JPH1164949A - Camera provided with digital memory - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate incompatibility at the time of holding a camera while keeping the operability of a recording button by preventing a photographer from touching a display screen with his or her fingertip. SOLUTION: On the side of the case front surface 1a of a camera main body 1, a video camera lens 2 is provided in the upper part of the front surface 1a and a first recording button 3 is provided in a position lower than the camera lens 2, in the vicinity of it. Further, on the case rear surface 1b of the side opposite to the case front surface 1a, the display screen 7 is provided. The photographer grasps the right part of the figure (b) with his or her right hand, to take a photograph. In such a state, the first recording button 3 can be operated with the forefinger of the right hand, so that the display screen 7 is never touched with the forefinger. Further, a second recording button 5 is provided in the case right side surface 1c of the camera main body 1 as well and when the main body 1 is turned sideways to take a photograph, the second recording button 5 can be used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera having a built-in digital memory and capable of recording and reproducing captured images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, miniaturization of video cameras has been progressing, and even those which can be operated with one hand while being held with one hand have been developed. Further, in such a video camera, a PC
Built-in memory such as a card, digitally record and play back images taken in the camera,
The reproduced image can also be monitored on a monitor screen provided on the camera body.

In order to be able to record such a photographed image, the camera body is provided with not only operation buttons of the camera but also operation buttons for operating a recording / reproduction system such as a recording button and a reproduction button. ing.

In such a camera with a digital memory,
When the power is turned on, the camera starts photographing, the photographed image is displayed on the monitor screen, and when the recording button is operated in this state, the photographed image at that time is recorded in the memory. Then, when a play button is operated, an image is reproduced from the memory and displayed on the monitor screen. Also, by connecting such a camera with a digital memory to a personal computer, the image in the memory can be reproduced and displayed on the personal computer screen.

[0005]

By the way, in a conventional camera with a digital memory, a recording button is provided on a surface of a case of a camera body on which a camera lens is provided (hereinafter, referred to as a camera button).
This surface is provided on the right side of a surface opposite to the front surface of the case (hereinafter, this surface is referred to as the rear surface of the case), and can be operated with the right thumb holding the camera.

However, when the recording button is arranged in this manner, a display screen such as a liquid crystal is provided on the back of the same case, so that the screen is easy to see and the entire camera is compact. The ratio of the width of the display screen to the width of the rear surface of the case increases, and therefore, the recording button is provided close to the display screen. Therefore, when the user holds the camera with the right hand and operates the recording button with the thumb, the fingertip easily touches the display screen, and the display screen is easily stained or damaged.
This is a serious problem particularly in the case of a liquid crystal display screen.

[0007] A camera with a digital memory in which a recording button is provided on the upper surface of the case of the camera body and operated by the index finger of the right hand holding the camera has also been proposed. However, in this case, when operating the record button with the index finger, the camera body is also pressed downward, and if the user does not hold the camera firmly, the user will feel a sense of discomfort that the camera can be pushed down. This is particularly noticeable because the camera is held in one hand.

Further, in the case of normal photographing in which the monitor screen is horizontally long, even if the above-mentioned recording button is arranged appropriately for the operation, the monitor screen is turned sideways, that is, the camera is turned sideways. When the user wants to obtain a vertically long screen, the recording button is arranged to be difficult to operate.

A first object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, improve the operability of the recording button, and make it difficult for a fingertip to touch the display screen when operating the recording button, and to hold the camera. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera with a digital memory which can eliminate a sense of discomfort.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a camera with a digital memory which can easily perform a recording operation even when photographing in a horizontal posture.

[0011]

In order to achieve the first object, the present invention provides a camera lens and a first recording button on a front surface of a case of a camera body, and a display screen on a rear surface of the case of the camera body. And a zoom button. Also,
In addition, this camera lens is located on the top of the front of this case,
First recording buttons are respectively arranged below and near the camera lens.

With this configuration, the first recording button is
The operation can be performed with the index finger of the hand holding the camera, and since the index finger moves the case surface opposite to the display screen to operate the record button, the monitor screen is not touched.

In order to achieve the second object, the present invention further provides a second recording button on the side of the case of the camera body.

