JPH10117301A - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic camera which causes no deviation on a screen, camera-shake is hardly caused and without damaging an external appearance. SOLUTION: In a liquid crystal display monitor 34 combined with a view finder, a center of an image picked up by an image-pickup optical system 22 is placed on an optical axis of the image-pickup optical system 22 and placed behind the image-pickup optical system 22 with respect to an object. Since the screen center of the liquid crystal display monitor 34 is placed on the optical axis of the image-pickup optical system 22, the image-pickup center is not deviated due to illusion of a photographer and correct framing is obtained. In addition to the liquid crystal display monitor 34 an optical finer 36 corresponding to the image-pickup optical system 22 is provided and camera-shake, due to unstable image pickup posture is prevented. Since one side of the liquid crystal display monitor 34 is fitted rotatably to a case 21, and the liquid crystal display monitor 34 covers a power supply container 32 and a memory card container 33 in a way to enable opening and closing, the external appearance is not damaged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic camera which uses a liquid crystal monitor for reproducing and confirming recorded contents as a viewfinder during recording and photographing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electronic cameras which use a liquid crystal monitor for reproducing and recognizing recorded contents as an electronic viewfinder at the time of photographing have become widespread.

In such an electronic camera, when the liquid crystal monitor functions as an electronic viewfinder, framing can be determined while checking the liquid crystal monitor, and framing is facilitated. In addition, since there is no need to restrict an optical path system such as an optical finder to a camera body with limited space, the degree of freedom in selecting mounting positions for various components is increased. Further, by making the liquid crystal monitor freely rotatable, the photographer can freely adjust the display screen angle of the liquid crystal monitor so that the photographer can take a picture in a free posture, and high convenience can be obtained.

Focusing on such convenience, electronic cameras shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, are conventionally known. The electronic camera shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.
And a photographing optical system 12 by a rotating shaft 13, and a liquid crystal monitor 11
Is freely adjusted with respect to the photographing optical system 12.

However, an electronic camera having such a structure is
As shown in the drawing, the liquid crystal monitor 11 is arranged on the side of the photographing optical axis of the photographing optical system 12, and thus a displacement occurs between the center of the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 11 and the photographing optical axis. For this reason, it is difficult to determine the shooting framing while moving the electronic camera toward and away from the subject while fixing the shooting center. That is, the operation of moving the electronic camera toward and away from the subject requires moving the electronic camera along the photographing optical axis. In this case, it is generally preferable that the center of the screen is generally fixed as it is.

The photographer determines the framing based on the subject image projected on the liquid crystal monitor 11 while confirming the position of the subject with the naked eye, so that the illusion of the photographer makes the framing on the line connecting the screen center of the liquid crystal monitor and the subject. The electronic camera may be moved, and in such a case, the photographing center is shifted.

Further, the liquid crystal monitor 11 generally has a screen size exceeding 1 inch from the viewpoint of visibility during reproduction. Therefore, when using the liquid crystal monitor 11 as an electronic viewfinder, the photographer views the screen away from the face of the electronic camera so that the user can visually recognize the screen of this size. That is, when deciding on the framing for photographing, the photographing operation must be performed with the hand holding the electronic camera extended forward and the side open, and the holding of the camera becomes unstable, and camera shake is likely to occur.

[0008] Therefore, when a reliable photographing without such camera shake is required, an electronic camera with a liquid crystal monitor also serving as an electronic viewfinder necessarily takes a stable and correct photographing posture. It is desirable to have an optical finder. In this case, when the liquid crystal monitor and the optical finder are provided side by side, there is a demand for miniaturization from the viewpoint of portability of the electronic camera, and it is necessary to efficiently arrange the liquid crystal monitor and the optical finder. Is done.

Further, in an electronic camera having many functions such as a liquid crystal monitor and a zoom mechanism, since the power consumption is large, a dry battery having a large power supply capacity, that is, a large shape is used. More efficient arrangement of each member is required.

Furthermore, in an electronic camera equipped with a dry battery having a large shape, the cover for covering the outlet of the dry battery becomes large, which may impair the external shape. In an electronic camera in which a memory card can be loaded, the appearance of the memory card may be similarly impaired by exposing the insertion opening of the memory card.

[0011]

As described above, in the conventional electronic camera, when the liquid crystal monitor is used as an electronic viewfinder, the center of the screen is deviated from the photographing optical axis. The center is easily shifted,
In addition, camera shake is likely to occur due to an unstable shooting posture,
Further, in response to a demand for miniaturization, a more efficient arrangement of the components and a configuration that does not impair the external shape are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an electronic camera which does not cause displacement on a screen, does not easily cause camera shake, and does not impair the external shape.

