Did You Know...
...that two musicians were responsible for the invention of color print film? Fascinated by photography, Leopold Godowsky and Leopold Mannes worked together to produce an easy-to-use, practical color film. They worked full time as music teachers and gave concerts while experimenting during their off hours in Mannes' kitchen. Their success earned them full-time, well-paying jobs at Kodak and their efforts resulted in Kodachrome film, which was introduced in 1935.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7436447 | Lens barrel and picture taking apparatus having the same A lens barrel movable between a collapsed position and a photographing position, and a picture taking apparatus using the lens barrel. The lens barrel has lens groups movable along an optical axis, a deformable mirror supported in the lens barrel, the deformable mir... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7420611 | Electronic image pickup system The invention makes a suitable selection from zoom modes and lens elements so thin that the thickness of each lens group can reduced, thereby slimming down a zoom lens with great thoroughness and, hence, an electronic image pickup system. The electronic image pickup... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7417684 | Electronic image pickup system The invention makes a suitable selection from zoom modes and lens elements so thin that the thickness of each lens group can reduced, thereby slimming down a zoom lens with great thoroughness and, hence, an electronic image pickup system. The electronic image pickup... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7414665 | Imaging system The invention relates to an imaging system in which, while high image quality is maintained with the influence of diffraction minimized, the quantity of light is controlled, and which enables the length of the zoom lens to be cut down. The imaging system comprises a... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7338219 | Retractable lens system and a camera incorporating the retractable lens system A retractable lens system includes optical elements of a photographing optical system, and are positioned on a common optical axis when in a ready-to-photograph state. When the retractable lens system changes from the ready-to-photograph state to a retracted state, ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7242123 | Actuator, light quantity adjusting apparatus, and stepping motor An actuator maintains high efficiency, can react to an increase in pole, has a high part fit, and can be manufactured at low cost while it is thinned. The actuator includes a magnet which is formed in a ring shape, in which at least one surface perpendicular to a ce... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7226224 | Miniaturized lens assembly A miniaturized lens assembly includes a front lens portion, a rear lens portion, a large diaphragm plate mounted between the front and rear lens portions, a small diaphragm plate rotatable relative to the large diaphragm plate, a shutter plate rotatable relative to ... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7025513 | Optical apparatus, shutter device, and camera A shutter/filter unit as an optical apparatus includes a shutter actuator, a filter actuator, a shutter drive ring, two shutter blades, and one ND filter, which are connected to a driving source body in series. The shutter blades are rotationally driven via the shut... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6937816 | Shooting apparatus and lens barrel It is an object of the present invention to provide a shooting apparatus which is thinner than a conventional shooting apparatus. A lens barrel is brought into an accommodated state from a shooting state by retracting at least one of lens groups constituting the sho... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6904235 | Quantity-of-light adjusting device A quantity-of-light adjusting device comprises a first quantity-of-light adjusting blade and a second quantity-of-light adjusting blade which move to adjust quantity of light, and a detecting member which detects that the first quality-of-light adjusting blade is at... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6860655 | Driving apparatus, light-amount regulating apparatus, and lens driving apparatus A driving apparatus includes a rotatable rotor with a ring shape, a first magnetic pole portion, a second magnetic pole portion, and a coil for magnetically exciting the first magnetic pole portion and the second magnetic pole portion. The rotor has magnet portions ... | 03/01/2005 |
| 6835006 | Lens barrel and camera There are disclosed a lens barrel variable in a barrel length between a storage state relatively short in a barrel length and an image taking state relatively long in a barrel length, a camera having such a lens barrel. When the lens barrel is in the storage state, ... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6767146 | Aperture mechanism In a holding frame of the aperture mechanism is formed a holding portion to which is to be fitted a drive mechanism for opening and closing aperture blades. The holding portion can be fitted with either an electrical drive mechanism, having an iris meter, for electr... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6741807 | Lens assembly A lens assembly includes an exposure control unit having an exposure control member; a lens drive unit including a lens drive mechanism which moves a photographing lens group in an optical axis direction; center apertures which are formed in the exposure control uni... | 05/25/2004 |
| 6661970 | Lens barrel A lens barrel includes an optical system having front and rear lens groups; a front lens frame which supports the front lens group; a rear lens frame which supports the rear lens group; a lens frame drive mechanism for driving the front and rear lens fram... | 12/09/2003 |
