US 7,452,144 B2Granted

Camera

AssigneeFUJIFILM Corporation

InventorsKentaro Tokiwa, Takehiko Senba, Hiroshi Tanaka

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Abstract

A camera has a shutter release button, held in an initial position, that is movable from the initial position to a full-pressed position via a half-pressed position. The camera has three detectors for detecting that the shutter release button is in the initial, half-pressed and full-pressed positions respectively. When the first detector detects that the shutter release button is displaced from the initial position, it is determined that the shutter release is being activated, so the camera starts preparatory operations for shooting. When the second detector detects the shutter release button in the half-pressed position, the camera completes preparatory operations for shooting. When the third detector detects that shutter release button in the full-pressed position, the camera carries out an actual shutter release to write image data on a memory card.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A camera comprising:

a shutter release button that is held in an initial position while being not pressed, and is movable from said initial position to a full-pressed position via a half-pressed position;
a position detecting device for detecting whether said shutter release button is in the initial position or not, in the half-pressed position or not, or in the full-pressed position or not;
and
a control device for controlling operations of the camera in accordance with the position of said shutter release button, such that the camera carries out a first operation step when said position detecting device detects that said shutter release button is displaced from the initial position, a second operation step when said position detecting device detects that said shutter release button comes to the half-pressed position, and a third operation step when said position detecting device detects that said shutter release button comes to the full-pressed position, wherein shooting is carried out in said second operation step and/or said third operation step.

1 more element

A method for controlling a camera including a shutter release button that is held in an initial position while being not pressed, and is movable from said initial position to a full-pressed position via a half pressed position, the method comprising:

detecting whether said shutter release button is in the initial position, the half-pressed position, or the full-pressed position;
and
controlling operations of the camera in accordance with the position of said shutter release button, such that the camera carries out a first operation step when it is detected that said shutter release button is displaced from the initial position, a second operation step when it is detected that said shutter release button comes to the half-pressed position, and a third operation step when it is detected that said shutter release button comes to the full-pressed position, wherein shooting is carried out in said second operation step and/or said third operation step.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.