Zooming and focusing mechanism of camera

A camera comprising:

• a first lens group which executes focusing operation;
• a second lens group which moves relative to the first lens group to execute zooming operation;
• and
• a lens barrel which carries the first lens group and the second lens group, so that each of the first lens group and the second lens group can move along a zooming line including a plurality of focusing regions and a plurality of zooming regions in which a focusing region and a zooming region alternate with each other,
• wherein a whole zooming area including the plurality of focusing regions and the plurality of zooming regions is divided into a plurality of zooming sub-areas, and
• wherein a feeding amount of the first lens group in one of the zooming sub-areas is different from that of the first lens group in one of the others of the zooming sub-areas.

A zoom camera comprising:

• a camera body;
• and
• a zoom lens barrel which is mounted on the camera body,
• wherein the zoom lens barrel comprises:
• a fixed barrel which is stationary relative to the camera body;
• a rotatable barrel which is connected to the fixed barrel via a helicoid and which is linearly fed relative to the fixed barrel with its rotating relative to the fixed barrel in a whole zooming area;
• and
• a plurality of lens groups that include a focusing lens group, each of which moves along a zooming line including a plurality of focusing sections and a plurality of zooming sections in which a focusing section and a zooming section alternate with each other, and that move in a direction of an optical axis relative to the rotatable barrel with their changing relative position when the rotatable barrel is forwarded,
• wherein, in each of the focusing sections, the focusing lens group is linearly fed relative to a rotational angle of the rotatable barrel,
• wherein the whole zooming area including the focusing sections and the zooming sections is divided into a wideangle-side zooming sub-area and a telephoto-side zooming sub-area,
• wherein, in the focusing sections which belong to one of the wideangle-side zooming sub-area and the telephoto-side zooming sub-area, the forwarding amounts of the focusing lens group relative to the rotational angle of the rotatable barrel in the focusing sections are equal to each other, and the forwarding amounts of the focusing lens group relative to the rotational angle of the rotatable barrel in the wideangle-side zooming sub-area and in the telephoto-side zooming sub-area are different from each other,
• wherein, in the wideangle-side zooming sub-area, the focusing lens group does not move relative to the rotatable barrel, and
• wherein, in the telephoto-side zooming sub-area, a helicoid formed on a carrying frame for the focusing lens group and a helicoid formed on the rotational barrel cooperates with each other, so that the focusing lens group is linearly fed relative to the rotational barrel.