1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera capable of taking photographs with at least two kinds of photographing angles of view.
2. Related Background Art
For example, a camera having a bifocal lens settable at two focal lengths and capable of taking photographs with two kinds of photographing angles of view has been known, wherein the finder magnification can be altered in accordance with the focal length (angle of view) as above mentioned by inserting or retracting a conversion lens into or from an optical path of a finder.
However, with such a camera, it is necessary to have a space for retracting the conversion lens within a main body of camera, and particularly with a camera containing an electronic flash device, it is necessary to reserve a space for retracting the conversion lens, in addition to an allocation space for the electronic flash device, whereby there is a problem that the camera is obliged to be larger.
Conventionally, for example, bifocal lens cameras having finder magnification varying mechanisms have been well known, and are constituted in the following way.
A converter lens block containing a tele-converter lens and a wide converter lens is disposed in front of a finder optical unit, in which the finder magnification can be altered by switching the converter lens block to the left or right so that the tele-converter lens or the wide converter lens is positioned in the optical path of the finder optical unit for a taking lens of a long focus or a short focus, respectively.
On the other hand, the bifocal lens camera of this kind containing a strobe is known. Typically, a lighting portion for such a built-in strobe (thereinafter referred to as a strobe unit) is of a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and disposed sideway of the finder with its longitudinal direction placed in a horizontal direction of the camera.
However, when a strobe is contained within such a conventional camera with variable finder magnification, the camera tends to be larger because the longitudinal direction of the strobe unit coincides with a switching direction of the converter lens block.
Trimming photography is one in which the information (trimming information) of printing only a predetermined area (trimming area) of exposure area formed on a film by a shutter release is recorded, for example, on a blank portion of the film. This trimming information is read on the laboratory side, and the trimming area is only enlarged and printed on the basis of that information. As the trimming area is smaller than the print area in the normal photography, the trimming photography allows a picture equivalent to that by the zooming to be taken even with a single focal lens.
By the way, when setting the trimming photographing mode for the trimming photography, it is necessary to change the finder magnification in accordance with the trimming area. Also, when the electronic flash device is used, its illuminating angle is advantageously set to be smaller in accordance with a trimming screen than in the normal photography. This is because the light quantity (guide number) increases with smaller illuminating angle, so that the flash photographing of an object located farther away is allowed. And the alteration of finder magnification and illuminating angle can be made by bringing the conversion lens into or out of the optical path of the finder, and disposing an illuminating angle altering member such as a diffusion plate in a front face of the lighting portion of the electronic flash device.
There is also known a camera capable of the trimming photography as above described and having a zoom lens for photography, wherein the angle of view is allowed as in the following way. That is, this camera is such that when the alteration of the angle of view is instructed within a range of settable focal length for the zooming lens for photography, the normal photographing mode is set, and the zoom lens for photography is set to a focal length corresponding to an instructed angle of view by driving a zooming motor. Also, when the alteration of the angle of view is instructed to a larger angle beyond the settable focal length range, the trimming photographing mode is set, and the zoom lens for photography is set to a focal length corresponding to an instructed angle of view by driving the zooming motor.
According to this, for example, when there is provided a zoom lens whose focal length is variable in a range from 35 mm to 70 mm, assuming that the trimming magnification is 1.7, the equivalent focal length corresponding to 35 mm to 120 mm, i.e., the angle of view, can be obtained. From this reason, with such camera, it is desirable to use a zoom finder allowing for the finder magnification corresponding to 35 mm to 120 mm.
There is no problem when the angle of view is changed within a range of settable focal length (e.g., 35 mm to 70 mm) in the zoom lens for photography, but when the angle of view is continuously altered to a larger angle exceeding the settable range in a state where the angle of view is set in that range, it is necessary to set the trimming photographing mode and zoom down the focal length for the zoom lens for photography to a predetermined value, when the focal length of the zoom lens for photography reaches 70 mm. Therefore, the alteration of the angle of view is not continuous by the time required to zoom down the focal length. Therefore, if the alteration of finder magnification is performed in connection with the zooming of the taking lens, it takes some time to reach a finder magnification corresponding to a desired angle of view, and there is a fear that photo opportunity is lost. Also, in this case, a finder converter lens for the trimming is necessary, and the size of a finder image becomes discontinuous in exchanging the converter.
In switching the finder magnification and the illuminating angle for the electronic flash device by the use of motor, if dedicated motors are provided, the camera is larger and the cost is higher.
Conventionally, various kinds of cameras having so-called zoom-type finders (thereinafter referred to as zoom finder) have been proposed in which the finder magnification is varied in accordance with the focal length of a taking lens by moving a variable magnification lens of the finder in its optical axis direction upon the zooming (alteration of image magnification) of the taking lens (zoom lens). Also, cameras containing so-called zoom-type flash devices (thereinafter referred to as zoom strobe) have been proposed in which the distance between the lighting portion of the electronic flash device and a condenser lens is varied by driving the lighting portion in its optical axis direction upon the zooming of the taking lens so as to obtain the illuminating angle corresponding to the focal length of the taking lens.
On the other hand, in cameras capable of the trimming photography as above described, the image magnification is altered in switching the normal photographing mode to the trimming photographing mode as the trimming region is smaller than the print region in the normal photography, whereby it is necessary to alter the finder magnification and the illuminating angle of the electronic flash device upon the switching.
However, in the above-mentioned cameras having the zoom lenses and capable of the trimming photography, as the image magnification is altered with either of the zooming of zoom lens and the switching of the photographing mode, there is a problem that in addition to the complex constitution and the larger camera, it takes some time to change the finder magnification and the illuminating angle, if proper finder magnification and illuminating angle are settable only with the zooming of the zoom finder and the zoom strobe as above described.