GB2208946A

GB2208946A - Camera for making composite photographs

Info

Publication number: GB2208946A
Application number: GB8819921A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arthur Blank
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-08-21
Filing date: 1988-08-22
Publication date: 1989-04-19
Also published as: GB8819921D0

Abstract

A camera (10) for making a composite photograph includes a transparent ancillary lens element (22) with frosted sides attached in front of the camera lens (14) by shoulders (26, 28) element (22) having (a) a cylindrical aperture (32) covering the central portion of lens (14), and (b) a predetermined thickness and width relative to the aperture, the camera lens focal length and to the corresponding aspect to distance ratio of the camera to provide a central area (44) in the film plane in sharp focus and to provide an area surrounding the central area in sharp focus of uniform light and colour. A transparent film template (40), inserted directly in front of the film plane, has indicia (56) thereon in the area of uniform light and colour, whereby a composite photograph of subject (50) and indicia (56) can be produced using light (54). Aperture (32) need not be cylindrical or central in element (22) (see Fig 6). <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for making a composite photograph and, more particularly, relates to a novel ancillary lens element and a film template for use with a camera for making a composite photograph.

Conventional film cameras for still pictures comprise an enclosure with an aperture provided with an optical lens or system of lenses through which light from an object or scene passes and forms an image on a lightsensitive material in a film plane parallel to the plane of the lens. A single object or scene normally can be photographed although it is known to make partial exposures of portions of the film negative by selectively covering portions of the camera lens in a sequence of steps.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple ancillary lens element to a conventional camera such as an "instant" POLAROID (TM) camera to simultaneously make composite pictures showing a plurality of scenes or objects in a single photograph.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the apparatus of the present invention for making a composite photograph with a camera having a conventional lens for receiving light through an aperture for impingement on film in a film plane within the camera comprises a clear ancillary lens element, means for attachment of said ancillary lens element to the camera in front of the camera lens, said ancillary lens element being at least coextensive with the camera lens and having a front aperture extending through to a portion of the camera lens, said ancillary lens element having a predetermined thickness and width relative to the front aperture, the camera lens focal length and to the corresponding aspect to distance ratio of the camera to provide an area in the film plane in sharp focus and an area, surrounding at Least a portion of said area in sharp focus, of uniform light and colour, and a transparent film template for insertion net to and directly in front of the camera film plane having indicia or a picture thereon in the area of uniform light and colour, whereby a composite photograph can be produced having a true likeness of a scene photographed adjacent a scene from the film template.

More particularly, the aperture formed in the ancillary lens preferably is cylindrical or U-shaped and is centrally located in front of the camera lens. The template has a circular or U-shaped scene thereon coextensive with the area of uniform light and colour adjacent the film plane for producing a central scene of true likeness of the scene photographed surrounded by a scene from the film template.

The preferred embodiment of the ancillary lens element has a transparent lateral extension adapted to extend over the view-finder lens of the camera, said lateral extension having a circular aperture therein superimposed rover the viewfinder lens to optimally compensate for degrees of parallax to correspond with the aperture in the ancillary lens element whereby the scene of true likeness to be photographed can be centrally located with respect to the ancillary lens element aperture. The means for attachment of the ancillary lens element to the camera comprises upper and lower transverse shoulders formed on the ancillary lens element adjacent rear edges thereof for insertion into and engagement with and engagement with opposed flanges on the camera adjacent the camera lens.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR,NiINGS Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a camera having the ancillary lens element of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view, partly in elevation, illustrating the relationship of the ancillary lens element and camera lens to the film template and film magazine; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the ancillary lens element of the invention; Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the apparatus of the invention in combination with a camera, showing the principals of operation; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a transparent film template with graphics thereon in combination with a film cassette; Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of ancillary lens element; and Figure 7 is a plan view of a composite photograph made with the ancillary lens element shown in Figure 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The apparatus of the invention as shown in Figure 1 comprises a camera 10 such as an "instant" POLAROID (TM) camera sold as the SPECTRA SYSTEM (TM). Camera 10 comprises body 12 with lens 14. A chamber 16 receives a magazine or cassette 18 containing film to be positioned in the film plane depicted by the numeral 20.

Ancillary lens elements 22, 23 shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 6 are adapted to be secured to the front of the embodiment'of camera 10 illustrated by means of upper and lower shoulders 2A, 26 which engage mating flanges 28. 30 in the camera front face.

