JP2004117939A - Electronic flash light guide unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To evenly illuminate an object by utilizing an electronic flash light provided to a camera in close-up photography. <P>SOLUTION: An attachable/detachable electronic flash light guide unit 5 has: an electronic flash light incidence port 8 to be placed on the front surface of an electronic flash light emission window 4 of a camera 1 in the case of mounting the electronic flash light guide unit 5 to the camera 1; an electronic flash light emission surface 9 to be arranged near the first surface 3 of a photographic lens of the camera 1; and a light guide means arranged between the electronic flash light incidence part 8 and the electronic flash light emission surface 9. The electronic flash light guide unit 5 is mounted on the camera 1 in close-up photography. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a detachable strobe light guide unit that is attached to a camera equipped with a strobe at the time of close-up photography.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Many ordinary cameras are equipped with a strobe to enable shooting under conditions where the brightness required for shooting cannot be obtained. In such a camera, the first surface of the photographic lens opens at a substantially central portion of the front surface of the camera, whereas the strobe light exit window is usually in the upper right corner toward the camera on the front surface of the camera, that is, the photographic lens. It is often provided at a position away from the first surface. This is also to prevent the red-eye phenomenon that the eyes of the subject person become red when using the strobe.
[0003]
Therefore, if the flash is fired during close-up shooting when shooting with the camera close to the subject, the flash light will not be sufficiently diffused, so the subject cannot be illuminated uniformly, and part of the subject will be overexposed, There is a problem that the shadow of the lens barrel enters.
[0004]
Therefore, in the camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, in addition to the first strobe light exit window located at a position separated from the taking lens, a second strobe light exit window is provided so as to surround the first surface of the taking lens. In addition, a light guide means such as an optical fiber for guiding the strobe light from the light emitting section to the second strobe light exit window is provided, and in the normal shooting mode, the optical path of the strobe light from the light emitting section is set. In the close-up mode, the optical path is switched to the direction leading to the second strobe light exit window.
[0005]
Further, in the camera disclosed in Patent Document 2, a strobe light emitting part is provided in the camera body so that it can be moved in and out, and a light diffusing member is provided in the vicinity of the outer peripheral part of the first surface of the photographing lens. The strobe light from the strobe light emitting unit housed in the camera is guided to the light diffusing member through the light guiding means, and the strobe light emitting unit is popped up from the camera body during normal photographing.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1] JP 2000-147612 A
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-131809
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the cameras disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above have the advantage that the subject can be illuminated uniformly during close-up photography, but both have the disadvantage that a special mechanism must be built into the camera. It was what had.
[0009]
In view of the above-described circumstances, the present invention is a strobe light that can uniformly illuminate a subject using a strobe light emitter provided in a normal camera that does not include a special mechanism during close-up photography. The object is to provide an optical unit.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a stroboscopic light guide unit that can be detachably attached to a camera having a stroboscopic light exit window at a position away from the first surface of the photographic lens,
When the unit is attached to the camera, a strobe light incident port disposed in front of the strobe light exit window of the camera, a strobe light exit surface disposed in the vicinity of the first surface of the photographing lens of the camera, and the strobe light A light guide means is provided between the entrance and the strobe light exit surface.
[0011]
Here, “close” means that the subject is closer to the center of the first surface of the photographing lens than the strobe light exit window.
[0012]
The strobe light exit surface of the strobe light guiding unit is preferably arranged so as to surround the first surface of the photographing lens of the camera, but may be divided into two or more around the first surface of the photographing lens. Good. Alternatively, it may be arranged in the vicinity of the first surface of the taking lens without being divided.
[0013]
As the light guiding means, a plurality of optical fibers, glass or plastic blocks, cavities and the like can be used. Further, in order to efficiently guide the strobe light from the strobe light incident port to the light guide unit, a condensing unit such as a cylindrical lens or a diffraction lens may be provided between the strobe light incident port and the light guide unit. Further, in order to illuminate the subject more uniformly, an illumination lens, a diffusion plate, and the like may be provided on the strobe light exit surface.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
