Digital camera having multiple image taking modes

A digital camera comprising:

• an image sensor disposed at a position at which an image is to be formed by a taking lens;
• and
• an optical element movable between an advanced position intersecting at an inclination an optical path from the taking lens to said image sensor, and a retracted position removed from the optical path,
• wherein said digital camera is controllable under a first photographic mode wherein said optical element is set at the advanced position for photography, said image sensor receiving said image through the semitransparent mirror in said advanced position, and a second photographic mode wherein said optical element is set at the retracted position for photography, said image sensor receiving said image from said taking lens in the retracted position, and the optical path lengths from the taking lens to said image sensor are equalized in the first photographic mode and the second photographic mode by moving the taking lens in a direction along the optical axis of the taking lens.

A digital camera comprising:

• an image sensor disposed at a position at which an image is to be formed by a taking lens;
• a recorder for recording on a recording medium the image sensed by said image sensor in accordance with recording instructions;
• a semitransparent mirror which rotates about an axis in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the taking lens so as to move between an advanced position intersecting at an inclination the optical path from the taking lens to the image sensor so that a first portion of the light transmitted by the taking lens is reflected by the semitransparent mirror and a second portion of the light transmitted by the taking lens forms an image on the image sensor, and a retracted position removed from the optical path so that substantially all of the light transmitted by the taking lens forms an image on the image sensor;
• an optical finder providing an image by directing the light reflected by said semitransparent mirror at the advanced position from the taking lens to the eye of a user;
• and
• a display portion which displays the image sensed by said image sensor, said display portion displaying the image which is formed at the image sensor with second portion of the light transmitted through the semitransparent mirror at the advanced position from the taking lens.

A digital camera comprising:

• an image sensor disposed at a position at which an image is to be formed by a taking lens;
• and
• an optical element movable between an advanced position interposed at an inclination in an optical path from the taking lens to said image sensor, and a retracted position where the optical element is not interposed in the optical path from the taking lens to the image sensor,
• wherein said digital camera is controllable under a first photographic mode wherein said optical element is set at the advanced position for photography, and a second photographic mode wherein said optical element is set at the retracted position for photography, and the optical path lengths from the taking lens to said image sensor are equalized in the first photographic mode and the second photographic mode by moving the image sensor.