[0013]

An electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein an image photographed by a photographing optical system is projected on a liquid crystal monitor also functioning as a viewfinder. It is located almost on the optical axis of the system and arranged behind the photographic optical system with respect to the subject.The center of the screen of the LCD monitor is located almost on the optical axis of the photographic optical system, so the illusion of the photographer The photographing center is not displaced, and the photographed image has no displacement due to correct framing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera according to the first aspect, further comprising an optical finder provided separately from a liquid crystal monitor for obtaining a finder image corresponding to a photographing optical system. Is provided in the photographing optical system, so that framing with an optical viewfinder is possible, and camera shake caused by an unstable photographing posture is reliably prevented.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic camera according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a power supply accommodating portion which is disposed between the liquid crystal monitor and the rear of the photographing optical system and accommodates a battery. By arranging a power supply accommodating portion for a battery having a relatively large shape between the photographing optical system and the liquid crystal monitor, an efficient arrangement can be achieved, and the size of the entire camera can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic camera according to the third aspect, further comprising an exterior housing, and a memory card accommodating portion disposed below the power supply accommodating portion and accommodating a memory card. Then, one side of the liquid crystal monitor is rotatably attached to the exterior housing, and the liquid crystal monitor covers the power storage section and the memory card storage section so as to be openable and closable. Since the memory card accommodating portion is covered by the liquid crystal monitor so as to be openable and closable, it is not exposed to the outside and its external shape is not damaged.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing constituting the electronic camera main body.
The length is about 150 mm and the thickness is about 55 mm.

A photographing optical system 22 is located on the right front side of an unillustrated subject located in the upper right of the housing 21.
Are disposed with the optical axis direction of the lens barrel 23 along the length direction of the housing 21. A distance measuring optical system 24 for measuring the distance to the subject is disposed on the right front side of the lens barrel 23 with respect to the subject, and a lens driving system 25 is located behind the distance measuring optical system 24. Are arranged.
The lens drive system 25 causes the photographing optical system 22 to perform a zoom operation and a focusing operation.

Behind the photographing optical system 22 and the lens drive system 25, a circuit board on which control means and the like are formed
A power supply accommodating section 32 and a memory card accommodating section 33 for storing photographed images are provided, and a liquid crystal monitor 34 is provided at a rear end thereof. In addition, the power supply housing 32
Accommodates a plurality of batteries for supplying power to the lens drive system 25, the circuit board 31, and the like. The liquid crystal monitor 34 also serves as an electronic viewfinder that displays a recorded captured image and displays a subject image at the time of capturing.

On the other hand, an optical viewfinder 36 that optically captures the range of the subject to be photographed is provided along the length of the casing 21 on the left side of the subject in the casing 21. It is arranged together. That is, the optical viewfinder 36
Is attached to the photographing optical system 22. A slide cover 37 is provided on the front of the optical finder 36 so as to be slidable along the width direction of the housing 21 as shown in FIG. The slide cover 37 also functions as an on / off switch in a photographable state.

As shown in FIG. 1, a shutter button 39 is provided on the right side of the subject, and a zoom button 40 is provided on the left side, as shown in FIG. Note that the shutter button
39 operates a mechanical shutter (not shown) provided in the optical path in the lens barrel 23 of the photographing optical system 22, and the zoom button 40 performs a zoom operation of the photographing optical system 22.

Further, a ring projection 43 for attaching a strap belt 42 for fixing a photographer's hand to the housing 21 is integrally provided on the outer surface on the right side of the housing 21 facing the subject.

Next, the specific configuration and arrangement of each component will be described.

The photographing optical system 22 has, for example, a diameter of 23 mm.
Therefore, the zoom lens can be operated with a focal length in the range of 7 mm to 21 mm, and the zoom ratio can be maximized to achieve a close-up shooting of up to 20 cm. In the optical path of the photographing optical system 22, a shutter mechanism (not shown) that operates when the shutter button 39 is pressed is provided.

The lens structure of the photographing optical system 22 and a lens displacement mechanism and a shutter mechanism (not shown) for zoom operation are housed in a lens barrel 23. The lens barrel 23 has, for example, an outer diameter of approximately 40 mm and a length of 65 m.
1, cam grooves 23a and 23b for interlocking the optical finder 36 with the zoom operation of the photographing optical system 22 are formed on the outer periphery of the lens barrel 23, as shown in FIG. ing.

