JPH056954B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a video camera (including one integrated with a VTR), and particularly to a video camera suitable for allowing a photographer to always take pictures in a stable and comfortable posture. Regarding video cameras.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional video camera consists of a camera body that combines a lens section and an electronic viewfinder section, and a grip section for taking pictures by holding the camera body in your hand. As for the camera body,
One in which the lens part and the electronic viewfinder part are arranged in a straight line, one in which the electronic viewfinder part is mounted on the lens part so as to be able to rotate to some extent around an axis perpendicular to the lens part, and one in which the lens part and the electronic viewfinder part are arranged on the lens part. Some grips have an electronic viewfinder attached so that they can be rotated at right angles, and others have grips that are fixed to the side or bottom of the lens of the camera body so that they do not move. There are some that allow you to change the angle in several steps. Of these,
For cameras with a grip on the side of the camera body,
Generally, when the grip is held with the right hand, the thumb can be used to operate a pause switch, and the index and middle fingers can be used to operate a zoom switch, etc.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] With a camera having such a structure, the photographer must adjust the eye position and hand position separately in response to changes in the shooting direction. There were other problems, such as having to change the camera when taking high-angle shots, and the buttons being difficult to operate. In other words, if the positional relationship between the eyes and hands remains constant regardless of the angle at which the camera is photographed, it should be possible to take stable photographs with less burden. There were no video cameras.

Moreover, since conventional video cameras have the above-described structure, they have a large number of parts and are not suitable for reduction in size and weight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a video camera in which the user can comfortably view the electronic viewfinder no matter how the video camera is held.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present inventor believes that in order to shoot with a stable and comfortable posture when shooting with a video camera, the relationship between the viewfinder section that follows the subject and the grip section that is equipped with the operation switch that starts shooting is important. This invention was invented based on the idea that making this relationship constant would lead to a solution to this problem, and the finder part and the grip part are integrally constructed, and the grip part is rotatable. . More specifically, in a video camera in which a viewfinder part with an integrally formed grip part is rotatably attached to a lens part, and the angle at which the optical axis of the viewfinder part intersects with the optical axis of the lens part can be varied, the lens The rear end side of the part and the front end side of the finder part are rotatably connected, and the lens part and the finder part are arranged so that they are substantially on the same line when viewed from above, and the finder part is placed above the lens part. Shoot from the low-angle shooting position where the camera is standing upright, through the normal shooting position where the viewfinder is in a straight line horizontally to the lens, to the high-angle shooting position where the viewfinder is lowered downward relative to the lens. In addition, the lens part and the viewfinder part are folded vertically and stacked on top of each other when stored.

[Effect]

In the present invention, since the viewfinder moves (rotates) together with the grip, the viewfinder can be viewed in a natural position even if the angle at which the camera is held is changed. In other words, a low-angle shooting position where the viewfinder section stands upwards relative to the lens section, a normal shooting position where the viewfinder section is horizontally aligned with the lens section, and a high-angle shooting position where the finder section is lowered downward relative to the lens section. The position can be selected arbitrarily, and the shooting operation mode can always be taken in a reasonable manner. Further, when storing, the lens part and the viewfinder part can be folded vertically in half to reduce the volume and form a very compact form.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the video camera of the present invention will be explained in detail using one embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a video camera of the present invention in which the photographing lens section and the electronic viewfinder section are oriented in the same direction, in which a is a top view, b is a right side view, and c is a left side view. It is a diagram.

In the figure, 1 indicates a lens section for photographing;
The lens portion is formed to have a rectangular cross section as shown, for example, and the rear end portion 2 has a left side narrower in width by a predetermined dimension than the width of the front end portion 3 within a predetermined length range, and The edges are semicircular. Reference numeral 4 designates an electronic viewfinder section, which has a rectangular cross-section, for example, as shown in the figure, and the width of the rear end 5 is equal to the width of the front end 3 of the lens section 1.
The right side of the front end portion 6 is narrowed within a predetermined length range to a width equal to the reduced width of the rear end portion 2 of the lens portion 1, and is inclined downward by a predetermined angle. In addition, the front end periphery of the front end portion 6 is formed to have a circular peripheral surface having the same diameter as the height of the lens portion 1. That is, the lens portion and the viewfinder portion are formed in a square shape having a narrow portion and a wide portion. This front end portion 6 constitutes the grip portion of the video camera.

