JP2005175843A - Video camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video camera of good usability in a movable structure and arrangement of an external display panel of the video camera. <P>SOLUTION: The video camera comprises a finder unit (2) which is fitted to the tip of a support member (3) extending from a camera body (1) and is equipped with an eye piece, and an external display panel (5) with which an imaged video can be displayed toward the outside of the camera body. The external display panel is attached on the finder unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to the arrangement and movable structure of an external display panel in a video camera.

  13 to 15 show the arrangement of liquid crystal displays connected to a conventional video camera (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). As shown in FIG. 13, a liquid crystal display 5 of a video camera used in a conventional shoulder-mounting style has a main body side opposite to the side where a right hand grip portion (not shown) for holding the camera main body 1 is provided. In addition, the liquid crystal display surface is arranged in parallel to the optical axis so as to have the same shape as the side surface shape of the camera body 1 and is stored in the camera body so that the liquid crystal display surface is hidden.

When shooting or using the liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal display 5 can be pulled out by the rotary hinge mechanisms 6 and 7 to adjust the orientation and angle of the liquid crystal display 5 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the liquid crystal display 5 is used as a photographing monitor when a photographer performs photographing at a low angle and a high angle, or is used as a recording monitor after photographing.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-83209 (paragraph number 0024, FIG. 1, FIG. 6, etc.) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-294029 (paragraph numbers 0017, 0020, 0021, FIG. 2, etc.)

  As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, in a conventional shoulder-mount video camera, the eyepiece window 2 a of the finder unit 2 is not arranged on the rear surface side of the camera body 1 and is configured separately from the camera body 1. The finder unit 2 is connected to the camera body 1 via the stay 3. The finder unit 2 is arranged on the front side of the camera body in the same manner as the right hand grip part (not shown) in consideration of ergonomic viewpoint and holding balance, and the right hand grip part is provided for the camera body 1. It is arranged on the opposite side to the side.

  However, the video camera configuration described above has the following problems.

  1. Since the grip portion is positioned on the front side of the camera body so as to obtain a good holding balance, when the camera body 1 is held via the grip portion, the display surface of the liquid crystal display 5 and the eyes of the photographer are It becomes extremely close and it is impossible for the photographer to use the liquid crystal display 5 as a photographing monitor.

  2. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the liquid crystal display 5 is pulled out from the camera body 1, the liquid crystal display 5 is positioned behind the eyepiece window 2 a, so that the liquid crystal display 5 makes it difficult to look into the eyepiece window 2 a. ing.

  3. At the time of shooting, the photographer looks into the eyepiece window 2a, and at the same time, a person other than the photographer, such as a program director, wants to check the captured image by looking at the liquid crystal display 5. However, in the conventional video camera configuration, When the photographer is looking through the eyepiece window 2a, the liquid crystal display 5 cannot be put into use.

  4). Since the liquid crystal display 5 is housed on the side surface of the camera body 1, there is no space for arranging operation switches on the camera body 1. As a result, it is necessary to secure a separate space for placing switches that must be operated during shooting, but in this case, the operability may deteriorate depending on the placement location of the switches, The camera body 1 is increased in size due to an increase in the arrangement space.

  A video camera according to the present invention includes a finder unit that is attached to a distal end portion of a support member that extends from a camera body and includes an eyepiece, and an external display panel that can display a captured image facing outside the camera body. And an external display panel is mounted on the finder unit.

  The video camera of the present invention can be used while being held on the shoulder of the photographer.

  According to the present invention, since the external display panel is mounted on the finder unit, the external display panel can be configured to be easier to use than the conventional case of mounting on the camera body. In addition, since the external display panel is provided in the finder unit, the degree of freedom of arrangement of switches and the like in the camera body can be increased as compared with the case where the external display panel is provided in the camera body as in the past. Thereby, operativity, such as a switch, can be improved.

  By attaching the external display panel closer to the support member than the eyepiece on the viewfinder unit, the external display panel can look into the eyepiece without obstructing it. Other than the photographer can observe the display on the external display panel.

  By making the external display panel rotatable with respect to the finder unit, the orientation of the display surface of the external display panel can be changed to make it easy to see the captured image.

