JP2009003226A - Built-in electronic flash light switching device for camera and underwater photographic camera unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a built-in electronic flash light switching device for camera, capable of effectively using light from a built-in electronic flash as light for obtaining an emission control light signal for external electronic flash while preventing this light from being emitted forward with satisfactory operability. <P>SOLUTION: The built-in electronic flash light switching device 11 of a camera 1 comprises a dimming/diffusing plate mechanism part 12 including a pair of side piece parts 14 disposed rotatably on both side parts of an electronic flash 4 mounted on the upper side of a lens barrel 2 of a camera body 2 and a convex dimming/diffusing plate 15 erected by the pair of side piece parts 14 to shield and release the front of the light emitting surface area of the electronic flash 4; an operation shaft 16 having one end connected to a rotating base part position of one side piece part 14 with the other end facing the side surface side of the camera body 2; and an operation dial 17 mounted on the operation shaft 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a built-in strobe light switching device of a camera and a camera unit for underwater photography.

  For example, when performing underwater shooting using a camera such as a digital camera equipped with a built-in strobe, perform the desired underwater shooting based on the camera housed in a transparent and waterproof underwater housing. Is normal.

  In this case, since the amount of light in underwater photography is less than that in land photography, an external strobe is used together to compensate for the shortage of light during photography.

  When shooting a fish or underwater plant that is a subject with the camera stored in the underwater housing, if only the built-in flash is fired, the strobe light will strike the plankton and garbage floating in the water near the camera lens. The reflected light enters the lens, and as a result, the contrast of the photographed image (or photographed photograph) decreases, and the image quality deteriorates such as cloudiness.

  Also, if close-up photography is performed within 30 cm from the camera lens, an overexposed photographed image such as overexposure will result.

  Therefore, when shooting underwater, the light from the built-in strobe is prevented from being radiated forward, and the external strobe located at a position away from the camera lens emits light to brightly illuminate the subject. It is essential to do this.

  Furthermore, it is required to efficiently use the light from the built-in strobe to obtain the light emission control light signal of the external strobe.

In Patent Document 1, in order to solve the above-described problems, a light guide is inserted into the light emitting surface of the built-in strobe disposed on the front surface of the camera to suppress the light emitted forward from the built-in strobe, and the light guide, There has been proposed a light emission control method and apparatus for an external strobe for a digital camera configured to guide light from a built-in strobe to an external strobe via an optical fiber.
JP 2003-202618 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the light from the built-in strobe can be prevented from being irradiated forward based on good operability, and the light emission control light signal for an external strobe Therefore, there is no built-in strobe light switching device for a camera that can be used effectively as light and can be used for underwater photography in combination with an underwater housing.

  A built-in strobe light switching device for a camera according to the present invention includes a dimming / diffusion plate mechanism unit rotatably supported by the camera body so that the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe mounted on the camera body can be shielded and released. And an operation mechanism unit that performs a shielding / releasing operation on the light emitting surface area of the strobe of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism unit from the side surface side of the camera body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the light from the built-in strobe from being irradiated forward, based on a good operability of operating the operation mechanism unit from the side surface side of the camera body. In addition, it is possible to provide a built-in strobe light switching device for a camera that can be effectively used as light to obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe, and is suitable for use in underwater photography in combination with an underwater housing.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism portion having a convex curved surface or a plate-like light reduction / diffusion plate, and the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism portion through the operation shaft. A built-in strobe light switching device for a camera that has the same effect as that of the first aspect of the present invention can be provided with a configuration including an operation mechanism unit that performs a shielding and releasing operation on the light emitting surface area of the strobe by the diffusion plate.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to provide a built-in strobe light switching device for a camera that has an effect that the operation shaft can be reliably operated with a click feeling. it can.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the built-in strobe light switching device according to the first aspect of the present invention and the underwater housing are combined, and the operability is extremely good. Can be effectively used as light to obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe, and further, the desired underwater photography can be performed to reduce the contrast of the photographed image, cloudiness, It is possible to provide an underwater shooting camera unit that can avoid the overexposure or the like and can obtain a captured image without image quality deterioration.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the built-in strobe light switching device according to the second aspect of the present invention is combined with the underwater housing, and the operability is extremely good. Can be effectively used as light to obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe, and further, the desired underwater photography can be performed to reduce the contrast of the photographed image, cloudiness, It is possible to provide an underwater shooting camera unit that can avoid the overexposure or the like and can obtain a captured image without image quality deterioration.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the built-in strobe light switching device according to the third aspect of the present invention and the underwater housing are combined, so that the operability is very good and the operation shaft is provided with a click feeling. It can be operated reliably, the light from the built-in strobe can be prevented from being irradiated forward, and it can be effectively used as light to obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe. It is possible to provide a camera unit for underwater photography that can perform underwater photography and can obtain a photographed image without deterioration in image quality by avoiding a decrease in contrast, white turbidity, overexposure, and the like of the photographed image.