The rear end 2 of the lens section 1 and the front end 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4 are arranged so that the right side of the former and the left side of the latter face each other, and a rotating mechanism, that is, a stopper 7, 7'
In this coupled state, the front end 6 is shown in FIG. The rear end portion 2 of the lens portion 1 is configured so that there is enough space for the fingers to enter when the lens portion 1 is grasped with the hand 8 as described above.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a seesaw type zoom switch provided on the upper surface of the front end (grip portion) 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4, and reference numeral 10 denotes a recess 11 formed on the back surface of the bent portion from the rear end 5 to the front end 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4. It is a pose switch installed inside. As shown in FIG. 1b, these switches are arranged so that the front end 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4 can be grasped with the right hand, the pause switch 10 can be operated with the thumb, and the zoom switch can be operated with the index and middle fingers. It has been done.

12 is a socket for connecting a VTR deck.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the video camera of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, with the electronic viewfinder section 4 rotated upward. As can be seen from the figure, the top surface of the electronic viewfinder section 4 hits the rear edge of the front end section 3 of the lens section 1 and does not rotate any further. At this time, the respective optical axes of the lens section 3 and the viewfinder section 4 form a predetermined intersecting angle, and this intersecting angle is varied by the rotation angle of the grip section 6, that is, the viewfinder section.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the video camera of the present invention when it is stored, in which FIG. 3A is a right side view and FIG. 3B is a front side view. In the same figure, 13 is the lens part 1
The lens window 14 is a viewfinder window of the electronic viewfinder section 4.

When the electronic viewfinder part 4 is rotated downward from the state shown in FIG. The electronic viewfinder section 4 overlaps with the electronic viewfinder section 4, making it convenient for storage.
prevents it from rotating any further.

Since the video camera of the present invention is constructed as described above, hold the front end (grip section) 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4 in your right hand,
You can take pictures while looking at 4. For example, a zoom switch 9 and a pause switch 10 are arranged on the grip section 6 of the electronic viewfinder section 4, and all can be operated with one hand. The lens section 1 and the electronic viewfinder section 4 can be adjusted to any angle between the states shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by the rotation mechanism of the grip section 6. As a result, the video camera of the present invention differs from conventional video cameras in that the electronic viewfinder part 4 has a fixed viewfinder window 14 by the rotating mechanism of the grip part 6 while maintaining a constant relationship with the viewfinder window 14 of the electronic viewfinder part 4. The angle of the rear end portion 5 with respect to the lens portion 1 can be freely adjusted, and low-angle or high-angle photography can be performed without changing the posture much. Furthermore, by integrating two conventional independent parts, cost and weight reductions can be achieved.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, in particular, so-called high-position high-angle photography is performed when the video camera is held at a high position and the electronic viewfinder is directed downward, for example, when photographing a subject in front through a crowd, or This has the effect of providing a video camera that is optimal for so-called low-position, low-angle photography, in which the video camera is held at a low position and the electronic viewfinder is directed upward, for example, when photographing a young child from the feet. Further, according to the present invention, when stored, the lens portion and the viewfinder portion can be folded in half vertically to reduce the volume into a very compact shape, which is convenient for storage and portability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1a, b, and c are a top view, a right side view, a left side view, and a second view of a video camera showing one embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the video camera is used, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the video camera is stored. 1... Lens section, 4... Electronic viewfinder section, 6... Grip section, 7, 7'... Stopper, 9
...Seesaw type zoom switch, 10...Pause switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A lens unit for photographing, a viewfinder unit for displaying an image of a subject through the lens unit, and a grip unit, the grip unit being integrally formed with the viewfinder unit, and In a video camera in which the viewfinder part is rotatably attached to the lens part, and the angle at which the optical axis of the viewfinder part and the optical axis of the lens part intersect can be varied, the angle between the rear end side of the lens part and the viewfinder part The front end side is rotatably connected, and the lens part and the finder part are arranged so that they are substantially on the same line when viewed from above, and the finder part stands upwardly with respect to the lens part. Photographing from the photographing position, via the normal photographing position where the viewfinder section is aligned horizontally with the lens section, to the high-angle photographing position where the viewfinder section is lowered downward relative to the lens section. A video camera characterized in that the lens section and the viewfinder section are folded vertically and overlapped in half when stored.