Parallax correction for close focus
AssigneeConcord Camera Corp.
InventorWilfried Bittner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A parallax compensation system and method is provided for a camera including an independent viewfinder. For close focus pictures, the camera's taking lens is shifted towards the viewfinder. In one embodiment, for far focus pictures the camera's taking lens is moved away from the viewfinder and is not centered on the image recording medium axis. The lens shifting is accomplished by mounting the taking lens eccentrically in a lens barrel. Rotation of the lens barrel shifts the taking lens towards the independent viewfinder for close focus shots. In one embodiment, the viewfinder axis is tilted towards the taking lens to help eliminate parallax in close focus pictures.
Claims20
A camera, comprising:
- a viewfinder including an ocular lens and an objective lens, a viewfinder axis defined through the center of said ocular lens and said objective lens;
- an image recording medium, an image recording medium axis defined perpendicular to a plane containing said image recording medium;
- actuation means for selectively capturing an image on said image recording medium;
- a taking lens aligned with said image recording medium;
- a parallax correction mechanism in communication with said taking lens, said parallax correction mechanism having a close focus mode and a far focus mode, wherein operation of said parallax correction mechanism rotates said taking lens towards said viewfinder axis in said close focus mode.
A camera, comprising:
- a main body including a viewfinder aperture therethrough and a lens barrel aperture, said lens barrel aperture aligned with an image recording medium;
- a lens barrel rotatably engaged within the lens barrel aperture;
- a viewfinder assembly seated within the viewfinder aperture, a viewfinder axis defined therethrough;
- and
- a taking lens assembly mounted in said lens barrel assembly;
- wherein rotation of said lens barrel in a first direction moves said taking lens assembly closer to the viewfinder axis.
A method of correcting parallax in a camera having a viewfinder and a viewfinder axis defined through the center of the viewfinder, an image recording medium, an image recording medium axis defined perpendicular to a plane containing the image recording medium, and a taking lens aligned with the image recording medium, comprising the steps of:
- rotating the taking lens towards the viewfinder axis for a close focus picture;
- and recording the desired image on the recording medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.