  The external display panel can be rotated relative to the finder unit to a storage position where the display surface is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the finder unit. Can be stored.

  By making the finder unit rotatable with respect to the support member, the position of the eyepiece can be changed according to the posture of holding the camera body, and the position of the external display panel can be changed.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  A video camera that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the liquid crystal display 5 is housed. A separate finder unit 2 is connected to the shoulder-mounted video camera body 1 via a stay (support member) 3. This stay 3 is provided in the upper front part of the video camera body 1.

  The finder unit 2 connected to the video camera main body 1 by a stay 3 is connected to the stay 3 by a hinge shaft 4 and can be rotated around the axis of the hinge shaft 4 (shown by a one-dot chain line A in the figure). It has become.

  The liquid crystal display 5 is housed in a state where it is arranged in a horizontal state with the liquid crystal display surface facing down on the top of the finder unit 2. The liquid crystal display 5 is connected to the finder unit 2 via a hinge part 6 and a hinge part 7, and is rotated around two axes (indicated by alternate long and short dashed lines B and C in FIG. 1) with respect to the finder unit 2. It is possible to move.

  The liquid crystal display 5 is formed so as to be within the region of the finder unit 2 in the horizontal direction, that is, in the same shape as the horizontal sectional shape of the finder unit 2. As a result, when the video camera is carried or when the liquid crystal display 5 is not used for shooting, the external display 5 in the stored state does not protrude from the finder unit 2 and does not get in the way, realizing good operability. Yes.

  The liquid crystal display 5 and the finder unit 2 are connected by two rotating hinges. The hinge portion 6 is disposed in parallel with the lens optical axis of the lens barrel 9 and is connected to the finder unit 2. A hinge portion 7 having an axis orthogonal to the axis of the hinge portion 6 is connected to the liquid crystal display 5.

  On the other hand, the camera body 1 is provided with a shoulder portion 10 that is placed on the shoulder of the photographer and a grip portion 11.

  2 and 3 show a first use state of the liquid crystal display 5 in the video camera according to the present embodiment. The liquid crystal display 5 arranged on the upper part of the finder unit 2 can be brought into the first use state by rotating around the axis of the hinge part 6 and the hinge part 7. In this first use state, since the display surface of the liquid crystal display 5 faces the same direction as the eyepiece window 2a, the photographer can look into the eyepiece window 2a and display on the liquid crystal display 5. Can be observed.

  In this first use state, the liquid crystal display 5 rises on the upper surface portion of the finder unit 2 and can rotate about the axes of the hinge portions 4 to 7, so that the liquid crystal display plate 5 a of the liquid crystal display 5 is Therefore, the optimal arrangement corresponding to the photographing posture of the photographer can be achieved. Since the liquid crystal display 5 in use is on the upper surface of the finder unit 2 and rises in front of the eyepiece window 2a, when the photographer looks into the eyepiece window 2a and shoots a program other than the photographer A director or the like can confirm the photographing contents simultaneously with the photographer via the liquid crystal display 5.

  4 and 5 show a second use state of the liquid crystal display 5 in the video camera of the present embodiment. This second use state shows a state in which the finder unit 2 in the first use state is rotated about 180 degrees around the axis A of the hinge portion 4.

  In the second use state, the liquid crystal display 5 is located below the finder unit 2 and is located in front of the camera body 1 compared to the first use state. Thereby, the distance from the photographer's eye position is increased, and the liquid crystal display 5 can be disposed at an appropriate clear vision distance, and can be used as a “shooting monitor”.

  In this state, the liquid crystal display plate 5a of the liquid crystal display 5 can be moved to an optimum arrangement corresponding to the photographing posture of the photographer by rotating the finder unit 2 around the axis of the hinge portion 4.

  According to the present embodiment, since the liquid crystal display 5 is provided in the finder unit 2, compared with the conventional case where the liquid crystal display is provided in the camera body, switches and the like for performing various operations are provided in the camera body. The degree of freedom when placing can be increased. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a switch or the like can be arranged on the side of the camera body 1 on the side where the finder unit 2 is located, and the camera body 1 is held by the grip portion 11. It becomes possible to easily operate a switch or the like in the state.