  The present invention is effective as light because it can suppress the light from the built-in strobe from being irradiated forward based on good operability and obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe. The purpose of providing a built-in strobe light switching device that can be used in combination with an underwater housing and is suitable for underwater photography is rotatable on both sides of the strobe mounted on the upper side of the lens barrel of the camera body. A dimming / diffusion plate comprising a pair of arranged side pieces and a convex-curved or flat dimming / diffusion plate that is constructed by a pair of side pieces and shields and releases the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe. A mechanism unit, and one end connected to the rotation base position of one side piece, and an operation shaft with the other end facing the side of the camera body, and an operation dial attached to the operation shaft, On the side of the camera body This is realized by a configuration having an operation mechanism unit that operates an operation dial and performs an operation of shielding and releasing the light emitting surface area of the strobe by the light reduction / diffusion plate of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism unit via an operation axis. .

  Hereinafter, the built-in strobe light switching device 11 and the underwater photographing camera unit 31 of the camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)
The built-in strobe light switching device 11 of the camera 1 according to the first embodiment includes, for example, a zoom-compatible lens barrel 3 and a position directly above the lens barrel 3, as shown in FIGS. Dimming / diffusing to shield and release the front side of the light emitting surface 5 of the strobe 4 on the upper surface of the camera body 2 having a built-in and strobe 4 (built-in strobe) 4 having a rectangular light emitting surface 5 The plate mechanism unit 12 and the operation mechanism unit 13 for performing the shielding / releasing operation of the dimming / diffusing plate mechanism unit 12 are incorporated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the strobe 4 is supported by a support arm 6 on the upper surface of the camera body 2, and is configured to be rotatable in the directions of arrows a and b. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a strobe protective cover.

  The dimming / diffusing plate mechanism 12 and the operation mechanism 13 will be described in detail below.

The dimming / diffusing plate mechanism 12 is disposed on both sides of the strobe 4 disposed (mounted) on the upper side of the lens barrel 3 in the camera body 2 so as to be rotatable about the rotation base 14a side as a rotation center. A pair of fan-shaped side piece parts 14 and 14 and the projecting end edges of the two side piece parts 14 and 14 are provided between the projecting edges, and the front side of the light emitting surface 5 of the strobe 4 is shielded and released as viewed from the front. A dimming / diffusing plate 15 that is rectangular and has an arc shape when viewed from the side, that is, is formed of, for example, a gray acrylic plate or the like that has a convex curved surface and exhibits a dimming / diffusing function for strobe light. Yes.
As the dimming / diffusing plate 15, it is possible to adopt a flat plate shape as well as a convex curved surface shape.

  The rotation base portions 14a of the side piece portions 14 and 14 are respectively locked to both side portions of the strobe 4 so as to be rotatable, and are configured not to be detached from the both side portions.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation mechanism 13 connects one end to the position of the rotation base 14 a of one side piece 14 on the right side when viewed from the front of the camera body 2, and the camera body The operation shaft 16 has the other end facing the one side surface on the right side as viewed from the front of 2, and has a substantially cylindrical shape with irregularities on the outer periphery attached to the other end of the operation shaft 16 by screwing or the like. And the operation dial 17 provided with the click mechanism 21 mentioned later for details is comprised.

  The click mechanism 21 provided on the operation dial 17 can adopt various forms, and one configuration example will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  In the click mechanism 21 shown in the figure, a support cylinder portion 22 is provided on the inner surface of the operation dial 17 facing the dimming / diffusing plate 15, and protrudes in the same direction as the operation shaft 16. A coil spring 23 is disposed, and a small-diameter positioning ball 24 made of a sphere is disposed on the protruding end side of the coil spring 23.