The distance measuring optical system 24 has a light projecting unit 45 and a light receiving unit 46 arranged on the front surface of the housing 21 facing a subject (not shown) at a predetermined base line length. As shown in FIG. 3, the light projecting unit 45 and the light receiving unit 46 are disposed vertically on the right side of the photographing optical system 22 facing the subject, and have a base line length of the lens barrel 23.
The length is set to be almost the same as the outer diameter of. The light emitting unit 45 and the light receiving unit 46 are, as shown in FIG. 1, a driving circuit unit disposed between the light emitting unit 45 and the light receiving unit 46.
Driven by 47, the distance to the subject is measured by a so-called triangulation method.

Here, the light projecting section 45 projects distance measuring light emitted from a light emitting diode (not shown) to the subject via a condenser lens 45L as shown in FIG. Also, the light receiving section
Reference numeral 46 denotes a light receiving element (not shown) through which the distance measuring light projected from the light projecting unit 45 and reflected by the subject is reflected via a condenser lens 46L.
D) Receive the light above and output an electric signal that changes according to the subject distance as a subject signal.

The lens drive system 25 includes a zoom motor 49
And a zoom drive system having a gear train 50, and an autofocus drive system having an autofocus motor 51 and a gear train 52. Further, the zoom drive system includes a gear train 50
Is connected to a zoom optical system (not shown) in the lens barrel 23,
The zoom motor 49 is operated in a desired direction for a desired time in accordance with a pressing time and a pressing position of the zoom button 40 provided on the upper surface of the housing 21 to drive the photographing optical system 22 to a desired magnification. The auto-focus drive system has a gear train 52 connected to a focusing optical system (not shown) in the lens barrel 23, and moves the auto-focus motor 51 in a corresponding direction according to the subject distance measured by the distance measuring optical system 24. To drive the photographing optical system 22 into a focused state.

Here, each component of the lens drive system 25 is
Behind the distance measuring optical system 24, it is configured to have a shape and a size that can be substantially fit in the space formed by the taking optical system 22. That is,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a zoom motor 49 is provided at a relatively upper rear portion of the space, while an autofocus motor 51 is provided at a lower front portion of the space so as not to overlap with the zoom motor 49. It is arranged. These zoom motors
The 49 and the autofocus motor 51 are connected to the corresponding gear trains 50 and 52, respectively, with the output rotation shaft facing forward. The gear train 50 for the zoom motor 49 is provided above the autofocus motor 51.
Gear trains 52 are provided in front of the gear train 50 and between the gear train 52 and the distance measuring optical system 24, respectively.

By arranging the constituent members in this manner, the lens driving system 25 can be accommodated in a space that is long in the optical axis direction and is flat in the width direction of the housing 21 intersecting the base line length.

The above-described photographing optical system 22 and lens driving system
Behind 25, a circuit board 31 is erected in a direction transverse to the housing 21. As shown in FIG. 2, CC on the circuit board 31 is formed at the position where the subject image is formed by the photographing optical system 21.
D54 is provided. Although not shown, CC
D54 driving, autofocus motor 51 driving based on distance measurement signal corresponding to subject distance from distance measuring optical system 24,
Various control means such as a CPU for performing various operations as an electronic camera, such as driving a zoom motor 49 in accordance with the operation of the zoom button 40, are provided. As the CCD 54, an image pickup surface having a size of 6.4 mm × 4.8 mm and a number of pixels of 900,000 is used.

A power supply accommodating portion 32 provided at the rear of the circuit board 31 has four dry cells 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d as AA batteries. Two units are accommodated in the upper and lower stages in a direction crossing the optical axis of the imaging optical system 22, that is, along the width direction of the housing 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the power supply accommodating portion 32 is such that the batteries 32a and 32b accommodated in the upper stage are shifted rearward with respect to the batteries 32c and 32d accommodated in the lower stage, and the upper and lower batteries 32a and 32d are shifted. The inner wall surface is bulged in a stepped manner so that 32b, 32c, and 32d can be housed alternately.

Further, an opening 55 for exchanging the dry batteries 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d is formed in the rear surface of the power supply accommodating portion 32, and a lid 56 is provided in this opening 55 with engaging means (not shown). It is attached detachably. The lower portion of the lid 56 is curved toward the inside of the power supply accommodating portion 32. Therefore, when the lid 56 is attached, the lower rear portion of the lid 56 projects into the power accommodating portion 32. , Dry batteries 32a, 32b,
Hold and fix 32c and 32d so that they do not rattle inside.
Further, a housing space 57 for the shutter button 39 is formed on the front surface side of the lower portion of the lid 56 with the formation of the curve.

