame at a constant magnification, independently of the selected print aspect ratio represented by said trimming data, said photographic print having a constant dimension in the direction of the width of said photographic paper, regardless of the selected print aspect ratio, wherein said photographic printer comprises a printing paper mask member for masking said photographic paper so as to leave a printing area having said selected print aspect ratio, said printing area being disposed in a printing light path.

A camera comprising:

• an exposure opening for defining an area for recording an original frame on photographic film, said original frame having a predetermined constant taking aspect ratio;
• aspect ratio selecting means for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined print aspect ratios, including a full print aspect ratio which corresponds to said predetermined constant taking aspect ratio, and at least a trimming print aspect ratio which is less than said full print aspect ratio;
• means for masking a field of view of a viewfinder only in a lateral direction symmetrically with respect to a centerline of the viewfinder in accordance with a print aspect ratio selected by said aspect ratio selecting means, said field of view originally having an aspect ratio equal to said predetermined constant taking aspect ratio, said masking means comprising masking elements disposed only at opposed lateral portions of said field of view and Spaced apart in a direction of film advance;
• recording means for recording data as to said selected print aspect ratio for each original frame on a portion of said photographic film outside said original frame, so as to designate the making of a photographic print having said selected print aspect ratio, said photographic print being made either by printing the whole area of said original frame when said full print aspect ratio is selected, or by masking only both lateral sides of said original frame when said trimming print aspect ratio is selected.

A photographic printer for making photographic prints having different print aspect ratios from original frames which are recorded on photographic film at a constant taking aspect ratio, said photographic printer comprising:

• reading means for reading data as to a print aspect ratio from said photographic film, said data being recorded by a camera for each original frame;
• masking means for masking photographic paper on both lateral sides so as to leave a printing area having said print aspect ratio represented by said data read by said reading means, said printing area having a constant dimension in the direction of the width of said photographic paper regardless of said print aspect ratio;
• printing means for printing said original frame within said printing area on said photographic paper at a constant magnification independently of the data as to the print aspect ratio read by said reading means, so as to make a photographic print having both said print aspect ratio and said constant dimension in the direction of the width of said photographic paper;
• and
• transporting means for transporting said photographic paper by an amount which varies in accordance with said print aspect ratio.