With this configuration, when shooting with the camera body in the horizontal direction and the monitor screen in the vertical direction, the second recording button is located on the upper surface of the case in this orientation, and the index finger is used. Operation becomes easier.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera with a digital memory according to the present invention.
Is a front view, FIG. (B) is a rear view, FIG. (C) is a right side view as viewed from FIG. (B), FIG. (D) is a left side view, and FIG. 1 is a camera body, 1a is a case front, 1b is a case back, 1c is a case right side, 1d is a case left side, 1e is a case top, 2
Is a camera lens, 3 is a first recording button, 4 is a microphone, 5 is a second recording button, 6 is a PC card insertion slot, 7 is a display screen, 8 is a zoom button, 9 is a recording mode switching button, 10 Is a play / stop / search button, 11 is a battery storage unit, 12 is a heat radiating unit, 13 is a speaker, 14
Is a normal / macro shooting switching lever, 15 is a power switch,
16 is an eject button of the PC card, 17 is a cover of the external input / output terminal, and 18 is a menu button.

In FIG. 1, a camera body 1 has a built-in video camera (not shown), and a camera lens 2 is provided on a front surface 1a of the case as shown in FIG. The camera body has a vertically long and substantially rectangular shape, and the camera lens 2 is disposed above the front surface 1a of the case. Further, a first recording button 3 is provided on the front surface 1a of the case, near the camera lens 2 and below the camera lens 2.

The case back 1b of the camera body 1 has
As shown in (b), a display screen 7 such as a liquid crystal is provided on the upper side, and an operation section is on the lower side. In this operation part,
Zoom button 8 for camera zooming and recording mode (movie + audio recording, still image recording, audio recording, still image +
A recording mode switching button 9 and a play / stop / search button 10 for selecting audio recording) are provided.
The first recording button 3 is provided on the front surface 1a of the case in consideration of operability.

On the right side 1c side of the camera body 1, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3C, a vertically long PC card insertion slot 6 is provided at the center of the PC card, and a second recording button 5 and an eject button 1 for ejecting the PC card are provided below the slot.
6 and a power switch 15 is provided on the upper side. As shown in FIG. 1D, a battery storage unit 11 is provided below the left side 1d of the camera body 1, and a terminal unit (not shown) for connecting an external device is provided above the battery storage unit 11. ) Is provided. Then, from the upper side of the left side surface 1d, the case upper surface 1e (FIG. 1)
A heat radiating portion 12 is provided over the corner of (e)), and a speaker 13 is provided at the other corner of the upper surface 1e of the case, and the speaker 13 is substantially opposed to the camera lens 2 at the center. At the position, a normal / macro shooting switching lever 14 for switching between close-up shooting and normal shooting is provided.

In the case of using the embodiment having such a configuration, first, a PC card is inserted through the insertion slot 6 and attached to the camera body 1, and the power switch 15 is operated to turn on the power. Upon starting, the captured image is displayed on the display screen 7.

Then, a desired recording mode is selected by operating the recording mode switching button 9. The recording mode switch button 9 switches the recording mode set each time the button is operated.

The power switch 15 is a slide-type switch. A power OFF position is provided at the center, and a playback (displayed as "PLAY" in the figure) position is provided below the power OFF. Above the power-off, a shooting position (indicated as “CAM” in the figure) is provided.

When the power switch 15 is in the OFF position, the power is off and the power switch 15
When the power switch is in the AM position, the power is turned on and the video camera is operating, and when the power switch 15 is in the PLAY position, the power is turned on and a reproduction is possible.

After the above preparations are made, the subject can be photographed by holding the camera body 1 with the right hand and pointing the camera lens 2 at the desired subject. In this case, when the camera body 1 is held in a vertically long state as shown in the figure, the right hand has a portion on the right side of the camera body 1 in FIG. The thumb is pressed near the right side of the case back 1b.
In FIG. 1A, four fingers other than the right thumb are pressed against the front surface 1a of the case, and the camera body 1 is held by the five fingers and the back of the hand.

If the user wants to record a subject image on a PC card while holding the camera body 1 with his right hand, he operates the first recording button 3 provided on the front surface 1a of the case. In this case, the first recording button 3 is arranged as described above.
It can be easily operated with the index finger of the right hand holding the mark.

Here, when the moving image + audio recording mode or the audio recording mode is set by the recording mode switching button 9, by operating the first recording button 3, the photographed image of the built-in video camera and the microphone 4 are recorded. Recording of the voice from the PC on the PC card is started, and when the first recording button 3 is operated again, the recording ends. When the still image recording mode is set, the first recording button 3 functions as a shutter, and a still image is recorded on the PC card every time the first recording button 3 is operated. When the still image + sound recording mode is set, a still image is recorded each time the first recording button 3 is operated, as in the still image mode, and at the same time, audio for a predetermined time is recorded simultaneously. .