As shown in FIG. 4, a coil spring-shaped electrode contact piece 48 is provided in the power supply accommodating portion 32, and these come into contact with the negative electrodes of the dry batteries 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d, respectively. . Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a semicircular notch 55a is formed on the left side of the periphery of the opening 55 in the drawing, and when removing the lid 56, the notch 55a is formed.
Then, the fingertip is hooked on the back surface of the lid 56 and pulled forward, whereby the lid 56 and the opening 55 are disengaged from each other, and the lid 56 is removed from the opening 55. At this time, since the batteries 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d are accommodated in the upper and lower rows so as to be shifted back and forth, the upper battery that protrudes rearward is
The finger can be pulled out by applying the belly of the finger to the lower surface of 32a, and the battery 32a can be easily taken out.

Further, below the power supply accommodating section 32, a memory card accommodating section 33 is provided as shown in FIGS. The memory card accommodating portion 33 includes a card connector 60 for attaching and detaching the memory card 59 along the optical axis direction of the photographing optical system 22, and a transport path for guiding the memory card 59 to the card connector 60 in the attaching / detaching direction. 61.

The image data of the subject formed on the CCD 54 is recorded on the memory card 59 attached to the card connector 60 as necessary. As shown in FIG. 2, when the memory card 59 is mounted, the rear end face of the memory card 59
Are disposed in a positional relationship that is substantially the same as the surface of the lid 56.

Further, a shutter 62 for opening and closing the insertion port 61a is provided in the insertion port 61a of the transport path 61 of the memory card 59. This shutter 62, as shown in FIG.
The section has an inverted L-shape, and is rotatably supported by a hinge 63 provided on the upper surface of the transport path 61. Therefore, as shown by the solid line, the shutter 62
Is closed so as to cover from the outside, and the hinge 63 is rotated upward along the pulling-out direction of the memory card 59, so that the insertion opening 61a is opened as shown by the broken line. When the shutter 62 is fully rotated upward, the dimensions and the amount of rotation of the shutter 62 are set so as to be accommodated in a housing space 57 formed on the lower surface side of the lid 56 as shown by a broken line. ing.

When the memory card 59 attached to the card connector 60 is to be removed, the shutter 62 is opened, and the eject button 64 shown in FIG. 4 is operated to operate an eject mechanism (not shown). Memory card
59 can be removed from the card connector 60.

Here, AA batteries 22a, 22b, 22c
, 22d are, as is well known, approximately 14 mm in diameter,
The length is standardized to 50 mm. The memory card 59 is also approximately 43 mm wide, 36 mm long, and 3 mm thick.
It has been standardized. Therefore, the batteries 22a, 22b,
A power supply accommodating portion 32 for accommodating four of 22c and 22d sideways,
The memory card storage unit 33 that stores the memory card 59 having a width of 43 mm is disposed so as to overlap vertically. And, these power supply accommodation section 32 and memory card accommodation section 33,
It is disposed behind the lens barrel 23 and the lens drive system 25.

The power storage unit 32 and the memory card storage unit
A liquid crystal monitor 34 is provided behind 33. The liquid crystal monitor 34 is used as an electronic viewfinder for playing back recording and monitoring the subject image captured by the photographing optical system 22 by operating the switching means. The center of the display screen 67 shown in FIG. It is arranged in a positional relationship substantially coincident with the optical axis of the system 22.

The screen size of the display screen 67 is 1.6 inches, and the liquid crystal monitor 34 having the display screen 67 is
The size is suitable for collectively covering the opening 55 of the power supply housing 32 and the insertion opening 61a of the memory card 59. In addition, this screen size is such that when a general photographer observes an image with an electronic camera, the photographer can easily observe the image without taking an excessive posture such as bringing his eyes particularly close to the display screen. It is.

Further, the upper portion of the liquid crystal monitor 34 is rotatably supported by the hinge 21 as shown in FIG. 1, and the display screen 67 faces upward as shown in FIGS. Can be used even when In other words, the display screen is adjusted according to the photographing posture of the photographer and the posture when observing the playback screen.
67 can be adjusted to any angle.

When loading and unloading the dry batteries 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d and the memory card 59, the liquid crystal monitor
4 is rotated upward as shown in FIG.
By exposing the opening 55 and the insertion port 61a of the memory card 59, loading and unloading can be performed.