  With the video camera of this embodiment, the photographer can perform good shooting operations in various situations and environments, and can move the liquid crystal display to the optimum position corresponding to various shooting styles. .

  Next, a video camera that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the liquid crystal display 5 in the present embodiment is housed. 7 and 8 show a first use state of the liquid crystal display 5 in the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, a part of the first embodiment described above is changed, and specifically, the connection between the finder unit 2 and the liquid crystal display 5 is different. The liquid crystal display 5 is connected to the finder unit 2 by a rotation mechanism 8 having the optical axis of the eyepiece window 2a as a rotation axis. The liquid crystal display 5 rising on the upper surface of the finder unit 2 includes the rotation mechanism 8, The hinge part 6 and the hinge part 7 can be rotated around the axis. The hinge portion 6 is formed integrally with the rotation mechanism 8.

  Therefore, the liquid crystal display panel 5a of the liquid crystal display 5 can always be arranged at an appropriate position and angle with respect to a change in the photographing posture of the photographer even in the configuration of the embodiment.

  9 and 10 show a second use state of the liquid crystal display 5 in the present embodiment. This second use state is a state when the liquid crystal display 5 in the first use state is rotated approximately 180 degrees by the rotation mechanism 8, and the liquid crystal display 5 is positioned below the viewfinder unit 2. doing. In this use state, the photographer can take a picture while observing the display image on the liquid crystal display 5.

  11 and 12 show a third use state of the liquid crystal display 5 in the present embodiment. This third use state shows a state in which the finder unit 2 in the first use state is rotated approximately 180 degrees around the axis of the hinge portion 4. In this use state, the liquid crystal display 5 is located on the lower surface side of the finder unit 2 and is located in front of the camera body 1 compared to the first use state.

  Therefore, even in the configuration of the present embodiment, the distance between the photographer's eyes and the liquid crystal display 5 can be increased, and the liquid crystal display plate 5a of the liquid crystal display 5 can be disposed at an appropriate clear viewing distance. It can be used as a “monitor”.

  In the embodiments of the present invention, the liquid crystal display has been described as the display panel, but the present invention can also be applied to a self-luminous display device such as an EL panel or SED (surface electric field display).

The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the accommodation state of the liquid crystal display of Example 1 of this invention. 1 is a front perspective view of a video camera showing a first use state of a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the video camera showing a first use state of the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the 2nd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 1. FIG. The rear perspective view of the video camera which shows the 2nd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 1. FIG. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the state which accommodated the liquid crystal display of Example 2 of this invention. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the 1st use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The rear perspective view of the video camera which shows the 1st use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the 2nd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The rear perspective view of the video camera which shows the 2nd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the 3rd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The rear perspective view of the video camera which shows the 3rd use condition of the liquid crystal display of Example 2. FIG. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the accommodation state of the liquid crystal display of a prior art example. The front perspective view of the video camera which shows the use condition of the liquid crystal display of a prior art example. The rear perspective view of the video camera which shows the use condition of the liquid crystal display of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Video camera body, 2 ... Finder unit, 2a ... Eyepiece window part 3 ... Stay, 4 ... Hinge part, 5 ... Liquid crystal display, 5a ... Liquid crystal display board 6 ... hinge part, 7 ... hinge part, 8 ... rotating mechanism, 9 ... lens barrel,
10 ... shoulder rest, 11 ... grip

Claims (6)

A finder unit attached to the tip of the support member extending from the camera body and having an eyepiece;
An external display panel capable of displaying a photographed image facing the outside of the camera body,
The video camera, wherein the external display panel is mounted on the finder unit.   The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the external display panel is attached to the support member side with respect to the eyepiece portion on the finder unit.   The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the external display panel is rotatable with respect to the finder unit.   4. The video camera according to claim 3, wherein the external display panel is rotatable with respect to the finder unit to a storage position in which a display surface is substantially parallel to an optical axis of the finder unit. .   The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the finder unit is rotatable with respect to the support member.   6. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the video camera is used while being held on a shoulder of a photographer.