When reproducing recorded information from a PC card, the reproduction / stop / search button 10 is operated. The reproduced moving image or still image is displayed on the display screen 7, and the reproduced sound is output from the speaker 13. By operating the zoom button 8, zooming of the video camera can be performed. The operation of the recording mode switching button 9 can also be performed during shooting. The operation of the zoom button 8 and the recording mode switching button 9 can be performed with the thumb of the right hand during shooting. However, since these operation buttons are provided below the display screen 7, the thumbs are operated by the operation. There is no such thing as touching.

That is, in the photographing state, the camera body 1 is gripped such that the thumb of the right hand hits the vicinity of the right side of the case back 1b avoiding the display screen 7.

At this time, since the zoom button 8 and the recording mode switching button 9 are arranged in the vicinity of the right side of the case back 1b avoiding the display screen 7, they are moved around the base of the right thumb without changing the grip. Thus, the zoom button 8 and the recording mode switching button 9 can be easily operated, and the camera body 1 can be securely held even when the thumb is moved for photographing.

Further, since the display screen 7 is not touched even when the thumb of the right hand is moved, it is possible to concentrate on the operation for photographing.

Further, in the playback state, the right hand mainly holds the camera body 1, and the thumb is the left hand as shown in FIG.
On the case back 1b side shown in FIG.
Each of them is located on the front surface 1a of the case shown in FIG.

In this state, since the play / stop / search button 10 is arranged below the display screen 7, even if the play / stop / search button 10 is operated with the thumb of the left hand, The play / stop / search button 10 can be operated without the thumb of the left side of the display screen 7 being moved about the base of the left thumb as an axis, and the playback operation can be performed while holding the camera body 1. Easy.

In this embodiment, the heat radiating portion 12 is provided at the corner of the camera body 1 opposite to the portion that can be gripped by the right hand. Thus, since the heat radiating portion 12 is not blocked by the right hand, heat inside the camera body 1 such as a video camera can be effectively radiated.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the first recording button 3 is provided on the case front surface 1a side opposite to the display screen 7 of the camera body, the finger for operating this moves. Also, the user does not touch the display screen 7. Even if the index finger is moved to operate the first recording button 3, the other three fingers are pressed against the case front 1a, and the thumb is pressed against the case back 1b. Since the main body 1 can be firmly grasped from both sides, it is possible to perform photographing and recording operations while holding the camera main body stably. Moreover, since the first recording button 3 is disposed below the camera lens 2, the index finger when operating the first recording button 3 does not block the camera lens 2.

When photographing the camera body 1 in a horizontal direction, that is, in a horizontally long state, the right side surface 1c of the case shown in FIG. In this case, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the lower part is held by the right hand, so that the second recording button 5 provided on the right side surface 1c of the case can be operated with the index finger.

In this manner, even when the camera body 1 is photographed and recorded in the horizontal direction, the recording operation can be easily performed, and the index finger moved for this operation can also touch the display screen 7. Absent.

The menu button 1 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 8 is used for adjusting the image quality of the display screen 7, adjusting the date, and the like. By operating this menu button 18,
Since a menu for image quality adjustment and date adjustment is displayed on the display screen 7, the cursor can be moved by operating the play / stop / search button 10 and a desired menu can be selected.

In the above description, a PC card is used, but another digital memory may be used.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the record button is provided on the front side of the case where the camera lens is provided, on the opposite side of the case back where the display screen is provided, even when operating the record button, it does not touch the display screen In addition, the display screen can be prevented from being stained or damaged. Further, since the recording button is disposed below the camera lens, a finger operating the button does not block the camera lens.

Further, according to the present invention, even when the camera body is used in the horizontal position, the recording can be performed by the second recording button, and the recording operation is facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a camera with a digital memory according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera main body 1a Case front 1b Case back 1c Case right side 1d Case left side 1e Case top 2 Camera lens 3 First recording button 4 Microphone 5 Second recording button 6 Digital memory card insertion slot 7 Display screen 8 Zoom button 9 Record Mode Button 10 Play / Stop / Search Button 11 Battery Storage Unit 12 Heat Dissipation Unit 13 Speaker 14 Normal / Macro Shooting Switching Lever 15 Power Switch 16 Eject Button 17 Terminal Cover 18 Menu Button

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A camera with a digital memory, wherein a camera lens and a first recording button are provided on a front surface of a case of a camera body, and a display screen and a zoom button are provided on a rear surface of the case of the camera body. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera lens is disposed on an upper portion of a front surface of the case of the camera body, and the first recording button is disposed on a lower side near the camera lens. A camera with disk memory. 3. The camera with digital memory according to claim 1, wherein a second recording button is provided on a side of the case of the camera body.