On the other hand, when the liquid crystal monitor 34 is fully rotated downward, such as when the electronic camera is not used,
Since the lid 56 and the shutter 62 are covered with the liquid crystal monitor 34, the external design is not impaired, and the power supply housing 32 and the memory card housing 33 can be protected. Also,
The shutter 62 is housed in the housing space 57 when opened, so even if the liquid crystal monitor 34 is rotated downward with the shutter 62 open, the shutter 62 retreats into the housing space 57, and the shutter 62 is damaged. I will not do it.

As shown in FIG. 1, three operation buttons 69a, 69b, and 69c for processing recorded image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 34 are provided below the display screen 67. . On the left side of the housing 21 facing the subject, there is provided a monitor switch 70 for setting the liquid crystal monitor 34 in an operation state capable of reproducing, as shown in FIGS.

The operation buttons 69a, 69b, 69c and the monitor switch 70 are used, for example, as follows.

First, after the monitor switch 70 is turned on, when the operation button 69a is pressed, for example, the first recorded content of the image data recorded in the storage means is displayed on the display screen 67.

Subsequently, when the operation button 69b is pressed, the recorded contents are sequentially displayed each time the operation button 69b is pressed.

Further, when the operation button 69c is pressed, the data of the projected image is deleted from the storage means.

By operating a brightness dial (not shown), the brightness of the display screen 67 can be adjusted to an appropriate state.

Next, the portion on the left side of the housing 21 toward the subject will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, an optical finder 36 is disposed on the left side in parallel with the optical axis of the photographing optical system 22. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a subject image captured by a finder window 72 provided on the front surface of the housing 21 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, an eyepiece portion having an eyepiece provided on the rear surface of the housing 21 via a plurality of optical lenses such as movable lenses 73 and 74 arranged in a row in parallel with the optical axis of the photographing optical system 22. Leading to 75.

The movable lenses 73 and 74 allow the optical finder 36 to operate in conjunction with the zoom operation of the photographing optical system 22.
Connection pins 73a and 74a are provided integrally with cam grooves 23a and 23b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 23. For this reason, the optical finder 36 can obtain a finder image corresponding to the zoom operation of the photographing optical system 22, and the photographer can use the eyepiece section.
The finder image can be visually observed by looking through 75. Normally, the photographer looks into the eyepiece unit 75 with the right eye and determines the framing by photographing the subject with the left eye as needed while observing the subject image.

Further, a slide cover 37 provided on the front surface of the housing 21 is slidable in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.
Open and close the front of 36. The slide cover 37 also serves as a photographable switch that is turned on / off in response to a slide operation.
Is moved outward as shown in FIG. With this operation, in addition to the optical viewfinder 36, a photometric unit 77 for determining the exposure for photographing and a photometric unit 78 for automatically adjusting the amount of strobe light.
Are exposed to the subject, and the photographing enable switch is turned on. In addition, the strobe body 79 is
The slide cover 37 is provided on the left side of the subject facing the subject.

Here, when the slide cover 37 is closed, the photographing enable switch is off, and both photometry sections
Since 77 and 78 are located behind the slide cover 37, they are protected from dirt and impact. When the photographable switch is in the off state, the viewfinder window 72 of the optical viewfinder 36 is covered with the slide cover 37. Therefore, if the photographer accidentally looks into the optical viewfinder 36, the electronic camera is not in the photographing state. You can know immediately.

The housing behind the slide cover 37
A condenser 80 for a strobe body 79 is provided inside 21 alongside the optical finder 36.

An operation panel 81 used for setting functions of the electronic camera is provided below the eyepiece 75 provided at the rear of the housing 21. The operation panel 81 is provided with a liquid crystal display section 82 for displaying functions and the like, and operation buttons 83a, 83b and 83c for setting functions.

Here, when the operation button 83a is pressed, a function setting mode for strobe light emission or a function setting mode for auto focus is selected each time the button is pressed, and the liquid crystal display section is operated.
In 82, the selected function setting mode is displayed.

When the operation button 83b is operated, the operation button 83
A desired function is selected from the function modes selected in a. For example, when the operation button 83b is operated after selecting the auto focus function mode with the operation button 83a, the function setting of the distance measuring method such as multi-point distance measurement and spot distance measurement in the auto focus function mode is performed.

Further, the operation button 83c is a switch for making the liquid crystal monitor 34 function as an electronic viewfinder. When this operation button 83c is operated, the subject image photographed by the photographing optical system 22 is displayed on the display screen 67 of the liquid crystal monitor 34. The image is projected, and therefore the photographer photographs while observing the image on the display screen 67.