Ancillary lens element 22 comprises a rectangular body having a cylindrical aperture 32 extending from the front of lens element 22 through to camera lens 14. The front and rear faces of lens element 22 are clear, the sides thereof being frosted to control the amount of refraction of light sithin the lens element 22. .Ancillarn lens element 22 has a lateral extension 34 in the plane of the rear surface 36 with an aperture 38 adapted to be aligned with a viewfinder lens normally located beside the main camera lens to optically compensate for degrees of parallax with the camera lens. Aperture 38 is parallax corrected from aperture 32 of lens element 22 such that the user of the camera is able to position the subject to be photographed as desired relative to aperture 32.

Ancillary lens element 22 has a predetermined thickness and width relative to the diameter of aperture 32 and with the focal length of the camera.

Transparent film template 40, illustrated more clearly in Figure 5, is mounted on cassette housing 42 adjacent the uppermost film positioned therein such that template 40 is positioned adjacent the film plane 20 of the camera. Template 40 has indicia such as graphics, pictures or symbols printed or drawn thereon surrounding a central area 44. A shoulder 46 is formed transversely of template 40 for abutment against inner edge 48 of the cassette 42 to accurately index and align template 40 in the top thereof to prevent ejection of the template with the film.

With reference now to Figure 4, the central portion 44 of an area in the film plane 20 established by the diameter of opening 32 in ancillary lens element 22 and by the focal length of the lens 14 of the camera and the camera aspect to distance ratio will be in sharp focus and will render a true likeness and photographic representation of the scene photographed, such as a person's face on film 52 or full body length by use of the embodiment of lens element 65 shown in Figure 6.

Ancillary lens element 22 concentrates light from a source such as strobe flash 5 and provides by refraction an annulus or band 56 of uniform light and colour about the periphery of lens element 22 to provent a photographic representation of the scene photographed in the area 56 outside area 44 and to provide uniform illumination to transparent template 40.

Transparent film template 40, which is inserted next to and directly in front oE the film in film plane 20 has indicia 56 arranged in a circular, U-shaped or desired pattern coextensive with band 56 of the ancillary lens element 22 such that template 28 functions to provide a contact print representation 56 on film 52 about at last a portion of the periphery of try photographic representation 44.

A composite picture thus can be simultaneously prepared having a true likeness of a scene or object photographed in the center of the picture surrounded by graphics, symbols, names or the like indicia provided by the film template. The composite picture such as produced by an integral film POLAROID (TM) camera, which has a plastic-like covering thereon, can be mounted on badges for identification purposes, novelties or the like.

A rectangular ancillary lens element 22 having a thickness of 1 9/16" and a height of 1 3/8" with a 3/4" central aperture was found to be satisfactory with a 1" diameter lens having a 105mm focal length of a POLAROID (TM) SPECTRA SYSTEM (TM) camera. The lens opening was set with a range of f 5.6 to f 64 for a 600 ASA film speed.

The resulting picture had a circular finished diameter of 2 1/2". A picture having a circular finished diameter of 3" can be'produced by means of an aperture opening 32 of 1".

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of purview of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

I CLAIM

1. An apparatus for making a composite photograph with a camera having a conventional lens for receiving light through an aperture for impingement on film in a film plane within the camera comprising, in combination, a clear, ancillary lens element, means for attachment of said ancillary lens element to the camera in front of the camera lens, said ancillary lens element being at least coextensive with the camera lens and having a front aperture extending through to a portion of the camera lens, said ancillary lens element having a predetermined thickness and width relative to the front aperture and to the camera lens focal length to provide an area in the film plane in sharp focus and an area, surrounding at least a portion of said area in sharp focus, of uniform light and colour, and a transparent film template for insertion next to and directly in front of the camera film plane having indicia or a picture thereon in the area of uniform light and colour, whereby a composite photograph can be produced having a true likeness of a scene photographed adjacent a scene from the film template.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said aperture is cylindrical and is centrally located in front of the camera lens, and wherein said template has a circular scene thereon coextensive with the area of uniform light and colour for producing a central scene of true likeness of a scene photographed surrounded at least partially by a-scene from the film template.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said camera has a viewfinder lens laterally offset from the camera lens, and wherein said ancillary lens element has a transparent lateral extension extending over the viewfinder lens, said lateral extension having an aperture therein superimposed over the viewfinder lens adapted to opticallTh compensate for degrees of parallax to correspond with the cylindrical aperture in the ancillary lens element whereby the scene of true likeness to be photographed can be centrally located with respect to the ancillary lens aperture.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for attachment of the ancillary lens element to the camera comprises upper and lower transverse shoulders formed on the ancillary lens element adjacent rear edges thereof for insertion into opposed flanges formed on the camera adjacent the camera lens.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transparent film template has a transverse shoulder formed thereon for engagement with an abutment in the film cassette for indexing and aligning said template relative to the film cassette.