  Further, the end face on the operation dial 17 side of the shaft support 25 fixed to the upper surface of the camera body 2 and penetratingly supporting the operation shaft 16 is used for the shielding position and the release position 2 of the dimming / diffusing plate 15. The engagement receiving recesses 26 and 27 are provided in a circular arrangement at intervals of 90 degrees.

  Then, the positioning ball 24 is urged and pressed against the shaft support 25 by the coil spring 23, and the positioning ball 24 is moved at the shielding position of the dimming / diffusing plate 15 according to the turning operation of the operation dial 17. The engagement receiving recess 26 is immersed, and the positioning ball 24 is immersed in the engagement receiving recess 27 at the release position, so that a click feeling associated with the rotation operation of the operation dial 17 is generated. .

  According to the built-in strobe light switching device 11 of the camera 1 of the first embodiment, as described above, the photographer operates the operation shaft 16 disposed on the side surface of the camera body 2 with, for example, the finger of the left hand. Although not shown with the finger, the shutter can also be operated, and the built-in strobe light switching device 11 with extremely good operability can be obtained without the operation of the photographer turning the fingertip to the front side of the camera.

  Further, the photographer rotates the operation shaft 16 with the finger of the left hand according to the purpose of photographing, and the light reduction / diffusion plate 15 of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism unit 12 is placed on the light emitting surface of the strobe 4. The strobe 4 can be disposed at a position where the front of the area 5 is shielded or released. At this time, the strobe 4 is caused to emit light particularly in a state where the front of the light emitting surface 5 of the strobe 4 is shielded by the dimming / diffusing plate 15. In this case, the light from the strobe 4 can be effectively used as light to obtain a light emission control light signal for an external strobe while suppressing the light from being emitted forward. By combining with the housing 32, the built-in strobe light switching device 11 suitable for underwater photography can be obtained.

  Further, since the operation dial 17 is provided with the click mechanism 21, the dimming / diffusion plate 15 can be rotated while obtaining the click feeling associated with the rotation of the operation dial 17, thereby ensuring the reliability of the operation. be able to.

  Further, since the dimming / diffusing plate 15 is formed in a convex curved surface, it is possible to save the space of the rotating region of the dimming / diffusing plate 15.

(Example 2)
Next, an underwater photographing camera unit 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The underwater photographing camera unit 31 according to the second embodiment stores the camera 1 including the above-described built-in strobe light switching device 11 and the camera 1 in a waterproof state and the camera 1 being detachable. And a known underwater housing 32.

  Furthermore, in the underwater photographing camera unit 31 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the underwater housing 32 is held at the front position of the strobe 4 by an optical fiber holder 33 such as an O-ring. When one end of the optical fiber 34 faces and forward light from the strobe 4 is blocked by the dimming / diffusing plate 15, the light of the strobe 4 is emitted through the optical fiber 34 for an external strobe (not shown). It is also possible to employ a configuration for outputting as a control light signal. In FIG. 3, θ is an irradiation angle of light from the strobe 4.

  According to the second embodiment, since the camera 1 provided with the built-in strobe light switching device 11 having the above-described effects and the underwater housing 32 are combined, the operability is extremely good, and the operation dial The dimming / diffusion plate 15 can be simply arranged at a position where the front side of the light emitting surface 5 of the strobe 4 is shielded or released by a reliable rotation operation with 17 clicks. It is possible to provide the underwater photographing camera unit 31 that can perform photographing and obtain a photographed image without deterioration in image quality by avoiding a decrease in contrast, white turbidity, overexposure, and the like of the photographed image.

  Further, by providing the optical fiber 34, the light from the strobe 4 when the front side of the light emitting surface 5 of the strobe 4 is shielded by the dimming / diffusing plate 15 is used as an emission control light signal for an external strobe. The camera unit 31 for underwater photography which can be output as can be provided.

  The built-in strobe light switching device of the present invention can be widely applied to various cameras such as a digital camera, a still camera, and a video camera, regardless of the size of the camera.