As described above, the components of the electronic camera are arranged in a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped block as a whole, and are accommodated in a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 21 having a predetermined size. The outer dimensions of the housing 21 are optimal for a general photographer to hold the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 21 with the palm of the hand, and the length of the housing 21 is grasped and held. The palm is case 21
Since the length does not reach the outside, it is possible to avoid a shooting error in which a finger covers the distance measuring optical system. Furthermore, since each component is accommodated in a rectangular parallelepiped having no protrusion, portability is excellent.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

First, when taking a picture, the slide cover 37 provided on the front surface of the housing 21 is slid outward so that the picture can be taken. In this state, the subject is observed with the liquid crystal monitor 34 also serving as the optical viewfinder 36 or the electronic viewfinder, and framing is determined. When the shutter button 39 is pressed in this state, the shutter button 39 provided in the photographing optical system 22 is released, and the CCD is
The subject image formed on 54 is converted into an electric signal. This electric signal is stored as image data in the storage means provided on the circuit board 31 via the processing means, the memory card 59, or the like, and the photographing is completed.

Here, when the liquid crystal monitor 34 is used as an electronic viewfinder, the photographer determines the framing based on the subject image displayed on the display screen 67 of the liquid crystal monitor 34 while confirming the position of the subject with the naked eye. Since the center of the screen 67 and the optical axis of the imaging optical system 22 match,
Even if the photographer moves the electronic camera on the line connecting the center of the screen and the subject, the photographing center does not deviate as in the related art, and a photographed image without deviation can be obtained.

Further, since the optical finder 36 is provided along with the photographing optical system 22, photographing using the optical finder 36 can be arbitrarily performed, and camera shake due to an excessive photographing posture can be prevented.

Further, since the power supply accommodating portion 32 for the battery having a relatively large shape is disposed between the photographing optical system 22 and the liquid crystal monitor 34, an efficient arrangement can be achieved. Insert the battery replacement part and the insertion port 61a of the part 32
Since the display is covered by the non-display surface of the liquid crystal monitor 34, the size of the entire camera can be reduced, for example, they are not exposed and the external shape is not damaged.

[0068]

According to the electronic camera of the first aspect, since the center of the screen of the liquid crystal monitor is located substantially on the optical axis of the photographing optical system, the photographing center does not shift due to the illusion of the photographer, and correct framing is performed. This makes it possible to obtain a shot image without any shift due to

According to the electronic camera of the second aspect, in addition to the electronic camera of the first aspect, since the optical finder is provided in the photographing optical system, framing by the optical finder is also possible, and the camera is placed in an unstable photographing posture. The resulting camera shake can be reliably prevented.

According to the electronic camera of the third aspect, in addition to the electronic camera of the first or second aspect, a power supply accommodating portion for a battery having a relatively large shape is provided between the photographing optical system and the liquid crystal monitor. As a result, an efficient arrangement can be achieved, and the size of the entire camera can be reduced.

According to the electronic camera of the fourth aspect, in addition to the electronic camera of the third aspect, the battery replacement portion of the power storage portion and the memory card storage portion are covered by the liquid crystal monitor so as to be openable and closable. The appearance can be prevented from being impaired without being exposed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing a conventional electronic camera.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view showing the electronic camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Housing 22 Imaging optical system 32 Power supply compartment 32a to 32d Dry battery as battery 33 Memory card compartment 34 LCD monitor 36 Optical viewfinder 59 Memory card

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electronic camera for projecting an image photographed by a photographing optical system on a liquid crystal monitor also serving as a viewfinder, wherein the liquid crystal monitor has a center of a screen positioned substantially on an optical axis of the photographing optical system. An electronic camera, wherein the electronic camera is disposed behind a shooting optical system. 2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising an optical finder provided separately from a liquid crystal monitor for obtaining a finder image corresponding to the photographing optical system. 3. The electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising: a power supply accommodating portion disposed behind the photographing optical system and between the liquid crystal monitor and the liquid crystal monitor, for accommodating a battery. 4. An exterior casing, and a memory card accommodation section arranged below the power supply accommodation section and accommodating a memory card, wherein one side of a liquid crystal monitor is rotated by the exterior casing. 4. The electronic camera according to claim 3, wherein the electronic camera is attached so as to be capable of being opened and closed, and the liquid crystal monitor covers the power supply accommodating section and the memory card accommodating section so as to be opened and closed.