The strobe light guide unit according to the present invention includes a strobe light incident port disposed in front of the strobe light exit window of the camera and a strobe light exit surface disposed in the vicinity of the first surface of the photographing lens when attached to the camera. Since it has a light guide means such as an optical fiber in between and is configured to be detachably attached to the camera, it is only necessary to attach this strobe light guide unit to a camera with a strobe light emission window, that is, special Without providing any mechanism on the camera side, it is possible to perform close-up shooting of a uniformly illuminated subject.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a camera to which a strobe light guide unit according to the present invention is attached. A lens barrel 2 containing a photographing lens projects from the center of the front surface of the camera 1. The photographic lens first surface 3 is open. A strobe light exit window 4 is provided at the upper right corner of the camera 1 in front of the camera.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a strobe light guide unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the strobe light guide unit is attached to the camera of FIG.
[0018]
A strobe light guide unit 5 shown in FIG. 2 includes a cylindrical portion 6 that is detachably fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical lens barrel 2 of the camera 1 shown in FIG. The strobe light incident port 8 is opened on the back side of the front end of the channel portion 7, and the annular front surface of the cylindrical portion 6 has a strobe light emitting surface 9. Forming.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of optical fibers 10 as light guiding means are extended through the channel portion 7 between the strobe light entrance 8 and the strobe light exit surface 9 (see FIG. 4). 4, only two optical fibers 10 are drawn, and the other is omitted.) One end face of these optical fibers 10 has a strobe light incident port as shown in the cross-sectional views of the main part in FIGS. 8, the other end face of the optical fiber 10 is aligned with the strobe light exit surface 9 at substantially equal intervals.
[0020]
When the strobe light guide unit 5 having such a configuration is attached to the camera 1 in the manner shown in FIG. 3, the strobe light incident port 8 becomes the strobe light of the camera 1 as shown in the cross-sectional views of the main part in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is arranged in close contact with the front surface of the exit window 4.
[0021]
Therefore, when the strobe light emitting section S of the camera 1 emits light, the strobe light emitted forward from the strobe light exit window 4 is one of the plurality of optical fibers 10 aligned with the strobe light entrance 8 of the strobe light guide unit 5. The light enters the optical fiber 10 from the end face, propagates through the optical fiber 10, and exits forward from the other end face.
[0022]
That is, the strobe light is uniformly irradiated from the annular strobe light exit surface 9 of the strobe light guide unit 5, and this allows the subject to be illuminated uniformly during close-up photography, so that part of the subject is overexposed. And the shadow of the lens barrel 2 does not enter. It is essential that the distance from the center of the photographing lens first surface 3 to the outer periphery of the strobe light exit surface 9 is shorter than the distance from the center of the photographing lens first surface 3 to the center of the strobe light exit window 4. Needless to say.
[0023]
As is apparent from the above description, when the strobe light guide unit 5 according to the present invention is used, no special mechanism is provided on the camera side, and no special strobe device such as a ring strobe device is used. In addition, good close-up flash photography is possible. Then, simply removing the strobe light guide unit 5 from the camera 1 enables normal strobe photography other than close-up photography.
[0024]
In the present embodiment, an annular strobe light exit surface 9 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may have a shape other than an annular shape. For example, it may be of a type in which the strobe light exit surface is provided at the top and bottom and the left and right of the photographing lens. Further, the light guiding means is not limited to the optical fiber 10, and a prism or the like may be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a camera to which a strobe light guiding unit according to the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a strobe light guiding unit according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the strobe light guide unit of FIG. 2 is partially omitted. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of FIG.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Lens barrel 3 Shooting lens 1st surface 4 Strobe light emission window 5 Strobe light light guide unit 6 Cylindrical part 7 Channel part 8 Strobe light entrance 9 Strobe light emission surface 10 Optical fiber (light guide means)

Claims (3)

A stroboscopic light guide unit detachably attachable to a camera having a stroboscopic light exit window at a position away from the first surface of the photographic lens,
A strobe light incident port disposed in front of the strobe light exit window of the camera when the unit is attached to the camera; a strobe light exit surface disposed in the vicinity of the first surface of the camera taking lens; A strobe light guide unit, comprising: a light guide means disposed between a strobe light entrance and the strobe light exit surface. 2. The strobe light guiding unit according to claim 1, wherein the strobe light emitting surface is disposed so as to surround a first surface of the photographing lens of the camera. The strobe light guide unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light guide means comprises a plurality of optical fibers.

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