| 6657670 | Diaphragm structure of digital still camera A diaphragm structure for digital still camera and arranged within digital still camera comprises a lens set, a first light-blocking plate having a first aperture, and a second light-blocking plate having a second aperture. The two light-blocking plates a... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6469841 | Lens frame guiding mechanism of a zoom lens A lens frame guiding mechanism of a zoom lens includes lens frames having projections which extend radially outwards, wherein a cam follower is formed on each projection; a linear guide barrel; linear guide slots formed on the linear guide barrel parallel... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6469840 | Cam mechanism for driving a linearly-guided lens A cam mechanism includes a linear guide barrel provided with a linear guide projection at one end thereof, extending radially outwards; a cam barrel fitted on the linear guide barrel, rotatable relative to the linear guide barrel and movable along the opt... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6456445 | Zoom lens having a cam mechanism A zoom lens includes a cam barrel having first and second cam grooves formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof; and first and second lens frames having first and second cam followers, respectively engaged with the first and the second cam grooves. Th... | 09/24/2002 |
| 6176627 | Method of controlling exposure of camera and diaphragm driving device for performing same A diaphragm driving device for a camera with a single type sector includes a shutter base, a driver installed on the shutter base, and a diaphragm ring rotatably placed on the shutter base with the same center and connected to the driving source to receiv... | 01/23/2001 |
| 6099171 | Lens-shutter device A lens-shutter device of the present invention includes main blades and sub blades which can rotate in the opening and closing directions within an inner space formed by a case and a case cover. When the shutter is closed, protrusions of the case cover di... | 08/08/2000 |
| 5997187 | Shutter/diaphragm apparatus A shutter/diaphragm apparatus includes an intermediate plate between a diaphragm cam plate and a diaphragm rotating plate. A plurality of blades are provided between the diaphragm cam plate and the intermediate plate and between the diaphragm rotating pla... | 12/07/1999 |
| 5983031 | Lens shutter camera equipped with zoom lens system The rotation of the motor 60 located outside the lens barrel is transmitted to the shutter blades 74 that move along the optical axis together with the lens barrel by means of the gear train 62, the drive shaft 64 that is engaged with the output gear 63 o... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5930042 | Optical lens barrel with an optical lens group shiftable perpendicular to and parallel with an optical axis and method of use An optical lens barrel having a lens group which serves as a vibration compensation lens group and a focusing lens group. The lens group is held by a holder movably secured to a plate. The lens group is movable within the plate on a plane perpendicular to... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5926663 | Rotation driving device and optical apparatus having the same A rotation driving device comprises a first fixed member having an aperture, a second fixed member having an aperture, the second fixed member being fixed with respect to the first fixed member, a ring-like rotary member, the rotary member being fitted in... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5812889 | Lens guide mechanism of a lens shutter type of camera A lens guide mechanism has first and second members positioned adjacent to each other in which the second member supports a lens group. The second member is movable relative to the first member along an optical axis of the lens group. The lens guide mecha... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5794085 | Exposure controlling device for camera An exposure controlling device comprises, a controlling unit that controls a DC motor, a calculating unit that calculates a time period between a predetermined starting point and a point where a predetermined aperture area is obtained during the forward r... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5754896 | Lens device having a focusing lens unit coupled to a drive ring by a coupling member and having a notch to prevent the coupling member from obstructing insertion of the focusing lens unit into the lens device A lens device having a base unit, a lens unit and an intermediate member. The base unit includes a drive ring which is rotatable around an optical axis of the lens device and has a coupling portion which protrudes into the housing space. The lens unit is ... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5708885 | Light intercepting device of a lens shutter type of camera A shutter arrangement for a camera which includes a plurality of shutter blades each having a rotational center and an opening formed proximate to the rotational center, a supporting member which supports each of the plurality of shutter blades to be rota... | 01/13/1998 |
| 5689746 | Amount-of-light adjusting device To reduce the size of an optical apparatus having an amount-of-light adjusting device, there is provided an arrangement which comprises a light-blocking member arranged to move to vary a light-blocking area and a drive part for driving the light block mem... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5687401 | High variable-power ratio, high aperture ratio, zoom optical system A first zoom lens group, a second zoom lens group, a third zoom lens group and a fourth zoom lens group are arranged on an optical axis in that order from an object side. The first zoom lens group has a negative lens and a positive lens arranged in that o... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5497208 | Camera having a lens shutter mechanism A camera having a lens shutter mechanism in accordance with the present invention comprises sectors lying in a lens frame and forming a predetermined exposure aperture, a drive ring for opening and closing the sectors, a high-speed sector opening lever an... | 03/05/1996 |
| 5280317 | Lens shutter camera including zoom lens drive system A zoom lens for a camera having a between-the-lens shutter includes a motor for moving the lens along an optical axis in forward and rearward directions. A switch is operable by an operator to control operation of the motor for moving the lens from an ini... | 01/18/1994 |
| 4839680 | Method and device for driving lens shutter A method of driving a lens shutter of an interchangeable lens for a single-lens reflex camera comprises steps of charging the lens shutter, opening shutter blades of the lens shutter, closing the shutter blades and releasing the lens shutter by rotations ... | 06/13/1989 |
| 3938168 | High speed camera shutter A camera is provided with a camera shutter including two substantially planar plates longitudinally arranged and set in tandem. The plates are provided with exposure clearances and are longitudinally movable into successive overlying positions for alignin... | 02/10/1976 |