It is a perspective view which shows the light emission surface area | region open | release state of the flash in the camera provided with the flash light switching device based on Example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the light emission surface area shielding state of the flash in the camera provided with the flash light switching device according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the camera provided with the strobe light switching device concerning Example 2, and an underwater housing. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the click mechanism of the operation dial in the strobe light switching device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the engagement receiving recessed part provided in the shaft support body which is a part of click mechanism in the strobe light switching device based on the present Example 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Camera body 3 Lens barrel 4 Strobe 5 Light-emitting surface 6 Support arm 7 Strobe protective cover 11 Built-in strobe light switching device 12 Dimming / diffusing plate mechanism 13 Operation mechanism 14 Side piece 14a Rotating base 15 Dimming Diffusion plate 16 Operation shaft 17 Operation dial 21 Click mechanism 22 Support cylinder portion 23 Coil spring 24 Ball 25 Shaft support body 26 Engagement receiving recess 27 Engagement receiving recess 31 Underwater photography camera unit 32 Underwater housing 33 Optical fiber holder 34 Optical fiber

Claims (6)

A dimming / diffusion plate mechanism that is rotatably supported by the camera body in a releasable state, shielding the front of the light emitting surface area of the strobe mounted on the camera body,
An operation mechanism unit that performs a shielding and releasing operation on a light emitting surface area of the strobe of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism unit from a side surface side of the camera body;
A built-in strobe light switching device for a camera. A pair of side pieces rotatably arranged on both sides of the strobe mounted on the upper side of the lens barrel of the camera body, and a protrusion that is constructed by the pair of side pieces and shields and releases the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe. A light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism comprising a curved or flat light reduction / diffusion plate;
One end is connected to the rotation base position of one side piece, and an operation shaft with the other end facing the side of the camera body, and an operation dial attached to the operation shaft, An operation mechanism unit that operates the operation dial on the side surface, and performs a shielding / releasing operation on the light emission surface area of the strobe by the light attenuation / diffusion plate of the light attenuation / diffusion plate mechanism unit via an operation axis;
A built-in strobe light switching device for a camera. A pair of side pieces rotatably arranged on both sides of the strobe mounted on the upper side of the lens barrel of the camera body, and a protrusion that is constructed by the pair of side pieces and shields and releases the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe. A light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism comprising a curved or flat light reduction / diffusion plate;
One end is connected to the rotation base position of one side piece, and an operation shaft with the other end facing the side of the camera body, and an operation dial including a click mechanism attached to the operation shaft, An operation mechanism unit that operates an operation dial on a side surface of the camera body and performs an operation of shielding and releasing the light emitting surface area of the strobe by the light reduction / diffusion plate of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism unit via an operation axis; ,
A built-in strobe light switching device for a camera. A dimming / diffusion plate mechanism that is pivotally supported by the camera body so that the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe mounted on the camera body is shielded and releasable, and the dimming / diffusing plate mechanism from the side surface of the camera body A camera equipped with a built-in strobe light switching device comprising: an operating mechanism unit that performs a shielding and releasing operation with respect to a light emitting surface area of the strobe of the diffusion plate mechanism unit;
An underwater housing that houses this camera,
A camera unit for underwater photography, comprising: A pair of side pieces rotatably arranged on both sides of the strobe mounted on the upper side of the lens barrel of the camera body, and a protrusion that is constructed by the pair of side pieces and shields and releases the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe. One end is connected to the dimming / diffusion plate mechanism having a curved or flat dimming / diffusion plate and the rotation base position of one side piece, and the other end is exposed to the side of the camera body. The operation dial is attached to the operation shaft, and the operation dial is operated on the side surface of the camera body, and the light attenuation / diffusion of the light reduction / diffusion plate mechanism is performed via the operation shaft. A camera equipped with a built-in strobe light switching device comprising: an operating mechanism unit that performs a shielding and releasing operation on a light emitting surface area of the strobe by a plate;
An underwater housing that houses this camera,
A camera unit for underwater photography, comprising: A pair of side pieces rotatably arranged on both sides of the strobe mounted on the upper side of the lens barrel of the camera body, and a protrusion that is constructed by the pair of side pieces and shields and releases the front side of the light emitting surface of the strobe. One end is connected to the dimming / diffusion plate mechanism having a curved or flat dimming / diffusion plate and the rotation base position of one side piece, and the other end is exposed to the side of the camera body. And a control dial provided with a click mechanism attached to the control shaft. The control dial is operated on the side surface of the camera body, and the dimming / diffusion plate mechanism unit is operated via the control shaft. A camera equipped with a built-in strobe light switching device comprising an operation mechanism unit that performs a shielding and releasing operation with respect to a light emitting surface area of the strobe by a dimming / diffusing plate;
An underwater housing that houses this camera,
A camera unit for underwater photography, comprising:

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