Focal plane shutter for cameras and digital camera provided with the same

A focal plane shutter for cameras that switch between shooting in a normally open method and shooting in a normally closed method, comprising:

• a first blade-driving unit that keeps a first blade away from an exposure opening while a cocking unit is in a cocking position and keeps the first blade covering the exposure opening while the cocking unit is returning to an initial position, during shooting performed in the normally open method, and keeps the first blade covering the exposure opening from the time the cocking unit is in the cocking position until an exposure operation of the focal plane shutter starts after the cocking unit returns to the initial position, during shooting performed in the normally closed method;
• a second blade-driving first unit engaging with and locked by a locking unit during at least part of a cocking operation of the cocking unit so as to keep a second blade covering the exposure opening, and making the second blade move away from the exposure opening when the second blade-driving first unit is released from the engagement with the locking unit just before the cocking unit reaches the cocking position;
• and
• a second blade-driving second unit rotated by the cocking operation of the cocking unit in a direction bringing the second blade-driving second unit to a cocking state, and rotating the second blade-driving first unit during the exposure operation in a direction in which the second blade-driving first unit is made to perform the exposure operation, so as to make the second blade cover the exposure opening.